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    What are the best things for a non-gamer to upgrade?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by mxyplizk, Jul 25, 2008.

  1. mxyplizk

    mxyplizk Notebook Enthusiast

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    I know many of the people on these forums are gamers, so there's a big focus on graphics cards, GPU, etc. However, I'm a non gamer. I mostly browse the internet (often with over 20 windows open at a time), watch videos, photo/movie/music edit, watch tv, and I may hook a wii up to it. What would be the priorities for me to upgrade when configuring my laptop? Thanks!
     
    mxyplizk, Jul 25, 2008
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  2. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    ~2.0GHz 3-4MB L2 Cache Penryn CPU
    2-3GB Ram DDR2-667/800
    320GB 5400RPM/7200RPM HDD (SSD?)
    LED Screen..!! :D
    DVD Dual-Layer Drive (maybe standard)
    Wireless - N (N-router also need)
    X3100 :D

    Montevina..??
     
    Andy, Jul 25, 2008
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  3. Tippey764

    Tippey764 Notebook Deity

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    Id say more ram is a must for anyone. next id go for a 7200rpm hard drive then a faster cpu.
     
    Tippey764, Jul 25, 2008
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  4. mxyplizk

    mxyplizk Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks! I've heard though that the 5400rpm hard drive runs cooler and gets better battery life. Will this outweigh the increased performance? I'm trying to make my laptop screamin' fast, but without all the add-ons for gaming that would run me extra but wouldn't really help me out.
     
    mxyplizk, Jul 26, 2008
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  5. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    a good 320gb 5400rpm drive will be fine, the new 7200rpm drives are much more expensive and the speed difference is not that large. The 320gb 5400rpm drives are screaming fast for most people, so it should be fine.
    Getting a 320gb 7200rpm drive will use more power and hurt battery life a bit, but the decision is what you need best.
    A faster drive will decrease loading times, which is usually how people determine how fast their computer is.

    if you have any core 2 duo processor or amd turion processor, you can upgrade, but usually the harddrive is the main bottleneck.

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Jul 26, 2008
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