Can i install my 830 SSD + 8GB RAM into a ASUS X501U Netbook?

I want to change my ASUS A52F laptop for a lighter X501U, wit this spec:

Processor Type: AMD Brazos dual core c60 Memory: 2 GB
Release Year: 2012 Operating System: Windows 8
Hard Drive Capacity: 320 GB Type: Laptop
Screen Size: 15.6" Manufacturer warranty: 6 months


But can i pur a Samsung 830 128GB SSD and upgrade it to 4gb ram - as i just learnt that its 4gb max.
Will this vastly improve the speed, or is the processor too slow to handle increased speed/multitasking?

I only use my ASUS A52F laptop for web browsing ( 10 tabs open at once), itunes, movie play back, MS Word/Excel - normally all open at once, but not all running

Will this netbook, with my added SSD and 8GB DDR3 RAM run faster and quicker multitasking, for what i use it for ^^^

 

Almost better to simply throw your money away than go that route.

You'll have circa 1999 processing power with 2011 storage subsystem performance. Unbalanced, underpowered and simply a waste of time going into the third quarter of 2013.


Keep looking (even for just browsing...).

I find that anything less than an i5 SNB (or i3 IB ulv) system slows down browsing (single tab) - and that is with at least 8GB RAM.

The c60 processor is barely enough to provide a reasonable experience for an 'advanced' calculator for a high school student today...


While the 'work' done by the cpu+ram combo is greatly increased with the suggested ram upgrade (I'm confused if you're going to 4GB or 8GB - but either way it is still not enough; I recommend 16GB going forward), it will only result in a very unbalanced system as the cpu is totally underpowered vs. the rest of the platform. Not only will the cpu hold back the user experience to the point of regret - it will also hamper the maximum possible performance possible from each component also (ram, ssd, etc.).


Good luck.

 

thanks tiller for warning me,
i ust assumed as its a Q4 2012 Laptop, despite the poor processor, that the ssd would allow this X510U to run smoother/faster than my current K52F i3 M380 2.53 Ghz with 8GB DDR3 RAM

Remember all i do on the laptop is web browsing ( 10 tabs open at once), itunes, movie play back, MS Word/Excel - normally all open at once, but not all running
so no heavy usage.

i ust want a 15" light laptop with no dvd optical drive that can handle my light usage

what are your thoughts on this Sony Vaio SVE1513B1EW instead of my ASUS K52F?

 

With over 5x the processing power of the anemic c60 - it seems like a better candidate for 8GB+ RAM + an SSD.

See PM 'score' 2367:
PassMark - Intel Pentium 2020M @ 2.40GHz - Price performance comparison


See PM 'score' 440:
PassMark - AMD C-60 - Price performance comparison


It also seems to have very good reviews too, so it doesn't seem to be a dud in other departments either.


This would be a much better choice going forward imo - but with the Pentium 2020M being a 35W part, battery life may suffer if the system is ever pushed (don't think this will be too much of a concern in your case though, right?).


The only other thing to consider: is it easy to replace the RAM and HDD/SSD? If it is doable without destroying the notebook, this seems like the one for you.


Glad to have helped.


Good luck.

 

thanks mate,

i'll forget the X501U, but when comparing my current ASUS A52F and the SONY VAIO SVE1513B1EW, which is superior in your opinion?

i would probably still transfer the 830ssd to the vaio if i got it

when you say 'this seems the one for you' are you talking about the ASUS K52F or the Sony Vaio SVE1513B1EW?

 

I was talking about the Sony SVE...

As for the 'better' system, that is a little/a lot subjective (and I don't know either system personally...).

As for the better platform though... the Sony SVE's IB platform is imo, head and shoulders above the Arrandale platform the ASUS AF2F is sporting... and not just because it is just over 10% faster than the 380M in the ASUS...

See PM 'score' 2094:
PassMark - Intel Core i3 M 380 @ 2.53GHz - Price performance comparison


Not only do SSD's respond better on the latest platforms - but all the incremental improvements that IB and Haswell have brought to us and are currently being scoffed at by many at this time make a circa 2010 platform like Arrandale seem downright ancient in my eyes (especially in 'responsiveness' - even with 8GB RAM and a current/modern SSD).


