what can i do with my T1350 core solo (mem upgrade)

well i got my greedy little hands on the hp6103nr (ala the bestbuy black friday $380 laptop). its a great little bargain system and is serving quite well running utorrent and TVersity to my xbox 360. Considering this laptop is a bargain system I do not want to spend much more into it than I already have. Thus defeating the purpose of this cheapo laptop. But since it does use a core solo chip I have some posibilities to expand.... Which brings me to my question about memory.

i did some research about the t1350 core solo and it appears it is the only core solo running at a 533fsb @ 1.86ghz, (found here) as for memory this system includes 2 x 256 ddr2 chips rated at 'supposed' 667mhz, but my guess thats a mistake on HP's site and they are 533mhz. I havent really found a strict answer for these core processors (mind the ignorance) and ddr2 memory, but are they running in dual channel mode? hence the reasoning behind the paired 256mb? I moreover was going to order a single 1gig chip to go along with a 256 (bringing total to 1280mb) but can that be done without a hit in performance? will it run limp doing so? Do i require 2 x 512mb to bring system ram to 1gig?

As for expanding the CPU options, since the board appears to run a 533mhz fsb (being the T1350 and not the T1300 or T1400)and a locked bios what options do i have replacing the cpu for a core duo/core 2 duo?

the ram in that laptop is probably "rated" at 667mhz, but it will be running at 533mhz, just like you suspected.

also, you are correct to assume that you will need to get 2x512mb in order to keep your dual channel config. loosing dual channel won't KILL performance, but it certainly does not help. i would try to find a set.

and i'm fairly certain you can upgrade to any of the Core Duo's (yonah) but i'm really not sure about the Core 2 Duo's (merom)....i would think not, but someone might know for sure.

that is a sweet deal you got on the laptop. i'm using a very similar machine for school, a compaq nc8230 (although its got hp badges all over it), 1.73ghz however. its a school laptop, and they make you sign an agreement, and the price they had in the agreement was something like $2200. LOL. when i'm done my classes, they will "let me" purchase it for a mere $800..

thanks beatbox, i was almost certain about the dual channel setup being an AMD guy but we can hope otherwise. About that i'm still debating if 1gig of ram is justifiable for $100 on this already sub $400 laptop. Not to mention if the increase will be that great. Although running a bittorrent client, aim, and a TVserity media server, it does tend to choke and require a bit of hd spin switching apps between ie7 and wmp11. but will 1gig cure this entirely?

but i should mention i believe there is a free vista upgrade, which i have a mail in rebate for from bestbuy. there i can see that maybe requiring more than just 1gig of ram.

as for the CPU, since i'm at 533mhz fsb, will the motherboard support a 667mhz fsb cpu? anybody have experience with upgrading a brand name laptop cpu from 533 to 667mhz?

thanks again for the help

if you got a free upgrade to vista along with that, then that is an AMAZING deal. i really wish i had 1gig in my laptop, but it doesn't belong to me, so i could not justify the price. if you are planning on putting vista on it, i would for sure go with a gig.

the cpu i'm not entirely sure about. i'm sure someone with experience in upgrading those can chime in. i would think it would be a simple drop in, maybe a bios update, but i don't know for sure.

a dual core cpu would be a VERY nice upgrade on that system. you could turn that bargain laptop into a very capable machine, and it would still be a bargain laptop. i can't believe the deal you got, now that you mention the vista upgrade. nice work.

btw, welcome to the forums.

thanks again beatbox, i'm still trying to figure our my cpu upgrade options. hopefully bringing this topic up will prompt a response