Is it possible to modify the laptop. Laptop upgrade: modifying a mobile computer to fit your needs
The etymology of the word "upgrade" indicates its English origin, which in literal translation into Russian means modernization.
To begin with, let's figure out for what purpose you are going to upgrade your favorite laptop. In my opinion, there are two reasons why laptop owners upgrade their devices. The first reason is the lack of system resources to perform the necessary tasks. The second reason is simply the desire of the laptop owner to change something so that it works better, it becomes “flying” and launching the whole thing into space. Let's leave the second, cosmic reason for the upgrade for now and consider the cases in which it is really necessary to upgrade the laptop.
What can be upgraded in a laptop?
1. Increase the amount of random access memory (RAM)
Perhaps the most necessary and most common laptop upgrade. Modern operating systems such as Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, some Linux and BSD systems are quite demanding on the amount of RAM, despite the fact that the OS manufacturer assures us that new system became even faster, even more convenient to use, even more fault-tolerant and more, and more, and more. For example, for normal work with Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, a minimum of 2Gb of RAM is required, and for a comfortable and relaxed work, it is better to install 4Gb of RAM. Some manufacturers equip their laptops with 3Gb RAM. In terms of volume, this is quite good, but there is a nuance. In a laptop, there are almost always only two slots where RAM is installed. All modern laptop chipsets support RAM in dual-channel mode, i. If you imagine everything exaggerated, then we can say that two memory bars work in parallel to each other, which significantly increases the speed of communication between the memory and the processor. But such a mode of operation is possible only when the RAM sticks are identical in a certain number of parameters, and first of all in terms of volume! Based on this, we can conclude that if your laptop has 3Gb of RAM installed on board, then there is one bar with a capacity of 1Gb, and another with a capacity of 2Gb, and such a configuration of RAM simply cannot work in dual-channel mode! Do you want to work faster? Then change the bar from 1Gb to 2Gb, which, in addition to increasing the amount of RAM, will allow the chipset to work with it in dual-channel mode.
If you decide to upgrade your laptop by adding RAM to it, then you need to know the following:
a) what standard is your random access memory (RAM): DDR, DDRII or DDRIII. We will not consider completely old options here;
b) how many RAM slots are occupied in the laptop;
c) what do you want to get out of all this?
d) if you do not know any of the above, then do not be shy and call us at 600-10-45. We will tell you everything and give you a price quote. I would like to note that this is perhaps the easiest and at the same time the cheapest way to increase the performance of your laptop.
2. Replace the hard disk (HDD) with a larger one
Here, it would seem, everything is simple. We ran out of space, we put in a new hard drive, and we will be happy. But it turns out to be somewhat different. What can be pitfalls? Modern laptops, as well as netbooks, use hard drives, they are also hard drives, with a form factor usually 2.5 inches, less often 1.8 inches, we will not consider very rare hard drives here, and the fate of such an upgrade will be decided individually, by phone . Also, in addition to the form factor (overall size) of the HDD, you need to know the interface for connecting the hard drive, it can be either SATA (new) or PATA, aka IDE (old). Some modern laptop models provide the ability to install two hard drives. In this case, the easiest way to upgrade is to either simply install another hard drive in a free slot designed for a second hard drive, or change an already installed second hard drive to a more spacious one. Everything, the upgrade was a success, hurray! And if the laptop has the ability to install only one hard drive? In this case, after replacing the hard drive with a larger one, it will be necessary to reinstall the operating system on a new hard drive, which, in principle, is not very desirable. And since there is a great desire to keep all the available data, software and operating system, then in this case we will need to clone the data from the old hard drive to the new one. The procedure is simple, but requires additional equipment, special software and time. Hence the conclusion: if you want to increase the space on your hard drive, it’s not a problem, but you need to remember about transferring your data to a new hard drive. When upgrading a hard drive, you also need to know that, in addition to the volume measured in gigabytes, hard drives have parameters such as rotation speed - usually 5400 and 7200 rpm - the faster it spins, the faster it works. The next parameter is the cache - the buffer memory of the hard drive. We will not go into details in depth, but in a simple interpretation, we can say that the larger the hard drive cache, the faster the hard drive, and this primarily affects working with small files, and the operating system at its system level often processes such files. .
