Upgrades for my Dell Inspiron 15 N5040

[Apollo68]

Hi all, I have $200 left on my amazon account and am wondering what I can do to upgrade my Dell Inspiron 15 N5040 with the money I have. My goal is to improve FPS on games like Minecraft and others similarly graphic-intensive (because I know that it cannot handle too much more than that at reasonable frame rates). I already am thinking of this memory upgrade http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZMZ5UC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2NDNAPHQ3UDKH. If you find a better deal on the memory please mention. Thanks to all who respond!

 

[rgd1101]

or save that 200 for a better laptop. more memory help but not going to help much for games FPS.

 

[austing]

Hi all, I have $200 left on my amazon account and am wondering what I can do to upgrade my Dell Inspiron 15 N5040 with the money I have. My goal is to improve FPS on games like Minecraft and others similarly graphic-intensive (because I know that it cannot handle too much more than that at reasonable frame rates). I already am thinking of this memory upgrade http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZMZ5UC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2NDNAPHQ3UDKH. If you find a better deal on the memory please mention. Thanks to all who respond!

The only kinds of upgrades you can do for a laptop are RAM, Processor, and graphics*


*Only very high end laptops can allow for graphics upgrades because most of the time laptops have integrated graphics and do not feature PCIE slots.

 

[Apollo68]

what types of processors can I get to replace my i3 380m, what type of preformance boost should I expect, and if so, what type of integrated graphics can I get from these processors? If it helps I can spend $300

To rdg1101: I understand that but I am looking to spend money left over on my amazon account. I am likely to buy a new laptop sometime in the next couple of years but would like to make some quick upgrades to this one.

 

[austing]

what types of processors can I get to replace my i3 380m, what type of preformance boost should I expect, and if so, what type of integrated graphics can I get from these processors? If it helps I can spend $300

To rdg1101: I understand that but I am looking to spend money left over on my amazon account. I am likely to buy a new laptop sometime in the next couple of years but would like to make some quick upgrades to this one.

http/www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-3320M-processor-mobile/dp/B008ABLC6W/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1359871324&sr=8-35&keywords=i5+mobile

The mobile processor above has intel HD 4000 integrated graphics, which is a step up from the HD2000 that your i3 has.

 

[Apollo68]

thank you very much on the processor upgrade austing!

 

[Apollo68]

i'm thinking of these upgrades:
1tb 7200rpm 6gb/s hdd http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0097LG9U8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3LJ5WMKNRFKQS
(from 500gb 5400rpm 3gb/s hdd for $90)

the i5-3320M processor 2.6 ghz (max 3.3) w/t intel hd 4000 graphics (main plus)
http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ABLC6W/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2YLYLTN75J8LR
(from i3-380M 2.53 ghz w/t intel hd graphics for $245)

16gb (2X8gb) 1600 Mhz (allowed with new processor)
http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009R70OYO/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3TZ3FOLFNGWZP
(from 4 gb (1X4gb) @ 600Mhz or something for $75)

$410

 

[austing]

i'm thinking of these upgrades:
1tb 7200rpm 6gb/s hdd http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0097LG9U8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3LJ5WMKNRFKQS
(from 500gb 5400rpm 3gb/s hdd for $90)

the i5-3320M processor 2.6 ghz (max 3.3) w/t intel hd 4000 graphics (main plus)
http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ABLC6W/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2YLYLTN75J8LR
(from i3-380M 2.53 ghz w/t intel hd graphics for $245)

16gb (2X8gb) 1600 Mhz (allowed with new processor)
http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009R70OYO/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3TZ3FOLFNGWZP
(from 4 gb (1X4gb) @ 600Mhz or something for $75)

$410

Hold the phone, the Inspirion 15 uses FIRST GEN core series processors.

You could get:

http/www.amazon.com/Intel-BX80617I5540M-Core-I5-540M-Cpu/dp/B0033S3C2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359919801&sr=8-1&keywords=core+i5+540m

http/www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i7-620M-Processor-Cache/dp/B00AETL06K/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_4

 

[Apollo68]

thanks for the suggestion, but the CPU socket (rPGA 989 supports G1/988A and G2/988B), meaning I can get an ivy bridge i5 processor (which I prefer for the graphics preformance).

 

[austing]

thanks for the suggestion, but the CPU socket (rPGA 989 supports G1/988A and G2/988B), meaning I can get an ivy bridge i5 processor (which I prefer for the graphics preformance).

Ahh, I saw it hd the i3 350m and I assumed it only took 1st gen as in desktops, first gen was a diffrent socket from 2nd and 3rd gen.

 

[Apollo68]

Ahh, I saw it hd the i3 350m and I assumed it only took 1st gen as in desktops, first gen was a diffrent socket from 2nd and 3rd gen.

I thought the same thing as well at first.

 

[MarkZ13]

Hey Apollo68, the processor on my N5040 just went out.. I was wondering how the new processor is working out for you? Did you go with the 3320M? I want to upgrade to HD4000 Graphics as well!

 

[Old Dog]

I'd be very interested to hear if this actually worked, because intel says the ivy bridge cpus (3xxx) require the 75 or higher chipset. It's not just about the cpu fitting in the socket

The chipset on this laptop (HM67) should only support up to Sandy Bridge CPUs (2xxx) Something like an i5-2450M to i7-2640M is probably your best option.They only have HD graphics 3000, but it's still better than the original HD graphics.