The $348 Acer Laptop Upgrading Craze
If you had purchased a US$348 notebook from Walmart last Christmas, it could very well have been the Acer Aspire 5315. This sub-$400 notebook came equipped with an 80GB hard drive, 512MBs of RAM, 15.4 inch glossy widescreen and a 1.73Ghz Celeron M540 Processor.
Though performance was zippy with the single core, many buyers of the budget notebook had gripes about its poor battery life and high chassis temperature. This was due to it’s Celeron processor, which does not have Intel SpeedStep Technology.
The Acer notebook upgrading craze was started when modders realised that the 5315 utilised the Intel GM965 chipset - a chipset compatible with Core 2 Duo processors. For just US$50 to US$100 more (eBay), they could replace the Celeron with a Core 2 Duo!
The upgraded 5315s are reported to have longer battery lives (3hr 45 mins, up from 1hr 45 mins) and less heat (45degrees, versus 50-60 degrees with the Celeron). Total cost of budget notebook plus Core 2 Duo, US$479. Average cost of a Core 2 Duo laptop of the same caliber, US$956++. An almost US$500 in savings for equivalent performance!
If you own an Acer notebook with a Celeron processor and feel courageous enough to perform the open-cpu-surgery, check out these forum threads at Notebook Forums:
Acer 3680-2633 to T5300 Core 2 Duo
Acer Aspire 5315 to T5450 Core 2 Duo
There is also the possibility of upgrading one of Acer’s newer budget offerings, the Acer Travelmate 6252. The notebook sports a 12.1inch glossy widescreen, 1GB RAM, 120GB hard disk, a 1.73Ghz Celeron M530 and an Intel GM965 Chipset.
Best of Luck!
