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Dell D520 - 512MB,Core2Duo-Whether to upgrade RAM or go for new lowendNotebook?

P

p1tin

Member
Purpose:
My friend has a Dell D520 model notebook which has windows xp home edition with 512MB RAM, core2Duo processor.

Question:

He complained it is too damn slow and it s been communicated that 512MB RAM is not sufficient for even Windows XP. Got to upgrade RAM or the notebook itself.
option 1:
Is it worth it to go for a RAM upgrade which would be maximum of 4GB or 2GB shared?
or
option 2:Purchase a new low end / stable notebook?

If option 2, Please suggest a basic laptop for following purpose:

1. AMD based notebook or Intel based.
2. Basic office work, browsing, facebooking, watching mkv, avi files without stuttering,
do some basic photo editing, animation work ( not a professional). Play small games like angrybirds
2. Rugged / Stable - Should not overheat in due course of usage/time.
3. Harddisk - 7200 RPM or a decent entry level stable SSD
4. Price: Maximum can go for till $600.
5. Windows 7, not particular on getting a windows 8.

Update:Also Just now my friend told the battery does have problems and it does not give enough/decent back up.

So with this variable added, would you recommend the same + new battery for this model?

Please advise. Thanks.

CPU z - RAM detail added in the reply section.
 
Last edited:
that's still a fast notebook. upgrade to 4gb of ram. you should be able to. it will dramatically increase your speed.
 
Update:Also Just now my friend told the battery does have problems and it does not give enough/decent back up.

So with this variable added, would you recommend the same + new battery for this model?

Please advise. Thanks.

Also, Here is the screenshot of CPU-z ( memory module):



CPU Detail:



If possible, Can anyone suggest some good deals in memory module for this old model. DD2
 
Just look on eBay or amazon for replacement batteries. Also for RAM, just find the cheapest 4gb stick. I'm sure you'll need to either upgrade to 7/8 so he can utilize all 4gbs but you can leave it with the 32bit windows and let him just use 3.5gb of ram.
 
yep; still it would be shared video memory.Will raise the video memory to 512MB, if there is an option in BIOS and keep this old XP . or upgrade this to windows 7 x64.

Do you know of any offers from Microsoft still running where they give upgrade at low cost?

Bit late but still...good to have , if offers are running somewhere.
 
Laptop BIOS are pretty locked down, since its controlled by the OEM. I would just go to win7, it uses less ram too. You could pick up a SSD while you're at it too 😛
 
ssd would be nice too, but if you have a good spindle drive (not a green one or hitatchi anything) then you should get good performance. my WD black 320gb is a champ in that regard... I keep noticing how much I DONT miss having an ssd in this thing. would still like one, but its low priority right now.
 
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