Upgrading my laptop

[Canofbier]

Some background - I bought my current laptop just a bit over three years ago. At the time, it had pretty decent specs:

CPU: Intel i7-2630QM, 2.00GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 460M, 1.5GB
RAM: 8GB DDR3

Nowadays, the old thing is starting to show its age. I am looking to upgrade the GPU for sure. I took the laptop apart earlier today to confirm that the GPU is replaceable, so no worries there. I also saw that my power source goes up to 150W, and even the fanciest mobile video cards don't look to go above 100W, so I'm not worried about that either.

My question is: what is the best mobile GPU I could get that wouldn't be gimped by my older CPU? If it would make more sense to upgrade the both of them, I would consider that, too.

Actually, I'm curious: if I upgrade both the CPU and GPU, will my laptop game as well as a new computer with those same two components? I'm pretty ignorant to how hardware is utilized, but I don't hear much about anything other than CPU and GPU when it comes to running intensive games.

[Vegas_Dave]

Put in a solid state drive. Night and freaking day difference.

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by Vegas_Dave

Put in a solid state drive. Night and freaking day difference.

I've had one since the day I bought this laptop, actually. I've never had a computer start up faster than the one I have now, so I love it. It has relatively low capacity, though, so I limit it to the OS (Windows) and other primary applications.

[Canofbier]

Perhaps it's worth mentioning: my motherboard is a Micro-Star MS-16F2. I have way too little technical expertise to know what's compatible with it.

[DaveNull]

Do you know what your choke point is on the machine now? That seems like a pretty serviceable machine for a lot of uses.

*edit*

But I'd kick it to 16 GB of RAM and a faster SSD.

[Vegas_Dave]

Originally Posted by DaveNull

Do you know what your choke point is on the machine now? That seems like a pretty serviceable machine for a lot of uses.

*edit*

But I'd kick it to 16 GB of RAM and a faster SSD.

Agreed. If your ssd is an older model, a newer model can make a big difference. I live then newer Intel models. Your ram is also low for a gaming rig.

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by DaveNull

Do you know what your choke point is on the machine now? That seems like a pretty serviceable machine for a lot of uses.

*edit*

But I'd kick it to 16 GB of RAM and a faster SSD.

Since my main problem is low framerates during gaming, I had assumed that my issue was an aged video card.

[AustinChief]

16GB of Ram is a must... I'm pretty sure that motherboard has 4 slots (2 front and 2 back) that can each take a 4GB stick.

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

16GB of Ram is a must... I'm pretty sure that motherboard has 4 slots (2 front and 2 back) that can each take a 4GB stick.

You're correct. That being said, if I'm going to upgrade my RAM, I might just upgrade two of 'em; accessing all four sounds like a huge pain in the ass. You don't think that the video card is the cause of poor framerates?

[Vegas_Dave]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

You're correct. That being said, if I'm going to upgrade my RAM, I might just upgrade two of 'em; accessing all four sounds like a huge pain in the ass. You don't think that the video card is the cause of poor framerates?

It's part of our for sure, but don't neglect your RAM. Frankly, I find the whole gaming laptop silly for the reasons that you are experiencing now. Build a proper desktop gaming rig and you have far better scalability and performance.

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by Vegas_Dave

It's part of our for sure, but don't neglect your RAM. Frankly, I find the whole gaming laptop silly for the reasons that you are experiencing now. Build a proper desktop gaming rig and you have far better scalability and performance.

No doubt that it's something to consider. I thought if I could replace one or two parts on my laptop I might get it to last a few more years before building a desktop, but if the replacement effort is more than that it may just be worthwhile to build a new one altogether. I'll have to research a bit more, I think.

[Vegas_Dave]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

No doubt that it's something to consider. I thought if I could replace one or two parts on my laptop I might get it to last a few more years before building a desktop, but if the replacement effort is more than that it may just be worthwhile to build a new one altogether. I'll have to research a bit more, I think.

ignore you CPU... its fine. It might not be the fastest compared to whats out there now, but it is a VERY solid CPU.

[New World Order]

Bier do you play games on it? I sent you a pm

[Canofbier]

Got a prompt and helpful response from the company:

1) You should be able to safely upgrade to either the GTX 560M or GTX 570M.
Your laptop was designed to use 75W (max) video cards, because that was the
standard of the time. The GTX 580M and "newer" video cards are 100W, which
means they will generate more heat and consume/require more power to
function correctly. Installing one of these video cards would stress the
electronics on the motherboard, which can cause it to burn up.

2) The i7 CPU (regardless of generation) is just about over kill for just
about any program/game on the market. Trying to upgrade the CPU would be a
complete waste of money.

3) I would recommend checking out http://www.resellerratings.com/. Or, just
reading the seller reviews if you use eBay.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

NVIDIA itself advertises the 570M as being "up to" 20% faster. That doesn't sound like a big enough increase to merit replacement. What do you think?

I guess the next question I have is how many of the components from my laptop I could successfully transplant to a desktop. I'm thinking that I could use both of my hard drives and maybe the CPU as well.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Got a prompt and helpful response from the company:



NVIDIA itself advertises the 570M as being "up to" 20% faster. That doesn't sound like a big enough increase to merit replacement. What do you think?

I guess the next question I have is how many of the components from my laptop I could successfully transplant to a desktop. I'm thinking that I could use both of my hard drives and maybe the CPU as well.

Doesn't sound worth it to me... but you may want to check this thread out.
http://forum.techinferno.com/msi/419...ease-help.html