Add in the battery life and ipc improvements and even a 'lowly' IB Pentium cpu makes everything more fluid and the hardware and the O/S more and more 'transparent'. The new systems along with the new O/S's beg for SSD's and tons of RAM.


Yeah, I would vote for the VAIO over the ASUS...

 

You will benefit from an SSD and more RAM. While you may not get the most out of it if you had a faster CPU, it will still make a marked improvement in performance. 2GB for a laptop with Win 7 or 8 is sloth. It needs at least 4GB to run efficiently.

I have a laptop with an AMD E-350 CPU which isn't a whole lot faster than the C-60, and I bumped it up to 8GB from 2GB and threw in an SSD and the difference was night and day. While it sounds great to buy a new machine, you're talking about spending another $500+. Since you can always use the RAM and SSD in any newer machine you get, you might as well buy it and try, and see if it improves things within an acceptable range for you.

tilleroftheearth always recommends something nothing less than the maximum performance that not everyone needs. While I agree the C-60 is a bit anemic, if all you want to do is browse and listen to music and watch movies, it should serve that purpose just fine. IMHO better to spend the $150 for SSD + RAM than $500+$150 for laptop + SSD + RAM.

 

thanks tiller for the analysis,
i will avoid the ASUS X501U, and i do like the Sony Vaio but i have heard bad reviews on its touch pad buttons, apparently the buttons are under the touchpad which is awkward,

I know i dont necessarily need a new laptop but there are a few annoying niggles on the Asus K52F,
E.g.- the mousepad is dodgy, sometimes it closes tabs down when i just tap the pad, which works as a left button.
- When typing the text often appears half way through the text, when im half way through typing, and i dont press any buttons
- the bluetooth card i have in it doesnt always work, same with the inconsistant wifi connection/speed


Do you have any suggesstions for other decent laptops under £500 for my light usage, besides the Sony Vaio?]
Ideally one without a DVD drive, a long life battery would be a bonus and a 15" screen a must.

any thoughts of an Acer Apire V5 WITH I3, BEARING IN MIND MY LIGHT USAGE:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acer-Aspi...t=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item4610778d99


HWing, since upgrading to 8gb DDR3 RAM and installing the 830 128GB SSD i am satisfied with the speed and multitasking ability,
it just annoys me the little niggles i have, listed above
- my hope is to buy a new budget ish laptop and upgrade the ram and install ssd, and i wont get these problems

the sony vaio i listed seems very similar spec wise to my ASUS K52F, so would there be much if any difference besides cosmetic?

thanks guys

 

HTWingNut, as you may remember, I too have a system based on the same E350 platform. I too installed 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD inside. That system is almost twice as powerful than the c60 we're talking about here though.

See PM 'score' 775:
PassMark CPU Lookup


Compared to 2GB RAM and 4GB RAM (always with at least a 160GB SSD...) it takes the E350 from throw out the window to Hey! I can do some work on this setup!!! and while it is night and day vs. 2GB RAM and a HDD... it is still in the barely usable range.

When I got a NUC and 16GB RAM and the same SSD inside with an IB i3 3217u processor inside - the AMD has been sitting gathering dust since. That is night and day difference.

And just to be sure; the 16GB RAM capacity is not what made it seem like an order of magnitude faster - no, it is the platform upgrade that did that (dual channel RAM, a 'real' processor and the power to take advantage of what an SSD offers to the system overall).

See PM 'score' 2284:
PassMark - Intel Core i3-3217U @ 1.80GHz - Price performance comparison



But yeah, it seems like I do tend to 'over' recommend, it's true. But only because I have learned (over and over) first hand that it is always cheaper in the long run to do a real upgrade (the whole platform...) than do small (and many) 'side' grades over the lifetime of the system and in the end have spent about the same amount of money, yet have benefitted from half, a quarter or even a tenth of the performance possible over that time too.


at11,

it seems like the form of your question(s) have changed now. It is not about raw performance but rather the usability of the system in the real world.

That is why I suggested that that was very 'subjective' in my previous reply.


I still haven't found the perfect notebook for 'light' uses either - and I've been purchasing for the better part of almost 4 decades...


The closest I have found though is a ThinkPAD with at least an i5 IB (and next; Haswell, I'm sure...), 16GB RAM, Windows 8 x64 Pro and the biggest battery it supports...

