HP Pavilion upgrade. what is possible to upgrade?

I bought last year a HP Pavilion zv500 series notebook. It worked great, and it still does, but I tried to run Riddick Escape from Butcher Bay and I freaked out cuz it worked like I was running it on my old desktop with only 64RAM and 4MB 3DFX video card. So I did a search on google and I found you guys and I joined the forum.

Now, my question is what can I upgrade in this notebook. The configuration is (as Everest Home edition puts it): 2 Memory Slots PC2700 DDR SDRAM each with a 256 module in it. ATI RADEON 9100 128MB (but I think it's shared memory, since I can only use 384RAM out of 512). LG DVD-ROM/CD-RW. These are the main things I want to upgrade. What can I put in this notebook so I won't freak out at any game anymore?

Thanks a bunch in advance.

Cheers,
_wicked_

 

Oh yeah...I don't know much about hardware stuff...But I am more than willing to learn. If you need any more details let me know please. 10x

 

Well, first option would be to upgrade the RAM, you can go upto max 2GB if you are willing to open up your keyboard to access the second slot, otherwise 1.25GB is also pretty good.

The next would the hard drive, going from a 4200rpm HDD to a 5400/7200rpm HDD will improve your overall system performance although it will have little effect on actual gameplay.

You can also replace the DVD/CD drive but the face plates would most probably not match(curved vs. flat). The processor is also upgradable but it might not really be worth it unless you have a Celeron.

The best way to upgrade is to first get the RAM, then the HDD and then look at otther stuff(drives, cpu). The graphics card is not upgradable unfortunately as it is integrated onto the motherboard.

 

OK. Thanks a lot. I just have one more question. The RAM, now, if I buy two 1GB modules, what exactly should I be looking for? I mean, do the mhz count, or what exactly should I be buying? And can I do the replacement myself or just go to a professional?

Thanks again.

wicked

 

Yes, MHz does count(to a certain extent). RAM generally has mhz speed and a model number listed...
PC2100 - 266MHz
PC2700 - 333MHz
PC3200 - 400MHz

The laptop only supports RAM upto speeds of PC2700(or 333MHz). So the specifications should look something like 200 pin 1GB DDR PC2700(333MHz) SO-DIMM.

A novice can replace the first memory which is located underneath the laptop and can be easily accessed by removing 2 screws. HP has a video detailing the steps required to do this and is pretty easy...
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...roduct=425539&lang=en&cc=us&docname=c00293581

The second slot however is much more difficult to access as this involves removing the keyboard. HP even has a manual explaining this...
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00057181.pdf
Its not too difficult, but if you have not done such things before it might be better to pay for a professional to do the job.

 

hi, i'm just testing to see if this works. i know this is an old thred, but some one might answer.

 

Finally, some one who knows what they’re talking about. Hi miner, i really like all the detail you put in but i was wondering about the ram thing. If the laptop wont recognize anything higher than pc2700 (specifically the 333Mhz) than i cant use pc3200, and if i can't do that to speed it up what about going into the bios and changing the timing on the ram to make it faster. would that work?

 

Actually you could probably use the PC3200 memory since memories are generally backwards compatible for upto 2 lower speeds. So, the PC3200 should be capable of running at PC2700(333) or even PC2100(266). But if you buy really cheap RAM then they might not be backwards comparible. As long as you stick with mainstream brands you should be fine.

The memory limit is due to a chipset limitation. So, unless short of overclocking it wont run any faster than what the memory controller is designed to handle.

 

thanks for such a fast reply. i just wanted to push it as fast as it would go. the faster the memory the better. if i can over clock the ram i think it would end up faster than the fsb lol

If i can get the Mhz on the ram faster than 333, i'll be happy.
thanks again