Upgrade or buy new

Well I am going on 3 years of having my laptop. It's a Dell Inspiron 1720, I have been using it mostly for just basic internet and other use until Tuesday when Starcraft II came out. I need to upgrade a few things on it to get the game running up to spec and am wondering if its really worth upgrading or should I just start saving up for a new laptop. I don't have the laptop in front of me so I'm going to run off my specs from what I can remember.

Processor: Intel Duo Core Processor 2.00Ghz
RAM: 1GB (intended on upgrading that from day 1 but never got around to it)
Video Card: NVidia GeForce 8600GT 256MB (not sure if it was 8600 or 8800 but I think it showed 512MB with 256MB dedicated??? if i remember correctly)
HDD: alot (I cant remember, not important anyways)

Other stuff: Windows Vista, Blu Ray player, 17" 1080p High res screen (1900 x something or other 1200 maybe?)

Anyways I'm going to buy a RAM upgrade today (4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-5300 DDR2 667MHz 200-pin SoDIMM $85.00 at best buy). My RAM and graphics card should then be sufficient for gaming and basic internet use but my fear is my processor may still be a bit too slow. Would it be worth eventually upgrading my processor on this laptop? Am I better off just saving up for a new laptop? or is my processor just fine and I'm just over-reacting because I'm below minimum specs in a video game? Also looking to possibly upgrade to Windows 7 (or downgrade to XP since I have the CD from my old desktop). Thanks.

 

I say upgrade. The 8600GT in the 1720 isn't one of the affected cards and they seem to not have any problems.

I have a friend who plays SC2 on a Quadro 140m (less powerfull than your 8600m gt). If you were to run it with more memory, your laptop would work a lot better with the game.

Plus, you can always overclock the graphics card and run the inspiron fan control to keep it cool.

HTH

 

I have to agree with millermagic for this case. As long as this computer is in fairly good shape, with the display in proper working order and no obvious hardware issues, then you really don't need to purchase a replacement for the sake of a game. You will more than likely will be unable to play at native resolution, and will have to reduce some of the graphical details, but the 8600GT should still be capable of running the game.

The upgrade to 4GB of RAM will make a substantial difference if you're using Vista or if you plan to move to Windows 7, though upgrading the processor is unlikely to be fruitful. You would need an architecture change, not just a clock increase, to see any substantial benefit.

For most everyday computing scenarios, your HDD will represent your bottleneck, so if you're keen on restoring some life to your notebook, an SSD would be a great investment. However, this upgrade may be cost-prohibitive, since SSDs remain $2+/GB.

Suffice to say, I recommend a small upgrade in place of a new computer, especially with some of the new architecture just around the corner. The future offerings from both Intel and AMD are highly anticipated and will bring greater performance and power savings, especially in the form of integrated graphics. I think the 1720 will be capable of at least another year of service before replacement.

I had a Dell Inspiron 9300 for 4.5+ years, which is one of the predecessors to the 1720, and other than the LCD slowly on its path towards failure, it worked quite well with some small upgrades over time. If you plan on keeping a computer for a while, give yourself some time to save up and buy every bit of computer that you'd like when the time finally comes to replace your existing setup.

 

Yeah I'm def upgrading my RAM today. Shoulda done it awhile ago this is just an excuse to stop being lazy/cheap and just do it. I'm concerned about the speed of my processor though. I guess ill have a good idea if that would be necessary once I install the RAM upgrade.

overclocking the video card on my laptop may not be the best idea. the thing is huge with the 17" screen, it
uses a lot of power, and runs pretty hot as is.

 

I am guessing that you have an Intel Core 2 Duo T7300? While current processors are certainly faster, for the purposes you describe, one cannot fully justify an upgrade for the CPU.

Note that while you may be limited on making adjustments to your GPU due to heat buildup, you can also consider undervolting your CPU to reduce power consumption and the thermal load encountered by the CPU. I doubt this would have any direct effect on the GPU, but it allows you to save some power without any real penalty on performance. If you can reduce the thermal load, you can help to extend the life of the computer, so it's worth considering playing with RMClock if this interests you.

As a side note, be sure to blow out the vents on your computer, if you do not regularly do that already. Clearing out dust is a great way to reduce the temperatures seen by your GPU, and could even allow you to gain some thermal margin to permit an overclock.

 

Yes, definitely upgrade!

In order of importance (for performance):

1) RAM: 4 GB sounds just right for your use.

2) O/S: Windows 7 x64 highly recommended over Vista 32bit.

3) HD: Hitachi 7K500 or Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid (your computer will remain useful for (at least) the next three years with one of these).

4) Misc: Clean install of O/S with no accumulated 'junk' and installation of latest drivers.

If you do all of the above you effectively have a new notebook and as long as you are not CPU limited in your needs, you will have a current NB (with the awesome resolution of your screen that is currently almost impossible to find) for the price of a few hours work and less $$ cost than a throwaway netbook.

Good luck.

