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Upgrade 7738G

PaulB72

PaulB72

PaulB72

Associate
Joined
24 Sep 2013
Posts
4
Hi there, I'm relatively new to upgrading, overclocking, etc but want to give it a go. I have an Aspire 7738G laptop (a few years old now). It has done well so far and coped with most of the tasks I throw at it. However, more recently I have tried some video editing and a couple of newer games and it's starting to struggle. The current spec is:


- Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, 2.2GHz, 2Mb L2 cache, 800Mhz FSB (PM45 chipset)
- 4GB DDR2 RAM
- 500GB SATA HDD
- NVIDIA GeForce G210M 512MB GDDR3

I was thinking of upgrading the CPU for something better and made an educated guess that if I stick to the same socket (478) wattage (35) and FSB (800) then I'd probably be ok. Is this correct or is there a better way to get an increase in performance? Unfortunately I am now a full time student, so money is an issue. I have seen a T9500 CPU for £80, which fits with my £100 budget and wondered if this was good enough or if anyone has a better suggestion?

Thanks
 
Are there any upgrades that would be worth it?

Looking at other second hand laptops I'll probably only get £300 max for mine. Do you think I'll get a reasonable 17" laptop for £400 an what min spec should I look for?
 
Sadly laptop CPUs are expensive to upgrade from. The T9500 is definitely not worth it, it's still a dual core that's just clocked higher compared to your current one.

For video editing you want something with a good amount of cores, but even if it fits the same socket and power envelope, there's always a chance the BIOS will not support the CPU.

For gaming that G210M is severely holding you back, no matter what CPU you upgrade to, the GPU will just hold everything back.

Honestly due to the difficulty of upgrading a laptop, I would say it's better just go get a new one instead. If you want to stay cheap, then go look for something with an AMD A8/A10 (preferably one of the Trinity/Richland APUs). You may also find a much sweeter deal on the Dell Outlet, they usually sell refurbished laptops and a really good price.
 
Been a while since I was buying laptops but back then certain makes like Toshiba, HP or Samsung were solid performers. Battery life tends to be horrendous on cheap models though, however you just need to identify a spec within that price range and narrow down to say three before deciding.

Some sites may allow trade ins so start looking around.
 
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