Upgrading From T2330 to T9500

[amatro33]

Hello.

I have a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop. It runs slower and slower after Windows service packs and other software getting installed. So, I want to make an upgrade.

Is it possible to install a real faster cpu on it? I'm thinking about installing T9500. Could this cpu work on my mainboard? Or what is fastest possible solution?

My specs:
Intel Pentium T2330 @ 1.6 ghz
Dell 0WP007 mainboard (GM965 Rev. C0)
Bios ver/date A16/10/16/2008
1+1 GB DDR2 667 mhz ram

 

[qliveur]

See what the latest BIOS supports.

I upgraded my dad's Toshiba Satellite that had a T2330 to a T9300. You might want to look at the T9300 as well. It's only 100MHz slower than the T9500 and was selling for a lot less on Fleabay when I bought it.

 

[amatro33]

See what the latest BIOS supports.

I upgraded my dad's Toshiba Satellite that had a T2330 to a T9300. You might want to look at the T9300 as well. It's only 100MHz slower than the T9500 and was selling for a lot less on Fleabay when I bought it.

Thanks for response. I think this is it, but I couldn't find information about it.

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails?driverId=R246843&fileid=2731129127

 

[legcramp]

I would install an SSD on there if possible instead of the CPU if you're just looking for better loading and overall response of windows.

 

[Spikesoldier]

memory is going to help more than anything

you didnt specify what OS you were using, im assuming vista. and 2gb on vista is going to be dog slow.

 

[amatro33]

I'm using Windows 7... I will also switch to ssd as you say. But T2330 is really slow :'(

 

[qliveur]

Indeed it is. If you're going to go to the trouble of upgrading your laptop, you should upgrade that very weak CPU. Take my advice and get a T9300 instead of a T9500. As I said, the T9300 is considerably cheaper and only 100MHz slower. You won't notice the difference between the two. Make sure that there is a BIOS available that supports Penryn (45nm) CPUs before buying it, though.

I do agree that a SSD and more memory will also help a lot; especially the SSD. I would buy used memory from a reputable dealer on Fleabay. Try to make sure which chipset you have, but you may not be able to. I didn't know that my dad's laptop had a GL960 instead of a Mobile 965 until I tried to install 2x2GB in it and it would only support 1GB+2GB. The Intel website indicated that it was a Mobile 965.

Try to get this stuff as cheaply as possible. It's the only way to justify this upgrade over getting a new laptop. You do all of the above, though, which is exactly what I did with my dad's, and your laptop will be fast enough to last a few more years. My dad's definitely is.

EDIT: a couple of cheaper alternatives to the T9300 are the T8300 and the T4500.

 

[fffblackmage]

Sure, the T2330 is slow, but I think having only 2GB ram is holding you back the most. I tried using only 2GB of ram for short while (waiting for an RMA), and gawd it was horrible.

Next after that, I would get an SSD. Upgrading the cpu would be the last thing I would do.

 

[SPBHM]

you would probably gain more by buying a SSD,

 

[hhhd1]

That processor is not that bad, it is based on the "Merom-2M" (Intel Core microarchitecture), I doubt that you will notice a huge performance gain, it would be just like going to a higher cpu frequency.

Since this is a 5 years old CPU, you probably also have a 5 years old laptop mechanical drive, and those were really really slow, replacing it with an SSD is what is going to solve the slowing problem.

It runs slower and slower after Windows service packs and other software getting installed.

That is a sign of a slow harddisk.

 

[KingFatty]

I recently upgraded my laptop using eBay.

In my case, my CPU was too slow to play 1080p videos smoothly (e.g., home videos from my camera). It was interesting how my laptop could play videos smoothly if they played using hardware acceleration. But programs like Picasa or some websites, just didn't allow for hardware acceleration.

Anyway, I went really cheap, got a T8100 for, ah, $15 shipped? That was fast enough to meet the threshold, and now the CPU will play video in Picasa without any hitches.

So what are you using the computer for? Do you have a threshold performance you want to meet, like I did? If so, maybe spend as little as possible, maybe get a $30 CPU if you want even more performance than I did.

But as far as going all the way to T9500, I'm not sure if that will justify the cost, assuming something way cheaper can get you over the hump, so to speak. You just need to identify what's your hump?

Maybe give us more info on how the computer feels slow. Because I'm thinking you don't actually have a hump, you have a Mt. Everest where nothing you do will compare to just selling that laptop and buying a (cheap) new laptop.

I mean, why blow $60 on an ebay CPU, when that's a lot toward the price of a brand new laptop? You can see deals all the time at places like Staples or Best Buy, I mean $250 for a very decent laptop that would feel way faster than your current laptop, even if you upgrade it.

 

[qliveur]

I went through this myself, and those of you who are saying that he won't notice a difference by upgrading the CPU are talking out of your asses.

