Precisely What Hardware Might Be Upgraded On A Laptop?

by Graham Kelly
http://www.trilogicuk.co.uk

Generally, whenever a computer user buys the latest laptop very little though is normally given to their future requirements. The laptop purchased could end up not being fast enough or possibly not having enough storage capacity.

Consideration is given to some of the limited upgrades that can be applied to the average laptop.

Some manufacturers' of laptops allow for a range of upgrades, however others ensure it is very challenging to upgrade anything other than RAM and the hard disk drive.

The hard disk drive is normally quiet as straightforward to change in a laptop. There is usually a small door in the base of the case or sometimes a covered slot on the side of the laptop. Some manufacturers make changing the hard drive harder when the whole case needs to be opened to exchange it. A number of different drive interfaces have been used so care must be taken to obtain the correct type of hard disk drive. Recently, solid state hard drives are being incorporated into laptops and netbooks; these are usually more difficult to change though.

Upgrading the RAM is normally the first upgrade that the laptop user will consider. It is relatively easy as most laptops have a small screwed door under the case where an extra RAM chip should be inserted. Sometimes, where there are two RAM sockets, both may already be occupied. If that is so then both should be removed and either one or two larger capacity chips installed.

You may want to raise the core speed of the laptop by upgrading the CPU chip, however, this isn't normally a simple job. The chip will often be located deep inside the laptop so the only way to get to it is to deconstruct the laptop to access the motherboard. Occasionally, the existing CPU will probably be soldered onto the laptop motherboard so making an upgrade a lot more difficult.

The video chip can rarely be upgraded unless the laptop manufacturer has created a separate video board connected to the motherboard via a socket. Video cards are always very expensive and must be exactly matched with the make and model of laptop, so this upgrade may not worthwhile.

It would be a good idea to upgrade the WI-FI card to a faster unit. This is usually quiet simple and affordable, however, some manufacturers make it very challenging to locate the existing card often putting it below the keyboard.

Think very carefully and do your research before purchasing a laptop as upgrades will always be expensive and are not always possible for all makes and models. Laptops are typically more upgradeable than netbooks but if you require full upgradeability then maybe a desktop pcought to be considered.

Graham Kelly is an expert at mending broken and damaged laptops and USB RAM drives at Trilogic UK Ltd. He has spent more than 30 years in the electronics industry specializing in electronic design and repair. He has published many articles relating to laptop and notebook faults to aid users diagnose and possibly attempt simple laptop repairs by themselves where appropriate. He is always happy to give technical advice and can be contacted at Trilogic's internet site for laptop repairs or memory stick recovery.

Article submitted Saturday, September 24, 2011 & read 34 times.

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