I bought a used laptop (Compaq Presario 1625 w/2.4Gb drive) and was wondering if it’s possible to upgrade the hard drive. It also has a painfully slow modem. I figure I could get a PCMCIA 56K modem (the computer has 2 PCMCIA slots).
Possible?
Worth it?
What do you plan on using the laptop for? Intrnet? Sure, replacing the modem (or if its built in, then like you said:PCMCIA) will definitly make you happy (and they aren’t THAT horribly expensive.) Harddrive should also be no prob. BUT it depends on the make of the laptop and the BIOS. Some older Compaqs didn’t like newer larger HDD’s. Best bet is check the manufacturers web site or if you’re familiar with the BIOS (usually [DEL], [F2], [CTRL][ALT][ESC], or [CTRL][F2]or [CTRL][F5] to get in…yeah, lots of choices. laptops much more proprietary that desktops) and check under Hard drive (sometimes ‘Fixed Disk’) configuration and see how high it’ll go.
Hope that helps, good luck!
I have a Compaq LTE 5200 p120, which was their laptop prior to the Presario. Last winter I upgraded the hard drive to 2.4 (the original finally fell apart while using it in below zero conditions) and the modem card to 56 (the cat chewed up the original 28). Previously I had upgraded the memory to 72 to stop hiccoughs when running multiple applications.
Yes, bigger drives are available, but the cost per byte starts to increase, so some consideration of what programs will be used and what resources they will demand should be given.
The 56 pcmcia works nicely for text (and will load pages much faster than 24), and is tolerable for pics, but is not really up to snuff for web radio, for which you should go for cable or dsl, either of which make 56 seem annoyingly slow.
The only downside is that it is not suitable for games – the p120 is way too slow for today’s whiz-bang graphics. Since I have no interest in shoot-em zap-em games, I have no need for a faster machine. If you intend to run graphics intensive games, you had best first check that you have a fast processor to begin with.
Why have I sunk hundreds of dollars into a box which will be celebrating it’s sixth birthday in a couple of months? The thing takes a lickin’ but keep’s on tickin’. A few seasons of bicycle commuting bungied to a rat trap. Daily use at office and at home. Even canoe trips. And yet the only problem I ever have is that every few months I have to tighten up the screws which connect the lid to the body (so much vibrating transportation loosens them). There is a lot to be said for a reliable workhorse which can run office applications with ease. I call it the “mothership”, for although I regularly use faster, more powerful, and fancier machines, the old 5200 never lets me down, which is very important to me.
Quickspecs
http://web14.compaq.com/falco/detail.asp?FAQnum=FAQ3495
According to Dell’s website you can put up a 48 gig drive in the unit with this kit so I would imagine anything up to this should be OK. You should confirm this,however, by calling calling Compaq tech support.
"The solution is a CMS Peripherals hard drive upgrade. These high-performance, multi-gigabyte drives are specifically designed for the unique performance requirements of portable systems. Each drive ships with all the necessary components to install and format your new upgrade. This hard drive is designed for Compaq Presario 1600-1655, 1810, 1800XL.
Manufacturer Part# CQ1600-48.0
Dell Part# 230287
CMS PERIPHERALS
48GB CMS EASYBUNDLE COMPAQ PRES"