Upgrading my old Compaq Presario CQ5320F

txflood · ‎03-01-2020

I have upgraded the RAM in this old computer to 6GB and Windows 10 64-bit does indeed see it and use it. That really helped the performance of this old computer.

I was wondering if anyone had upgraded or added a SSD to this model. Crucial says this computer needs:

SATA Version: SATA 2 - 3Gb/s

and they have a few to choose from.

I was looking to hear from someone who had actually done it and see if I need any other adapters for say a 2.5 inch drive. Also looking for economic recommendations, as it doesn't make too much sense to me to spend a whole lot on this old computer. Thanks.

wb2001 · ‎03-01-2020

@txflood

The specs on your computer can be found here (link). Circa 2009.

The original HD was a 500GB, so you need to stay with either a 500GB or 1TB. A 2TB is max, but not needed.

Do you know how to change out a CPU chip? Upgrading the chip to the max

A new HD has 2 advantages, ie, your old drive is 10+ years old. Here it is. The best HD for you is this (link). A tad cheaper, but still worthy is shown here.

SSD referenced is SATA2 (300) not SATA3 (600), as shown here. It would require an adapter tray, like this

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txflood · ‎03-01-2020

Actually what I had in mind was installing a new SSD and have the operating system boot from that while retaining the old hard drive for extra storage (pictures, files that don't really need fast access, etc).

wb2001 · ‎03-01-2020

@txflood,

Personally I would not retain a 10+ year old HD and count on it.

There is a particular brand of hard drives that I did use 5 years ago, all the same model. Some died in 3 months. Only used them for clone backups. The SSD will outperform a standard hard drive, even on the SATA2(300) port. See here.

If you buy a Samsung, their "free" data migration program will clone your old drive to the new SSD.

This system is feedback driven thru Solution and Kudo flags. It's the only means of knowing if you have been served. Please click Accept as Solution, if your problem is solved. To say THANK YOU, press the "thumbs up symbol" to render a KUDO. You can render both Solution and KUDO..

HP Envy 8 5010 Tablet
(2) HP DV7t i7 3160QM 2.3Ghz 8GB
Printer -- HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 Legal
Custom Asus Z97D, I7-4790k, 16GB RAM, WIN10 Pro 64bit, ZOTAC GTX1080 AMP Extreme 3 fan 8GB RAM, 500GB SSD, Asus PB287 4k monitor, Rosewill Blackhawk case and 750W OCZ PSU.

txflood · ‎03-14-2020

@Wb2001

I also had some questions on the CPU upgrade you are recommending.

Is the AMD Phenom II X4 a straightforward drop in replacement for the existing CPU?

Any other hardware need to be changed?

Does it require a BIOS change? Thanks

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