Upgrading RAM and/or Processor on a laptop?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Ok, my laptop is starting to show its age now. Its a couple of years
old, and id like to update it. I have a TIME TRAVELLER 1800+, which
has a 1.5GHz alathon mobile processor in it, and either 256 or 352mb
of RAM (it says 256 on bootup, but 352 if i view System Information in
"my computer". Why it does this, i dont know. Ill assume it has 256mb
of RAM though.) Im using Windows XP as an operating system.

Anyway, id like to put some more RAM in the damn thing. As much as
possible really. I dont use it to play games, except Championship
Manager, which is basically a glorified spreadsheet. (Its stopped
running Championship manager, due to a constant "low virtual memory
error" which even formatting the entire computer didnt solve, but, i
digress) I do however use it to store a hell of a lot (ie, many
gigabytes) of music files. And i download a lot of music, but other
than that, its basically only internet browsing and managing my .mp3
player that the computer gets used for.

Aparrently, Laptops are a bit of a ah heck to upgrade, arent they?
Certainly more of a specialist job than a normal PC. Can anybody point
me in the right direction though? Can anybody explain what DDR RAM is,
and whether it is of any use to me? And can anybody tell me about
processor upgrades too?

I hope ive included all the details you need.
beaucoup fish!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

The CPU may well be easily upgraded, but with an off brand like that, it
will be very hard to find someone who is familiar with the innards.
Some IBM's can upgrade the CPU in less than 3 minutes!
"The Fish" <velocityboy@postmaster.co.uk> wrote in message
news:19ce35bd.0409141442.272ae376@posting.google.com...
> Ok, my laptop is starting to show its age now. Its a couple of years
> old, and id like to update it. I have a TIME TRAVELLER 1800+, which
> has a 1.5GHz alathon mobile processor in it, and either 256 or 352mb
> of RAM (it says 256 on bootup, but 352 if i view System Information in
> "my computer". Why it does this, i dont know. Ill assume it has 256mb
> of RAM though.) Im using Windows XP as an operating system.
>
> Anyway, id like to put some more RAM in the damn thing. As much as
> possible really. I dont use it to play games, except Championship
> Manager, which is basically a glorified spreadsheet. (Its stopped
> running Championship manager, due to a constant "low virtual memory
> error" which even formatting the entire computer didnt solve, but, i
> digress) I do however use it to store a hell of a lot (ie, many
> gigabytes) of music files. And i download a lot of music, but other
> than that, its basically only internet browsing and managing my .mp3
> player that the computer gets used for.
>
> Aparrently, Laptops are a bit of a ah heck to upgrade, arent they?
> Certainly more of a specialist job than a normal PC. Can anybody point
> me in the right direction though? Can anybody explain what DDR RAM is,
> and whether it is of any use to me? And can anybody tell me about
> processor upgrades too?
>
> I hope ive included all the details you need.
> beaucoup fish!

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

In comp.sys.laptops The Fish <velocityboy@postmaster.co.uk> wrote:
: Ok, my laptop is starting to show its age now. Its a couple of years
: old, and id like to update it. I have a TIME TRAVELLER 1800+, which
: has a 1.5GHz alathon mobile processor in it, and either 256 or 352mb
: of RAM (it says 256 on bootup, but 352 if i view System Information in
: "my computer". Why it does this, i dont know. Ill assume it has 256mb
: of RAM though.) Im using Windows XP as an operating system.

: Anyway, id like to put some more RAM in the damn thing. As much as
: possible really. I dont use it to play games, except Championship
: Manager, which is basically a glorified spreadsheet. (Its stopped
: running Championship manager, due to a constant "low virtual memory
: error" which even formatting the entire computer didnt solve, but, i
: digress) I do however use it to store a hell of a lot (ie, many
: gigabytes) of music files. And i download a lot of music, but other
: than that, its basically only internet browsing and managing my .mp3
: player that the computer gets used for.

: Aparrently, Laptops are a bit of a ah heck to upgrade, arent they?
: Certainly more of a specialist job than a normal PC. Can anybody point
: me in the right direction though? Can anybody explain what DDR RAM is,
: and whether it is of any use to me? And can anybody tell me about
: processor upgrades too?

My Toshiba Satellite 1415 is easier than my desktop to upgrade, at
least the RAM. Pop out one screw on the bottom to get to the DRAM
DIMM. Perhaps yours is just as easy? Does your laptop's users manual
show you were upgrade stuff is, like my Toshiba's does?

