So many people have found my CPU upgrade on this laptop helpful it’s amazing! I’m happy to have helped you all upgrade your computers for only about $40 and I hope you enjoy them more now.
What else can we do on this thing? We can’t change out the video card, there are few laptops where you can. We can upgrade the hard drive… but big deal really. Make sure you are able to reinstall Windows 7 before buying a new hard drive by the way.
The only thing we can really do now is RAM. I’m looking at RAM now to upgrade to 4GB running dual-channel which will be another decent upgrade. It’s not going to be as big of an upgrade as the CPU I don’t think, but still should be nice.
Currently my 2GB stick is DDR2, NT2GT64U8HD0BN-AD, PC2-6400 from Nanya. I looks like it’s CL-6 (CAS Latency Wikipedia), and you might be able to get CL-5 but if it’s a lot more it’s not going to be worth it for me as this is just a work computer, no games.
If you’ve done the CPU upgrade already then you know how easy the RAM upgrade will be! For those of you who need pointers it’s as easy as this:
1- Turn off the computer and remove the battery
2- Locate the RAM cover (the big one in the center) and remove it
3- Remove the top stick of RAM
4- Properly insert the new stick of RAM. Put the gold contacts into the slot with the RAM stick at a 45 degree angle, then press the RAM downward and it will pop into place and be locked down if done properly.
5- Put the RAM door back on, put the battery in and start the laptop
You’re done!
It might be awhile before I pick up some RAM, I’m not in a huge rush to be honest. Anybody else upgraded theirs yet? Make sure your sticks match so you can run dual channel and make sure it’s switched on in the BIOS or the upgrade isn’t worth the money!
To replace my 9″ netbook computer I bought a 15″ widescreen Acer laptop with 64 Bit Windows 7. The laptop comes with a 64 bit AMD TF-20 CPU which is single core running at 1.6Ghz. The real weakness of the laptop seems to be the CPU, so I’m buying an upgraded CPU on eBay for only $19!
** Here is an Acer user manual where you can find detailed instructions for this upgrade! Aspire Service Manual_5517.pdf
The TF-20 CPU is a single 64 Bit core running at 1.6 Ghz, and from what I’ve been able to find online you can replace it with any of the TL-50 and maybe even TL-60 series CPU’s! You just need to make sure the new CPU uses the same voltage so that you don’t have a problem with too much heat from the CPU.
*** ATTENTION *** Many have stated in the comments of this post that they have problems getting a TL-58 to work properly. I highly suggest sticking with a TL-56; it should work no problem!!
ALSO: Many people want to upgrade their RAM from 3GB to 4GB to run dual-channel mode. Here are my recommendations for RAM upgrades:
I decided to get the TL-56 as it’s a dual core 64 Bit CPU at 1.8 Ghz with a 2x 512MB cache and it’s only $19… so how can you go wrong?
I’ve been repairing laptops, digital cameras and other electronics for years, but if you are a little nervous here are the steps required to switch out the CPU.
This repair took me less than 30 minutes to tear down and then rebuild. This is not a difficult repair, don’t get stressed out about it!
FIRST: Turn off the laptop and remove the battery. Now…
1. Remove the hard drive, memory, and the wireless network card.
2. Remove any screw you find at the bottom of laptop. You can now remove the DVD module, and it would also be a good idea to remove the LCD hinge covers (they pop out easily).
3. The next step is to remove the center strip (the strip where the power button is located). Open the LCD screen as far as it will go. Along the back edge of the center strip, at the recesses for the LCD screen hinges, you will notice there is a slight overhang. Using a small screwdriver, gently pry up on the overhang. The center strip, should begin to lift up. Once this happens, you can lift up the center strip along its length by hand and you should be able to remove the strip.
4. Remove the keyboard. There are no screws holding it in place and it should pop right out. Remove its ribbon cable from the motherboard.
5. Unplug the main connector for the LCD on the left. Next, pop all wires coming from the LCD out of their holders. You are now ready to remove the LCD. Remove the 4 screws holding the LCD in place. Once the screws are taken out lift the LCD out. You will be able to pull the wires through the hole and completely remove LCD.
6. On each side of laptop, there is a small two pin wire connector. The left side is black/white, the right side black/red. These are the speaker connectors. Unplug each connector.
7. Along the back edge of laptop, you will now see three recess that look like screw holes, but are the color of the laptop. These are screws, but each have an adhesive cover. Using a very small knife (an X-acto knife works best) gently pry off each cover and put off to the side to reuse. Remove these screws.
8. Now, under where the keyboard was , you should see 5 screws. Before removing the 5 screws, there are two ribbon cables (1 wide, 1 narrow) that come from the inside of the top of the case to the MB. It is best to disconnect these before removing the 5 screws. Also, besides those 5 screws underneath the keyboard, I failed to mention the sixth screw, underneath where the right LCD hinge would be. Remove these screws. Once done, you should now be able to separate the two halves of the case.
9. The bottom half of the case contains the motherboard. There is one screw holding it in place, on the bottom right. Remove this screw. The motherboard can now be removed and the laptop is now completely disassembled.
I hope this guide helps those of you trying to upgrade the processor. I just installed the TL-56 I bought and am in the process of assembling he laptop. I will post my thoughts on the TL-56 later today.
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Observations:
I had some trouble with finding the 4 screws underneath the LCD between the hinges. They were covered with plastic stickers and it took me a while to figure out they were just stickers and I could peel them off. Just peel them off and stick them to the case beside their holes, then put them back on after you put the screw in.
Also, make sure you reconnect the touchpad cable properly or it will not work, and the keyboard cable goes “under” the locking tab though it may look to you like it should go “over” it. You will see what I mean when you have it open.
I hope this helps, I will let you know what I get figured out from my upgrade.
