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« Last post by Darwin on February 09, 2009, 10:30 AM »
Agreed. Updating the CPU on an old notebook is not ECONOMICAL (doesn’t seem that econonical on a new one, either!) as the ROI is very low. Example, when my now 9 year old notebook was two or so years old, I really wanted to upgrade its PIIIE 600Mhz CPU to something faster. Unfortunately, the BIOS limits the computer to no more than 800MHz. Even on that equipment, I’d never notice the difference in speed, and the price was astronomical. FWIW it’s still running that PIIIE chip and runs like a champ. My son and I played CFS on it last night - great fun!
In my case, I was curious about the effects of a 30% increase in processor speed combined with reduced battery wear, lower operating temperatures, AND more advanced processing capabilities/features... (SSE4, for example) on relatively current equipment. This particular Gateway is CPU upgradeable and will accept any compatbile chip - there are literally thousands of forum threads devoted to documenting the upgrade to various newer chips, so I’m not worried about the surgical aspect in my case. However, as many others have noted in this thread, I am unlikely to notice the difference (only my wallet will know!). To wit:
I finally played with a friends T8300 machine (2.4Ghz) running similar equipment to mine (15.4” WXGA monitor,7200 rpm harddrive, 4GB of RAM and 256MB dedicated video memory) except downgraded to XP Pro 32-bit. I really didn’t see any difference worth spending several hundred dollars and voiding my warranty to obtain. I expect that having several hours compare, say, editing video on it and on my machine might reveal major advantages but I don’t edit video... To be honest, I much prefer my setup - I run Vista 64-bit with all graphics options enabled and it is beautiful and SNAPPY. His machine is for some unfathomable reason set to 1024x768 and Windows Classic and looks NASTY. My five year old XP machine is set to Windows Classic as well, but is running its 14.1” monitor at native resolution and looks fine.
So, as I’ve stated in the past, I *know* that in my case this is a severe expression of upgradeitis and I started this thread so that people with more self control and a firmer grasp on reality could line up to kick me in the ass for contemplating a fairly silly expenditure. Thanks guys (send bags of peas, please)!
Brandon - you will notice a huge, HUGE difference in performance if you upgrade your RAM - far more so than in going from 1.6 to 2.0Ghz processing power. Another very effective speed boost comes from going to a 7200 rpm harddrive. If you’re ruinnig SATA in your notebook, the prices have come down a lot and the capacities are competitive. A four year old notebook is worth simple upgrades but not, as I hope I have noted effectively, major upgrades such as to the CPU. Of course, if your notebook is in bad condition as you say, maybe it IS time to upgrade the whole thing. Note, though, that you can things like monitor hinges and casings on eBay quite cheaply. I recently replaced the LCD in my Win2k machine for $45 courtesy of eBay...
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