What's holding my computer back?

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
Here are the specs for my notebook, which I use as my gaming machine:
  • Intel Centrino (Core?) Duo T2300 @ 1.66GHz
  • 1GB (PC2-4200?) RAM
  • nVIDIA GeForce Go 7800
  • 100GB (5400 RPM?) HDD
The reason I ask is because I'm considering upgrading to 2GB PC2-5300 RAM. A quick search shows the upgrade would cost ~$80 USD.

Money is not exactly in abundance right now, but adding more RAM might be the least expensive way to boost performance in new and upcoming games like BioShock, Unreal Tournament 3, and Crysis.

Thoughts?
 
vibrokatana said:
Ram probably, upgrading the cpu and/or hard disk probably wont deliver much more.
Click to expand...
Roger that.

While we're waiting for more people to post their opinions, what RAM would you recommend, should I decide to purchase the upgrade?

Here's what I'm thinking of purchasing--and only $60 USD plus shipping!
 
Tek7 said:
Here are the specs for my notebook, which I use as my gaming machine:
  • Intel Centrino (Core?) Duo T2300 @ 1.66GHz
  • 1GB (PC2-4200?) RAM
  • nVIDIA GeForce Go 7800
  • 100GB (5400 RPM?) HDD
The reason I ask is because I'm considering upgrading to 2GB PC2-5300 RAM. A quick search shows the upgrade would cost ~$80 USD.

Money is not exactly in abundance right now, but adding more RAM might be the least expensive way to boost performance in new and upcoming games like BioShock, Unreal Tournament 3, and Crysis.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

what's holding you back is your mobile graphics chip. Mobile chips even though they carry the same name of the desktop parts they are often actually cut down in terms of processing power by at least 40% or more. Increasing your ram may help in general applications(depending on how much crud you ahve going) but for a mobile platform it's graphics that hold you back these days.
 
Definitely gonna need more than 1gig of ram. I just played the Crisis demo and it chewed 700megs just on the menu. Over 1 gig during playing. Bioshock uses a ton too.

Crisis, the new Source Orangebox Engine utilizes dual/quad core. CPU isnt an issue with your dual core.
 
I think having a Laptop can be hard to be compatible to the new generation games.

Your specs does stand out for now. Like any newer games; Halo 4, UT2009, etc, it may work but by that time, its a "low-tech" gaming machine. :(
 
Thanks for the input, everyone. I think I'm going to go ahead and splurge on a 2GB PC2-5300 RAM kit from Crucial.

For details on the package I've picked out, click here. Please let me know what you think. Feel free to recommend other brands or resellers.
 
Hescominsoon said:
what's holding you back is your mobile graphics chip.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, the graphics card is one of the most expensive pieces to replace, so it's not an option right now. If I can upgrade the RAM for ~$60 USD and get full FPS on TeamFortress 2 and Unreal Tournament 3 at medium detail, I'm happy.
 
You forgot one thing: Windows

J/K, lol

Ya, the only thing I really see improving is the ram... A good 2GB will set you up for a good while, I may end up upgrading my lappy this Christmas as the 1GB it has now becomes stretched with certain apps.
 
Yeah, RAM is best bet...moble graphics suck, no matter how much you spend, unless you get the new external graphics card, but that is a lot of money...
 
OCZ brand ram. It may work in your lappy.
http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5227317

more OCZ cheap. http://www.frys.com/product/5377758

SoDimm -OCZ- http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5387938


I would disable the system restore. but first lower your memory allocation for system restore then turn it off after a restart if you haven't already.
If you can set your video card memory to a specific amount if your video memory is shared with your system memory where it's onboard your motherboard. It usually is on 128mb -change at least to 256MB.
Bump up your virtual memory in your os settings in your performance and matainance settings. Double whats showing then restart and then double it one more time. I don't let windows manage my virtual memory.
ps.I hope you can understand my quick instructions. :)
 
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Tek7 said:
Unfortunately, the graphics card is one of the most expensive pieces to replace, so it's not an option right now. If I can upgrade the RAM for ~$60 USD and get full FPS on TeamFortress 2 and Unreal Tournament 3 at medium detail, I'm happy.
Click to expand...
you couldn't replace it anyways. notebooks are not widely available with replaceable modules. Again upgrading the ram is not going to get you full fps on tf2 or U3 because the gpu is holding you back. I "only" have a gig of ram in my box but the radeon mobility chip holds my machine back severely from playing games. It's the same iwth yours. More ram will help with everyday applications but not your games.
 
ColdSteel said:
SoDimm -OCZ- http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5387938
Click to expand...
Nice, $20 USD mail-in rebate. :)

My only concern is that this item is listed as PC2-5400 RAM whereas the Crucial notebook memory is listed as PC2-5300. Is this a typo on the Fry's web site or is it another type/speed of RAM that might not be compatible with my system?

I plan to order either the Crucial or the OCZ RAM before I go to bed tonight. I would prefer to save $20 (of course), but I want to be sure whatever I order will be compatible.
 
wow...ram prices have plummeted..

I think I will buy a new set of ram for my macbook :P

Might as well bump up my desktop also, 4GB would be fun.

Probably will wait till the end of the year though...fun
 
Sooo~ is PC2-5300 and PC2-5400 the same thing, or is that line of the item description on the Fry's web site a typo?
 
Crucial Specs:
Module Size: 2GB kit (1GBx2)
Package: 200-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR2 PC2-5300
Specs: DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 1.8V • 128Meg x 64

OCZ specs:
667MHz DDR2
CL 5-5-5-15
Unbuffered
1.8 Volts
Lifetime Warranty
200 Pin DIMM

I'd say it's just a number difference between the 2 companys.

I don't see any difference in the specs. But if you used the memory configurator in Crucial then it's supposed to be guaranteed to work.
Maybe OCZ has a configurator too.

They do: http://configurator.ocztechnology.com/
 
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