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    Upgrades for X61

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by glennchung, Dec 13, 2007.

  1. glennchung

    glennchung Notebook Guru

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    Hi,

    I wonder if you can help me with the following:

    1. I want to upgrade RAM instead of purchasing through Lenovo. Is that a smart choice? If I am using Firefox, Office, iTune, maybe some Adobe Photoshop on Vista, would 2GB be enough or I should go with 3GB or more?
    2. Which specific model of RAM should I choose? I saw that G. Skill is highly rated on Newegg.com.
    3. Would I really need an external DVD-ROM? I am using it for grad school. What's your experience? If needed, which one should I pick? I want a reliable one if I am buying one.

    Thanks so much!

    Glenn
     
    glennchung, Dec 13, 2007
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  2. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    1) I don't know about Lenovo, but Dell's RAM is always overpriced, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was the case for other manufacturers. So yes, upgrading it yourself is probably the best bet. 2GB will be fine for your basic tasks.

    2) Brand doesn't really matter, specially in a laptop where you aren't OC'ing or anything. All the chips are ultimately made by the same companies anyways.

    3) Is there an internal drive included? Then you probably won't need an external unit...
     
    Commander Wolf, Dec 13, 2007
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  3. glennchung

    glennchung Notebook Guru

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    Yeah, the problem is that it's an ultraportable without an optical drive. I am wondering whether I should get an external one.

    Glenn
     
    glennchung, Dec 13, 2007
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  4. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    In that case they don't include an external one to begin with?

    But yeah, if they don't, you should definitely look into an external device. I mean... you do need to read/write disks right?

    Anyways, I've been using a Plextor external drive for a few years now. Never had any problems with it. Not necessarily a recommendation, just my two cents.
     
    Commander Wolf, Dec 13, 2007
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