3. Replace the processor with a more powerful one
With this, perhaps, everyone who wants to increase the performance of their laptop starts. Not a bad start, but the question is: will it help? It will help only if the processor is really the bottleneck of your system. To begin with, I strongly recommend increasing the amount of RAM to the required amount, checking the correct operation of the operating system, checking the free space on the hard disk and the fragmentation of the hard drive, and only after that proceed with the processor upgrade. Otherwise, after replacing the processor, you will not get the desired performance increase and will be very upset, but the money has already been spent. Let's look at options in which all performance issues really rest on the processor, and the CPU needs to be changed. The first and most necessary option is if your laptop has a budget low-performance Celeron or Sempron processor. In this case, a processor upgrade will be worthwhile and the performance gain will be noticeable, but for such an upgrade, you need to make sure that the laptop motherboard supports more powerful processors. In most cases, this compatibility exists. Option two: You need to perform serious mathematical calculations related to working in very resource-intensive applications. In this case, replacing the processor will also entail a positive result. Not enough power in games? Upgrading the CPU won't help you much here. Of course, there will be a small gain, but not commensurate with the funds spent. Of course, it is necessary to touch upon the negative aspects of such an operation as upgrading the processor in a laptop. It must be understood that, as a rule, a more powerful processor heats up more than its younger brother, and the cooling system remains the same when upgrading the processor, and as a result, we will see more intensive rotation of the cooling fan. Also, before starting the upgrade, you need to find out the compatibility of the platform (chipset) of your laptop with the processors that your laptop supports. We will not consider the compatibility of chipsets of motherboards and processors in detail, as this will grow into a fairly large table, which can already be found on the website of the manufacturer of processors and chipsets. Conclusion: before replacing the CPU with a more productive one, we first study what we have with RAM and the operating system, compatibility with the chipset, and only then we upgrade.
4. Replace the video card with a more productive one
This desire arises in almost any gamer or person who uses the 3D power of a laptop to the fullest. There is never too much 3D acceleration. First, let's figure out why you still need a video card in a laptop. Many users have an erroneous opinion that watching movies directly depends on the video card, and if the video slows down, jerks, beats into squares, then the video card is to blame. This is not true. Watching video depends primarily on the processor and on the codecs installed in the system. Of course, modern video decoding solutions allow using a video card as a video content processor. These are technologies such as Nvidia PureVideo HD and ATI AVIVO. In reality, hardware accelerated video stream decoding technologies are used only when decoding MPEG-2 (DVD), H.264, VC-1 (BluRay), and unfortunately, these technologies cannot be used when watching various movie rips. Simply put, if the video shows poorly, then you don’t need to change the laptop’s video card, but you need to deal with the codecs installed in operating system. Some users find that photo editing programs like Photoshop require a "serious" graphics card. And if you have one, then the computer will certainly never slow down when processing a photo. This is not true either. When processing any two-dimensional graphics, which are photographs, the power of the 3D accelerator is not used. Many users measure the performance of their video card by the amount of graphic memory, like my video card is 512, and mine is 1024!!! Yes ... cool, but it does not affect performance in any way! Let's look at the main parameters of laptop video cards that need to be taken into account if we want to evaluate their performance. The first and most important parameter is the graphics chip on which the video card is built, and the name of this video chip is clearly reflected in the name of the laptop video card itself. And to find out for yourself how powerful your laptop's video adapter is, I strongly recommend that you look at the results of comparative tests of mobile graphics platforms. The results of such tests can be found on the Internet in large numbers. To date, graphics solutions for laptops offer, by and large, only three manufacturers: Nvidia, AMD (ATI) and Intel (only integrated). Since in this article we are considering the possibility of an upgrade, we are only interested in the possibility of replacing a laptop video card, and from here I offer you two criteria for evaluating laptop video cards, in addition to all others - a removable video card and a soldered one (not to be confused in any case with an integrated one !!!). The conclusion suggests itself - a removable video card can be changed, but not a soldered one. Something like this is the case, but the compatibility of removable video cards with laptop motherboards is currently extremely small, and only on rare laptop models can you upgrade a video card to a really more productive one. You can also change a soldered video card (as part of a normal repair, this happens), but you can only change it for the same one! We conclude: only the speed of games and applications with 3D acceleration depends on the power of the video card in the laptop, and that's it! In some cases, it is advisable to change the video card on a laptop, but in most cases it is better to think about switching to a more productive laptop model.
