Bruinator Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 (edited) Hi, I have an asus x550za laptop, I was wondering if there things inside it that i can upgrade? TIA Edited November 16, 2018 by Jason S. thread title changed for accuracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted November 9, 2018 Moderator Share Posted November 9, 2018 HDD/SSD, RAM, Maybe replace wireless card, really could get an RGB keyboard if you want one... Laptops aren't that upgradable like desktops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevTech Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 6 hours ago, Bruinator said: Hi, I have an asus x550za laptop, I was wondering if there things inside it that i can upgrade? TIA https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-X550ZA-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00YR6BMOQ It comes with 8 gig DDR3L - there are 2 slots, so if you currently have a single 8, just add 8 - if you currently have two 4 gig then buy two 8 gigs http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/x550za/CT7283887 Then get rid of the useless optical drive with this: https://www.amazon.com/X550JX-X550JK-Optical-Enclosure-Replacement/dp/B076KM9ZWN depending on the BIOS you can install a SSD in that and boot from it or else if the boot order is hardwired, you will need to put the current 1TB hard drive in that and put the new SSD inside. Samsung 860 is the one to get: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147674 It might be possible to upgrade the extra crappy 1360 x 768 LCD if ASUS ever made a FHD 1920 x 1080 for that chassis but you will have to hunt through Ebay for that. You are stuck with the crappy AMD CPU One advantage is the laptop is old enough to be easy to open: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Asus+X550ZA-SA100603E+motherboard+Replacement/89271 The extra RAM and in particular the fantastic Samsung 860 will make an improvement you will notice. goretsky, DConnell, Jim K and 1 other 4 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruinator Posted November 9, 2018 Author Share Posted November 9, 2018 6 hours ago, DevTech said: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-X550ZA-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00YR6BMOQ It comes with 8 gig DDR3L - there are 2 slots, so if you currently have a single 8, just add 8 - if you currently have two 4 gig then buy two 8 gigs http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/x550za/CT7283887 Then get rid of the useless optical drive with this: https://www.amazon.com/X550JX-X550JK-Optical-Enclosure-Replacement/dp/B076KM9ZWN depending on the BIOS you can install a SSD in that and boot from it or else if the boot order is hardwired, you will need to put the current 1TB hard drive in that and put the new SSD inside. Samsung 860 is the one to get: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147674 It might be possible to upgrade the extra crappy 1360 x 768 LCD if ASUS ever made a FHD 1920 x 1080 for that chassis but you will have to hunt through Ebay for that. You are stuck with the crappy AMD CPU One advantage is the laptop is old enough to be easy to open: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Asus+X550ZA-SA100603E+motherboard+Replacement/89271 The extra RAM and in particular the fantastic Samsung 860 will make an improvement you will notice. This is very helpful. Thx for putting in the time on a such detailed, informative post. I appreciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anibal P Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Unpopular opinion, but, save your money and buy something better All you;re going to do is extend the life of a crap device, doesn't seem worth the effort or money +BudMan and Mindovermaster 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted November 11, 2018 Moderator Share Posted November 11, 2018 41 minutes ago, Anibal P said: Unpopular opinion, but, save your money and buy something better All you;re going to do is extend the life of a crap device, doesn't seem worth the effort or money Well, that, too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceelf Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 I'd use that machine if I replaced the HD with an SSD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted November 11, 2018 Moderator Share Posted November 11, 2018 2 minutes ago, LostCat said: I'd use that machine if I replaced the HD with an SSD. For a quick fix, yes. But is it going to last 5 more years? No, By that time, it will be hard to find said parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted November 11, 2018 Global Moderator Share Posted November 11, 2018 @ OP .... I would just take DevTech's advice. I would personally put the priority on replacing the HDD with a SSD ... and than add on another 8GB (if within your budget). However, the SSD would be the best bang-for-the-buck upgrade. Heck, when/if the notebook dies (or gets replaced) ... you can always slap the SSD into another system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceelf Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 2 hours ago, Mindovermaster said: For a quick fix, yes. But is it going to last 5 more years? No, By that time, it will be hard to find said