Dell 1520 Upgrade - RAM or GPU?

I want to upgrade my Dell Insprion 1520. I have the 2.2GHZ Core 2 Duo Processor, which should be fast enough for me, but I still feel as if my computer could gain better performance.

Here are some basic specs:

2gb ram (afaik, I have 2 x 1gb 667mhz sticks)
geforce 8400m gs w/ 128mb ram (i ordered the 8600 but I was shipped the wrong unit, so I ended up getting a battery upgrade for free and a $100 refund)

Here's what I do with the computer: It's my media center. I have two external hdd's, 1 for recording TV, the other for downloaded movies and shows. I use Vista Media Center frequently.

I never play games.

Should I upgrade the ram to 4gb (2 x 2gb 800mhz) for $100 or should I upgrade the gpu to the geforce 8600m GT w/ 256mb ram?

IDK if I would benefit from the graphics upgrade or not. Will the enhanced graphics help with Aero and Media Center at all, or is 128mb sufficient.

Is adding 2gb ram to make a total of 4gb going to give me any increase over the 2gb I have, which according to my system monitor, is generally using only 55% of my total ram?

Any input appreciated. And just so no-one says it, I know that I can't buy a 2gb stick and add it to my 2 1gb sticks. There's only 2 slots, and I know this.

 

A 8400M GS --> 8600M GT is much better than a 2GB --> 4GB RAM upgrade, although upgrading your GPU after purchase is pretty expensive. It is possible since the 1520 supports the 8600M, but it'll be expensive.

 

gettin a better gfx card will enhance your experience but if you don't game i don't see the point..save your money..

if you have vista 32 bit it won't recognize all 4 gigs of ram..if you have the 64 bit you're okay for upgrading

do you mean your system monitor in task manager?

 

Here's a "How To" article that you should check out.

Hope it goes well! Good luck!

 

I know it won't recognize all 4. I've heard different things about the max ram. Either that it will recognize 3gb or 3.5gb.

I use BoostSpeed to monitor the system, but task manager as well.

 

better yet..save up money for both and do both. you can then have the power of a better gpu and ram

 

My earlier comment was probably useless without the actual link that I forgot to include-

http://www.pcworld.com/article/148909/2008/07/maxlap.html?tk=rss_news

 

I went ahead and ordered the RAM. I figured that while I probably won't see a huge performance increase from either, I would probably see it more from the RAM, since I don't game. I guess 4gb ram and a 128mb gpu should hold me over til Windows 7.

 

The RAM is definitely the "safest" way to go- much easier to install and far less chance of damaging your machine. If it's still under warranty, messing with the GPU or most any other internal components (except RAM and hard drive, usually) would VOID the warranty- never a good thing.

 

If you want more ram, I hear vista has some way of using a thumb drive as virtual ram and im sure theres a way to do it with xp

look around i thought i saw it on lifehacker.com but idk....

 

I'm fairly certain you can't do that with XP. ReadyBoost is a new Vista technology. And I've been using a 2gb flash drive for months, but you're never going to get the same performance out of a flash drive that you are out of ram, or even your page file. Besides, i am using the flash drive through a USB hub, since I only have 4 usb ports on the notebook, and I have other devices that need the fastest connection possible (external hdd's, tv tuner, etc).