Technical > PC Hardware Discussion/Reviews > Upgrading old notebook

Upgrading old notebook

Maybe try CPU-Z, and then go to the mainboard tab. So, you have an idea what kind of mainboard it is using.

reply to dliw
I'm not sure what you're thinking is to refurbish the laptop. With everything you've spent so far on the items you've replaced you could've purchased a new laptop, probably for less money. With the pricing of laptops these days they have definitely become disposable and it's much more cost effective to replace them instead of trying to upgrade them.

reply to dliw
There isn't really anywhere to go with upgrading.

graphics upgrades in notebooks are pretty much a nonstarter.

You have a midrange dothan pentium M. You can't go much higher. There were some slightly higher clocked chips but it won't make much difference at this point, even if you could find one and use it.

If the system is now running I would just use it for whatever you can use it for, as it is, rather than messing around with it further. If it doesn't meet your needs, as it is, then you really need to get a new laptop.

reply to dliw
This was a fooling around project simply because I was interested in seeing what I could do. Total cost has been under $200 and the only disappointment is the battery life. It was just something to do.

I could forgo the graphic upgrade since it really doesn't matter. This old notebook looks and runs very well. However, I would like to clean and redo the thermal paste if that is possible. Any suggestions concerning that would be appreciated.

Thank you for the replies.
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~ Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war! ~

For about $100 more than you've spent on that old beast you could have bought a new low-end laptop with a 500GB drive, 4GB of RAM, and a spanking new copy of Windows 7, plus it would have a battery life in the 3-4 hour range and a 1-year warranty.

Redoing the thermal paste will require taking most of the laptop apart to gain access to the CPU. You can probably google up some disassembly instructions without too much difficulty using the exact model number.

reply to dliw
There was a laptop with an i3 processor, 640gb hdd, and 4GB of ram for $329 last week. With the next gen Intel processors coming out the prices are going to drop even more in the future. That system would blow away that laptop you're attempting to upgrade.
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I distrust those people who know so well what god wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires- Susan B. Anthony
Yesterday we obeyed kings, and bent out necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to the truth- Kahlil G.

reply to dliw
I don't think I would bother with the thermal paste. As stated it will be more involved then you might want.
If you want to go forward you might not find your exact model but there are youtube videos, which I haven't watched, which claim to show acer laptop disassembly.

reply to dliw
Thank you for all the replies and suggestions. Having three desktops and two other laptops and that this was just a something to do casual project I believe I'll stop at this point.

Thank you.
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~ Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war! ~