should i upgrade or not bother at all?

Hi, everyone.

I need some advice from some of the notebook experts here.

I currently have a Fujitsu T2010 that I've used for around 4 years. FYI, let me list T2010's spec.

T2010:
12.1" WXGA indoor/outdoor display with active digitizer and wide viewing angles
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Ultra Low Voltage U7600 (1.2 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 533 MHz FSB)
3 GB DDR2 533 MHz memory
7200rpm drive
Installed Windows 7 pro 64bit
Tablet (I don't use it much anymore)

I use my desktop for the majority of my work (writing, web programming) and occasional gaming (SC2, League of Legends, etc), and 1-2 a week I take my laptop to the work for research and writing.

However, in those 1-2 days, I notice how slow the laptop is even for simple browsing. I wouldn't say that it's painfully slow that it takes a minute to open a browser, but the overall performance is not crisp. So I was wondering if I replace the HDD to SSD and upgrade memory to either 4 or 8gb, the laptop's performance would improve much and be crisp.

Do you think the upgrade is worth the price? Or am I better off buying a new laptop.

Thank you,
Ruben

 

Upgrading to 4GB is a good idea but DDR2 memory is getting more expensive than it was, you might have problems finding it.

When did you install windows? If then install is more than a year or so old then it might be slowing down because of that. If you haven't got loads of background processes and stuff hogging the system and it really isn't cutting the butter then an SSD should give a nice improvement in responsiveness.

 

@funky monk, thanks for the reply.

THe cost is definitely an issue. I do not want to upgrade it if I could get a new or refurbishied laptop that costs a little more.

The problem with this laptop is even with Ubuntu installed, it's not crisp. That's why I do not think Windows 7 reinstall will fix it.

I might consider to buy a new laptop like
$449 Asus k53

 

Your processor is just really slow.

It wasn't exactly fast to begin with, and as programs get more CPU intensive over 4 years, you're going to notice it more and more.

I suggest getting a new computer entirely. Even a low end Sandy Bridge processor would be far faster than your current one.

The Asus is a good choice, the CPU wont be as fast as a SB one but you can OC it. If you plan on gaming, it is the best gaming bang for the buck you can get in that price range and then some.

 

It's hard for me to say chuck your current laptop when it still has life in it; and certainly a shiny new SSD is the quickest and easiest way to speed things up and add new life your present machine. However, the last time I check, an SSD cost $200 for the standard unit, and that's a lot of money to put into a 4 year old machine--especially one with an molasses slow CPU.

At that expense, I seriously think you should consider replacing your current notebook. Even one of the budget models for under $500 should be able to give you everything your current model has with some processing to spare.

Incidentally, you can forget about adding RAM. Even though it's cheap, and you OS can utilize it, I see no practical or performance reason where adding more RAM would make your machine any faster.

 

Perform a clean install might help somewhat with the performance, but I would say save your money for a replacement instead

cheers ...

 

I'm with everyone, start saving to get a new laptop, 4 years is a good lifespan for a laptop and in 4 years the hardware has time to get much more efficient at the same clock speeds. Everything depends on your budget, but if you want to get another laptop that will last you another 4 years or more, you could go for something like a thinkpad. I just got a t420 for my mother and i gotta say it's quite a nice laptop.

 

@Krane, that is why I was trying to save it by upgrading a little. To my surprise, this little bugger is still going strong, albeit a little slow.

@qhn, even my Ubuntu is not crisp, which was a little suprising for me. So I doubt fresh Windows reinstall would do anything.

@tijo, @R3d, I have enough budget to buy top of the line laptop atm. I considered Sony Z2, X220, W520, Precision, and Elitebooks. But I decided to wait a little more because I really want to jump on the eGPU trend to eventually replace my desktop completely (not a big fan of syncing data and configuration and stuffs). And so far the development on eGPU for Thunderbolt or Light Peak technology is still nascent, so I'm waiting to see what kind of options will be available.

Anyways, I guess for now, I should not soldier on with this slow T2010, and wait for the development on Light Peak or Thunderbolt eGPU solution, and jump to a laptop that support such solution.

Thanks of all the inputs!