5. Replace DVD to Blu-ray drive
There is nothing complicated and no pitfalls. We simply change the drive, which does not support the formats we need, with a drive that supports what we need. In this case, you need to know the thickness of the drive, usually the drives are slim and super slim, and you also need to know the connection interface - SATA or PATA (IDE). There are slot-loading drives for laptops, a vivid example of this is Apple, but this is only a matter of the user's taste and you can certainly replace your old drive with such a drive, but you must remember that in this case the front plate cannot be rearranged from the old drive, but the one that Comes with kit, may not fit. And one more thing... a slot-load laptop drive won't accept small discs.
6. Add Wi-Fi, BlueTooth modules to the laptop
Suppose your laptop does not have a Bluetooth module, and you do not want to use an external Bluetooth adapter connected via USB. In this case, you can add the necessary module inside the laptop, but only if the manufacturer provides a connector for connecting such an adapter, and antennas are separated inside the laptop. You can do the same with the Wi-Fi and WiMax (Yota) module.
Conclusion
Laptop upgrade is useful, important and necessary! By upgrading the laptop, we can avoid the extra expense of buying a new laptop and adapt our laptop to perform the tasks we need. It is worth approaching the laptop upgrade carefully and deliberately, and it is best to contact us for advice. After all, no one will take money for a consultation, but we can guide you and save you from unnecessary expenses.
With respect to the reader, Dmitry Nikonov
In recent years, mobile hardware technology has developed very rapidly. Until recently, for example, fast solid state drives (SSDs) were a hard-to-find luxury for most mainstream users due to their much higher price compared to hard drives. Today you can find models of SSD-devices costing less than 35 rubles per gigabyte. At the same time, replacing the hard drive with an SSD remains the most effective way to upgrade a laptop - the difference in performance is, to put it mildly, impressive. However, this is not the only way to improve. mobile system. Yes, laptops offer modest options for replacing or adding new hardware components (for example, it is almost impossible to replace the video card that a laptop is equipped with, although there are models that allow you to connect), but any modern laptop supports certain upgrade options. And which exactly? There are several relatively fast and simple ways find the answer. We will talk about them in this short article.
Easy option
Here we will talk about a useful and free online tool from Crucial - a company that develops and sells SSD devices, computer memory and other hardware. Of course, it is intended for the needs of the company's own customers, but it is publicly available, so you can use it freely and no matter what kind of laptop you have.
The tool is available at this address. It's called the Crucial Advisor tool and consists of a series of drop-down menus to select the brand, series, and model of the laptop. All of this information can be found on a label that is usually affixed to the bottom of the computer.
By providing the information needed to identify your device, the tool will tell you which laptop components can be replaced. For example, if the memory is upgradable (replaceable), the Crucial Advisor tool will tell you what type of memory is compatible with your device. Today the market offers a lot of variety in this regard, so it is very important to know what type of memory is supported by a laptop - otherwise you risk buying modules that simply will not work for you. In general, you should pay attention to the type (DDR2, DDR3, or DDR4), speed (1600 MHz, 1866 MHz, 2133 MHz, etc.), and memory voltage (usually 1.35 or 1.5 volts).
Another common upgrade option is the ability to add an SSD or replace a regular one. HDD such a device. In this case, the tool will show you if you need a traditional 2.5-inch SSD, or if your laptop has an M.2 expansion slot, it will offer you to purchase one to expand your current disk space.
More difficult option
The Crucial Advisor database, however extensive it may be, does not contain all laptop models. Don't be surprised - today computer manufacturers offer a huge variety of modifications to their products, many of which are sold only in certain countries.
If your Crucial Advisor search turned up nothing, then visit the laptop manufacturer's website. It is highly recommended to find exactly the regional version of the official website. On the site in the support section, find the so-called Service Manual for your laptop model. Almost all manufacturers publish such documentation on their websites, and not infrequently it contains special instructions for updating or servicing (options for replacing individual equipment components).
