Solved Will SSD boost my laptop perf lot more than regular HDD ?

[Itaregid]

Well, they have discovered that Li-ion batteries do suffer from memory effect too, but it is to such a lessor extent that is it not something we have to worry about. But you should, in fact, still fully discharge your Li-ion batteries every so often, but that is to re-calibrate the battery charge monitor circuits in the notebook.

The theory about newer systems (motherboard / BIOS) restricting upgrade options does sound convincing, though it turns out it's just another rumour.

Well, there are restrictions, but when it comes to RAM it is not to a specific brand. But in many cases, the chipset is only able to support certain size and speed RAM modules. So if the chipset supports up to 4GB sticks, you could not put an 8GB stick in there.

Now of course notebooks do tend to be very proprietary because all the makers refused to agree on a standard Form Factor like they did with the ATX Form Factor for PCs. If they had, there would be a thriving build it yourself notebook industry like there is with PCs. They refused because there is more profit going proprietary, but also there is HUGE competition to make the thinnest and lightest notebooks with the longest battery run times.

 

[rameshiyer]

Well, battery tech hasn't kept pace with laptop or smartphone tech at all. We need batteries which pack enough power to last atleast a day, esp. for laptops.

Yes, you are right on the RAM restrictions in motherboard / BIOS. My laptop model can use only upto 8Gb, and has two RAM slots, which means each slot can take only a 4Gb RAM module. This is understandable. But, it's tricky if motherboards / BIOSs become "smart" and start restricting RAM to a particular brand / make.

Yes, notebooks are non-standard products with each manufacturer having a dozen models with their own unique designs. That's probably because proprietary hardware n software give market-leaders the edge to charge customers as they please. Also, laptops are usually bought n used by businesses or self-employed professionals, and much less the home users. So, the likes of HP and Dell can get away with exorbitant prices for the laptops and parts and even AMCs. No wonder home PC users are happy with assembled desktop PCs which they can themselves upgrade as and when they please.

 

[Itaregid]

Note sure I agree about your assessment of battery technologies. For sure, most smartphones will last more than a day, unless you are talking 24/7.

The problem with notebooks is the makers are insisting users want PC power in the thinnest and lightest case possible with the biggest and brightest, highest resolution monitor possible. I think it is more the notebook industry is overstepping their limits rather expecting battery technologies to advance any faster.

Look at the brand new Samsung Galaxy S7 and the just announced global recall due to exploding batteries. Is that happening because the battery industry can't keep pace with technology designs, or just because of lousy (or non-existent) quality control during production? I think it more the latter.

But, it's tricky if motherboards / BIOSs become "smart" and start restricting RAM to a particular brand / make.

Sorry but that's ridiculous and a totally unrealistic "what if" scenario. There would be no reason for any computer maker (even Samsung who makes RAM), to limit their systems like that. Consumers would balk and so would Corsair, Crucial, Micron, and all the RAM makers.

 

[rameshiyer]

Fine, we'll skip the battery issue for now. But, computing or phone usage has changed radically in recent times, with people doing many tasks on their smartphones, that they did earlier only on their PCs / laptops. Hence, the need for all such devices to support all-day usage. That's my view.

As for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and even recently Note 7 battery recall issue, is it the fault of the electronics in the device or faulty batteries ?

I thought of the "what if" situation only because you mentioned about proprietary hardware being the issue with laptop makers. They could go to any extent to maintain their monopoly, can't they ? Unfortunately, competition makes some of the biggest corporate firms take a "short-cut" or give their customers more grief, just to retain market share.

 

[Itaregid]

is it the fault of the electronics in the device or faulty batteries ?

The batteries. Look at all the notebook battery recalls there have been. Look at the hoverboards that burned up (and burned down houses!).

As for proprietary notebooks, note I specifically talked about "form factors" - not component like RAM. The ATX Form Factor for PCs, for example, is what allows users to buy a EVGA power supply, Gigabyte motherboard, MSI graphics card, Seagate hard drive, Samsung SSD, and mount them all in a Fractal Design case and know all the mounting screws will line up and all the power and data connectors will fit, and all the devices will use the same voltages on the same pins. If you want to upgrade the graphics card next year, you have 1000s to choose from made by dozens of different makers.

