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?
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Answers:
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.
Answers2:
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.
Informations from: http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-inspiron-dell-studio/621985-dell-inspiron-n5010-upgrading.html
