Should i do these upgrades to my laptop? If so which ones?

[trainergames]

Ok i just recently bought a laptop at a pawnshop(i carefully checked it out) and it works fine,but it did have a virus,but i have fixed that,plus it was a great deal for the money i paid $103.99+$10(for a 6-month in store credit plan).
Here is a a link to the specs of the laptop.

http/www.dealtime.com/Lenovo-Lenovo-3000-G530-Pent-DC-T3400-2-16GHz-2GB-160GB-DVD-RW-bg-NIC-WC-15-4-WXGA-VHB/info?tab=specs

Now it is not bad right now,but i would like to make it better if you guys think it is worth it.

One thing i am thinking of getting is a 2GB stick of ram,so i will end up having 4GB.

PNY Optima 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178165

I am also thinking of doing a hard drive,but i am not sure which one i should get,i have 3 i am considering.

Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD10JPVT 1TB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136927

TOSHIBA MKxx59GSM Series MK1059GSM 1TB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149182

Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ Solid State Hybrid Drive
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148591


Thank you guys for the help.

 

[Emerald]

open up the memory cover and make sure it does not have two 1GB sticks.

the Toshiba drive will most likely not fit since it is 12.5 mm high

the other question is if even the latest BIOS will support/recognize the 500GB and above drives

 

[trainergames]

I have already looked and it has a single 2GB stick of samsung ram,also how do i go about finding out if the bios will support 500GB and up?
But if it does which would you suggest,considering the other parts?

 

[ebbote59]

Bios should handle a 500gb hd with no problem, get a 7200 rpm. 4 gigs of ram will make it run better.

 

[cbrunnem]

I have already looked and it has a single 2GB stick of samsung ram,also how do i go about finding out if the bios will support 500GB and up?
But if it does which would you suggest,considering the other parts?

i would recommend replacing all the ram at once as to eliminate ALL potential compatibility problems.

 

[trainergames]

Bios should handle a 500gb hd with no problem, get a 7200 rpm. 4 gigs of ram will make it run better.

SO do you think i should get something like this http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136856 over the 1TB 5400 rpm drive or the 500GB hybrid drive?

i would recommend replacing all the ram at once as to eliminate ALL potential compatibility problems.

The problem is i don't have a lot of money,if fact i will have to split the upgrades over 2 paychecks cause,plus i want to keep the total cost of the laptop+upgrades under what it would cost to get an equivalent laptop brand new.

I will i can get the current ram in it and look it up so i can mabye find a cheap compatible ram.

EDIT: i am not sure how to tell if the ram will be compatible,but the current ram is samsung 2gb 2rx8 pc2-5300s-555-12-e3

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Try the 2gb stick. As long as you have ddr2 667, odds are it will be just fine. I mean you may get trouble, but I've honestly seen different brands of ram even run together in dual channel. Most ram is plug and play. Wouldn't sweat too much over it.

If you want samsung, this is probably used, but may be a decent match for what's in your machine. Likely used, but ram is ram, if it runs for longer than 30 days, it seems like there are usually no problems.

http/www.ebay.com/itm/SAMSUNG-2GB-DDR2-667MHz-PC2-5300S-M470T5663RZ3-LAPTOP-MEMORY-/120921797415?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item1c27803327

You could also consider a 320 gb drive, that seems to be a good size also. I would avoid Hitachi drives, and also Toshiba I think. The two drives I trust are Seagate and Western Digital.

Another tip, if you have a 64 bit Vista disc, or know someone you can borrow one from, if your PC only had a 32 bit OS before, if you install with the 64 bit disc and activate with your Windows COA, I don't think the software cares as long as the key is legit and legal. Because it's not like you'd be using the same key for multiple PC's.

Might also want to download speedfan or hwmonitor to check temps, you might want to apply new thermal paste while you have the laptop open.

 

[ebbote59]

SO do you think i should get something like this http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136856 over the 1TB 5400 rpm drive or the 500GB hybrid drive?

The problem is i don't have a lot of money,if fact i will have to split the upgrades over 2 paychecks cause,plus i want to keep the total cost of the laptop+upgrades under what it would cost to get an equivalent laptop brand new.

I will i can get the current ram in it and look it up so i can mabye find a cheap compatible ram.

EDIT: i am not sure how to tell if the ram will be compatible,but the current ram is samsung 2gb 2rx8 pc2-5300s-555-12-e3

I just bought 16 gigs of Corsair Vengence for my puker for $104 plus tax, what will 2 gigs cost? 500 gigs hds are not that expensive, you will be a lot happier with a 7200 rpm, get a Seagate, they are resonable.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

2gb of ddr2 should run about 30 bucks. Unless you go on ebay or Amazon, you might be able to get used for a little under 20. So 4 gb probably 50 to 60. As for a 500 gb drive, I know I can typically get a 500gb desktop drive for 75, so I would expect that or a little higher.

 

[trainergames]

I just bought 16 gigs of Corsair Vengence for my puker for $104 plus tax, what will 2 gigs cost? 500 gigs hds are not that expensive, you will be a lot happier with a 7200 rpm, get a Seagate, they are resonable.

2gb of ddr2 should run about 30 bucks. Unless you go on ebay or Amazon, you might be able to get used for a little under 20. So 4 gb probably 50 to 60. As for a 500 gb drive, I know I can typically get a 500gb desktop drive for 75, so I would expect that or a little higher.

Well 2GB of is $25-$30 in newegg.com,but i also have to get a new gaming mouse for my main gaming rig on this coming paycheck,and i only get $400 a paycheck.

here is a seagate 500GB 7200 rpm laptop drive http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148534
But it is $99.99, and i noticed that the Seagate Momentus XT 500GB hybrid drive is currently on sale for the same price,Would the hybrid drive be a better buy?

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

You may try the hybrid, as I think the hybrids have a small amount of ssd storage for bootup. May not hurt to try the hybrid for the same money.