Would like to increase my Gateway Solo 2550 laptop speed

My Gateway Solo 2550 Laptop (running Windows XP), which I believe I purchased in 1999, is too slow for modern day Internet usage and non internet usage. I would like to make out its speed. I suspect that this means adding memory chips that max out the memory and perhaps adding a different processor chip. I think it is running off an Intel Pentium III Processor.

I don't know how to upgrade the chips, but I suspect I just get new ones, open up the laptop, and switch them in.

My questions: what chips can I buy for the Gateway Solo 2550 Laptop that will significantly increase its operating speed and what do I need to do to add the chips to the computer. Thanks.

 

http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/Solo_Series/P2550/p255044.shtml
the highest speed given for this is 700MHz.
Do yourself a favor and save your money. You'd do much better putting it towards a notebook running at a much faster speed.

 

I agree 100% with plodr. This laptop is about 10 years old, that's like 40 in PC years. Spending any more money on it is not cost effective: the ratio of money spent to performance increase is pathetic. Laptops are not known to be greatly upgradeable; you can add memory and a faster hard drive, but that's about it. In your situation, formatting the hard drive and reloading Windows XP clean is probably a real good idea. If you have 512mb of RAM and a clean install, it should run pretty well. It will never be fast, but it should be bearable for basic use. If you're determined to add memory, it is really easy. Most laptops have a compartment on the bottom that just has one or two tiny screws securing it. Open it up (unplug the AC adapter and remove the main battery first) and you'll see the memory chips. There's "arms" on each end; these arms are flexible and are designed to pushed out and away from the chip gently; when they have cleared the notch in the memory stick, the memory stick should kind of 'pop up' and will be easy to grab and remove. If this sounds like it's confusing, it really isn't, but you can probably download the laptop manual from Gateway. It should have full instructions with photos detailing the memory replacement procedure.

 

Have to agree with both of the posts above. You will end up spending a lot more on parts for this PC (you will be significantly limited in your options) than you would on more modern parts. The problem lays in older PCs' are not having their parts "mass-produced" anymore with all companies changing their production lines to mass produce modern "in demand" components. So older parts are coming from either a. limited stockpiles or b. are more expensive to produce and thus cost more. Also they thermal design of older PCs' means they cannot efficiently cool the system and heat becomes a significant limiting factor wrt to speed.

I had a friend who ran CCleaner Slim (No Toolbar) 2.10.618 which found 5Gb of rubbish files on his PC, we cleaned them out and he found "significant" improvements. I would look more at software "tweaking" than hardware.

 

I bought the laptop for $2,000+. I just upgrated the laptop to Windows XP about three weeks ago ($100). There is nothing on it but Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2007, and access to the Interet. I clean up every day via CCleaner, and a few other things. My kids have become discouraged using the computer to play kids internet games. Microsoft word works fine, however.

The CD disc reader doesn't work well (see http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=167550 ) and, although the computer indicates that the battery is fully charged, the computer immediately shuts off if the power supply from the power cord is cut off. In other words, the laptop isn't able to run off the battery. And yes, the computer fan seems to run all the time when they are on the internet. I then would try to CC clean the harddrive and Delete Brouser History, but that would not make much change in the speed. It never occured to me that the heat generated in accessing Internet games could be slowing down the laptop.

It looks like the best I can do is 700MHz and 512mb of RAM.

Here's the stats of the laptop:

System Name BCOMPUTER
System Manufacturer Gateway
System Model Solo 2550
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 1 GenuineIntel ~448 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Gateway 15.00, 10/20/1999
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Total Physical Memory 224.00 MB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

It looks like the "Intel Mobile Pentium III 700-megahertz" ("Intel Mobile Pentium III 700MHz Processor") is about $13. ( http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Intel+Mobile+Pentium+III+700MHz+Processor&btnG=Google+Search ) How much would the 512mb of RAM be? I'm willing to dump in another $100 to the laptop and perhaps get a year or two more use out of it.

To upgrade to 700MHz and 512mb, what do you suggest I purchase and how much do you think it would be? Any other suggestions on how to update any of the software for the above items or other inexpensive improvements I can make would be most appreciated. Thanks!

 

If you go to crucial (I trust them on knowing about all memory)
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Solo 2500 Series
the maximum memory that your laptop will hold is 288MB of RAM. So you couldn't put in 512MB. Nothing you throw into it will make a 1999 laptop go at an acceptable pace running XP.
I too had an old notebook which cost $$$$ but it just wasn't worth updating. I was fortunate that memory I removed from a newer notebook when I updated fit into the old one. Running windows 2000 with 256MB of RAM was still slow. I donated to someone who didn't have a computer.

Also memory for an older notebook is expensive.
Here are some refurbed notebooks for less than $400 all operating above 1000MHz. You will notice that it is faster than what you are currently using.
http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=NBB

If you are afraid to go refurbed, here is an idea of a new laptop
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...name=CQ50Z_series&a1=Brand&v1=Compaq+Presario

 

I would be really impressed if you were able to remove the old CPU and install a new one. I'd me even more impressed if the 'upgrade' showed any real increase in preformance. It also sounds like the battery is faulty. The lifespan of a new laptop battery is 4 years MAX. this is true of new laptops batteries built today. They simply do not last long (even though 4 years is an eon in computer years). So, your battery is dead. A replacement will cost about what the laptop is worth, $60-$100. So, follow plodr's advice and buy some newer gear. He provided some great links. If the current old laptop runs Word and other office apps OK, then maybe you should jut useit for office work until you get something else. If all you really do is office type work, then a fast laptop won't make much of a difference, because Office is Office. It may open a bit quicker, and save and close a bit quicker, but other than that, Office isn't really something that requires any type of "horsepower".

 

Wow that is an excellent link plodr for the 2nd hand laptops.

As far as replacing the CPU as $13 is a very nice price here are some sites that may give you some guides on how to do it. Even if your Laptop make/model isn't listed you can follow the guides as they are all quite similar:

Installing Laptop Memory

http://repair4laptop.org/notebook_hard_drive.html

http://www.irisvista.com/tech/

Have a look through those and you will find some excellent guides.

 

plodr: "Nothing you throw into it will make a 1999 laptop go at an acceptable pace running XP." Wow, that hit me like a ton of bricks ($2,000 worth). I upgraded from windows 98 to XP 'cause windows 98 doesn't work well on the internet. dlb:"I'd me even more impressed if the 'upgrade' showed any real increase in preformance." Putting her out to pasture means I would be out the $100 I recently paid to upgrade to XP, but it just doesn't seem to be worth putting more money into it. Both my three and five year olds have turned their noses up at it and won't use it anymore because it is too slow to play their internet games.

Bold Eagle's links are good. It looks like my options are to either donate/sell the laptop or use it as a teaching tool to teach my kids how computers work by following the procedures at the links Bold Eagle provided.

Thanks everyone for helping me figure out my options.