Not the slimmest, not the lightest and maybe not the best screens either - but the best balance of the most common ways I interact with a computer: keyboard, trackpoint and screen.


For me:
The TP keyboard is obviously superior to every other notebook I have touched.

The TP trackpoint and buttons are precise, exactly where they should be and have just the right tactile feel to make them even better than a desktop mouse.

The TP screens, while not the 'best' at any one thing - are easy on the eyes for long periods of time and are (mostly) MATTE - as they should be for a mobile system that needs to be looked at instead of simply seen.


While I have had Sony VAIO's and various ASUS models, none of them come close to the TP 'experience' - and I think this is what you're now looking for over and above raw performance and/or 'specs'.

For ~£500, I don't think you could go wrong with even an entry level ThinkPAD like the Edge models.

Here is an example which you'll have and use for probably the next decade with the RAM and SSD you have ready to put into it:

See:
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E530 Intel Core i5-3210M / 15.6" / 4GB / 500GB / Windows 7 Pro / Laptop / Notebook PC (N4F28UK) - www.misco.co.uk


Hope this helps.


Good luck.

 

thanks for explaining all this tiller,
sorry for the confusion, i really just want a fast laptop for my light usage/multitasking, and minimum cost, ideally - catch 22 i know
i have had too many minor problems with ASUS laptops over the years that i now want to move to a reliable brand.

I will look into the thinkpad as a possible buy (i always though lenova is a budget brand),
its a bit out of my price range, but i have just seen this i3 one on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-Th...t=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item4174635cf0

- 10 years life seems unrealistic for me as i normally replace my asus laptop with a new model every 2 years, as the technology is rapidly advancing and little faults/bug annoying me, mainly due to dropping the laptop a lot.
are you sure the TP you linked could keep up with no softwares/technologies 10 years down the road?

when you say raw performance and 'experience', what is the difference? don't you get the experience from the performance?

What are your thoughts on the Acer Aspire V5?
Ive seen some going on ebay for just £200

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acer-Aspi...t=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item4ac616318e

- i do like how thin and light the acer v5 is, it's also touch screen which would be perfect for the Win8 64 bit it comes with but how would you rate the processors used in the v5's?

this i5 ^^^ only has 1.8ghz, would this be too slow for my multitasking of web browsing 10+ tabs open, itunes, movies playback, MS Word/Excel? or could it handle it?
if i upgrad the RAM to 8gb and use my 830ssd, will it be quicker than my current setup in the ASUS A52F?

Do you have a preference between Win7 and Win8, both 64 bit
I was under the impression Win8 is too awkward and win7 is superior?

thank again tiller

 

Don't confuse Lenovo with the ThinkPad branding - there is a difference you can see and feel. And Lenovo (the original manufacturer of the IBM ThinkPads...) is doing a good job of keeping that distinction alive even today.

Performance is only one aspect of the 'experience' - the total experience has to do with how easily/completely the system 'disappears' and leaves you with simply getting the work/information you want/need as effortlessly as possible. This all has to do with a screen that doesn't reflect the world behind you, a TrackPoint that is directly connected to your (my) brain and a keyboard that actually makes you a better typist.

Not to mention a system that is put together with dependability in mind from the outset.

Do I 'know' that the model I offered as an example will continue being viable for the next 10 years? No.

But I do know that I had a TP for almost a decade (and donated it afterwards too and worked there for another couple of years) that could do what it was originally bought for: office work, accounting and web browsing.

I'm sure it could still do that today - if it didn't get recycled years earlier, of course.


Yeah ThinkPad's are 'business class' machines for a reason: they're built to last. Whether they're able to keep up (performance-wise) with what the future may bring depends on whether we buy at the low or high end of the available options.

The link I provided is definitely towards the low end - but for browsing, emails and video/music tasks - it seems hard to believe it will not hold up for a long, long time.


Btw, that original TP had a 300MHz cpu and was finally 'retired' around 2010...

 

ok point taken, i will seriously consider the thinkpad,
its just the chunkyness and size puts me off buying,

what are your thoughts on the Acer inspire v5 - with i5 1.7ghz, 4gb ram, link in my last post

any optinions on win7 vs win8?

 

To get the most from the hardware going forward: Win8x64 Pro (period).

