Toshiba L775D-S7226 w/Pegatron TKBSS MB

I have a older (2011) Toshiba L775D Laptop w/ the following stock configuration;
AMD A6 3400M 4 core processor (FS1 socket)
Radeon HD6520G video
6GB RAM 666MHz(room for 8GB)
640GB 5400RPM HDD

I have done some initial research into possible upgrades and found some conflicting reports including some older threads here. What I have done so far is;
ordered and received a 500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
replaced a defective keyboard,
ordered a replacement battery.

What I was considering was at least replacing the one 2GB memory strip with a 4GB, but also considered replacing both with whatever the fastest that will work here.

I also considered (after reading that others have done the same thing) is upgrading the processor. BUT, the replacement I have read that was used (more than once) was a A6 3500M (I believe) which doesn't seem much of a step up. I realize this is a older model (I picked it based on the ability to run Win7, I don't want Win10., especially with this processor.

My use;
NOT for gaming,
occasional,
as a 2nd PC to my tower that I use most of the time.

I now realize this wasn't much of a upgrade other than the screen size (17.3 vs 15.6"). The HP Probook has a Turion II M600 processor & a 7200RPM HDD w/ 2GB of memory running XP Pro.

So, should I consider adding or replacing the RAM and/or even consider replacing the APU??

 

This should be all the compatible CPU's:

http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/AMD/A6-Series_for_Notebooks/A6-3400M.html

None seems to be a big improvement over your current one, the supposed best one will only net you 400Mhz more max clock per core:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=A8-3550MX&_sacat=0

At 40$ its not THAT expensive, but it might be a bit of a not really noticiable upgrade.

The SSD will help a lot.

Max RAM speed is DDR3(L)-1333(666Mhz like what is already installed), so anything faster wont be used, if you want/can, swap the 2GB for a 4 GB stick. The A8 also supports DDR3(L)-1600, but I doubt it will just work at that speed, due to BIOS limitations.. That and its a 45Watts TDP CPU, so the cooling might not be up to snuff to dissipate an extra 10 Watts.

Userbenchmark says that the A8 is 47% better than the A6, but I doubt that:

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-A6-3400M-APU-vs-AMD-A8-3550MX-APU/m491vsm13374

 

Other than the 600MHx increase in clock speed, there isn't much of a difference between the A8-3550 and what it there now which I was kinda surprised.
I don't see where the difference of 24% comes from. Frankly, the hassle of accessing the CPU doesn't seem worth it.

You mentioned about memory speed; "The A8 also supports DDR3(L)-1600, but I doubt it will just work at that speed, due to BIOS limitations." which I'm confused about.

Adding another 2GB of memory, would that make any significant difference?

Anyone else chime in here?

 

This " Pegatron" MB, I never heard of that outfit before, any input on that name?

 

Pegatron is a massive ODM that makes mobos for Asus, Acer, HP, and others.

 

Would two more GB would really make that much difference?

 

As a FYI for anyone reading this, my decision to try Toshiba over HP was a learning event I won't repeat. I see why Toshiba is not very popular now.

I had a huge problem with 3rd party battery packs (NOT from e-bay). It took three tries from three separate vendors to get one that would be recognized and work in the laptop. The 1st two, the internal PCB in the pack was the wrong one. This wasn't a 'bad' cell(s) issue. All three were named packs, no generic.
Laptop Battery Express finally had the correct pack. The 1st two companies were Asian, the third was not, they are in Ohio.

Lastly; processor performance over the 1 year older HP Probook was barely better. Video (chipset) performance was noticeably better, but not astronomically. Both units are AMD based which is all I have and would buy. Nineteen years Wintel free.