Upgrading an ageing laptop?

Hi guys,

I currently own an Asus K55VM laptop with i7-3610, GT630, 5400rpm HDD and 8GB worth of ram which is normally use for university work, some gaming and programming as well. It's been with me for 3 years and maybe it's time for an upgrade.

I was thinking of either upgrading an SSD to it or increasing the ram but I'm not sure whether it would show much of an improvement compared to changing to a new laptop. I don't use much disk space myself.

Another thing would be I'm not too sure about this, but i think the cpu is getting bottlenecked by the gpu.

Any advice?

 

SSD
SSD
SSD

I can't repeat myself anymore, but upgrading to an SSD is by far the biggest upgrade you can make to your laptop. Nothing else will come close, as improving the RAM will give you no noticeable increase in daily performance. As you for your GPU, yep it's bottlenecking your CPU in pretty much every game post 2006ish, but there's nothing you can do outside of buying a better laptop regarding that.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I am fourth for SSD.

 

How long is the average lifespan of a laptop considering that I use it every single day for internet/school work/gaming etc..? Would it be more worth it to just go for a new laptop?

 

The gpu cannot bottleneck the cpu. But it can bottleneck your gaming.

If you are playing newer games and will continue to do so; get a new platform and sell this one as-is.

If you can put up with the lower quality settings needed to continue playing some/most games; the SSD will make a nice upgrade (highly recommend clean install to Win8.1x64).

The average lifespan varies depending on the future (expected) use of the notebook. I've had systems for a dozen years - but they changed their roles as to what workflows I expected of them as the years wore on.

Answer the question regards gaming and you'll know whether to upgrade or not.

Of course, even with an new platform, an SSD is still highly recommended (along with an i7 QC, 16GB+ RAM and the most current platform and O/S you can get).

Just keep in mind that the storage subsystem is the last thing that needs upgrading. Unless all you demand of your drive is a fast boot up and fast shutdown.

 

If you want to continue using your existing laptop, then I would definitely recommend upgrading to an SSD.
It will impact your laptops performance in the most noticeable capacity (and you can use the HDD externally as a USB HDD for storage).

Since you have an integrated GPU, then you cannot change that, and will continue to be bottlenecked in the graphics department.

However, integrated GPU's tend to rely heavily on system RAM for performance... but I'm not sure if the same applies to Nvidia IGP.
Getting more and faster system RAM (such as 8GB, 1800MhZ or faster) with low timings (9-9-9) might improve gaming performance on an IGP noticeably (but I would definitely check on how much of a gain you'd be looking at).

 

The two laptops I use every day are from 2007 and 2008. My stepfather used the same laptop every single day from 2004 to 2011 for his full-time job as a programmer. Unless there is something wrong with your current computer or you want something from it that it can't provide, getting something new just for the sake of it isn't going to help.

 

Another vote for SSD!

 

You have a decent CPU and enough RAM for most programs/games.

Decide whether or not your current graphics card is enough for your current and future gaming needs. If not, sell this laptop and upgrade.

If it is, then get a good SSD.

 

Pretty much what everyone else has said so far...

This computer I'm using right now is a tad older, with i7-2630qm and quadro 2000. I upgraded hdd to ssd one year ago, now I have 250GB Samsung as OS drive and the old 750GB hdd went to caddy in the optical drive slot. I have 16GB ram just because there was 4 slots to put in 4x4GB sodimms everyone has in the parts bin I've retired this computer to 90% desktop duty but I don't see any reason to replace it anytime soon (unless I get my hands on 17" version for an extra internal hdd and other goodies).

Compared to todays laptops, there is not _that_ much difference in cpu performance, new stuff is more power efficient. While extreme uses and users are different thing, in everyday use this i7 does everything I need and can throw at it. For instance run 1080p video on one monitor and game decently on the other at the same time while having gazillion tabs on several browsers open.

8GB memory is enough, unless you come across really cheap 2x8GB set that should work, altough Asus's specs say 8GB max. Like everyone else says, biggest difference you'll get comes from ssd upgrade.

The GPU is still the weak point. It cannot be changed and if it isn't enough, then there is no other simple solution than replace the laptop.

GT630m isn't integrated gpu, it is soldered to the motherboard but it isn't integrated in the cpu or chipset. It has 2GB discrete vram too.

 

I've already answered in post#5, but the OP hasn't yet responded as to the status of his/her gaming situation.

If the gaming side of the workflow is considered acceptable for the games currently played or possibly played in the near future:

Then I just want to further add that maximizing the RAM to 16GB, upgrading the O/S to Win8.1x64Pro and doing so to a new SSD will take the performance of their notebook to another level.

