Compal FL90 project! Fun Fun

Hey guys just got a compal cheap on ebay. I am a noobe at doing this but I am sure I can make this a bad gamer with all of your help. LOL

The specs are: Compal FL90 15.4" Laptop

15.4" Glossy HD Widescreen WXGA LCD
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2ghz Processor
4gb Dual Channel Memory
320gb Sata Harddrive
8x Double Layer DVDRW
Nvidia GeForce 8600m GT 256mb Dedicated Video (MXM; replaceable, upgradeable)
HD Audio
1.3mp Web Camera with Microphone
802.11a/b/g/n 300mbps Wifi
10/100/1000mbps Wired LAN
56k Modem
4 USB 2.0
Firewire
4 in 1 Memory Card Reader
x34/x54 ExpressCard Slot
VGA Port
S-Video Port

Ok guys what do I need to do to make this baby purrrr. LOL
Thanks

 

Hello, I have a similar FL90 That yours:

T7250
320Gb
4Gb DDR2 800
Ati Mobility 3650 256Mb DDR3

HD 3650 is better than 8600M and more cold.

My next upgrade is HD 500Gb 7200rpm

Bye

 

What you can do is install at least a X7900 CPU, a X9000 should work as well and perform a little bit better.
Next and more importanly get a Mobility Radeon HD 4650/70 with GDDR3 to replace your 8600M GT. Either the MSI edition or t his one.

Now top this off with a nice SSD drive and you will have a notebook that delivers some nice performance, although you could have bought a stronger laptop for the same money.

 

Thank you for the info guys. Where's the best place to get your parts?

 

do you know of a 4650 website that comes in english and not chinese.

 

correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't HD4650 make your PCI-E get locked at x1 instead of x16?

 

One user has experienced this issue, others are running MR HD 4650 DDR2 with no problem (at least none that we know of) and others have installed the MR HD 4670 and it worked.

There are no known sites that sell a MR HD 4650 GDDR3 version officially, that Chinese site (actually it's Taiwanese) is a pretty good find and it seems legit. For just 100 € I would pull the trigger any time, but I don't wanna invest any money in my FL90 anymore...

 

good question,,might try ebay...i found the toucpad for my hl90,,,but it had a differname sticker on it....otherwise the same..they wanted $80,,,i quess not bad, but i am broke..my touchpad , its shinny in places from use....maybe later...

some of the compal notebooks are used by drifferent manufaturers,,,they just stick there name on it...my hl90 is the same as a sager notebook.

might get ya a 7200 rpm hard drive , if you are running a 5400rpm...that is a good upgrade, and fairly cheap off ebay , especially if you get around 100-160gb

if the ati card is an option,,,it will be great...but remember , linux is better for nvidia cards or chips..but some linux versions are letting you install ati drivers now with a couple clicks ...about time.

a wsxga+ screen is super...i have it on my hl90,,,,way better than wxga....you would like that upgrade, i quarantee it.
http://www.yallstore.com/compal-fl90-laptop-lcd-screen-154-wsxga-glossy-p-11170.html