Laptop battery has died, and general laptop upgrading questions

[Solid Snake]

Despite my intense affections for PC gaming, I am by no means whatsoever a proficient techie. I've never even upgraded the hardware of a computer I happen to own.
...and now I'd like to upgrade the hardware of a computer I happen to own.

More specifically, the battery of my laptop has apparently died and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly what 'part' or 'component' of my battery has died. All I really know is that a red light is constantly flashing on my laptop and it now only works when it's plugged in, thus relegating it to essentially a mobile desktop.

While I started thinking about a replacement, though, my tax returns suggest I'll be getting a few hundred more dollars of sweet cash I wasn't anticipating.

So I'm now debating whether to upgrade my current video card (I presently own an Nvidia GeForce 8600 M GT, which is solid enough to run Mass Effect 2 with only occasional hiccups but falls well below recommended settings.)

The biggest problem I had with Mass Effect 2 was, strangely enough, sound: occasionally the sound would...well, something strange would happen, and the sound would keep playing, but there'd be a metallic resonance or tone. Hard to describe. Possibly something that a new video card wouldn't even fix, though I have confirmed no scratches or anything of that nature on the CD, and I don't have this problem with any other game. I'm just glad ME2 had subtitles.

I'm also debating whether to upgrade my current hard drive. My hard drive presently is 142 GB but I only have 23 GB free. I'm starting to notice a slight slowdown which I'm hoping isn't being caused by my hard drive overload.
My hard drive really isn't a priority, though: I can delete stuff to make room for the new games I may (or may not) buy. It just may become difficult once Starcraft 2, Diablo 3 and Mass Effect 3 all come out...but those are the only three new computer games I intend to purchase (unless Portal 2 is announced.)

As for the rest of my computer's specs: I own a Dell Inspiron 1520, it's a bit more than two years old. Nothing aside from the batteries are broken, so any upgrades I'd perform would be purely because I had the extra cash and wanted to improve performance. I have an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU -- well, two of them apparently, each apparently running at 2.00GHz. I have a sweet extra-large high-quality monitor. Default resolution is 1440 x 900 or something (though I usually run my games on default lower resolutions. I wonder if that results in some of the hiccups and crashes.)

So, questions about replacing hardware in my current computer:

1: Any ideas as to what might be wrong with my laptop's battery? All I know is one day I got an error message for the battery and since then a red light's been constantly flashing when it's plugged in (it used to flash a different color, I presume when it was charging or something.) It's clear the battery won't recharge, at any rate, and the computer dies the moment it's unplugged.

2: How is this whole convoluted upgrading process done? Could I purchase the parts and attempt this myself, or is this something a trained professional at a Geek Squad at Best Buy should be attempting? If so, how long does it take for them to install new parts? I really don't have the opportunity to hand over my computer for much more than 24 hours, max.

3: If I were to replace my video card, would this mess up my ability to access old playthroughs or games I had already installed with the former video card? In other words, is there a problem with the computer's ability to recognize a transition to new hardware, and does it effect everything previously installed? Will I need to run additional programs or will the computer recognize the new technology automatically?

4: If I no longer have a copy of my Windows XP install disc, would there be problems with attempting to install a new hard drive? Or is there a way I could automatically convert all the files on my 'old' hard drive -- including an operational Windows XP, my installed games and their svaes, etc. -- to the 'new' hard drive? Alternatively, will I have to settle for merely transferring documents and save files to a blank CD, then copy-pasting everything to an empty hard drive? ME save files better be transferable, is all I'm sayin'.

5: Where should I purchase the parts I need? Amazon.com? Best Buy? How do I assure they're compatible with a Dell Inspiron 1520? Or is virtually every video card for a laptop compatible?

Thanks,
Snake

[bluestarultor]

Sadly, Snake, the battery is probably the only component you're going to be able to do anything about. Laptops generally aren't able to be upgraded.

For the battery, just get a new battery. There are many places you can get a new battery. Just look online.

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

Sadly, Snake, the battery is probably the only component you're going to be able to do anything about. Laptops generally aren't able to be upgraded.

To quote Darth Vader:

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[MasterOfMagic]

Well, RAM and HDD would be easy, but a new video card is right out.

1: Any ideas as to what might be wrong with my laptop's battery? All I know is one day I got an error message for the battery and since then a red light's been constantly flashing when it's plugged in (it used to flash a different color, I presume when it was charging or something.) It's clear the battery won't recharge, at any rate, and the computer dies the moment it's unplugged.

Sounds like you just need a new battery. It doesn't really have components, it should be just a large block that comes out of the back portion of the lappy.

[Eldezar]

1. You may need to recalibrate your battery. Most rechargable batteries can only be recharged so many times before the recharging ability is 'burnt up'. Even then, you can only recalibrate so many times. I suggest you buy a new abttery, which has to be ordered online because there are very few standards on laptops, and batteries are not one of them.

2. Don't go to geek squad. If you can read a diagram and are handy with a screwdriver, you will save so much money.

3. http://www.pcworld.com/article/14890...hics_card.html i.e. don't bother.

4. Your hard drive rarely affects the speed of your system unless it is infected or fragemented. Defrag the system first, then run anti-virus and anti-malware programs to clean up your registry. Then make sure you don't have too many unneecessary programs running in your system tray at startup.

I suggest you also get an external hard drive rather than a new internal one if your old one continues to work fine. The other two pieces of hardware that will improve your computer are RAM and CPU, which you most likely have to order online as well, but they are possible to switch out. The CPU is a lot harder and may require a bit more expertise, but RAMbasically snaps out and snaps back in.

5. I like newegg.com.

Better yet, buy a custom built desktop.

[Meister]

Psst Solid, descriptive thread titles.

