Upgrades for sister's HP dv6600

My sister bought an hp dv6600 on clearance. It is really slow. I upgraded her memory to 4gb of the fastest it can handle, but it's still slow. It seems like the cpu pegs a lot. This is overall, not with any specific program. Basically everything seems slow. She mostly uses Internet based apps like IE and chat programs, and basic office programs for school.

These are the specs:

HP dv6604 nr
mobo = quanta 30cf w/ nforce 560 chipset
AMD Turion 64 Mobile TK-55 (Tyler 65nm) family F model 8 stepping 1 (socket s1 aka 638)

What else can I do to boost the performance?

Some ideas:

• Upgrade processor
• Reload OS with regular Vista disc (not HP's system disc)
• Have her use firefox not IE

Regarding the proc, I heard somewhere that sometimes upgrading the driver helps due to how it switches to power save mode a lot. She doesn't use the battery much, just leaves it plugged in most of the time, so it's okay if it's on full all the time.

Could she install this proc?

I also heard about the TL-68 but they are like $300 and she paid $600 for the laptop so not a very efficient purchase.

I'm not sure if her video card has h.264 decoding but if it does it would be good to take advantage of that. As I understand she would either need to buy a program like power dvd, or buy a codec like CoreAVC. Right now I have the latest ffdshow and haali media splitter and she can play 720p okay but if I try to play 1080p the proc is pegged and doesn't play at normal framerate.

Any help is appreciated.

 

Was it a dv6604nr? If so my brother has that EXACT same system with 2.5gbs of ram. I would reload vista that makes the computer feel really fast even when it sucks. The cpu in that laptop while a little on the weak side but it will be fast enough for her uses.
Edit: I just reread your post and saw it is a dv6604nr lol

 

Did you reinstall the operating system, or does it still have all that HP bloatware that comes preinstalled on the system? You know, the stuff they think is "for your benefit?"

You might consider that.

 

1080p? I don't know, but I think that's going to be a stretch...

Anyway.

First thing you should do is format it, put a fresh install of Vista, download new drivers..... and see how it runs. It really should run smooth, save for 1080p.

Depending on how it is after the format/clean-install..... take it from there. Odds are, you won't have to do anything.

Oh, and get her to use Firefox irregardless of any issue... it's just a superior browser altogether. I got this pink theme for it on my sister's laptops, and they love it... lol.

G'luk.

 

Oh firefox is no better then internet explorer its just a diffrent interface. I never have internet explorer crash on me either.

 

Once you reformat and get rid of the HP bloatware (done this to several HP's and it makes a HUGE difference. Use the Vista Basic theme...aero really drags on those nforce graphics sets. I experienced this on my wifes old dv6810. Once you've done those 2 you should see a decent performance gain.

 

Alright buddy. Firefox is no better than Internet Explorer. It's just a different interface.... righhhht.

lolz.

 

Tell me how firefox is better? My brother use's it and i have too and other then the fact how everything looks diffrent its the same exact thing to me.

 

I second reinstalling Windows Vista and starting over fresh. For what your sister needs it to do, that computer should have more than enough power to accomplish it.

If you don't want to reformat, you could also consider uninstalling the bloatware that came with it, and also disabling some unneeded services.

 

My man, you followed me here to argue with me some more? lolz...

Plugins/Addons for one.

 

Internet explorer has add ons you do know that right?

 

lol with this guy...

My man, yes, I am well aware of that, thank you.

Let's just say, the capabilities and the sheer amount of addons/plugins for Firefox dwarf those for IE.

What kind of kool-aid they serving you down in College Park? lolz...

It's just, a better browser, IMO. A lot, if not most users on these forums will agree. It's a lot more customizable, it has a lot more features, there is a lot more you can do with it.... it's safer, faster.... it's just better.

You can agree/disagree, and I honestly don't give a damn. You use IE and I will use FF, and I am sure both of us will go on to lead happy lives.

This thread has been hijacked enough....

 

lol true it has been hijacked but hey i helped him all ready. I need an internet browser to get me to the web thats it i dont care about customizing it that has nothing to do with the browser but the people who make the plug in's I dont have time to coustomise a browse when im switching computers on a weekly basis. And college park?

 

College Park, Maryland- campus of the University of Maryland.

Switching computers on a weekly basis? You've got 52 computers? Man. That's something else. Beauty of Firefox is that it takes all of 5 minutes to load all the plug-ins you need/want. But then again, when you're busy switching computers every week, I can understand how 5 minutes is hard to come by. At least it's not daily!

Anyway.

Fair enough. Enjoy your advertisements. And security breaches. Enjoy I.E. my man.