Thinking of upgrading my Vaio laptop.. need help!!

[jungbum]

Hi, I own Sony Vaio BGN-FS740/W

http://shopper.cnet.com/Sony_VAIO_FS...&tag=nav.specs

(The specs are on right hand side)


From that information, I see that the RAM can be upgraded up to 2 Gigs. I don't plan to fill up to 2gigs, but how much would it cost to buy and assemble (ex: bestbuy) 512mb more RAM? And how much good of an improvement would i see in performance?

right now, 44 processors are used (I have Norton 2006, which takes up a lot) at the beginning. it seems to run fine, though it lags sometimes. i deleted unnecessarily sony products (ex: sonicstage, vaio media)

Would I see a smoother performance by upgrading 512mb more memories?

How about the gaming experience? I know that the graphic card is integrated, though I didn't see much problem running NBA Live 06 (it lags when I quit the game, but it runs fine). Crazy graphic-games like Microsoft Simulator X (the demo version), the airplane wouldn't even move. I don't expect this laptop to run smoothly like that, but if I change the graphic card to let's say Geforce 7xxx series (is it even compatible?), would it improve significantly?

I know that direct x10 is coming out and I'd rather wait.. I'm thinking of upgrading to Vista.. so I'm upgrading the RAM.

Oh and final question.. How much does 'N' wireless router brings improvements from 'G'? I have Netgear 54mbps wired router. I was looking at the Netgear Draft N models. Does it also work as a wireless printer server?

THANKS..!

[pzarquon]

Re: Thinking of upgrading my Vaio laptop.. need help!!

Short answer: Upgrading RAM is almost always the first thing I do for any machine, and the performance improvement is definitely noticable. RAM is also relatively inexpensive, and user-installable (though you can always have a friend, or our own Adrian, help you).

Your laptop comes with 512MB, which is enough for web browsing and Word processing, but pretty restrictive for anything else (especially games, or later, Vista). I'm not sure what you mean by it currently using "44 processors," but I'm guessing you mean it sucks 44MB of RAM just to idle. Norton definitely is a memory hog!

Anyway, your Vaio has two slots, with two 256MB sticks in them right now. To increase your system's RAM, you'll want to start with two 512MB sticks to get to 1GB RAM. (Some computers won't let you mis-match pairs, i.e. a 256MB and a 512MB chip together, and even if they do, it hurts performance.) A 512MB PC2-3200 is $60 out there, so you're looking at spending $120 or so to double your laptop's memory.

As to your video question... if the Vaio has "integrated memory" (basically soldered into the motherboard), I don't think it could be upgraded even if you wanted to upgrade it. In which case, I'd put the money you would have spent on a video card and boost your RAM to the full 2GB. It's the max my MacBook would take, and I went straight there the day I got it.

As to your Wi-Fi question, I'm probably not qualified to answer. I've got a mixed B and G network, and know that anything faster is generally proprietary to various vendors, but that's about it.

[jungbum]

Re: Thinking of upgrading my Vaio laptop.. need help!!

Thank you for the reply.

I called the BestBuy and found out that I can't make 1gig RAM with 512mb (I need to take one 256mb RAM off). So I'm thinking of buying 1gig RAM.. I went to the Office Depot and it was $99. BestBuy said 512mb cost $89 + $39(installation fee).

So I think it's better to buy 1Gig RAM and make it 1256mb.

What do you think? I think it will show major improvements on web browsing, but how about the games? Would I be able to play up-to-date games?

[pzarquon]

Re: Thinking of upgrading my Vaio laptop.. need help!!

Someone more technically qualified than I should chime in, but I'm pretty sure you don't want a "lopsided" memory bank -- that is, 1GB in one slot, and 256MB in the other. Technically you'll have 1256MB of RAM, but they system will most likely actually run slower than it would with an even 1GB (512x2).

Those two 256MB chips that are in there now are effectively worthless, so I'd just toss them and replace them with two 512MB (for 1GB RAM) or two 1GB (for 2GB RAM) chips. It seems like a waste, but once you've lived with much more RAM, you'll know why 256MB chips are practically a dime a dozen.

And you might really want to look into what it takes to install the RAM at home. Don't pay for labor if you don't have to (and I'm sure you'll hear a few horror stories about big-box-caliber service, a la Best Buy or Circuit City).

[adrian]

Re: Thinking of upgrading my Vaio laptop.. need help!!

right now, 44 processors are used (I have Norton 2006, which takes up a lot)

I'd start by removing that POS software and replacing it with AVG. Its free, and uses less resources than Norton.

How about the gaming experience? I know that the graphic card is integrated, though I didn't see much problem running NBA Live 06 (it lags when I quit the game, but it runs fine). Crazy graphic-games like Microsoft Simulator X (the demo version), the airplane wouldn't even move. I don't expect this laptop to run smoothly like that, but if I change the graphic card to let's say Geforce 7xxx series (is it even compatible?), would it improve significantly?

The website says that it uses integrated graphics, so its actually uses your RAM. Even though you upgrade your RAM, video is still being processed by your RAM and your processor, so its better to just get a cheap desktop if you want a cheap fix for gaming (or spend the big bucks to get a new gaming laptop).

Oh and final question.. How much does 'N' wireless router brings improvements from 'G'? I have Netgear 54mbps wired router. I was looking at the Netgear Draft N models. Does it also work as a wireless printer server?

Sorry, I have no experience in wireless 'N' technology, but unless you have your own wireless server/client network, then I'd avoid it until its becomes mainstream in 2007 at the earliest. Like all new technologies, support won't be there, and not everyone will have it.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Thinking of upgrading my Vaio laptop.. need help!!

$39 to install a memory module. Ho man that's robbery. Turn your computer upside down and locate one of the panels held in place with one small phillips screw. Remove that screw and the panel and you'll see your ram modules sitting there.

Pop one out and install replace cover and it's done. Total effort probably less than 3-minutes of your time.

As for compatibility, make sure the speed is the same and the type as well. If it's DDR2 or Dual Channel then you need to match them up evenly. If it's just simple DDR memory then you can add a 1-gig module to a 256-mb module and get 1.256Gb of ram even though they're of different manufacturers.

The only negative is that the slower module will prevail as the computer will ramp down the other module in order to maintain stability, so beware of cheap ram.

[jungbum]

Re: Thinking of upgrading my Vaio laptop.. need help!!

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...ory_Module_Kit

I'm looking to buy this model. I think this has 2 512mb DDR2. I guess that these are made for the games. So should I see improvement on gamings?

The brands that I'm looking are PNY and Kingston. I think those are pretty good brands.

[pzarquon]

Re: Thinking of upgrading my Vaio laptop.. need help!!

If your laptop has integrated graphics, it relies on system RAM to perform graphics tasks, like games, so yes, more RAM will improve your game performance. Not as much as a better system with a separate graphics engine, but... more RAM is basically the only way to improve what you've got now.

I've used PNY, Kingston, and Viking RAM, plus a few chips of questionable origin, and haven't had problems with any. Though perhaps I'm lucky.