Maximum Upgraded Specs?

I've got an old Alienware m15x from around 2009~. I know there's some room for upgrading, even though the upgraded parts will be old too.

Its specs are as follows:

i7 Q740 1.73GHz
Radeon HD 5850
8GB RAM
500gb HDD

What parts will maximise it's performance as far as this can go?

Also, it's still running Windows 10. Is there any benefit to upgrading at this point seeing as I mostly use it for older disc based games.

 

Here you go:

CPU: i7 940xm or i7920xm
GPU: gtx980m or gtx970m
RAM: 16GB RAM (2 x 8GB DDR3 1333MHz)
512GB or 1TB SSD
And dont forget the 240w power brick (Dell or Delta only). You need to pull the center pin / grind the pin short and dont plug in all the way / or use right angle adaptor with pulled pin cause your 150w stock PSU wont be able to power these upgraded combinations of CPU/GPU. Also only a very few were able to get a 940xm/gtx980m combo as its on the m15x power/temp limit.
My advice stay with a 920xm and a 970m, and if you still need more gaming power, overclock them.-

 

BluRay Drive
1080p Screen
Wi-Fi Card

If it does not already have those.

Ideally:

i7 920XM
16GB (2x8GB DDR3 either 1333 or 1600 whichever is cheaper, it will run 1333 no matter what though)
SSD (500GB or 1TB Samsung 860 Evo would be my choice)
1080p screen (if it does not already have it)
Intel AX200 Wi-Fi Card (Mini PCIe format of course)
GTX 970M (unless you're willing to deal with heat of 980M). Quadro M4000M or M5000M can also be used, they are Quadro versions of the 970M/980M, get whichever you find cheapest.
AMD Cards I think best is 7970M although 8970M might work too with right vBIOS.

 

Thanks for your comments guys.

I'll have to do some shopping. Any suggestion regarding amd vs nvidia? Kind of want to stick with amd just for this laptop seeing as it shipped with it (not that it makes a difference seeing as new drivers would be needed.

Also when I said Windows 10 I meant it's still running Windows 7. So is there any performance and/compaitbility benefit to updating if I'm mainly using it for semi-old disc based games?

 

Regarding gpus, if you won´t be pushing for max fps just go with what your wallet says, also keep in mind you might need a new bracket when swapping gpus especially if you choose an nvidia card since the one with your 5850 won´t work with any of them. (Do a forum search to be sure once you decide on a card)
Finally, windows 10 is fully compatible with this machine, it even got updated to the new may 2004 build earlier than my main pc.

 

If you're just going to be using it for older games and you're not worried about the lack of security support then I'd stick with 7. Some older CD games may have compatibility issues with 10, I've come across a few.

Just try to stay offline as much as possible or at least don't use it for banking or other sensitive things.

 

Does anyone know if this website is reliable?

https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/alienware/m15x

 

Crucial is a reliable RAM and SSD manufacturer, but the site doesn't advertise the 16GB RAM (8GB x 2) as being compatible with the M15x. Dell's official stance is that the laptop only supports 8GB RAM (4GB x 2).

Note: If you decide to install 16GB (8GB x 2) it will not show up in the BIOS (even if its the latest A09 version). Windows, however, will recognize the full 16GB.

 

I have the 980m in my M15x. I remember being worried about people saying the x bracket from my 5850m wouldn't work, but mine fit perfectly. Give yours a look before you buy one.