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    Memory only, or Memory + new CPU

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by markandca, May 23, 2010.

  1. markandca

    markandca Newbie

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    I have a 2005 Toshiba Satellite M35X-S163 laptop, 512MB memory and 1.40GHz Intel Celeron processor. It is slow!!!

    I can add up to two 1GB memory modules (= 2GB total). Will that produce enough add'l speed, or do I also need to upgrade the processor to something faster?

    I can insert memory cards. CPU installation is another thing.

    Thanks!
     
    markandca, May 23, 2010
    #1
  2. Mr.Yoshii

    Mr.Yoshii Notebook Enthusiast

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    It's probably not worth upgrading the cpu on 5 year old laptop, but I would defiantly upgrade the ram. That should speed things up a bit.
     
    Mr.Yoshii, May 23, 2010
    #2
  3. Deks

    Deks Notebook Prophet

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    Don't bother with the cpu (because it is quite frankly pointless on such an old laptop).
    Just upgrade the RAM, and it will provide you with probably a noticeable boost.
     
    Deks, May 23, 2010
    #3
  4. markandca

    markandca Newbie

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    That's 2 to 0 for RAM only. Thanks a lot everyone!
     
    markandca, May 23, 2010
    #4
  5. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    I would go with the CPU upgrade for two reasons:

    1- It should be very cheap (around $40-$50) to get a compatible Pentium M for that machine.
    2- CPU upgrade will give you a much more noticeable boost.

    If you have the budget, you can get 2 GB RAM + a decent CPU for around $150.


    --
     
    ramgen, May 23, 2010
    #5
  6. PapaSmurf69

    PapaSmurf69 Notebook Consultant

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    If you aren't sure you can do the cpu upgrade yourself and don't have a friend who could do it for you for little or nothing I would stick with just the ram upgrade. Even adding 1gig to the existing 512 would make a difference.
     
    PapaSmurf69, May 23, 2010
    #6
  7. markandca

    markandca Newbie

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    Thanks. I'll start with the RAM, and if that's not enough I'll take the next step with the cpu upgrade.
     
    markandca, May 24, 2010
    #7
  8. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Try using setfsb with the notebook, might be able to overclock the CPU and get a free boost.
     
    moral hazard, May 24, 2010
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  9. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    Without knowing when exactly it slows down it is impossible to say what upgrade will benefit you most.

    If you're running Windows XP there isn't much benefit from upgrading the memory, unless you run the applications that need it.

    Have you done a clean installation yet? If not, that would be the first step.
     
    Phil, May 24, 2010
    #9
  10. OneCool

    OneCool I AM NUMBER 67

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    OneCool, May 24, 2010
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