what can't I upgrade later

Besides graphics cards, what absolutely can't be upgraded, isn't cost effective, or simply is a real pain to upgrade?

 

you can upgrade graphics cards on some notebooks.

 

You should look at this more along the lines of what CAN be upgraded later. Sometimes (though not always) the CPU can be upgraded to a similar model. Almost always, the RAM can be upgraded. Similarly, almost always the hard drive can be upgraded. You can also replace the battery and optical drive.

The LCD can be replaced on many laptops though this is not trivial to do and often a very expensive upgrade.

As a general rule, though, you should assume that NOTHING in a laptop is upgradable except for the RAM. It's rarely worth the hassle of upgrading anything else.

 

I concur - with the exception that you can pretty much guarranty you can upgrade your HD

 

"user-upgradeable":

1. ram
2. hd
3. minipci slot

upgradeable with difficulty (physically difficult, voids warranty, etc.):

1. cpu
2. gpu*
3. lcd

*the gpu must (a) physically fit into the computer and (b) be recognized by the system's BIOS. the general rule of thumb is that if you bought X brand of notebook and it came with the options of A, B, and C gpus, then you can probably upgrade from A, to either B or C. upgrading outside of this path is nearly impossible.

 

I say because when it comes to customization, I'll be willing to spend a little more on components that are a hassle to upgrade later. thanks

 

I would suggest buying the screen, processor, and video card (especially) that you want with the notebook - the RAM and HDD are easy to do as posted, and often cheaper to upgrade aftermarket from places like ZipZoomFly or Newegg.

 

probably the only cost/worth upgrades would be: HD, Ram, Batter, Optical Drive

 

thanks, icgragon...

i totally forgot about the optical drive.

 

thanks again chaz, and everyone else

 

The motherboard is definitely one of the components not worth upgrading.