Dell Inspiron N5010 upgrading.

Ok I know many people will tell me that Its not worth it but I'm going to ask anyway. I'm stuck at the moment with an N5010 that is slow for my needs and want to upgrade here are the current specs:

Processor: Intel Core i5 m460 2.53GHz
Ram: 4.00 GB
OS: Windows 7 64bit

The programs I run most often are: Photoshop CS5, Battlefield 3, World of Warcraft, and Office Suites.

The problem I'm running into is This computer is just too slow when running photoshop or games.I am a photography student and must have use of photoshop on a daily basis but don't have the $ right now to throw at a high end laptop. My first thought was to upgrade to 8gb DDR3. My second was can I upgrade to the newer faster i7 processor? If so where is the best place to find one for my 5010? What else might I be able to change to run these things more smoothly without spending $1000+ on a new laptop right now?

 

Do you know which GPU you have? The Intel HD graphics should run WoW just fine, but NOT BF3. Even mid range cards struggle to play above medium. Photoshop you should consider a quad core CPU and additional RAM. However the N5010's cooling system can barely handle 35 watt dual core CPU's, not to mention the quad cores. Also if you have Intel HD graphics, you cannot go to quad core i7's as they do not have integrated graphics on the CPU die, you could only upgrade if you have the 5450M or 5650/550V graphics.

 

It says I have the Intel HD Graphics (Core i5). So this means I can't upgrade? So the only upgrade I have available is more ram? Would a motherboard change with different gpu be an option to move to an i7? Is there any way to beef up the cooling?

 

If you have the Intel HD graphics motherboard then you can only go to the i7 dual cores as Clarksfield quad core i7's do not have integrated graphics. You can swap the discreet GPU motherboard, but usually that is not cost effective (Inspiron mobo can be 200+ for DGPU) and you would need a new heatsink.

There really isn't a way to do a heatsink mod in the N5010, considering the system board has to be flipped over to access the guts of the laptop.

 

Would I notice any difference in the i5 vs a dual i7? Would it be worth the cost I would be looking at to run my programs more smoothly? Or would you just put in more ram and call it good till next fall when I can afford a new laptop? I can spend a few hundred now if its worth it but a new laptop is out of the question till I graduate next fall.

 

No there is very minimal difference between dual core i7 and i5 you currently have. Maybe a slight difference for rendering/compiling, but you'd be better off with more cores than faster clock speeds. Maybe sell your laptop and purchase another one? It's up to you.

 

Well talked to the wife and it looks like in february when school money comes in I'll be looking for a new laptop. I have always wanted an alienware so that may be the direction I go whenn the time comes. As for now I'll just upgrade the ram and hope for the best. Thanks for all your help!

 

Your bottleneck is your graphics card. The only solution would be to sell this notebook and buy another with a better graphics card.

 

Hello, same question with the same computer though have the 5650 GPU...
Been using solidworks for a while, now moving on to complicated models and the sw chokes/ does not render.
Anything I can do?

 

Sorry to bring back on old thread but i also had a question. I have and N5010 with an i3 processor and an ATI 1gb video card and was wondering if i can change my processor to an I7? Thanks

 

Yes you can, but I would advise against it as most games don't utilize quad cores and the N5010 cooling system cannot really handle 45 watt i7's.

An Arrandale i7 is okay, but they are $$ over an i5.