Re: Considerations for getting RAM for older laptop


"MrB" <brooksro@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:SdqdnYkFD9A02nPenZ2dnUVZ_t-dnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=Dell%2BInspiron&mfr=Dell&tabid=AM&model=Inspiron+8000+Series&submit=Go

$78 for a 256 Meg stick




"Dubious Dude" <Shifty@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dshf8n$pq5$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I bought a Dell Inspiron 8000 about 5 years ago. The processor speed
is 600-750MHs, and it has 128MB ram. I use it only for
document/presentation preparation, email, and web browsing. It can be
very slow switching applications because of the virtual memory being
used when applications use alot of memory e.g. firefox can go upto
60MB, acrobat reader can use alot when viewing many files
simultaneously, Thunderbird and antivirus can take more than 20MB,
explorer and Palm Desktop can take 10MB each, etc.. I don't do
gaming, video, music, or multimedia. However, sometimes things still
run slower than using remote desktop software going over a dialup
connection (e.g. via TightVNC).

I have been considering getting more RAM e.g. 2x256MB. However, the
laptop is quite old and I'm not sure if it is worth it. For example,
the hinge for the display needs replacing (and the replacement will
used). The hard drive was replaced 2 years ago after the original
started to fail. Right now, I'm sitting squarely on the fence,
considering that I don't think that the additional memory will
be useful beyond this laptop. However, I don't anticipate getting
another machine in the near future.

What are the opinions of those who have gone this route, especially
those who have older laptops? Are there any considerations that I
haven't mentioned, but which may become apparent afterward?

Thanks.



I recently went through that same dilemma. I am on a very tight budget and,
after looking at several laptops of the recent vintage (and not terribly
impressed by their cost/performance vs. what I already had-- DEll Latitude
CPx500), I decided to go the upgrade route. You have a comparable (and even
more powerful CPU) to mine in your 8000 so I think you would see an even
greater improvement.

Here's what I figured: A new laptop with what I wanted would cost me in the
1500++ neighborhood. I thought, hey my machine is running well as it is, the
keyboard and LCD are fine ( I originally got this used off of one of those
used laptop sellers) so what can I do to improve my experience without
breaking the bank. First off, maximize RAM. I had bought some used 256's
(CPx can handle 512 max) off ebay but within a year they were starting to
show errors and I was getting the occasional blue screen. I had the original
and very noisy Travelstar 6GB HD and the original CDROM. First, I sprung for
2 brand new sticks of PNY PC100 256MB SODIMMs (I would bet your 8000 takes
those too) through Tigerdirect (190 bucks-ouch yeah that hurt a bit), a
brand new Samsung 40GB HD off Newegg (66 bucks--read the reviews, it's an
awesome VERY quiet drive--5400RPM and 8MB cache); Lastly, I spent about 100
for a brand new DEll CDRW/DVDROM drive off ebay. The new DVDRWs on ebay for
the CPx are other brands that they encase in a Dell enclosure, and they
probably work fine, but I didn't want to take a chance so I bought the
original Dell part, new, off ebay. (Your 8000 might have a Dell part for
DVDRW, you'd have to see). It reads and writes CDR/RW and reads DVDR and
DVDRW (the latter was a pleasant surprise). I also had previously thrown in
a Targus laptop cooler too and it does a nice job.

All in all, I spent about 350-400 to upgrade this thing and it operates
pretty well. Mainly though, since I knew this machine already, had all the
kinks worked out, liked the screen, etc., I went the upgrade route. The new
drive has had a very dramatic impact on my experience. It's so quiet I
hardly know it's on. With the RAM and the new HD it seems like a new
machine. I mean it! As I type I am listening to winamp radio and have OE and
a few browsers open. It's handling it fine. The limitations are when I am
running an intensive app and surfing certain CPU-driving pages, the fan will
run a lot. That is the most annoying thing. I don't play games and run a lot
of heavy duty media stuff and, knowing the limitations of this machine, I
can ususally keep things under control. I realize it's a trade off but I
also didn't spend a thousand plus more bucks and, so far, I can live with
that. In my case I made a conscious decision to spend a bit more than many
would on an older machine in order to get NEW upgrade parts but I feel it
was pretty much worth it. I figure I'll get at least another couple years
out of this and by 2007-08, SATA laptops will be cheap and I can get
something that will outperform my current SATA desktop and not spend an arm
and a leg. Another thing is I am running Windows 2000 Pro, which will use
less resources on an older machine vs XP. Sorry to be longwinded, hope my
comments make sense. Good luck.


.

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