A memory upgrade will do you the most good. (FYI, if your laptop uses
shared video RAM, it will eat some of your DRAM, so if you have 256MB
of physical RAM and have video set to use 32MB, it would show as 224MB
of system ram in Windows). Your CPU really isn't that slow - it's
probably not worth upgrading, but I would upgrade to 512MB of RAM if
you really have only 256MB in there - that would help.

Open up the laptop, find the DRAM as discussed above, and see if
there's an open slot. If not, you'll be faced with yanking out the
smaller DIMM and replacing it with a larger one, instead of sharing.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

The Fish wrote:

> Aparrently, Laptops are a bit of a ah heck to upgrade, arent they?
> Certainly more of a specialist job than a normal PC. Can anybody point
> me in the right direction though? Can anybody explain what DDR RAM is,
> and whether it is of any use to me? And can anybody tell me about
> processor upgrades too?

Upgrading the memory and hard disk is easy, anything else is not.

Regarding the RAM: no, you're already maxed out. Your machine only supports
256MB of RAM. I'm guessing that Windows is showing you physical + virtual
memory.

You might consider replacing your hard disk. Get rid of that low-capacity
4200RPM drive and replace it with a Hitachi TravelStar 7K60 (7200RPM, 60GB)
drive. It really can perk up a notebook machine.

Finally, it is possible that the CPU can be upgraded, but not likely.
Certainly the vendor of your machine will not help you. You'll have to
find out if the CPU is socketed, likely by actually opening the machine and
visually inspecting the motherboard. If it is socketed, and if a higher
speed processor is supported (higher clock multiplier either auto-sensed or
via jumpers), then you can drop a faster CPU into the machine. Not much
faster, though, because you will be generating more heat than the vendor
anticipated having to exhaust from the box.

Hope this helps.

--
Please respond to the group, not by e-mail.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

try www.crucial.com to get the right memory.
"The Fish" <velocityboy@postmaster.co.uk> wrote in message
news:19ce35bd.0409141442.272ae376@posting.google.com...
> Ok, my laptop is starting to show its age now. Its a couple of years
> old, and id like to update it. I have a TIME TRAVELLER 1800+, which
> has a 1.5GHz alathon mobile processor in it, and either 256 or 352mb
> of RAM (it says 256 on bootup, but 352 if i view System Information in
> "my computer". Why it does this, i dont know. Ill assume it has 256mb
> of RAM though.) Im using Windows XP as an operating system.
>
> Anyway, id like to put some more RAM in the damn thing. As much as
> possible really. I dont use it to play games, except Championship
> Manager, which is basically a glorified spreadsheet. (Its stopped
> running Championship manager, due to a constant "low virtual memory
> error" which even formatting the entire computer didnt solve, but, i
> digress) I do however use it to store a hell of a lot (ie, many
> gigabytes) of music files. And i download a lot of music, but other
> than that, its basically only internet browsing and managing my .mp3
> player that the computer gets used for.
>
> Aparrently, Laptops are a bit of a ah heck to upgrade, arent they?
> Certainly more of a specialist job than a normal PC. Can anybody point
> me in the right direction though? Can anybody explain what DDR RAM is,
> and whether it is of any use to me? And can anybody tell me about
> processor upgrades too?
>
> I hope ive included all the details you need.
> beaucoup fish!

 

[agh]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Bruce Markowitz" <scosgt@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:2qpg3uF129822U1@uni-berlin.de...
> The CPU may well be easily upgraded, but with an off brand like that, it
> will be very hard to find someone who is familiar with the innards.
> Some IBM's can upgrade the CPU in less than 3 minutes!

I don't think "Time Travaller" is the name of the brand, just the name of
that particular model series..

 

[agh]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Andrew" <usenetMYSHOES@bizaveMYSHOES.com> wrote in message
news:axcacddczcasd110783051609@bizaveMYSHOES.com...
> In comp.sys.laptops The Fish > of system ram in Windows). Your CPU really
isn't that slow - it's
> probably not worth upgrading, but I would upgrade to 512MB of RAM if
> you really have only 256MB in there - that would help.

I agree. If he only uses it for Internet, music and Championship Manager, it
would be a waste of money, even if he uses it for more demanding things..

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

agh wrote:

> I don't think "Time Travaller" is the name of the brand, just the
> name of that particular model series..

Right, the brand name is "Time Computers" http://www.timecomputers.com/,
which certainly is just a rebadget noname unit.