A few helpful clarifications
Even if your search was unsuccessful, this does not mean at all that an upgrade is impossible. It is very likely that the laptop is subject to a specific type of upgrade - for example, not just replacing the hard drive with an SSD, but connecting an SSD in addition to the hard drive. A number of models support this option, although it is not always officially documented. The "secret" is to replace the optical drive, which is rarely used today, but many manufacturers continue to equip their devices with it.
It can be easily removed from the laptop case (you only need to unscrew a few screws) and put a second hard drive or SSD in its place. However, this also requires the purchase of a special tray (HDD Caddy), which will allow you to install a hard drive or solid state drive in the bay that is freed from the optical drive.
Have a great day!
If you've heard that modern laptops are becoming less amenable to modernization Unfortunately, these rumors are becoming more and more true. Laptops are gradually becoming disposable electronic devices that, after the expiration date or obsolescence, are only suitable for replacement. Such a policy of manufacturers helps to increase sales, but it is unlikely to be to the liking of those who are used to using the device for the maximum possible period and, if necessary, improving its individual elements. In this article, we will consider the issue is it possible to upgrade modern laptops, and if possible, how to determine which devices are interchangeable in it.
What can be replaced in a laptop
So, if you decide to do a laptop upgrade with your own hands, you first need to know which items can be replaced in this device. So, for example, in a 2016 Macbook, all parts are irreplaceable. But in Eurocom Tornado F5 on the contrary, almost all parts can be exchanged for newer and more productive ones. And between these two laptops is a huge number of computers that differ in the number of interchangeable elements, as well as the complexity of access to them. 
Many are interested in the question you can replace the video chip, processor, hard drive or battery on a laptop? It is impossible to answer this question in general, because it all depends on the laptop model.
Critical elements for modernization
In this chapter, we will look at the most important parts of a laptop and try to figure out how to determine if they are replaceable or not.
RAM
RAM or laptop memory- This is the part of any computer that is most often subject to modernization. RAM is short-term memory, and the more it is, the faster the computer works. In 2017, 8 Gb of RAM is more than enough for the average laptop user. If you plan to solve complex tasks on your computer, or run demanding programs, then it is quite possible that you will need 16 or more GB of RAM.
If you can replace the RAM in your laptop, then you get a huge opportunity to upgrade your computer. After all, you are not limited by the amount of GB of RAM that was in the laptop when you bought it. You don't have to buy a new laptop if you suddenly need to perform more productive tasks, or it seems that the current memory is not enough.
Another benefit of being able to replace the RAM in a laptop is that you can restore the device if the memory stick has failed, by replacing it. It is impossible to list in one article the names of all laptops that support the ability to replace or replenish RAM. Read the manual for your laptop to see if it supports this feature. You can also look at the specifications of your laptop and, based on them, decide if RAM upgrades are possible. So, laptops with the following parameters usually allow you to change the RAM:
- If the laptop goes to several variations of RAM. For example, the same model is offered with 8GB as a single stick, or 8GB as two sticks of 4GB each. Notebooks with non-replaceable RAM sticks are offered in one configuration.
- In the technical specification must be indicated, including the quantity slots for RAM. The number of DIMM slots is usually written. Notebooks that are not eligible for custom upgrades do not have additional memory slots.
- Laptops traditionally use DDR memory. Look in the technical specification for the laptop, what kind of memory it has, for example, DDR3L-1866 or DDR4-2400. Yes, laptops with RAM LPDDR3 are not upgradeable- this type of memory is soldered directly to the motherboard forever.
- Your laptop is not an ultra-thin model. Anything thinner than two cm can be attributed to the category of such laptops. All devices that are thinner, as a rule, do not allow replacing RAM. Therefore, when purchasing an ultra-thin, stylish laptop, keep in mind that it is most likely not upgradable.
If you are not sure if you can replace the RAM in your laptop, just leave a comment on this article with the model name - you will receive an answer shortly about the possibility of upgrading your device.
HDD
After RAM, the hard drive is the most replaceable part of a laptop. home reason to replace your hard drive- this is need for more space. There may also be other reasons, such as your hard drive too slow which slows down the entire system. 
