Comp newb. Need some advice.

[imperium1]

Hello everyone, I need some advice that, hopefully, somebody can help me with.

I purchased this desktop replacement laptop about 6 months ago.
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3010&review=dv8000t+Review
It is the HP Pavillion dv8000(t?).

Up until recently, I've been able to run just about any game I wish with little to no problems at high graphic settings. Unfortunately, that time is coming to an end.

As for my question: My friend said these laptops were not upgradeable but I can't find any information on whether or not they are. I would like to upgrade so I can play newer games at high settings and still have a good frame rate.

Would a graphics card be all that I need, or would I need some more things? If so, what? And if it is just a graphics card, what would be a good one to put in here?

And most importantly, is this damn thing upgradeable?

Thanks again in advance. Much obliged.

 

[muz]

ok as far as i knw there isnt a laptop yet where you can add a new graphics card , you can upgrade the ram, add more and you can upgrade the hard drive depending on laptop but you cant change graphics cards and i dont think you can change the processor


anyway there comes a time with every computer when it cant play the latest games on high settings
but you may want to do some system optimisation , ie clear junk of the hard drive , virus spyware adaware scan and defragment the hard drive and look at the startup programmes

 

[imperium1]

Oh okay. Thanks.

I know to do all that stuff. Maybe it has been a little while though...

Thanks for the into man. I appreciate the fast response. It might be time to start building a desktop, I think.

Do you know if using my 42" Sony Bravia LCD TV as a monitor would be just as good as using a regular monitor? If I didn't have to spend a couple hundred bucks on a monitor that might help persuade the Mrs. to letting me get a new comp.

 

[muz]

urm it is possible but i dont know if it is a good idea i wouldnt know ,if it was me i would , wait for peoples advice i am sure someone will be able to help you out in that department if you are building a desktop you can ask around lots of people will reccomend parts/builds too you too

 

[Atomic Rooster]

Well, if you have the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 video card in yours, then you could upgrade it to the GeForce Go 7600, but I really don't think the minor performance increase would be worth the expense.

You could use your Sony Bravia as a monitor for your comp. Weh I bought my LG 42" HD-LCD, they had one hooked up to a comp at the store and it worked great. All you'll need will be a DVI to HDMI cable to go from your video card to the LCD. Some of the newer video cards have a HDMI output already.

 

[kchi55]

I personally think a 42" LCD TV would be a strain on my eyes after a while but that could definitely work out, and as far as upgrading GPUs on your laptop, I don't think that is possible or safe at the very least.

 

[dude_se]

if your a serious gamer you should consider getting a desktop pc (even though you might not want one). much better for gaming, much cheaper, easier to upgrade, etc. just save your pennies and buy a decent enough one. laptops just dont cut it

 

[imperium1]

Yeah, my friend talked me into building my own so I think I am going to sell my laptop and put that towards my new desktop.

I looked at newegg and was surprised at a lot of the low prices they have for parts so I think I'll start there.

Is there anything you guys can recommend or certain things to avoid like the plague?

Again, thanks for all the help. Much obliged.

 

[kchi55]

There really is nothing to avoid, some things are just better than others, but nothing is absolutely terrible.

 

[imperium1]

Cool cool.

I am a little confused on processors and the PCI-Express thing too. How do I know certain motherboards have a PCI-E spot?

And with processors, what is the different between Duo-Core and all that stuff? Is a 1.66 Duo-Core better than a regular 3.0?