New to me Toshiba Satellite A105-S4064, looking to upgrade

Hello all,

A friend handed down to me his old Toshiba Satellite A105-S4064. It's slow but everything on it still works fine so I'm looking for a few low cost ways to make it faster. I'm comfortable upgrading desktop computers but less so with laptops so I have a few questions.

1.) It has 512MB of RAM so I'm looking to upgrade that. From my studies, this seems to be the right RAM to use. Would this work for me?

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Laptop Memory Model F2-5300CL5D-4GBSA:
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Laptop Memory Model F2-5300CL5D-4GBSA

2.) What is the maximum amount of RAM this laptop can take? I'm currently running Windows XP 32 bit but looking to install Linux (see below).

3.) Is this processor 32 bit or 64 bit? It's an Intel Core Solo 1.86Ghz but I am unable to determine the bits. I'm hoping to install a 64 bit version of Linux.

4.) Would a new hard drive like this work? I don't know if this is IDE or SATA (I would think SATA) or what the maximum RPMs or cache size is, if there is a maximum.

Western Digital Scorpio Black WD2500BEKT 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - Western Digital Scorpio Black WD2500BEKT 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive

 

1. Yep, that seems to be good. Buy the cheapest DDR2 SODIMM/laptop RAM that you can find.

2. 4GB is fine but only 3.5GB max will be able to be used due to the 945GM chipset.

3. Core Solo is 32-bit. You might be able to upgrade to Core 2 Duo CPU as long as it is Socket M.

4. It seems to be SATA so that hard disk should work.

For an awesome speed boost, if you don't need much space you could spend the money on an 60, 64, or 80GB SSD drive. My opinion: Buy an Intel, or Crucial or Samsung branded SSD drive.

Advice is based on spec information from this page: http://cdgenp01.csd.toshiba.com/content/product/pdf_files/detailed_specs/satellite_A105-S4064.pdf

 

Thank you for the information - it's all very useful.

3.) How do I find if this is socket M? Is this upgrade relatively easy? I thought that typically, laptop CPUs are hard to upgrade and often not worth it. The RAM I know is one panel and a few screws - are there instructions on how to upgrade the CPU?

All I can seem to find are socket P's, not M's.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, CPUs / Processors, Processors - Mobile, Core 2 Duo

4.) Would any SSD work, or do they come in certain sizes specifically for laptops?

5.) One other question I forget to ask - does anyone know where to download the official Toshiba software and drivers for Windows XP? I don't have the restore disks and most of the software is present, but things like the trackpad configuration tool seem to be missing.

 

3) Sorry, that's my bad wording. I'm pretty sure that you can upgrade the CPU. The Core Solo T1350 that you have is a Socket M CPU, so you need to purchase a Core 2 Duo CPU that also uses Socket M. Core 2 Duo CPUs are also available in Socket P but these won't work in your laptop. Check on Wikipedia and cross check the model on another website before you purchase anything. I think a T7200 would be a decent choice or T5600 if you would prefer to spend less (hint: check on eBay for $15-30 pre-owned CPUs). An upgrade to one of these might be good depending on your usage of the laptop. What do you think you would be doing with the laptop after performing the upgrades mentioned?

4) Most SSDs nowadays are 2.5" and SATA. Any of these will work.


5) You can check here, however it's messy...

 

Thank you again for the detailed reply.

3.) Given the old nature of the laptop, I am not expecting awesome performance. My goal is to have a secondary computer for internet and a couple older games (something on the scale of Morrowind with turned down graphics). I figured the RAM would be an easy upgrade and maybe a new hard drive, but I don't have the restore disks so I'm hesitant to wipe the current drive. If I can spend less than $150 on this to get a decently fast (for 2007) secondary computer, I would be happy. I'd figure about $60 for the RAM and maybe $80 for a hard drive - I'm not sure how much a processor would cost or how hard it would be to install.

With a new hard drive, I would like to install Linux; my choice would be Arch Linux with KDE. I don't need the fancy graphical aspects of KDE but I like the refined look and customizability.

Looking on Amazon and Newegg, I cannot find a socket M T7200 or T5600. Do you know of any reputable sites to buy older hardware like this?

 

3) Single core to dual core CPU. I guess it's hard to say how much that would improve your experience on the computer with just general use which is rarely CPU limited. Anyway, you can get those CPUs on eBay. I could seem to find these on Amazon, but you will be paying 2-3x the amount for the same thing.

If you decide to upgrade the CPU, don't forget to upgrade to the latest BIOS for your laptop model first.