Upgrading my notebook

[edyzmedieval]

Need lots of opinions for this thread. Since I will have to postpone purchasing a desktop for a while I need to upgrade my laptop so I can play S2TW at least medium to high, so in combination with an upcoming patch to fix some optimisation issues, I will be able to enjoy S2TW to the maximum.

I only need to upgrade two major components - processor and video card.

Here's my current specs:

DELL XPS M1710
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0GHZ
nVidia GeForce 7900GS 256MB
3.2GB RAM DDR2
200GB HDD
17" monitor

I need a much better processor that could fit in a relatively big notebook shell. Quad Core would eat up too many resources and overheat an already overheating notebook (XPS has heatsink problems).

Ideal for a video card would be a 7900GTX with 512MB but that won't fit the bill too much because I want to run S2TW at least medium-high.

The other components, 3.2GB (it's actually 4GB but it's Windows Vista 64-bit problem) is more than enough, and my HDD always has 60-70GB full because I only have two three games and the rest is work and music.

Thoughts?

[Husar]

I've never seen a notebook CPU for sale without the rest of the notebook, the mainboard may not even support all of them.
Same for notebook graphics cards.
I suppose after taking apart the whole notebook it may be possible to take these out, I wouldn't know where one could buy a better one.
Then you have the cooling issue, your notebook's cooling system is meant to cool these parts and not ones that emit even more heat (which they may not, but still something to keep in mind).

Overall a lot of people buy desktops because they can be upgraded, notebooks usually aren't made for upgrading apart from adding some RAM and a new HDD.
I guess you will just have to wait until you can buy a desktop unless someone knows how to buy such notebook parts and then replace them without destroying the system in the process or causing any incompatibilities.

[Monk]

As a general rule: If you are thinking your processor isn't up to snuff, it's likely time to get a new computer. Matching processor to mobo can confusing if you've never done it before, and there's nothing more frustrating than buying a processor your main board doesn't support.

Not even considering the fact that taking apart notebooks are a pain in the (seriously, last time i did so it made me never want to again), what Husar said is basically true. Laptops are made specifically to be closed systems.

I've never seen a notebook CPU for sale without the rest of the notebook, the mainboard may not even support all of them.

Newegg has a few mobile processors for sale but, thing is, the cheapest i could find would be in the range of $250. Add to that edyz is looking for a v-card as well and this is rapidly getting very expensive. I couldnt even find a mobile video card, i'm sure they're out there... but I didn't see any for sale.

My advice would be just to save your money and wait til you have a chance to upgrade/buy a desktop, since this route won't exactly be cheap.

[Boohugh]

To mimic what the others have said, you'll find that many laptop parts are often soldered onto the mainboard so can't be easily taken out and replaced. Ironically the RAM and Hard Drive are two that are usually quite easy to swap but they are the ones you don't need to change! Even if you could change the CPU, you'd be limited to the Core 2 Duo lineup due to your chipset. Either stick with upgrading your desktop or stump up the cash for a new laptop are probably the only viable options if you are determined to play S2TW.

[Lemur]

Chiming in with the others. Notebook upgrades are the sorts of things that make strong geeks faint. Not a great idea unless you have a degree in Electrical Engineering, and maybe not even then.

Dell has a standing trade-in program through Dealtree, and you can get an instant quote on your laptop there.

[edyzmedieval]

I guess I'll have to wait and upgrade to a desktop in that case, I'm going to have to scrap my idea of upgrading my notebook. Thanks for the link Lemur.