Upgrading a laptop to run faster

aqueoushumour01

Hi. I'm thinking about buying a new laptop but am also considering upgrading my existing one. Here are the specs:

Fujitsu Siemens
448 MB (although advertised at 512 MB)
50 GB HD
Intel Celeron M 1,6 GHz
Windows XP

I'm seriously low on space and it often runs slowly so ideally I'd like to have at least 2GB Ram and extra Hard - disk space. The latter is simple as I just need to get an external hard-drive.

In terms of the RAM - How easy is it likely to be to install a further 2GB Ram. Are there issues in terms of the motherboard or otherwise (i've got very little knowledge of computer hardware so not sure what the issues may be.)

Ideally I'd like to do this myself, but I would go to a professional if the job is complicated.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

aqueoushumour01

just been on the site and my computer's model number isn't listed - mine is:

Fujitsu siemens, amilo pro v2055. I've checked the versions close to this v2040 and v2045 and both require the same RAM type so is it absolute set in stone which version of DDR2 the ram has to be or is it flexible?

Is it a question of just plugging in the new RAM and turning the computer back on or is it more complex than this?

aqueoushumour01

loaner wrote: »

www.crucial.com/uk run the scanner.

You probably won't notice much difference between 1 and 2GB, even if the motherboard supports this much. 512 - 1GB is usually plenty for XP.

i'm running some music production software that eats up a lot of memory so I probably need to get as much RAM as possible. It seems that the motherboard will accept a max of 2GB but, as above, there's no info for my model number, just a very similar one.

gooner045

If you ran the crucial test and it advised you on what memory is suitable for your lappy, then they will guarantee compatibility and I think they offer a lifetime warrenty.

Slam in the ram and away you go, nothing special to do.

If you know which ram you need then you can almost certainly get it cheaper elsewhere, ddr2 on ebay is about £5 a gig including postage!

Donnie

You need PC2 4200 DDR II SDRAM - 533 MHz Laptop-SODIMM-Memory(Think I've covered all of the descriptions there)

You can buy it here for 11.99 plus postage for 1 GB for the more compatible low density memory.

Possibly cheaper when their website is back up, as the postage is only 2.50 there.

aqueoushumour01

thanks everyone, that's really useful. Two replies have been deleted - not sure why? I was going to refer to that info again!

vyseyboy

PS - the reason that the RAM is showing as 448 Mb instead of 512 Mb is because the laptop uses integrated graphics, which shares the RAM - 64 Mb is being allocated as video memory.

This will be a constant, so if you upgrade to 2048 Mb, it'll only show as 1984 Mb.

How very Orwellian.

marms

You should also consider replacing the drive in the laptop with a bigger 7200rpm drive, then a fresh install of windows. It will reduce the battery life a bit but will speed up the whole system.

weegie.geek

Make sure it's got adequate airflow to cool the 7200rpm drive. Going from what is probably a 4200rpm to a 7200rpm will make quite a difference, heatwise.

richt71

Check underneath the laptop to see if there's an appartment to unscrew to reach the ram otherwise you'll need to unscrew the keyboard, remove a place behind it, unscrew any cd/dvd drive and possibly the fan before you can reach the ram. It's a fiddly job (I used to repair laptops many years ago) but can be done in an hour. Be careful with the screen and don't slip and smash it like I did once...expensive mistake!

tomsolomon

I might rip the screen from my laptop and mount it in my newly installed built in wardrobes so I can watch telly all day long.
Right after I upgrade the processor to a dual core with 2gig of ram and an external 1terrabit HDD to back up all my XXX.....
Dont believe all the bumf you read on here, it is possible to upgrade a laptop, its a computer at the end of the day....
Just watch the celsius....;)

You could always put your MOBO in a fishtank full of veg oil or run it on liquid nitrogen......