TM4402 - Easy/difficult to upgrade?

I'm considering the Turion TM4402, especially after ChazMan's great review.

What I would like to know is how much effort it will take to upgrade the memory, hard drive and CPU?

Are both memory slots on the bottom, or does one sit under the keyboard?
Hard drive - I assume this is on the bottom, so should be pretty easy to swap out?
Reading some threads on the CPU for other Acers, it seems to take quite some effort to remove?

In general, how are Acers to upgrade, especially compared to Asus laptops?

 

Generally, the second memory slot on Acers is under the keyboard. The hard drive is usually fairly easy to upgrade. The CPU is not worth the effort in my opinion. You should also note, Chaz got rid of the 4402 because of heat issues. Good Luck.

 

Actually, both slots are right on the bottom of the notebook - all you have to do is remove the panel, and the hard drive and RAM are there. Easy swap in + out.

I was never able to access the CPU, although I tried - it seems as if you almost have to take the whole chassis off to get to it. I'm sure there's a way, maybe something I missed.

Acer's were never designed to be upgraded, with the exception of the RAM + HDD, maybe the WLAN chip.

Hey, thanks for reading my review.

 

Zazonz, thanks for pointing out the heat issue. I had no idea about that.

I'm planning to use the laptop only for programming, and some movie watching. I'm hoping heat won't be a factor with that.

ChazMan, thanks for the pointers on upgrading. Yeah, perhaps I can just stick with upgraidng the RAM, HDD down the road.

I know I don't need a dedicated GPU but the price is so good I thought I'd pick it up. Perhaps it will help in running Vista with full Aero Glass effects.

I'd rather get a Pentium M but I haven't seen anything from Acer in the States at that price point, and WSXGA+ is too high res for me in a 15" laptop.

 

How about the Compaq v4000t? Plus HP's screens are better than Acers.

 

Just priced the v400ot and it came out WAY too expensive....about as much as the Asus Z70VA. And I'm skeptical of HP's (lack of) quality.

I know Acer isn't much better than an HP in terms of quality, but I do like the international warranty as I'm based outside the States.

Thinking of sticking with the TM4402 - hoping that heat won't be an issue as I'll use it mostly for work.

Anything I might have overlooked?

 

Hm, yeah I forgot to mention the heat issue. But, that was only during games, so you'll be fine otherwise.

 

Ok, I think I'll pull the plug on this one. Thanks for the inputs!! :decision: