Second wind: how to upgrade an old or low-powered laptop?

Processor

Laptop processors, unlike desktop counterparts, are unfortunately not sold in east european electronics stores. You can buy them only in used condition at local online flea markets or in Chinese stores. Fortunately, processors break down extremely rarely, so buying a used copy is practically devoid of the risk of running into a marriage. The only thing worth paying attention to is the appearance of the chip. Laptop processors do not have a protective metal cover, so the crystal is relatively easy to crack when removing or installing. If the edges are smooth without chips, then everything is fine with the chip.

To find out which processor model and under which socket is installed in your laptop, you can use the HWiNFO32 application. If the name of the processor connector begins with the letters PGA, then the chip is removable and easily replaceable even at home. If BGA, then the chip is soldered into the motherboard and it can be replaced only in the service centre, and only where reballing (soldering of complex chips) is engaged. Netbook and ultrabook processors are usually soldered, but office and gaming laptops are not.

The first candidates for replacement are Intel Celeron and Pentium processors (not to be confused with Celeron N and Pentium N). They have a relatively low frequency, only two cores and the same number of computing threads, so upgrading to a four-threaded Core i3 or Core i5 with TurboBoost auto-acceleration will give a significant performance boost. The cooling system of the entire series of laptops, usually, is universal, designed for chips from Celeron to Core i7, so there should be no problems with overheating. As a last resort, in the Windows "Power Management" menu, reduce the maximum allowable processor frequency by 25-30 percent (more threads are more useful anyway than a high frequency). But with the upgrade of AMD laptop processors, the situation is more complicated — they are relatively difficult to find on the market. If you have a laptop with just such a processor, it is wiser to abandon the upgrade and immediately buy a new one.

RAM

Laptop-sized SO-DIMM RAM modules are smaller in size than desktop DIMMs, and sometimes also work at a lower supply voltage (for example, the DDR3L subtype). The maximum amount of memory supported by a laptop theoretically depends only on the processor model or chipset (where the RAM controller is built in), but in fact it can be artificially limited by the BIOS firmware. You can check this on the official website of the laptop manufacturer, where a list of possible configurations is indicated for each series.

Long ago, RAM was soldered to the motherboard only of compact netbooks and ultrabooks, but now such a dead-end layout option is periodically found even in large office and multimedia laptops. It also happens that only half of the default RAM is soldered, and the second part is installed in a single slot. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find out programmatically whether the RAM is subject to replacement — you will have to look "under the hood" of the laptop or search for the corresponding article or video on the Internet (we recommend the site notebookcheck.net ).

We recommend reading the article"How to choose RAM for a computer or laptop?".

Disk subsystem

The easiest and most effective way to speed up a laptop is to replace the hard drive with a solid-state drive with a significantly higher speed of reading and writing data, especially when it comes to small files. The disk subsystem cannot be upgraded only in modern netbook models (the eMMC flash memory chip is soldered), whereas even thin ultrabooks have a removable M.2 or mSATA SSD.

Large laptops can have several disk slots at once: a 2.5-inch, occupied HDD by default (can be moved to an external USB pocket); a seat for an optical drive (can be replaced with an Optibay or Opticaddy basket to install a 2.5-inch SSD without abandoning the HDD); and optionally an M slot.2 or mSATA, provided specifically for SSD. The form factor and the method of installing the SSD is not fundamental — choose the option that is cheaper or easier to implement in your case.

We recommend reading the article"How to choose an SSD drive for a desktop PC and laptop?" and "Speed up any PC: the five best SSD drives of 2017".

Wi-Fi Module

Laptop Wi-Fi adapters are made in Mini-PCI-E format and, it would seem, can be easily replaced with a faster version (for example, instead of 802.11g 54 Mbit/s, install N 150-300 Mbit/s or AC 768+ Mbit/s in general), and even paired with Bluetooth. But it was not there: in the BIOS of many laptops, the name of the model or the identification number of the Wi-Fi module is strictly prescribed. When you try to install another one, the laptop immediately after turning on gives an error message and does not allow you to log into Windows.

In addition, replacing the Wi-Fi module does not solve the problem of weak signal reception, because the antennas stretching along the perimeter of the laptop cover will still remain the same. Fortunately, there is still a way out of the stalemate — connect an external USB Wi-Fi dongle (in the common people, "whistle"). They can be quite tiny, only a couple of centimeters protruding from the USB slot, and with external and even remote (on a long wire) antennas. Such a Wi-Fi receiver will certainly be able to connect even to the most remote wireless network.

We recommend reading the article "Fast Wi-Fi throughout the house: the 5 best routers of 2017".

Rechargeable battery

The lithium-ion battery is the fastest—wearing part of a laptop. With the active use of a portable PC, so to speak, "in the field", it can lose half of its capacity in a year, and in two years it will work for 10-15 minutes at most. The problem is solved by buying a new, exactly the same battery, but not everything is so clear.

Firstly, it is not known how long and under what temperature conditions the battery was stored in a warehouse in China before arriving at a east european electronics store or service centre. For laptops from the same manufacturer, the battery model often remains unchanged for several generations. Therefore, there is a high probability that you will come across an unused, but stale battery that holds a charge no longer than your worn-out one.

Secondly, even if the battery comes across serviceable, it will still hold the charge exactly the same as the original one originally held. And what to do if you want the laptop to work away from the outlet for longer? There is a compromise solution — an external high-capacity battery (15-30K mAh), which allows you to charge not only smartphones, but also laptops. Such devices can be equipped with a solar battery, which slightly extends the battery life of the laptop.

Graphics card

There are three types of internal laptop graphics cards: integrated into the processor or chipset, soldered into the motherboard or replaced as an MXM board. The latter are very rare and are found only in gaming laptops, and even then not in all, only used ones are sold, and they are also very expensive.

Therefore, the only way to increase the gaming potential of most laptops is to connect an external graphics card. This requires four parts: a graphics card from a desktop PC (see the article"How to choose a graphics card for a computer?"), a computer power supply (see the article "Energy hunger: TOP 5 computer power supplies"), an external monitor and a special adapter EXP GDC Beast. Unfortunately, it is impossible to display an image from an external graphics card on a laptop screen. But with EXP GDC Beast, depending on the configuration, a simple power supply can be supplied.

The EXP GDC Beast is connected to the Mini-PCI-E slot, which almost all laptops have and is occupied by a Wi-Fi adapter by default. That is, for an external graphics card comes at the expense of a regular Wi-Fi adapter. Of course, this whole design is stationary, not portable, but if you have connected a laptop to an external monitor at home before, then why not.

Afterword

And remember that a laptop, unlike a desktop PC, is a whole product, so disassembling it for the sake of an upgrade can lead to loss of warranty. If the warranty period has not yet expired, it is better to contact an authorized service centre, which is highly likely to agree to upgrade without loss of warranty. If your laptop is so old and low-powered that it is impractical to upgrade it, then pick up a new model in the appropriate section of our catalog.