Upgrading my notebook computer

Hi all - need some help. Looking at all the specials Dell recently had on refurbished notebooks made me salivate, until I realized that a) I couldn’t really afford a new one, and b) I already have one I don’t use much, for dumb! I appeal to your higher knowledge for upgrading my laptop - it’s a Dell 5000e, Celeron 650, 6 GB hard disk, 64 MB RAM.

I’d like to upgrade to 512 MB RAM (as that’s all my computer can take), look into getting a new hard drive, and perhaps add a DVD-ROM to replace my CD drive. I’m reasonably computer versed (I’ve added memory, a new hard drive, and a new disk drive to my desktop computer, but I haven’t built my own or anything like that). Now with the questions:

I need SO DIMM SDRAM memory. I know this. However, do I need the 144 pin or 200 pin? (It appears I also need to dig out my computer manuals at home!) I’ve seen some really good deals on www.pricewatch.com offering “generic” 256 MB memory upgrades for $30ish, but is “generic” memory reliable, or should I spend rather a lot more to get a name brand from Dell or BestBuy?

Hard drives - I’ve been thinking about getting a new OS, since my Windows 98 SE is soon to be desupported. If I stay in the Windows world, XP will cost me 1/3 of my harddrive space (and eat all current available memory, but I digress). How easy is it to swap harddrives in notebooks? Once I’ve got the new in there, how easy is it to install the OS again? I’m not so worried about getting the stuff off the old harddrive, as I can transfer it to my desktop if it’s really needed (which most of it probably isn’t).

DVD-ROMs - the Dell website yesterday told me that while they do offer a DVD drive for notebooks, it’s not compatible with my 5000e. Can I find an off-market one for my notebook? Or should I rather speak with a Dell rep to see what they can offer me? Alternately, I’ve thought of buying an external DVD drive, which I could then use with my desktop.

Thanks for the help - it’s greatly appreciated!

Snicks

Go to www.crucial.com, they have a nifty utility to identify exactly what memory module you need. They also have the best prices and high quality as well.

I’d be awfully cautious about the generic memory you find on Pricewatch. Generic memory itself is usually OK, although you’ll be taking a bit of a risk. The bigger worry is that a lot of your lowest-priced stores on Pricewatch are just shill companies that have no intention of sending you a working part. what you should do is do some research, figure out exactly what kind of memory you need, pick a brand, then use Pricewatch in conjunction with www.resellerratings.com to find the lowest-priced respectable store.

Installing a new OS is pretty painless, as long as you have all the drivers for your Dell’s various parts on a CD-R or somewhere else you can easily access.

Thanks for the advice - I’ll be sure to check out the websites. And thanks, Hauky, for the note on drivers. I’d forgotten about that, but it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

Snicks

Don’t go for “generic” memory!

Memory is one of the critical components – if it starts failing, nothing else will work.

But don’t go for name brand memory from Dell, BestBuy, etc. either.

Almost all the name brand memory companies have web sites where they sell their memory directly, and much cheaper than Dell or BestBuy. Cheap enough that it really isn’t worth the risk to buy the generic stuff. Your $30ish generic price will probably be about $35ish to $40ish for name brand online, including shipping. A retail price would probably be $50-$60ish for the same memory.

One exception – sometimes the big retail stores have sales where they offer name brand memory at very cheap prices. That’s OK. (But often it’s not really available – they run ads in a million copies of the newspaper, but have only 12 sticks per store of that memory actually available. And the employees buy half of them before the store opens in the morning.)