 

A Intel C2D T9300 would be a good upgrade, depending on how much you want to spend. I think t9300(2.5Ghz) are $150 on eBay and t9500(2.6GHz) are $200. If I was keeping it for a years these are the upgrades I'd do:

4GB DDR2(you already did that)

320GB or 500GB 7200rpm HDD

T9500 or T9300

Clean install of Windows 7 x64

Get video card drivers from laptop2go.(These are modded drivers which are faster)

I've heard of some people putting Intel C2E X9000 processors in their i1720 laptops. This would probably work, but It might get too hot for your laptop. You could always under volt it and It should be fine. The X9000 runs at 2.8GHz and costs like $250.

 

Thanks alot guys that answered pretty much all my questions. I do alot of console gaming and if I start gaming on my laptop I have a feeling I'll may progressively do a few more upgrades in the future. The laptop hardware works great, I really just want to make sure I won't be sinking $$$ into something I should have just replaced from the get go. Thanks again.

 

A 3 year old machine with $300 of 'upgrades' is still a 3 year old machine. With a 3 year old hard drive. And a 3 year old battery. Both of which could conceivably require another $125 each to replace in the next year.

You can get an i3, 4 Gb, 17.3" (1600x900, led backlight) screen, 320Gb drive for approx $600. An i5 in the same chassis will run you another $100 or so.

With a warranty.

Sell your current machine for $200-300 and what's your end price now?

 

@newsposter: That isn't a completely accurate comparison. Buying a new computer forsakes a higher resolution display, as well as a capable dedicated graphics card. Sure, the hardware is a bit dated, and an LED backlight offers a comfortable viewing experience, but even with selling the current notebook, moj87zx is investing a minimum of around $500 (a comparable setup would run around $750 at minimum).

Back to Topic:

Others have mentioned additional upgrades, but the RAM upgrade alone should be sufficient. You certainly do not *need* a new HDD, and honestly, the only practical improvement would be seen with an SSD. Sure, newer HDDs will offer some increase in performance and efficiency and perhaps even run quieter, but the difference simply is not worth a new unit when the OP already has one that works. An additional benefit is that an SSD could be transplanted into the a new machine when it comes time for the current computer to retire. However, such an upgrade is potentially cost prohibitive, and not a reasonable decision for everyone.

Furthermore, while Windows 7 is nice, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Windows Vista. It still remains a supported product by Microsoft, and is a very competent operating system, regardless of the stigma some users choose to hold against it. If you want to save some money, you can reinstall your OS with the 64-bit flavor of your current version. You can download a legal copy from one of the threads, and take advantage of a RAM upgrade. There really is no reason to buy a new version of Windows, since your next computer will likely have it preinstalled. However, if you are a student at college, then you can snag Win 7 Pro for around $30, making the upgrade much more reasonable.

I don't claim any of my statements as fact, but I am playing the devil's advocate in this discussion. Personally, I think you are better off saving the money, and sticking with the RAM upgrade alone, but that is ultimately up to you to decide.

 

Since you are most likely using a 32-bit version of Vista, don't feel too disappointed if your computer doesn't "recognize" all 4 GB of your upgraded RAM. As a rule of thumb, 3.0 GB is the practical limit for any 32-bit operating system due to addressing issues. So, you really aren't going to get all that much more bang-for-the-buck from adding 2 sticks of 2 GB RAM as opposed to adding a single 2 GB stick to the your current 1 GB - assuming of course that you originally had a single stick of 1 GB, not two 512 MB.

 

No. It's almost never worth the expense and trouble of upgrading your processor, since a 3 year old motherboard can't accommodate the latest processors.

Keep in mind that a decent mid-range processor, such as the i5, goes for between $200 and $250. It's the single most expensive component in most computers.

In the long run, yes, you're better off saving for a new laptop.

As far as over-reacting, keep in mind that there are millions of people who've over-reacted to similar scenarios by buying expensive gaming laptops.

I wouldn't advocate downgrading to XP, and I most definitely wouldn't suggest using OEM disks from another PC. That's a no-no.

I personally wouldn't bother upgrading a Vista system to 7. Putting aside the 32-bit vs. 64-bit debate, Windows 7 feels like a slightly more polished version of Vista. How much is that slight improvement worth to you?

My advice is to limit yourself to the RAM upgrade and start saving for a new system in another 12-24 months

 

If you only play one game, or are a casual gamer and don't need to run the newest games, the 1720 should be good for another year or two.

My 1520 is almost the same - less bluray and ultra high res screen - and I can play most newer titles, just not on the highest setting. It works for me but I don't really care too much about the visual goodies.

If I had to have the highest settings I could drop $800 on a nice desktop but, to me, it's not worth it for a few visual elements.

 

The 1720 has a dedicated card ...

 

I just bought the gf an asus UX50v. It has the core solo 1.4ghz and a Nvidia g105m runs starcraft II just fine had to reduce grafix a little, but it was nothing that it could not handle easy. I liked the Nvidia g8600, g8800 chips they were good performers in my old Asus G2s series