The good news is that p Almost all laptops allow you to replace the hard drive. There are, of course, exceptions, like the MacBook we talked about earlier, but in most cases, you can upgrade your laptop by increasing the size of its hard drive, or increasing its speed. Consider the main signs that the hard drive in your laptop can be replaced:
- If your laptop was purchased from 2.5 inch hard drive, then it can be replaced by any other 2.5-inch hard drive. Another issue is that getting to the location of the hard drive may not always be very easy.
- Your laptop has M.2 SSD slot. This, like 2.5 inches, is also a hard drive format that is interchangeable.
- Your laptop model was sold with multiple hard drive options. If there are only 2-3 of them, then most likely the hard drive cannot be changed.
CPU
Is it possible to replace the processor on a laptop? In most cases, the answer will be negative, because. the latest laptop models come with non-removable processors. By the name of the CPU, you can definitely tell whether it is replaceable or not. For example, the designation HQ testifies that processor is not removable. The Core i7-7700HQ CPU falls into this category, but just the Core i7-7700 is a processor that can be replaced. However, the number of such laptops is too small in the total mass, and the latest models are almost all produced with non-removable CPUs.
video card
The vast majority of modern laptops today come with integrated video card. This means that the GPU is integrated directly into the computer itself and cannot be replaced. The exception is those models that provide additional AMD or Nvidia cards. 
Even if your laptop is equipped with additional GPUs, this does not mean that they can be upgraded. The only modern exception is a small number of laptops with MXM slots.
However, the fact that the native video chip in a laptop cannot be replaced does not mean that it is impossible to improve the video card in modern computers. So, some laptops have the ability connect an external video adapter. However, these laptops are produced in small volumes, and the cost of the upgrade will be quite significant. 
Conclusion
Although modern laptops are less amenable to upgrades than they used to be, you can still take some comfort in the fact that most computers are still have interchangeable elements. Many laptops have the ability to change the hard drive as well as the RAM. It's just that different models may differ in the complexity of replacing these components. On some laptops, this procedure can be so complicated that you have to disassemble half of the computer before you get to the right part.
Replacing the CPU and video card in a laptop will most often be impossible, with the exception of some of the cases that we discussed above. However, if your laptop is running OS Windows 10 and has an external output for connecting a video chip, you can upgrade. However, this would be quite an expensive upgrade, especially considering that many external graphics cards are not guaranteed to be compatible.
Therefore, when buying a new laptop, be sure to study its characteristics and possibility of modernization various devices . And here it's not even that over time you will need more performance (this may not happen), just after the end of the warranty period, laptops tend to break down. It is clear that it will be much cheaper to change the RAM board than to buy a completely new motherboard.
Today, for every person, a laptop is not a luxury, but a completely ordinary device. Modern laptops have a lot of advantages over a regular desktop: portability, aesthetic appearance, rich choice and some pluses in the overall level of coolness and a decent performance margin. In what a laptop really loses to a desktop PC, it is in the ability to choose a configuration, so to speak, “for itself” and ease of upgrading. In this article, we will try to figure out whether everything is so bad in laptops with an upgrade.
And so, let's imagine a situation that you have a laptop that has faithfully served you for several years, and a certain amount of money. You also need to have “direct hands”, because without them your entire upgrade can turn into buying a new laptop and at least minimal knowledge in the structure of a computer. If you have all this in stock, then let's get started.
Before starting the upgrade of your electronic assistant, you need to clearly define which components will suit us. To do this, go to the Internet, look for the model of your laptop and choose the option with the maximum configuration. Why bother so much? The results of such a search will give us an answer, what is the maximum amount of RAM that can fit into our laptop, as well as which processor will suit us best. So, if you successfully completed this stage, then move on.
As you already understood, the main nodes in a laptop that can be upgraded are RAM, processor and hard drive. It is absolutely not advisable to change everything else, and the price will come out somewhere, approximately, like a new laptop.
Replacing RAM in a laptop
Let's start with the simplest - upgrading the RAM. Indeed, replacing the RAM is very simple even for the most ordinary user with minimal training. If you are not sure that you can successfully disassemble your laptop, then you can check out our. All you have to do is disassemble the laptop, insert a new bar, put it back together, making sure that there are no extra bolts left, and, voila, everything works. Note that depending on the laptop model, RAM can be either expanded by adding a second bar, or replacing the existing one with a larger bar. Increasing the amount of RAM will undoubtedly affect the performance of your device. This will be especially noticeable when working with heavy software packages such as Photoshop, CorelDraw, Matlab and browsers, which have recently become distinguished by exorbitant appetite.
A small nuance: before choosing and buying a RAM stick, you need to carefully ensure that the standards of the native stick and the new one match. For example, if you have DDR2 memory, then buying DDR3 RAM does not make sense. Also, in recent years, DDR3 RAM with a reduced supply voltage of 1.3 V has appeared on the market. Usually, such strips are marked with the letter L at the end. When buying such memory, make sure that your motherboard supports this type of RAM.
Installing in a laptopSSDinstead of a hard drive
If replacing the RAM is not enough for you to work comfortably, then you can start looking askance towards the hard drive. Benchmark tests show that hard drives are the bottleneck in the speed of modern computers. Fortunately, today there is a very fast alternative to classic hard drives - solid state drives (SSD). For ease of understanding, an SSD drive is a kind of large-sized flash drive that is several times faster than a regular hard drive.
Replacing a hard drive with an SSD is not much more difficult than RAM. True, it should be understood here that when replacing a drive, you need to spend time transferring information and installing an operating system. But, believe me, the game is worth the candle. With a solid state drive as your main drive, your laptop will simply come to life: the system will boot much faster, programs will become much more responsive. True, now buying an SSD today can hit your wallet pretty hard. In addition, most likely, you will also have to sacrifice volume. True, thanks to high-speed Internet access, few people today store gigabytes of movies and music on a laptop.
Just like with RAM, the laptop's memory can be upgraded by installing a hard drive instead of an optical drive. Fortunately, the Chinese now offer various options for pockets for installing a hard drive in place of the drive. True, here you can encounter the problem of low bandwidth of the bus through which it is connected optical drive. But if you use the hard drive as an additional storage space, then there should not be any particular problems.
Upgrade laptop processor
Now let's move on to the most difficult option for upgrading a laptop - replacing the processor. Why is this option the most difficult? Because there are a lot of pitfalls that can affect the final success. Firstly, it is not enough just to choose the processor that is installed in the maximum configuration of your device model. The thing is that vile manufacturers can, for example, install different chipsets in different configurations of the same model. And if you miss this moment, then in the worst case, a laptop with a new processor will not start. It is also possible that the laptop starts, but will reboot cyclically after a certain time. A problem may also arise when the chipset and the processor become friends, but the BIOS can intervene in this idyll. It may happen that the BIOS version of the motherboard does not support the selected processor model. Here the output is unequivocal - either go to the manufacturer's website, download latest version BIOS firmware. But it may also happen that the manufacturer did not consider it necessary to make a BIOS firmware for your model with support for the selected processor. So how to be? Well, here everyone decides for himself: you can take a chance and spend money on a new processor at your own peril and risk, or plunge headlong into the problem and study specialized forums. But remember that improper installation of the processor is fraught with very sad consequences. Therefore, weigh the pros and cons very well and consciously approach the processor upgrade, because instead of a performance increase, you can get a headache increase.
Of course, you can also recall such laptop upgrade options as using an external video card. Yes, this way you can get a good performance boost and the ability to play relatively voracious games. But here you will have to face an even larger set of all sorts of nuances than when replacing the processor. In addition, with this upgrade, we remain tied to the table and, in fact, turn our laptop into a kind of personal computer.
Results
And so, as you already understood, it is possible and even necessary to give a new breath to your relatively old laptop. The easiest and most effective way to revive the device is to increase the amount of RAM. If you want to increase the overall responsiveness of the system, then feel free to change the old and slow hard drive to a new and fast SSD. Well, if you want to squeeze everything you can out of your laptop, then change the processor. True, remember that if you upgrade your laptop yourself, there is a risk of damage to it. And finally, the simplest tip for saving the performance of your laptop: periodically clean the cooling system from dust and keep track of what is installed in your operating system. Good luck with your upgrades.