parts. Are any machines going to last five more years? I'd say it's good for at least two or three, and by that time he can probably afford a much better box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted November 12, 2018 Moderator Share Posted November 12, 2018 31 minutes ago, LostCat said: Are any machines going to last five more years? I'd say it's good for at least two or three, and by that time he can probably afford a much better box. My old Dell Vostro 15 laptop from ~2003 still works. Yes it is slow as molasses, yes the hinge on it is broken, not everything works on it, (wifi) but it still WORKS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceelf Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said: My old Dell Vostro 15 laptop from ~2003 still works. Yes it is slow as molasses, yes the hinge on it is broken, not everything works on it, (wifi) but it still WORKS. Sorry, I didn't mean it wouldn't function. I meant it'd probably be replaced by something better. I don't know how long other people keep their kit in use, but for me 2-3 years is usually about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted November 12, 2018 Moderator Share Posted November 12, 2018 2 minutes ago, LostCat said: Sorry, I didn't mean it wouldn't function. I meant it'd probably be replaced by something better. I don't know how long other people keep their kit in use, but for me 2-3 years is usually about right. Well, it all depends on the CPU and what else is available. I mean, some Kaby Lake sockets are still kicking. But yeah, I usually upgrade/change my computer drastically every 2 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevTech Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 21 minutes ago, LostCat said: Sorry, I didn't mean it wouldn't function. I meant it'd probably be replaced by something better. I don't know how long other people keep their kit in use, but for me 2-3 years is usually about right. Good grief, you have a damaged tech imagination circuit! 1st Rule: keep all equipment in good shape and apply reasonable updates and never retire it to "old age home for digital lifeforms" Your old laptops and desktops need to multiply like Tribbles which not only complies with the top of the "save the environment" pyramid - Reuse is much cleaner than Recycle but surrounds you with an ever increasing variety of new family digital lifeform members... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Tribbles So many uses, never enough computers: routers (ipfire.org), access points, servers, media servers, NAS, weather monitors, crypto-coin miners, SETI, home environment control, access terminals to your home LAN in every room, voice recognition, intelligent "Smart Mirror" displays, security monitors, and take a giant sledgehammer to your basement wall and conduct a "Hole in the Wall" experiment! https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/old-laptop-screen-magic-mirror/ In early 1999, some colleagues and I sunk a computer into the opening of a wall near our office in Kalkaji, New Delhi. The area was located in an expansive slum, with desperately poor people struggling to survive. The screen was visible from the street, and the PC was available to anyone who passed by. The computer had online access and a number of programs that could be used, but no instructions were given for its use. What happened next astonished us. Children came running out of the nearest slum and glued themselves to the computer. They couldn't get enough. They began to click and explore. They began to learn how to use this strange thing. A few hours later, a visibly surprised Vivek said the children were actually surfing the Web Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted November 12, 2018 Veteran Share Posted November 12, 2018 18 hours ago, Mindovermaster said: Well, it all depends on the CPU and what else is available. I mean, some Kaby Lake sockets are still kicking. But yeah, I usually upgrade/change my computer drastically every 2 years. Kaby Lake processors are still being sold in new machines. 2 years is a bit much tbh. I have a few computers that are 4-5 years old and still run plenty fast for most things. Am I going to run the latest games on them, probably not...can I do some basic things on them like streaming HD video and banking, yes. And besides, gaming is more the GPU than the CPU...of which those older computers have a crappy onboard GPU and an ok CPU, all in ones and laptops are hard to upgrade GPU's on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted November 13, 2018 Moderator Share Posted November 13, 2018 3 hours ago, sc302 said: Kaby Lake processors are still being sold in new machines. 2 years is a bit much tbh. I have a few computers that are 4-5 years old and still run plenty fast for most things. Am I going to run the latest games on them, probably not...can I do some basic things on them like streaming HD video and banking, yes. And besides, gaming is more the GPU than the CPU...of which those older computers have a crappy onboard GPU and an ok CPU, all in ones and laptops are hard to upgrade GPU's on. I think I meant Foxhollow. Circa 2009. But anyway, yeah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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