Notebooks being proprietary means if you have a Sony notebook, you MUST buy a Sony (or Sony compatible) replacement battery. Same with the monitor display, etc. And other upgrade options will be very limited, if any. It is not that you must buy Sony because the BIOS blocks other brands. It is because 3rd party parts may not fit the proprietary case due to no industry standard "form factor".

 

[rameshiyer]

Okay, so batteries are the culprits !

So, it's the "form factors" which enable even small PC vendors easily assemble PCs customized to buyers' requirements, and also cheaper than branded ones with same specs. Too bad such a thing didn't happen for laptops. Would have been great for consumers !
But the way tech is shaping daily lives, many people are already doing much of their regular computing tasks on their smartphones / tablets. Seems the days of PC and laptops are numbered, and for good ;-)

 

[Itaregid]

So, it's the "form factors" which enable even small PC vendors easily assemble PCs customized to buyers' requirements

Not just small PC vendors, but individuals like you and me.

many people are already doing much of their regular computing tasks on their smartphones

This is old news now. PC sales have been in decline for several years now because more and more people are moving to handheld devices. That will only happen for me when they pry my full sized keyboard, mouse, surround sound and two 24 inch monitors from my cold, dead, hands.

 

[rameshiyer]

I agree @Itaregid. When I had a desktop PC at home, it was so much easier to just upgrade the RAM, HDD, or replace the keyboard &/ mouse all by myself. Now, with this damned laptop, I need to run to a service center to get even the keyboard replaced, forget upgrading the RAM / HDD myself (though I do it for out-of-warranty devices, like my laptop now ;-))

Yes, though it's "cool" to use smartphones or tablets for computing needs too, they just can't match the ease and convenience of using a desktop PC (not even a laptop, as screen sizes are ltd to 15.6"). Hereafter, I'll get only a desktop PC for home use with a large monitor, and regular kb & mouse, so I have control over how I use them - without having to worry about lugging them to a service center !

I also have a query on RAM if you can throw some light on this. I have noticed that besides my failing HGST HDD, there seems one more thing I noticed while wanting to consider RAM upgrade. The CPU-ID s/w shows that my laptop has integrated HD Graphics GPU chip and no separate nVidia / AMD graphic chip as some laptops do. However, it shows 2048Mb RAM allocated to it. So, as my laptop has 4Gb RAM, does it mean that the PC allocates 2Gb of it to the GPU and only 2Gb is available for OS and Applns ? I noticed a similar thing in my earlier laptop too, and after RAM upgrade to 8Gb, it did work much faster. Any thoughts ?

 

[Itaregid]

Yes, though it's "cool" to use smartphones or tablets for computing needs too, they just can't match the ease and convenience of using a desktop PC

I agree, but clearly many don't otherwise PC sales would not be suffering so badly over the last few years.

The CPU-ID s/w shows that my laptop has integrated HD Graphics GPU chip and no separate nVidia / AMD graphic chip as some laptops do

That's actually a good thing. Many of the most advanced CPUs have an integrated GPU. AMD calls these processors, APUs (Accelerated Processing Units). Intel just calls them processors with integrated graphics processor units. And these are generally better than motherboard integrated graphics because the data bus used to transfer data between the CPU and GPU is so much shorter and faster when integrated into the same "chip" or IC.

However, all processors need RAM to swap data into and out of. Graphics cards have their own RAM mounted right on the card. But integrated graphics typically steal... err... "share" a large chunk of system RAM. In your case, that is "up to" 2GB and yes that absolutely will impact system performance. You can probably limit this in your BIOS Setup Menu, but with today's computing tasks being so graphics intensive, having adequate amounts of RAM for the GPU is important too.

So if your system will support more RAM and you have a 64-bit operating system installed, I would consider adding more RAM.