Thread: Upgraded Notebook PC

I decided my HP dv5t notebook needed an upgrade. It is almost 2 years old, but is in perfect condition.

Before



After



I picked up the T9550 CPU for $100. Not bad for a 33% speed increase. It was a bitch to install, but everything turned out perfectly. I noticed a little bit more zip. I have a 500GB 7200rpm hard drive on the way and 2x2 GB DDR 2 800 (I only have 2GB at the moment. The new CPU runs at a bit higher voltage, but I have a 12 cell battery, so I am not worried about power.

Okay, so check this out...

My dv5t has an nVIDIA 9600m GS GPU. This just doesn't cut the mustard for any FPS games. My notebook has a 1920x1080 native res (high for a 15.4" notebook) and the 9600m GS just cant deliver. So after taking apart this notebook PC 100%, as in every single component removed and cleaned, I became very familiar with all available parts for the dv5 series notebooks. I found this on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Obviously, I don't want to pay $150. I check the completed listings, and these boards are not selling at that price. I sent the seller a message and offered $100. He agreed, but I would have to pay shipping of $12.50. So for $112.50, I will be upgrading my notebook GPU to an nVIDIA 9800m GT. This will be worlds better than the shitty 9600m GS that is on my current board.

New Components

CPU - T9550 2.66 GHz - $100
Motherboard/GPU - 9800m GT - $112.50
Memory - 4 GB DDR2 800 - $70
Hard Drive - WD 500 GB 7200 RPM - $60
Total upgrade costs: $342.50

Sold Components

CPU - P7350 2.0 GHz - $35
Memory - 2 GB DDR2 800 MHz - $30
Hard Drive - 250 GB 5400 RPM - $32
Net Sales - $97

Total Upgrade Costs - $245

These upgrades should keep my notebook running strong for the next year or so. I really don't want to drop $1000 on a new notebook, so if these upgrades can keep me in the game for a while longer, then it was money well spent. I will post an update when everything is finished.