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    Upgrade Acer Aspire 3680 or buy a new laptop?

    Discussion in 'Acer' started by iamaustin, Oct 8, 2008.

  1. iamaustin

    iamaustin Newbie

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    I have an Acer Aspire 3680-2682 as a lot of you might know they are the ultrabudget machine of the full sized laptop.

    I use it for surfing the web (streaming music & videos at times), doing homework (word, etc.), run the Itunes, run virus scans (really slows things down), and playing some older games (fallout, C&C).

    and I have in the last few months (after owning it for about a year) noticed some serious slow down problems.

    So should I upgrade:
    2 GB ram (currently 512MB)
    Core 2 Duo T5300 or whatever the best
    cpu choice is (currently the Celeron M)
    Downgrade to a streamlined version of XP (currently vista basic)
    $200-$350

    Or buy another, fairly better laptop for around $800

    or just go and get an actually good laptop for around $1,500

    So basically how far down the list do I have to go to get a laptop that will meet my need? If the cheaper upgrades on the laptop I already own will do it then thats great, or even if i step up to the mid-level its fine but $800 or even the $200-$350 would be a huge hit for a computer that still doesnt cut it.

    Thanks in advance folks

    PS. this is my first I was post brought here by a google search for "Acer Aspire 3680 upgrades" which lead me to the sticky at the top of this page and gave me hope for a fix in the first place, so thanks for that, and hello to everybody.
     
    iamaustin, Oct 8, 2008
    #1
  2. shoelace_510

    shoelace_510 8700M GT inside... ^-^;

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    First off, welcome to the forums! :)

    Secondly, I think that doing upgrades like the CPU will be harder than most people are comfortable doing on their own, but if you are looking to upgrade the RAM or HD you shouldn't have a problem...

    Personally though I think you could get a new laptop that is better than that (even after upgrades) for the price of your upgrades... :D
     
    shoelace_510, Oct 8, 2008
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  3. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    Since, you have a 3680-2682, you should be able to upgrade the CPU.
    T5300 will work fine.

    I had a T5200 (now T7600), have 2GB RAM and a 320GB 5400RPM HDD. I can run almost all intensive tasks without any lag whatsoever in Vista Ultimate x64.

    The total upgrades costed me $180 (including the T7600), so it depends upon, how much you get the upgrades for.

    Basically, in windows, a fast HDD and 2GB RAM is accountable for a performance boost in everyday tasks, whereas the CPU upgrade will help you boost your battery life, and improve performance in CPU-intensive tasks.

    Otherwise, you can check out the Gateway P-7811FX, Aspire 5930G and the likes if looking to spend $1000+ on Gaming Notebooks.
     
    Andy, Oct 8, 2008
    #3