This material shows how to increase the amount of RAM in a laptop, how to replace a DVD drive, and also how to replace a laptop hard drive.
How to replace the processor is shown in this material:.
How to replace the video card is shown in the manual:
[b]If possible, it is better to entrust the upgrade procedure to qualified specialists in service center
[b]Everything related to upgrading a laptop is discussed in this forum thread:
Increasing the amount of RAM
Increasing the amount of RAM is the most common type of upgrade. This issue is discussed in this forum thread:
Consider the feasibility of such an upgrade. If you have 512 or 1 GB of RAM installed in your laptop, then increasing its volume to 2 GB makes sense. Now the optimal amount of RAM is 2 GB. Increasing to 3 or 4 GB makes sense if you work with graphics, video and CAD systems. Also, a small increase is observed in some toys.
[b] Note: It is worth noting that 32-bit systems cannot run with more than 3 GB of RAM. That is, if you have 4 GB of RAM installed, then a 32-bit system will actually use only 3 GB. To be able to work with all 4 GB, it is worth installing a 64-bit operating system.
Another point: memory frequency. Many people think that if they, for example, take 800 MHz memory, then it will work at 800 MHz. It is not always so. The memory frequency is determined by the chipset (in the case of Intel) and the processor's memory controller (in the case of AMD). If the chipset is not designed to work with memory at a frequency of 800 MHz, then the memory will not work at this frequency. The frequency will be automatically reduced to the maximum for the chipset
For example, the Intel PM965 chipset supports 667MHz memory. If you install 800 MHz memory modules in such a system, they will work at the same 667 MHz. If you install memory modules at 533 MHz, they will work at 533 MHz. If the laptop has 2 memory modules installed, then the frequency of their operation will be determined by the lowest nominal frequency of the installed memory. That is, if 2 modules are installed in the laptop: one is designed for 667 MHz, and the second for 533 MHz, then as a result they will both operate at the lowest nominal frequency - 533 MHz. The same goes for timings. If there are 2 memory modules, then the maximum timings are selected by the workers, which are programmed into the SPD for the operating frequency.
It is highly desirable to install memory modules of the same size and, if possible, from the same manufacturer. This will allow you to activate the dual-channel mode, in which the speed of working with memory is approximately doubled ideally (in practice, this is an average of 1.5-1.7 times). If the volumes of the memory modules are not the same, then the hybrid dual-channel mode is activated. The average increase in this case is not so big.
Before you go to the store, you need to decide what to buy
First you need to download the program [b]CPU-Z (download page)
Run the program and go to the tab [b] Memory
As you can see, the laptop has 2 GB of RAM, which operates at a frequency of 667 MHz (333.4 MHz is indicated in the window, but given that the memory is of the DDR type, the effective frequency will be 2 times higher - that is, approximately 667 MHz )
The memory operates in dual-channel mode ([b]Dual). Below are the timings.
To get more information about memory modules, go to the tab [b]SPD
The top box shows the number of the memory slot. As a rule, there are only two of them in laptops. This means that a maximum of two memory modules can be installed.
As you can see, the first slot has a memory module manufactured by Hyundai Electronics (Hynix) designed for 667 MHz. The same module is installed in the second slot
If I want, for example, to increase the amount of RAM to 4 GB, then I will have to sell my 2 1 GB modules and buy 2 2 GB modules.
If you have one slot free, and a 1 GB memory module is installed in the second, then to increase the amount of RAM to 2 GB, you just need to buy another 1 GB module and install it in the second slot. When choosing a memory module, it is desirable (but not necessary) to take memory from the same manufacturer and which is designed for the same frequency as the first one.
When you have decided on the required amount of RAM and purchased the appropriate RAM modules, you can proceed to their direct installation.
Let's take a closer look at the process of replacing memory modules:
First [b] without fail, disconnect the laptop from the power supply and remove the battery. Then remove the cover that covers access to the memory modules. Sometimes it happens that memory modules are covered with a separate cover.
