Upgrading a Latitude D600

Discussion in 'Mobile Technology' started by silverdye97, Jun 26, 2006.

  1. silverdye97

    silverdye97 Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    My memory is nearly always maxed out, so I'm upgrading to 2 GB memory. Besides that, my computer can't handle me running Photoshop and trying to manipulate 300 res documents - runs extremeley slow, CPU maxes out, and I see artifacts and the pallates turning white. Can a CPU upgrade help this, or is it a graphics card issue? I've heard the graphics card is not upgradeable on a Latitude D600, is this true? Also, does the speed of the memory I want to purchase (another gig) matter? I'm looking at either a PC 2700 or a PC 3200 on Newegg. By the way, I'm talking strictly hardware - I've got only bare minimum in msconfig, and no spyware, etc.
     
  2. Parachutes

    Parachutes Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I don't think you can upgrade the graphics card on the D600. I know I can't on my Inspiron 6000, so I'd be surprised if you can on an older model laptop like yours. Usually, for most laptops, as far as upgrading hardware goes, you can only get away with changing the memory / hard drives. Internal components, such as video (likely onboard anyway) are rarely easy to replace or upgrade.

    I'm sure the PC3200 memory would give you a boost in speed, over the PC2700, however much of a boost, I can't tell you. I personally wouldn't think you'd notice a huge difference, once your talking about 2 GB of RAM in your system, but I'm not entirely sure on that.
     
  3. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

    Likes Received:
    145
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Most laptops do not have upgradeable graphics. Some of the newer high-end models allow this (like an XPS laptop), but that and CPU's are typically not easily upgradeable. You may have a shot with a faster CPU, but no guarantees. Adding more RAM is about the best thing you can do. A faster hard drive can do wonders too, but if you're maxing out your RAM, that won't do the job as well.
     
  4. silverdye97

    silverdye97 Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I guess a new graphics card is out of the question, then. Would a nw CPU solve the Photoshop issue, or is it unrelated? And what's the best CPU I can get?
     
  5. Parachutes

    Parachutes Geek Trainee

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Upgrading your CPU on the Dell Latitude is not going to happen. You should invest in an extra RAM chip, if your D600 has a free slot for it. Call Dell tech support or look up the specs on your laptop model and figure out where the RAM slots are and what type they take. Even if you can't find that info on your own, Dell tech support is usually pretty good at answering your questions, from my dealings with them.
     
  6. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

    Likes Received:
    145
    Trophy Points:
    63
    A CPU upgrade can help, but if you're running into RAM being maxed out, you're unlikely to see the benefits.
     

Share This Page