Not just any SSD though. Look at the following link and see why the SanDisk Extreme Pro (I recommend the 480GB capacity and larger, along with 30% OP'ing...) is the SSD to beat. When high sustained performance over time along with lowest latencies are important (and they are).

See:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/silicon-motion-sm2256-ssd-preview,4066-6.html


Note the low end performance of the 4 channel controller being reviewed in the link above (Silicon Motion SM2256). Sure, it has low end nand on board too. But using half the channels limits performance more than using low quality nand. The nand quality defines the longevity of the SSD as a whole depending on how much performance it offers over that lifetime. The number of controller channels though defines the platforms performance ceiling. And compared to most of the other SSD there, that performance ceiling is flying closer to the floor.

This will be the next 'gotcha' to watch out for when buying SSD's; great specs (for the price) and horrible real world performance. Especially for anyone needing the SSD for more than the 'snap' they can/should provide.

So...
No, all 'Pros' are not equal. Neither are all SSD's. Samsung models frequently take the top spots for artificial benchmarks (cheating much/still, Samsung?), but in real world use they are almost as laggy as a HDD to me. Not in an absolute sense, of course (though they can hit those lows easily*), but enough for me to find them as the one thing wrong with any system they're paired with.


*See:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1512915/...ed-to-confirm-affected-ssds/400#post_23669608

So, I too agree with the purchase of an SSD; when all other avenues of maximizing the platform have been exhausted.

But note that SSD's are not interchangeable (performance-wise). Getting the right one is still critical to fully balance an otherwise maxed out platform.

And adding an SSD to a platform that has not been maxed out? Reminds me of the kids down the block getting Pirelli's (SSD) for their Honda Civics... the 'feel' was great. But they were still destroyed in any kind of 'race' (productivity) with a real engine and a real transmission (CPU+RAM).

 

I would just say keep the laptop like it is. The OP says he/she used very little HD space. I would think he/she uses the laptop just for basic things, work, school, light gaming. Just keep it stock.

Dont upgrade the cpu, its already a quad core. Why add more memory when 8gb is enough for his/her needs that laptop model is running a 1366x768 screen.

 

SSD
SSD
SSD
SSD

Even if you eventually one day decide to upgrade to an enitrely new laptop, an SSD that you buy today can be easily carried over into your next laptop.

 

Here's my experience.

Dell 1525
upgrades:
-----> Windows 7x64 Ult Sp1
----> T8100
----> 4gigs RAM --- go higher but DD2 is not cheap...I like to go 8gig but for what I do 4gig works fine.
----> 500HDD

Results:
Boost in load times compared to Pent CPU that was there before. And Ram helps to open more pages and HDD higher capacity allows CPU to work less in Memory Swap because of Larger Ram. But along with this I changed the Vista to Windows 7x64 to handle more Ram to allow for a better running system compared to what it was before. I could put a faster CPU but from my comparison for my system hardware age the T8100 was cheap and did more or less what I wanted for a iNtel HD based graphics. I also redid the Thermal paste as well this helps heat flow and for something this old.

So those small upgrade overall contributed to better performance for a 2007 laptop to keep it up to date and running like it was brand new. If I need to game I have a gaming laptop for that and also a Desktop with GPU that can handle games like COD, Crysis, BF4, WOW and the likes if need be. That laptop is my everday user and those upgrades help it work better for my needs.

 

Point being, the upgrade in question can be relatively cheaply done and keep you going until say next year when all the new stuff comes out (14nm Skylake for instance... second generation HBM gpu's from AMD, DDR4, etc.).

I've done similar upgrades to my Acer 5930G... and I'm still using it (only problem is that the 240M seems to be unstable and can cause a black screen/system freeze occasionally - probably got a faulty one).

I would personally like to wait until possibly next year to get all the good stuff, but I don't really think it will be THAT worth of a wait.
AMD will come out with HBM this year (which could mean mobile HBM gpu's as well) and Broadwell will be a 'good enough' upgrade to go along with it, so I don't think I will be missing out on anything in 2016 with wifi charging and similar things.

 

AMD doing anything this year of note? Nah.

See:
http://www.extremetech.com/computin...-between-wide-io-hbm-and-hybrid-memory-cube/2

40 to 50% higher igpu performance would be great at the same or lower current power levels. Too bad they'll need a higher performance cpu to match (but maybe AMD can do both this time?).