[Sky Warrior Bob]

Not sure, but you might want to poke around Newegg.com, as it tends to have pretty good deals. And not that I know Jack about computers (okay, well I've put in drives, replaced CPUs & RAM, but I haven't done the full build), if you want to go the build route, this might be a place to start.

I think all this thing is missing, is the Hard drive, the DVD/CD-ROM, Software & the Keyboard/Mouse.

Of course, that can add up if you don't have those parts to spare. I just thought it might be something you might want to look at because of your stated desire.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/ Is also another website that deals with build a kit comps. However, I had a bad experience with them.

I bought a fully built computer by TD, as I wanted to have a warranty, as their build kits didn't have anything like that at the time. The motherboard died within a week, and it was a long wait until they replaced it.

Had I bought a kit, I'd be up a creek without a paddle. Hence the reason why I don't go for kits & building computers myself.

SWB
- Also, the reason why I don't fully trust TD.

[synkr0nized]

Type type, I launch words at you. Here are some more thoughts from another random Internet person.


You can easily upgrade your RAM, and it's actually very easy to replace the hard drive. However, the latter will require you to ghost/image your existing drive onto the replacement or re-install from scratch, as it is a fresh drive.

It is usually recommended to have a certain amount of free space on a drive for defragmenting in Windows, but unless you are actually reduced to such a small amount of free space that you are encroaching upon the page file space alone should not affect performance. If you don't replace the existing one, you might benefit from pushing data onto an external so that your applications games have more room.

Neither of these requires going to someone to make the upgrade. In fact, your laptop's manual or its online equivalent clearly describes the process, and there are no doubt many guides online. Getting to and swapping the video card is also pretty straightforward, actually, but read below for some of my thoughts on that.

Originally Posted by Eldezar

2. Don't go to geek squad. If you can read a diagram and are handy with a screwdriver, you will save so much money.

3. http://www.pcworld.com/article/14890...hics_card.html i.e. don't bother.

I agree with your assessment of the battery, for what that's worth. But 2 and 3 as quoted here seem to contradict one another, and I side with 2. I've taken apart a laptop to get at the video card (the Inspiron e1750, which is constructed practically the same but bigger), and it's really not difficult. One just must be confident in their ability to take apart the various pieces -- and it also helps to label everything (for each part/area, I labeled a small baggie and collected the screws, plates, etc.) for when you have to put it all back together. It's not as easy as a sliding off the side of a desktop case and tossing in a new card, but it's also not a herculean task. However, my assessment of the task may be skewed by my comfort level with computers and electronics and having tinkered around inside them for some time.

The important thing to consider, however, is if the laptop in question is even capable of handling a newer/different card. I don't know what the 1520 supposedly can have in it [both with respect to physical space inside and computing power]. I must admit that I don't know the best way to confirm what the 1520 can and cannot take in terms of cards, so I'd be fluttering around the Interbuttmotron via Google and review sites to see what folks successfully crammed into one. Then I, too, would recommend Newegg over most other sites; however, it's possible to find good deals at your local Best Buy or through other online retailers - just comparison shop once you know what you want.



Now, all that said, let's think about this.
If you upgrade the video card, even if you do the work yourself, you're looking at a hundred or a few hundred to purchase the card. You'll need 50-80 bucks for a new hard drive (250 GB size used to estimate). Chances are a new battery will run you another 50 bucks or so. That's ranging from ~200 to 400 dollars depending on just three upgrades. If you save up some more, you can get a new laptop. Or, as SWB is suggesting, build a new desktop. It may not be high-end, but you can likely set up better specs than what you are running (not that your 1520 has bad specs by any means).

[Azisien]

It disgusts me that it's almost more economical to buy a new laptop over repair broken pieces/upgrade aging pieces, but it is more or less as Synk says.

My laptop cost $800 brand new, and 4 years later the battery went defective. It was going to cost $100 to replace it. Fuck, a netbook that's like 25% more powerful nowadays is only $300.

For just replacing the battery, you could consult the manufacturer for a replacement. If they don't have it/its too expensive, ebay and so on.

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by synkr0nized

Now, all that said, let's think about this.
If you upgrade the video card, even if you do the work yourself, you're looking at a hundred or a few hundred to purchase the card. You'll need 50-80 bucks for a new hard drive (250 GB size used to estimate). Chances are a new battery will run you another 50 bucks or so. That's ranging from ~200 to 400 dollars depending on just three upgrades. If you save up some more, you can get a new laptop. Or, as SWB is suggesting, build a new desktop. It may not be high-end, but you can likely set up better specs than what you are running (not that your 1520 has bad specs by any means).

...Based on preliminary searches, it looks like in the past two years, Dell hasn't done much advancing with its Nvidia video card technology for laptops. I've found one very minor upgrade over the 8600 version I have currently installed, but it's not worth $150+ for a very minor performance bump, particularly when this lappy can play the likes of ME2. I was hoping in the past couple years the technology has advanced further, and it certainly has -- but apparently not with graphics cards for these laptops. Admittingly, I purchased the best possible graphics card option at the time two years ago...so that might explain things.

If I can solve the "can't reinstall Windows XP" issue, I'm now a bit more interested in a possible hard drive upgrade. Looks like it'd be easier to pull off, and fairly cheap to essentially double my available space. Since I'm satisfied with my Intel processors and my RAM (2 GB, I think? Can't recall offhand. 2 something. With Windows XP, it's great,)

My laptop actually cost me more than $1700 two years ago. I'm sure the price for a similar laptop has declined substantially, but for a laptop with the upgrades I'm looking for...I'd imagine it'd run me another $1700 for a new one. I'm only concerned about the hard drive space (and the battery) now and it looks like I might actually need to wait a couple more years before considering a video card. And this computer still works well and has solid parts.
So all in all, it sounds much cheaper to just consider a couple upgrades...?