Upgraded my $400 HP laptop all along, maybe it was a bad idea...

I got a $400 ze2308wm with 256MB RAM, Sempron 2800+ 1.6GHz and 40GB 4500RPM HDD. ATI Mobile Xpress

Over the last two years, I upgraded it quite a bit and I spent quite a bit on it. Perhaps I should have just bought a better one up front?

Laptop: $400

80GB 7200RPM HDD: $85
+512MB: $55
+1GB: $65 - 256MB (one stick had to come out)
Turion MT-37: $90
A 12-cell extended run battery: $130

The $400 laptop ended up costing $825 alltogether and now I have a:

2.0GHz Turion MT-37 CPU
1.5GB RAM
80GB 7200RPM
CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive

one standard 2.5 hr battery and one 5 hr battery.

What do you guys think? Could I have bought something better up front with $695? (not counting the extra battery cost)

 

The problem with laptops is the market is constantly changing. 6 months ago I bout this laptop in my sig for 1000 but now for the same money i could get a laptop with an 8600m. I think unless theres about to be a big revolution in the market (dx10 for eg.) you shouldnt wait to get a laptop. No matter what a year later there will be better computers for the same money...

 

Upgrading Laptops is not cost effective. Sorry, that is the way it is.

 

2 years ago for $695, probably not. Today certainly but then this is how the computer market changes. Question is do you like it how it is now?

 

Well that is a nice upgrade, should give you a good performance boost.

No, I doubt you could have gotten something better for $695.

 

a good example of this is the fact than when Vista came out 6 months ago, the most basic Vista Premium with a Pentium Dual Core , 1 gb or Ram, Integrated Video Card, and Vista Premium was selling for $699 on special. The same computer today sells for $499 to $549 on specials. For the same $699, you are able to get 2 gb or ram, a faster processor, an a bigger hard drive. the same will be true in 6 months for now. Also Ram has come down quite a bit. Six months ago, you had to pay anywhere between 80 to $100 for 1 gb or ram to upgrade your laptop. Today you can go to Best Buy and buy it for $42.99. My experience with computers have always been to buy what you need for now and buy something new in two years if needed. Buying the top of the line is a waste of money (UNLESS YOU HAVE TO IT), since two years from now it might not even be consider entry level. Dual core was not even mainstream two years ago, the most basic computers have dual core chips in today's market

 

My computer uses DDR and $64 was a bargain for a 1GB DDR1. DDR1 is much more expensive than the newer DDR2.

 

Ram is one of the cheapest ways to upgrade a computer and it is something that should be done as a first option versus buying one. But after a few years it might not pay to do so considering the options out there. I thought about upgrading to Vista but considering my two year old Pemtium 4, the lack of Ram, no DVD RW, Video Card, etc, a $500 laptop (on special) will prove to be a much more powerful answer to my current laptop not to mention the cost factor. Now there is nothing wrong with my two year old laptop, but to pay pay for all those upgrades is non sense.