 

One thing I'm bothered about some of the assumptions regarding HBM.
Namely, I don't think it needs a high TDP to function.
High TDP in 390X for instance is likely a result of a massive increase in cores from the previous series.
I don't think anything really prohibits AMD from using HBM on an APU since it would be better than conventional GDDR5 for instance (about 50% less area occupied, over 50% power reduction, massive bandwidth increase, etc).
I think that for instance even 1 GB of HBM on an APU would massively increase its capabilities, especially in the graphics department... but Zen by itself will be on 16nm most likely, and I don't see a reason as to why it would be impossible to fit 1 to 2 GB of HBM onto an APU.
HSA alone would receive massive boosts (and that thing is already exceedingly fast).

Besides, AMD is introducing HBM this year on desktop GPU's... by the time Zen comes out for commercial use (which will likely be by late 2016 or early 2017- seeing how initial Zen chips will be for servers only, and those were reportedly slated to arrive in late 2016), AMd will have quite a lot of experience with HBM.

Zen is still being developed, and even if it doesn't get HBM, its 'refresh' on the other hand might... but it would be preferable if AMD incorporated it into Zen if possible in some way.

 

Smaller geometry's by themselves indicate higher (spot) temps. TDP may be the same or lower, but the chip will live at a higher temp...

With 2017 hinted at HBM implementation for AMD, I think that the Intel backed effort will be a more likely scenario.

See:
http://www.extremetech.com/computin...es-between-wide-io-hbm-and-hybrid-memory-cube

 

thanks for all those replies. I was researching on all those sata1,2,3 stuff and such (newbie here) and decided that samsung 850 evo 500gb seems like the way to go since I could easily transfer it to a newer laptop if I wanted to (500gb for documents and dual booting).
Any recommendations on any other SDD i should consider?
Also any recommendations on the places where I could snag a deal on these? Delivery time doesn't matter

 

Forget Samsung drives. If you get an EVO, the best days of your system will be behind you.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 480GB or higher.

See:
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX52695

And you can price match too (if in Canada).

Anything else is not a consideration, it is a compromise.

This is why you don't want an EVO or anything Samsung:

See:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1512915/...enchmarks-needed-to-confirm-affected-ssds/420

See:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1507897/...d-drops-on-old-written-data-in-the-drive/2200


See:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/silicon-motion-sm2256-ssd-preview,4066-6.html


The above link shows why an Samsung 850 Pro is for the junk pile, not your system. Now, look at the sustained throughput and low latency of the SanDisk Extreme Pro. Need more convincing?

See:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1512915/...ed-to-confirm-affected-ssds/400#post_23669608

 

I see that it's quite expensive compared to the Samsung Evo. What about Crucial 512GB SDDs? Either the MX100,200 or BX100 or M550 versions. How do they fair? Thinking of getting something not that high ended but lasting.

 

With a good reason...

No to BX100, yes to everything else.

 

It's expensive because if they weren't discounted EVO's would be collecting dust world-wide with the issues they have.

Agree with ajkula66, the BX100 is bottom of the barrel performance and the price doesn't match.

The M550 also seems like the best candidate of the bunch.

See:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/silicon-motion-sm2256-ssd-preview,4066-6.html

Especially in a non-heavy use environment. (Look at the light workloads charts in link above).

Just make sure the chassis you're putting it into will keep it cool and not let the drive throttle itself.

 

I've seen that power consumption of the SSDs are actually quite high in max write mode as compared to HDDs. Will that affect my laptop's battery life?

 

Only if you have a sustained workflow that constantly hammers the drive with writes for hours on end.

In most cases, the higher power consumption at full load is offset by the fact that the task will finish faster and the SSD will drop to it's low power idle state much, much faster than any HDD could.

Another way to look at this; for the same amount of work completed by the storage subsystem, the SSD will use less power than almost any HDD and will finish that work faster. However, if your workflow is using the extra performance of the SSD over a sustained period of time, then power consumption will be higher as will the productivity too.

 

I think I'll get the sandisk extreme pro 480gb. Just need to find where cheapest to get it from the UK.

 

While waiting for a bit on ebay for the Sandisk Extreme pro 480gb, I found out that the Samsung 850 512gb Pro costs about the same as the Sandisk Extreme pro (around 310 USD). Whereas the MX100 costs around 200 USD.

Should I still stick to the Sandisk Extreme pro? Go for the Samsung 850 Pro instead? Or would the MX100 give more value for money?

 

See:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/upgrading-an-ageing-laptop.772928/page-2#post-9962672

Look at the graphs and tell me that you would pay the same for the Samsung as for the SanDisk Pro's.

The best value for your money is a product you only pay once for. Right now, that is the SanDisk Extreme Pro.

 

Cheapest place is amazon... Your best bet is the Extreme Pro.. Don't even look at the 850Pro and Samdung's SSD's... If your budget is limited, the MX100 isn't bad but honestly just spend a bit extra...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00KHRYRLY/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new