As for the v5:

I don't know what gen that i5 if from... i5 1.7GHz doesn't mean much (to me).

I do know that I have had many Acer's and they perform well if taken care of (almost 'babied' would be a more apt term, actually).

But the low quality screens (make my eyes water) and the horrible touchpad/keyboards that I have endured from previous ownership make me avoid them at all costs these days.


While the price in your link does seem appealing; don't think for a minute you don't get what you pay for. You can take a chance and find it a perfect fit for you. Or... well, we know how wrong some purchases can go (either when they're too high or too low).

So, do you feel lucky today?

Good luck.

 

Should of said the Acer v5 is an i5-3317U ,


Intel Core i5-3317U @ 1.70GHz Average CPU Mark = 3120
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-3317U+@+1.70GHz&id=816

Not sure if 3120 CPU mark is good though.

Im not feeling lucky, and the acer brand just screams cheap to me, but the fact its win8, touchscreen, light and sleek looking , does all appeal to me,
whereas even though the thinkpad is more powerful/reliable, its also heaviar, chunkiar, less asthetically pleasing, and at over double the price, is something i cant afford.

do you expect my SSD and RAM to work in this acer or /vaio?

If You had the choice of my current ASUS A52F i3- M380 @ 2.53GHz with Win7
or
a Acer V5 i5-571P @ 1.7GHz with win8 touchscreen, with Win8
or
Sony Vaio i3- 2370M @ 2.40 GHz - SVE1512J6EB with Win8 Home

which would you pick?
- if you were a light user like me as described

 

Okay, you won't let me go without saying what I would choose!


First, that 3120 PM 'score' is very good. I also don't expect the SSD and RAM to not work in any of these systems (assuming you can get to the proper bays/connectors, of course).


If I had to choose between these three, it would be the Acer (as HTWingNut suggested before, I will (almost) always pick the most powerful platform).

Why?

1) Newest IB platform of the three.
2) Most powerful processor of the three.
3) More than 2 threads processing power.
4) Most powerful igpu.
5) Lowest TDP (and hopefully less heat/noise and greater (potential) for battery life).

What about the keyboard/touchpad/glossy screen issues I complained about before?!?!!

Well, this is the trade off I would make between these systems... because I don't believe that the other options are that much better imo.


And while I may make this exact choice for a 'light workload' similar to yours in your position - from my position the benefits of the rest of the experience would still make me save my pennies for a TP as indicated earlier.



The way I see it: your choice is not between these three systems... it is whether you want the instant gratification (and possible potential let down/regret in the long term) of the Acer V5 or to save and eventually have a budget that will allow you to get the sexy, light, powerful and dependable system you would really want to keep for the next few years.

(In other words: there is nothing wrong with your system right now...).


Whatever you decide, I hope our conversation has exposed all the options, benefits and potential pitfalls with each of these choices you have - and to highlight that you always have a choice to keep using the system you have now (especially since it is 'enough' for now).

Good luck.

 

your insight has been of great help, so now i can make an informed decision, so thank you

by the way what does IB and TP stand for?

Ive just read the £200 ish acer v5 is not the touch screen model, that one costs £399!

So what do you think about the touchscreen version of the cer v5?
i understand Win 8 was designed for touchscreens, so would probably be best to get the v5 with touchscreen

- is this why you recommended the thinkpad with win7 instead of win8?

FINAL Question ,i promise,
besides the lenovo thinkpad you linked, are there any other laptops you would recommend with similar 10 year life span? but ideally a more sleek light design

 

I wholly recommend Win8x64 Pro - with touch screen capability or not...

My thoughts on the Acer V5 with or without touch screen is the same as I've already stated.

TP= ThinkPad
IB= Ivy Bridge

As for the ThinkPad's - I still recommend them (as with all other computers...) with Win8x64 Pro.


And no, nothing else like a TP, that I can wholeheartedly recommend.


Sleek and light(er) is not a sign of quality imo;
but more a sign of hard/impossible to maintain/upgrade, harder to keep cool (with today's available processors/platforms), harder to keep from throttling (thus robbing you of the performance you think you paid for and 'should' be getting) and ultimately more expensive than what a slightly bigger (but more capable chassis) can offer at this time.



Now remember, you promised... no more questions! Lol...


Good luck.

 

thanks tiller you've been a great help