Sure, the T2330 is slow, but I think having only 2GB ram is holding you back the most.

LOL, no it isn't. Windows 7 x86 uses ~1GB. A SSD would have more of an impact, all the more so if paired with a much faster CPU. Memory's the last thing I would upgrade. It was the last thing that I upgraded on my dad's laptop and the impact on performance was minimal when I did. It does have the benefit of being cheap, though.

 

[fuzzymath10]

I guarantee it's the hard drive. I have similar vintage Dell D630s, but with somewhat faster CPUs (T7250 and T8300), but they were heavily IO bottlenecked. One of them has an SSD now and the other has a Momentus XT and they're fine now. Also, 2GB of RAM is fine.

An SSD would cost close to the same as the CPU. The only thing you might be CPU bound by is software decoding of HD video.

 

[fffblackmage]

LOL, no it isn't. Windows 7 x86 uses ~1GB. A SSD would have more of an impact, all the more so if paired with a much faster CPU. Memory's the last thing I would upgrade. It was the last thing that I upgraded on my dad's laptop and the impact on performance was minimal when I did. It does have the benefit of being cheap, though.

Well, I suppose it depends on your usage. No one is going to boot up Windows and just leave it at that; you still need some ram for your programs. Apparently, that 1GB of ram leftover wasn't enough for me to work with.

 

[KingFatty]

I still think that we cannot yet know what would help the most, because we don't know the nature of what is causing slowness.

If he is trying to decode blurays on the CPU in software, he's going to need a new CPU.
If he is trying to load big programs with big files from the hard drive and it sits there waiting, he's going to need an SSD
If he is trying to open a million browser tabs and every program on the hard drive resulting in thrashing the disk, hes going to need new ram.

If you add all that up, he's going to instead need to sell the computer and buy a cheap new one.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I still think that we cannot yet know what would help the most, because we don't know the nature of what is causing slowness.

If he is trying to decode blurays on the CPU in software, he's going to need a new CPU.
If he is trying to load big programs with big files from the hard drive and it sits there waiting, he's going to need an SSD
If he is trying to open a million browser tabs and every program on the hard drive resulting in thrashing the disk, hes going to need new ram.

If you add all that up, he's going to instead need to sell the computer and buy a cheap new one.

I would also say just buy a new laptop. Llano laptops from AMD are quite cheap now, I suppose because they are trying to get rid of them in preparation for Trinity. I say an A8 on sale for 400.00 at best buy. You can also get a pentium dual core for even less if you watch for sales. Seems to my you could replace one part after another and end up paying almost as much as buying a new laptop.

 

[qliveur]

Depending on the CPU he got and the size of the SSD, he could upgrade the laptop he has for ~$100.

 

[pauldun170]

Sure, the T2330 is slow, but I think having only 2GB ram is holding you back the most. I tried using only 2GB of ram for short while (waiting for an RMA), and gawd it was horrible.

Next after that, I would get an SSD. Upgrading the cpu would be the last thing I would do.

I run a slightly older T2250 (vs OP) based laptop with 2gb ram and windows7.
I've also run a T7770 based laptop with 2gbram and windows.
Runs fine.
Going up to 3gb and over makes a small improvement but 2gb ram provides decent performance with windows 7.
The slow OEM harddrive is the biggest issue.
For everyday usage, SSD makes a HUGE difference on these older laptops.

If the OP is just doing your typical email\office productivity\web kind of tasks AT MOST I'd toss in an SSD.
RAM on these older laptops is basically $$$ spent on obsolete hardware twice the price of current ram. (or half the price of an 128gb SSD)

A T9500 upgrade by itself might perk up some tasks but IMO not enough to justify the time\effort\$$$ spent on an old laptop several generations old.

If he is trying to decode blurays, or compiling big jobs or doing anything that requires HP OP is better off saving money for a modern laptop.

 

[djshortsleeve]

I would install an SSD on there if possible instead of the CPU if you're just looking for better loading and overall response of windows.

Remember - that boards interface is probably Sata II at best. Unless you pick up a real cheap SSD, it may not be worth it over memory/cpu upgrade. I threw a SSD in a netbook less than 2 years old and was not impressed with the minimal speed increase over the modern spinner it replaced. I even put the spinner back in and used the SSD in machine with a SATA III interface.

 

[pauldun170]

Remember - that boards interface is probably Sata II at best. Unless you pick up a real cheap SSD, it may not be worth it over memory/cpu upgrade. I threw a SSD in a netbook less than 2 years old and was not impressed with the minimal speed increase over the modern spinner it replaced. I even put the spinner back in and used the SSD in machine with a SATA III interface.

From personal experience having run the same Samsung 830 on both sata II and sata III there was very little difference in user experience.

On a T2330 based laptop with a 7200rpm drive, I can't say but a T2330 going from the typical period 5400rpm drive to a modern SSD should be a very nice upgrade.