nx9005 bottlenecks

[ibleet]

Hey guys,

I got this Compaq laptop in a trade for my Dell Inspiron 8100. I want to maximize it and cut down on bottlenecks. I don't want to spend a lot considering it has a few years on it and its not worth a whole lot.

Here are the specs:

Model: Compaq nx9005 business notebook
Processor: AMD Athlon XPM-2200+ 1.8 GHz - 256KB L2 cache
256MB DDR SDRAM (266 MHz), 192MB available
ATI Radeon IGP 320M - 64MB of DDR shared video memory
30 GB SMART Ultra ATA Hard Drive 4200 rpm
CD/DVD-ROM
Integrated 10/100 NIC
Integrated 56K (V.92) modem
USB Wireless Adapter
15-inch color TFT XGA with 1024 x 768 resolution
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition - SP2, new install

Ok, I'm thinking of a few inexpensive upgrades, so let me know what your thoughts are...

1 - Upgrade the RAM since the video takes up to 64MB - I'm looking at Corsair Value select...either adding a 512 stick, or removing the 256 stick and replacing that with (2) 512 sticks. (cost $35 - $68). Adding ram will increase the overall speed of this laptop, I'm just not sure how much is necessary...I don't wanna add more than the system will utilize.

2 - Upgrade the hard drive - I know the 4200rpm drive is a bottleneck for the system, and 30Gb just doesn't cut it. I'm looking at a 60Gb 7200rpm drive. (cost $75) -or- 80Gb 5400rpm drive. (cost $58)

3 - Upgrade the cpu - The upgraded cpu is a 2400+ and has the same clock speed (1.8 Ghz) as the 2200+. The only difference is the 2400+ has 512 L2 Cache as opposed to 256. This would allow the most used programs to run faster, but I doubt I will choose this option unless I find an old laptop on ebay that someone is parting out with this CPU.

I'm definitely upping the ram, just not sure how much...I'm considering upgrading the hard drive, but not sure I want to put that much money into it. I highly doubt I will replace the CPU as I don't think it will make a noticeable difference.

The video chip is integrated and as such, cannot be upgraded. Thanks for the help!

What do you all think?

[dicecca112]

Cpu isn't worth it. That small jump in speed isn't gonna cut it. The memory would be worth it as well as the hard drive. What are you going to use the laptop for>

[ibleet]

Cpu isn't worth it. That small jump in speed isn't gonna cut it. The memory would be worth it as well as the hard drive. What are you going to use the laptop for?

Thanks for the input! How much memory...the FULL GIG? As far as the hard drive, it doesn't appear that the 7200 is all that much faster than the 5400, and for the same money, I could get a lot more space.

I'm going to use it for email, surfing and word processing mostly.

[dicecca112]

yeah I'd say a gig, its the sweet spot for XP

[dkarko]

1gig for sure! You will notice the difference from 192 right away. 192 is just too few.
The harddisk will help alot too. 4200 disks are slooow. I saw very big improvement upgrading from 4200 to 5400 on a crappy p4 1.7 laptop, imagine what it will do to yours, especially if you can afford a 7200 one. Bootup + starting programs will be much faster.
For the benefits you will get, the upgrade price worths it!

[ibleet]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. 1Gb of ram it is then! Still not sure on the hard drive.

Ok so assuming that I upgrade to 1Gb ram, what is a good program to test the performance increase? I want to run a test with the 256, then run it again with the 1G and see the difference.

[ibleet]

Thanks guys, I upped the Ram to 1G and sold the laptop for $350.

[dkarko]

Why did you sell it? Are you planning on buying a new one?

[ibleet]

Yep Yep!

I recently picked up an E1705 from the Dell outlet store for under $900:

C2D T7200 (4MB Cache/2.00GHz/667MHz FSB)
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz (2 DIMMs)
80 GB SATA Hard Drive
17 inch UltraSharp Wide Screen UXGA Notebook Screen
256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS
24X CD RW/DVD Combo Drive
Intel Pro Wireless 3945
Windows XP Media Center 2005
1Yr Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service

The E1705 is basically an XPS M1710 without all the pretty lights so its a good deal atm. A similarly configured M1710 would cost an additional $1000.

A huge upgrade from the nx9005! I'm always wheeling and dealing...