Help and suggestions for upgrading my 5920G

(I know this is a wall of text, but please bear with me and assist in my troubles )

I've currently owned an Acer Aspire 5920G for a couple months now using it casually while I'm on the go here and there. I've been looking into purchasing a good, portable gaming laptop that can get good frames playing games and perform well with a 22" external monitor. I originally thought that it could do well for gaming but I noticed that when the CPU starts getting hot, the games and responses from the keyboard start getting choppy. Is this a problem with the laptop keyboard/monitor? Can it be fixed by using an external keyboard/monitor?

The 5920G has T7700 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM, and a 8600M GT 512.

My question is, if I were to purchase a T8300 cpu and 4 gigs of RAM, would my system work as a good "replacement desktop gaming system?"

By that I mean, getting good frames in Counter-Strike: Source (at least 150+ fps constant without any choppy-ness) while using a 22" external moniter @ 1680x1050 with possibly an external keyboard if it's necessary. I'll be using the external assets while I am at home and having a powerful system makes lanning/travelling much easier for me.

I originally planned on purchasing a newer model equipped with an 8800M card but that would cost me a lot more than just upgrading.

Tips/suggestions/help?

 

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the T8000 series vs. the T7000 series CPU, and the T8000 series CPU will run cooler due to the fact it has a smaller footprint and uses less TM. With that being said…I doubt if the 8600GT will help you run games smoothly on a 22” monitor using those resolutions. The 8600GT is barely beating my 6800, and I know it can’t play CSS at those resolutions with that type of frame rate.

Could you download CPU-Z, and tell me what it says? You said you have the T7700 running at 2.0 GHz, and that is 400 MHz slower than it should be. From my experience with RAM upgrades, 4GB would not help much over 2 GB in games unless the GPU can actually handle high frame rates. Seeing that you have the 512mb model anyway, I doubt very seriously if 4GB would help in your situation.

Since I’m planning on getting the same model (5920-6661), would you be so kind to tell me what other problems you have with that notebook? I’m hoping it’s something that can be worked out by the user, since my notebook will be shipped to me from Germany. I’m not planning on trying to play games with a monitor (have desktop for that), but it would be sad if my performance is less that the performance I’m getting now with my 4 year old notebook.

 

You laptop has got an i965 chipset, so I would advise you to go for the T9300 since it is just $60 more than the T8300....!! +Apply AS-5....
Your laptop has an MXM-II slot maybe....so see if you can get some help from this thread regarding a GPU upgrade....

 

Where can I purchase a mobile video card individually? I checked the list and the 5920G is indeed on the list.

Yeah I just want to have a replacement desktop notebook that I can use for gaming at home and while on the go.

As for the 8600m, with this current set up I am getting I already stress test in Counter-Strike: Source at 460 FPS (Stress test is always a lot higher than the normal in-game) and I get around 130+ fps in game.

The REAL problem is maintaining the smoothness of the game, because when it heats up, like I mentioned above, it starts getting choppy and you can feel the choppyness dramatically.

 

So you want to upgrade to the 8800M....
You would need the service manual for that laptop....but I dont think the 5920G comes with a 8800M from Acer....!!
Even if you buy some other 8800M, probably say from Asus....you would have to do something about the video BIOS..!! It is a real pain in the back-side to upgrade mobile gpus....you would be better off trading your notebook for a higher model..!!

Anyway, I am not acquainted with mobile graphics that well.. , so maybe someone else may have a different opinion..!!

 

I agree with @angad1608, you have the best GPU that 5920G supports..Anyway, try in here.

 

Thanks for the help, but I am not necessarily aiming on upgrading the GPU I just kind of looked into it due to your suggestion

I would preferably like to know if my system can perform with me just upgrading the CPU and RAM to the above mentioned specs, or if I should look into purchasing a whole new system that is better suited for gaming.

 

To be completely honest with you, you wont get the FPS rate you are looking for but the increase will be significant..to say the least..!!
Go for the T9300 and 4GB PC2-5300 ram and keep the original CPU in case you still have the warranty running....dont know if upgrading the ram voids the warranty or not..!! And also apply a bit of AS-5 on the CPU and GPU, if you are confident of doing it right..

 

I so feel for you Shyl1ne.

I’m trying to pull the trigger on a 5920G, and can’t. I want something with the 8800GT, but I will have to just go for a desktop replacement since those don’t come in anything smaller than 17” that I’m aware of.
It seems you just have a heat issue, and should just apply the AS5 to your current processor and see how it performs. But seeing you’re a gamer, you might just want to get a different notebook meant more for gaming since you use your notebook to play on an external monitor with high resolutions.

 

Yea, I think I may give up my 5920 to my little brother and get myself a Gateway P-68XX series since they are the cheapest 17" / 8800M GTS notebooks by far on the market.

 

For what you want out of a notebook, that would be the best choice and bang for the buck!

Looking at my signature and avatar, I’ve made up my mind as well.