[b]Note: if you experience difficulties with disassembling a laptop, then download the instructions for disassembling your laptop model from this forum topic:
The installed memory modules look something like this:
To remove them, you need to move the metal tabs on the sides, as a result, the memory module rises slightly
now you can take it out without any problem.
The modules are installed in the reverse order. First, we install the memory module at an angle into the slot, and then we press it and it snaps into place in the slot. We install the cover, put the battery and turn on the laptop. To check whether everything is working as it should - run [b]CPU-Z and look at the [b]Memory and [b]SPD tabs.
[b] We ask all questions about replacing RAM in this forum thread:.
Hard drive replacement
Replacing a hard drive is also one of the most common procedures.
There are no fundamental restrictions on the size of the hard disk. There are also no special restrictions on the speed of the spindle. You can install hard drives in a laptop with both 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm.
When choosing a hard drive, you should pay attention to the connector. SATA is mostly used now, but some older laptops may use IDE. Connector placement and dimensions are standardized. As a rule, 2.5" hard drives with a height of 9.5 mm are installed in laptops. There are also 2.5" hard drives with a height of 12.5 mm, which may simply not fit into a laptop in height. You should also pay attention to this when buying.
An old laptop hard drive can be installed in an external USB pocket. Everything related to this is discussed in this forum thread: .
Now you can consider in more detail the procedure for replacing a hard drive.
Before replacing the hard drive, the laptop must be turned off, the cable from the power supply must be disconnected and the battery removed.
[b]Note: if you experience difficulties with replacing the hard drive, then download the instructions for disassembling your laptop model from this forum topic:
Then the cover is removed, which covers the hard drive. To remove the hard drive, you must first disconnect it from the connector. To do this, it must be moved away from the connector
when moved away - pull the hard drive up
As a rule, hard drives in laptops are fixed in metal frames. They need to be removed and put on a new hard drive. The metal frame is held by 4 bolts
unscrew them...
When finished, we put the frame on the new hard drive and mount it together with the new hard drive into the laptop.
How to restore hidden partitions on a new hard drive - read
DVD drive replacement
Some older laptops have old COMBO drives that can't burn DVD discs. To fix this unpleasant moment, you can install a new DVD drive. Another reason to change a drive might be to replace a multi-format DVD drive with one that supports Blu-Ray or HD-DVD discs. In any case, the replacement procedure is the same. Drives in most cases have standard sizes and SATA or mini-IDE interfaces. They differ only in the lid of the tray, which can be easily removed.
First, turn off the laptop, unplug it and remove the battery.
[b] Note: if you experience difficulties with removing the drive, then download the instructions for disassembling your laptop model from this forum topic:
In some laptop models, you can replace the drive without even removing the cover. In the vast majority of laptops, the drive is held in place by one bolt, which is located approximately at the same level with the center of the tray where the drives are placed and at a distance of 12-15 cm from it. Loosen that screw:
In some older laptops, that bolt is unscrewed not from the bottom, but from the side of the keyboard (it is located under it)
and in order to unscrew it will have to remove the keyboard. The keyboard, as a rule, is held on by latches at the top and bottom, or bolted under the top panel. In this case, you will have to remove the decorative panel above the keyboard and unscrew the bolts.
When the bolt is removed - then you can pull out the drive itself
Everything is standard. We take out the old one, put the new one in and tighten that bolt. It is worth noting that in some laptops the drive is installed in a plastic or metal frame. When replacing the drive, it will have to be removed from the old one and installed on the new drive. It also happens that a non-standard drive tray cover is used in a laptop. It will also have to be removed from the old drive and installed on the new one.
That's all. Done with drive replacement.
Replacing the processor and video card
Replacing the processor and video card is the most difficult upgrade procedure.
You can get a new video card or processor at a service center or in online stores.
[b]If you do not know which video card or processor to buy, you can ask for help in this forum thread:
When the processor or video card is purchased, you can begin to replace it.
Replacing a video card is no different from the procedure for changing thermal paste in a laptop,. All the differences come down to the fact that instead of the old video card, a new one is installed in the laptop.
The procedure for replacing the processor is similar. It is described in this material:.
That's all.
[b] We ask all questions in this forum thread:
Edited: FuzzyL- March 4, 2011
Reason: Material version 2.0
