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    upgrading asus laptop, pls help

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by benji87, Oct 11, 2009.

  1. benji87

    benji87 Newbie

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    i am currently using a asus laptop M51v series, core2 duo P8400, 2.26ghz.
    it as 4GB RAM, ATI mobility radeon HD3470.
    i would like to enquire on whether is it possible to upgrade on whether is it possible to upgrade it a better graphic card, possibly 1Gb type, quad core intel proccessor, and also windows7 64-bit type?
    please give me some advice and recommendations.thanks for the advice
     
  2. a3r0x

    a3r0x Notebook Evangelist

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    GPU cannot be upgraded, CPU can be (T/P series eg. T9600 2.8 GHz).
    You can install Windows 7 64 bit.
     
  3. David

    David NBR Random Reviewer NBR Reviewer

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    Keep in mind that replacing/removing the GPU or CPU will automatically void all manufacture warranties.

    That said, if speed is your primary concern, I would first upgrade the hard drive to a SSD before investing in other components since your typical mechanical hard drive is going to be the bottleneck for most programs. After an SSD upgrade, you can invest in a faster processor such as the T9600 as a3r0x mentioned. This should give you a nice performance boost if you use CPU demanding software/games.
     
  4. benji87

    benji87 Newbie

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    does upgrading the hard drive really help increase performance?
    i use my laptop for moderate to heavy gaming most of the time.
    my processor now is p8400. will t9600 be a big diff?
     
  5. a3r0x

    a3r0x Notebook Evangelist

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    Upgrading to a SSD will decrease loading time in games and really speed up opening propgrams in Windows (due to much smaller read time). But it will not raise FPS in games.
    As to the CPU, can you specify what games do you play because sometimes there is no need to upgrade the processor because the GPU is the bottleneck.
     
  6. benji87

    benji87 Newbie

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    i usually play games like prototype, batman arhklum asylum, oblivion, NFS shift etc.
    as u can see,they are mostly graphic intensive games.
    my ati radeon with only 256Vram can barely support them
     
  7. a3r0x

    a3r0x Notebook Evangelist

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    In that case upgrading the CPU will not rasie performance in the games you have listed, as GPU is the bottleneck.
    Good drivers for the GPU + an overclock* (if the current temps are not high) is the most you can do to raise the performance. I'm not sure which Catalyst drivers are the best in terms of gaming though, you will need to ask someone else about that.

    * I only recommend overclocking if you know well how to it, otherwise don't try it.