It might be possible to get the real model name and manufacturer by the FCC
ID that's for sure printed on a sticker at the notebook somewhere. After
entering the number in the FCC ID Search database at
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/Welcome.html it should come up with the
manufacturer name and real model no. And with that it's for sure much easier
to get informations or documentation...

Benjamin

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Spam Averse wrote:

> Regarding the RAM: no, you're already maxed out. Your machine only
> supports 256MB of RAM.

I really doubt that any notebook with AMD Athlon CPU will be maxed out at
only 256MB RAM...

> I'm guessing that Windows is showing you
> physical + virtual memory.

Windows usually shows only physical RAM in "My Computer" -> Properties. More
details can be found in the Windows System Information program...

Benjamin

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

velocityboy@postmaster.co.uk (The Fish) wrote in
news:19ce35bd.0409141442.272ae376@posting.google.com:

> Ok, my laptop is starting to show its age now. Its a couple of years
> old, and id like to update it. I have a TIME TRAVELLER 1800+, which
> has a 1.5GHz alathon mobile processor in it, and either 256 or 352mb
> of RAM

> And i download a lot of music, but other
> than that, its basically only internet browsing and managing my .mp3
> player that the computer gets used for.


Call me crazy, but I see no need at all to upgrade if those are your main
uses. Faster processor and RAM will not affect those things at all, except
maybe application start-up time. Unless you're encoding audio/video or
playing games, why would you want to upgrade? What improvements are you
looking for?

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

In comp.sys.laptops Good Man <heyho@letsgo.com> wrote:
: Call me crazy, but I see no need at all to upgrade if those are your main
: uses. Faster processor and RAM will not affect those things at all, except
: maybe application start-up time. Unless you're encoding audio/video or
: playing games, why would you want to upgrade? What improvements are you
: looking for?

If you have Windows XP, 256MB of RAM is a bare minimum especially with
shared video RAM eating some of that. Bumping that up to 512MB of RAM
might indeed show improved performance, though in this case someone
else says this particular laptop can't handle more than 256MB. If you
ever open more than one or two programs at a time, it's easy to eat up
all your available RAM with only 256MB.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I've just added 256MB of RAM to my Toshiba laptop. I run Dreamweaver
and it was taking an age to enter and exit the Dreameaver window, for
instance when I was previewing in IE. I bought the extra memory which
takes me up to 512MB of RAM but unfortunately there is no difference
at all in the laptop operating speed. Any thoughts on this?

velocityboy@postmaster.co.uk (The Fish) wrote in message news:<19ce35bd.0409141442.272ae376@posting.google.com>...
> Ok, my laptop is starting to show its age now. Its a couple of years
> old, and id like to update it. I have a TIME TRAVELLER 1800+, which
> has a 1.5GHz alathon mobile processor in it, and either 256 or 352mb
> of RAM (it says 256 on bootup, but 352 if i view System Information in
> "my computer". Why it does this, i dont know. Ill assume it has 256mb
> of RAM though.) Im using Windows XP as an operating system.
>
> Anyway, id like to put some more RAM in the damn thing. As much as
> possible really. I dont use it to play games, except Championship
> Manager, which is basically a glorified spreadsheet. (Its stopped
> running Championship manager, due to a constant "low virtual memory
> error" which even formatting the entire computer didnt solve, but, i
> digress) I do however use it to store a hell of a lot (ie, many
> gigabytes) of music files. And i download a lot of music, but other
> than that, its basically only internet browsing and managing my .mp3
> player that the computer gets used for.
>
> Aparrently, Laptops are a bit of a ah heck to upgrade, arent they?
> Certainly more of a specialist job than a normal PC. Can anybody point
> me in the right direction though? Can anybody explain what DDR RAM is,
> and whether it is of any use to me? And can anybody tell me about
> processor upgrades too?
>
> I hope ive included all the details you need.
> beaucoup fish!

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

In comp.sys.laptops Justin A <justin@alternative-aquitaine.co.uk> wrote:
: I've just added 256MB of RAM to my Toshiba laptop. I run Dreamweaver
: and it was taking an age to enter and exit the Dreameaver window, for
: instance when I was previewing in IE. I bought the extra memory which
: takes me up to 512MB of RAM but unfortunately there is no difference
: at all in the laptop operating speed. Any thoughts on this?

This sounds more like a case of a slow hard disk, common on laptops.
I think you made the right choice going to 512MB, though - you will
notice improvements at other times later on, trust me!

