upgrade my c700 laptop for better performance

[jack_luvs_tech]

hi,

i have  a old compaq c700 presario  and i want to upgrade it to better specs as much as possible so i can get better performance from it.the below are the details of my laptop:

processor: intel pentium dual core T2370 1.73 ghz

mother board: HP

model: 30D9

chipset: GL960

bios:HP F .33

Ram: 2gb(1 +1) DDR2 type

the above are the details of my laptop.

i basically use my laptop for coding and i would like to upgrade it.

what's the best to go about it.

thank you.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Below is the link to the service manual for your notebook.

CompaqHpG7000UsersManual468145.808612659.pdf (usermanual.wiki)

Your notebook's GL960 chipset will only support processors with a FSB speed of 533 MHz such as the one your notebook has now.

This link has a list of Intel processors which are related to the one your notebook has.

Products formerly Merom (intel.com)

While I have no idea if it will work or not, it appears that the best processor you can try in your notebook with be the T5300.

Intel Core2 Duo Processor T5300 2M Cache 1.73 GHz 533 MHz FSB Product Specifications

Your notebook's memory is already max'ed out at 2 x 1 GB according to the manual.

If you are not willing to take the risk that the T5300 won't work, then I don't recommend you make any changes to what you have now.

The Pentium 'U' processors you see listed there with a 533 MHz FSB have to be soldered to the motherboard, so those will not work in your PC.

[jack_luvs_tech]

hi,

Thank you.

i have some queries.i hope you can help.

1.do i have to upgrade my Processor to increase my RAM or can i do it with out upgrading MY CPU?

2.if i upgrade my CPU does it mean i can increase my systems ram?

i checked on line and found that some people had success upgrading their processors to better processors and their chipset is GL960.

besides t5300 i see two more processors-t9300 and t9500 which people said they had success with.

can i go on upgrade my CPU to any of the above and upgrade my RAM for better performance?

thank you

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Yes, I saw all of that info regarding processors. 

I find it very hard to believe some of those upgrades such as the T9500, which runs at 800 MHz.

CPU-Upgrade: Intel GL960 Express chipset processor support

The official chipset specs from Intel indicate that processor FSB support is limited to 533 MHz and 2 GB of memory.

Intel 82GL960 Graphics and Memory Controller Product Specifications

None of the Intel processor specs indicate how much memory they can support, so IMHO, any processor you install that has a faster FSB can only be an experiment at best, and I will not commit myself to recommending anything more than the T5300, and I don't even know if that one will work since it is not listed as a supported processor in the manual.

Also, chapter 1, page 2 of the service manual I gave you indicates that 2 x 1 GB of memory is the max.

You can do this to see how much memory your notebook can support:

1. In the search box, search for cmd and click Run as administrator.

This will open the command prompt.

2. Once command prompt is opened, type wmic memphysical get maxcapacityEx and hit enter.

There, it will show the maximum RAM capacity your PC's motherboard can support.

The capacity is shown as Kilobytes, so you have to convert it to Gigabytes by dividing the number provided in the report by 1,048,576.

[jack_luvs_tech]

thank you.

i checked my laptop.and its got 2 memory module slots of form factor so-dimm each of 1 gb ram.

memory type is ddr2.

as of now they are maxed.

but i want to try increase the ram by using 2gb ram in each of the slots.

i am planning to buy from amazon two  units of ddr2 sdram.

what are the factors i should consider before i purchase them?like clock speed or memory speed.the amazon products page  talk about memory speed so it could be really helpful if u could  share some info with regards to the above.

i will try to add more GB to my laptop if it doesnt work then i will think of upgrading to t5300.will that change the amount of GB i can add to my laptop or it's the memory slots that determine the  max Gb.

thank you

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

I don't believe that a 2 GB chip is going to work in each slot.

But if you can find some cheap and want to experiment, get DDR2-667 or DDR2-533 MHz, whichever costs less.

The memory will run at 533 MHz according to the processor and chipset specs.

It is going to be very hard to find, I think.

Try and find a DDR2 memory chip that has 8 little black chips on each side of the circuit board, not 4.

Something like this...

Crucial 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory Model CT25664AC667 - Newegg.com

[jack_luvs_tech]

Thank you very much Paul.You have been very kind.

i have been reading online and i realize it is the bus speed ,processor and chip-set that determine the efficiency of memory not simply the amount of RAM.i understand that now.but anyways i will go ahead and try to increase the RAM of my pc.

do you think if i upgrade the processor to T5300 then original 2GB  RAM will do good job?or is it possible to upgrade the RAM to 4 GB with T5300 in place?

i realize its the memory module size that determines the RAM size.may be i should upgrade the mother board.i know its better to go for a new laptop instead of that.

why i am doing this is-i have a spare old laptop and i thought if i can upgrade it then it will be handy.

thank you anyway.  

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

I wouldn't replace the motherboard, because then you would have to buy a new license and product key for Windows.

I would first try the T5300 processor upgrade before experimenting with adding more memory because that, as far as I'm concerned, the memory upgrade has the least chance of the two upgrades you want to do of working.

[jack_luvs_tech]

Thank you Paul.

I will upgrade my processor  first to t5300 as per your advice then think about the RAM.

thank you once again for your help.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

Please post back and let us know how your notebook's upgrade project went.