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[BrianM]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 03:53:35 +1200, Andrew wrote:

> In comp.sys.laptops Justin A <justin@alternative-aquitaine.co.uk> wrote:
> : I've just added 256MB of RAM to my Toshiba laptop. I run Dreamweaver
> : and it was taking an age to enter and exit the Dreameaver window, for
> : instance when I was previewing in IE. I bought the extra memory which
> : takes me up to 512MB of RAM but unfortunately there is no difference
> : at all in the laptop operating speed. Any thoughts on this?
>
> This sounds more like a case of a slow hard disk, common on laptops. I
> think you made the right choice going to 512MB, though - you will notice
> improvements at other times later on, trust me!
>
> Andrew
> --
> ----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
> *******************************************************************
> ----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info ---->
> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
> *******************************************************************
Hi Andrew, I have a Toshiba Satellite Pro 4300 - I was thinking about
adding more RAM but I believe the CPU can't be upgraded on this model,
so would it be feasable to instead replace the motherboard with a later
model and faster processor and then increase the RAM on the new job ?
What do you think.

cheers
Brian

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

In comp.sys.laptops BrianM <bmorris@nnilads.co.nx> wrote:
: Hi Andrew, I have a Toshiba Satellite Pro 4300 - I was thinking about
: adding more RAM but I believe the CPU can't be upgraded on this model,
: so would it be feasable to instead replace the motherboard with a later
: model and faster processor and then increase the RAM on the new job ?
: What do you think.

Found this link of specs for your laptop:

http://www.toshiba-europe.com/computers/products/notebooks/satellitepro4300/products.htm

How fast is your CPU? What is slow now that you want to be faster?

Seems that you could upgrade the RAM to 320MB. You might even be able
to upgrade to a Pentium 3 700MHZ (or higher) if the CPU is not
soldered into the motherboard.

Laptop motherboards typically are not standard like desktop
motherboards - do you have any indication that you could even get a
new motherboard for this machine? It's possible, but I doubt it.

You have to do a cost-benefit analysis and see how much it's worth
spending on this old laptop. I would probably upgrade the RAM to
320MB after you find out how much it would cost. It seems that you
could also get Windows 2000 for this laptop and that would be a much
more stable option than Win 98 if that's what you now have. Windows
XP might work also, if there are drivers for all the hardware. You
might also consider a faster/bigger hard disk.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[BrianM]

Archived from groups: comp.laptops,comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 12:48:29 +1200, Andrew wrote:

> In comp.sys.laptops BrianM <bmorris@nnilads.co.nx> wrote:
> : Hi Andrew, I have a Toshiba Satellite Pro 4300 - I was thinking about
> : adding more RAM but I believe the CPU can't be upgraded on this model,
> : so would it be feasable to instead replace the motherboard with a
> : later model and faster processor and then increase the RAM on the new
> : job ? What do you think.
>
> Found this link of specs for your laptop:
>
> http://www.toshiba-europe.com/computers/products/notebooks/satellitepro4300/products.htm
>
> How fast is your CPU? What is slow now that you want to be faster?

Pentium III 650 on your list. - I also have a Celeron 2.4 desktop.

> Seems that you could upgrade the RAM to 320MB. You might even be able
> to upgrade to a Pentium 3 700MHZ (or higher) if the CPU is not soldered
> into the motherboard

Unfortunately it is otherwise it would have been a simple swappa chip. I
think 700 was the CPU max for this model, hence my idea of a new
m/board.

> Laptop motherboards typically are not standard like desktop motherboards
> - do you have any indication that you could even get a new motherboard
> for this machine? It's possible, but I doubt it.

I don't have any information yet on a replacement motherboard. I'll be
ringing around the suppliers next week. T

> You have to do a cost-benefit analysis and see how much it's worth
> spending on this old laptop. I would probably upgrade the RAM to 320MB
> after you find out how much it would cost. It seems that you could also
> get Windows 2000 for this laptop and that would be a much more stable
> option than Win 98 if that's what you now have. Windows XP might work
> also, if there are drivers for all the hardware. You might also
> consider a faster/bigger hard disk.

that sounds like sensible otion. I'm dualbooting Win98SE with Mandrake 10. Extra RAM
for this model is not cheap but still reasonable and that's what I'll probably do -
go out to the max and look at upgrading to a faster HDD. I could recompile the Linux
kernel and crank some more speed perhaps but in
the end I wouldn't want to spend any more on this machine as new laptop prices
appear to be coming down steadily.

thanks for your advice Andrew

Brian
Canterbury NZ