Jump to content

old Acer travelmate 7730 idea

cyanite
By cyanite
in New Builds and Planning
 Share
Posted

Budget (including currency):  200€

Country: belgium

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: a bit of graphical work, like video editing and programming

Other details: its an old laptop that came out in 2008 or something, and its working slowly.

 

hello guys!

 

ive found an old acer travelmate 7730g at home, and i want to upgrade a few things here:

1) the graphics card (one with dx11 if that is possible)

2) the processor (also removable)

3) an ssd (nvme if possible)

4) more ram (8gb if possible)

5) eventuelly the cooling since its getting pretty hot in there right now...

6) and maybe upgrading windows 7 to 10.

 

but there are some things that made me come to this forum...

 

is it even possible to upgrade cooling?

is it possible to use a wifi card slot as nvme? (i have 2 slots)

is it possible to add 8 gb in such a laptop? (2 ddr2 ram slots)

if not, is 4gb enough?

will i be able to install an I3 in this laptop? (it has centrino duo now)

 

if u could help me and tell me how i could max it all out in this budget id be very happy. 

for the ssd storage, 120gb is enough.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
7 minutes ago, cyanite said:

1) the graphics card (one with dx11 if that is possible)

Nope. The only way to get a better GPU would be by using the WiFi-slot and that only works if the BIOS supports that and if the slot is mPCIe -- the laptop is so old that it might also be mPCI.

9 minutes ago, cyanite said:

3) an ssd (nvme if possible)

The BIOS won't support that for certain.

9 minutes ago, cyanite said:

4) more ram (8gb if possible)

Seems that 4GB is the max.

10 minutes ago, cyanite said:

is it even possible to upgrade cooling?

Yes, but you'll have to create it yourself. There is no ready-made aftermarket solution for you.

10 minutes ago, cyanite said:

will i be able to install an I3 in this laptop?

A quick Google-search would indicate that some Core 2 CPU is the best you can get.

 

11 minutes ago, cyanite said:

if u could help me and tell me how i could max it all out in this budget id be very happy.

No. You're FAR better off buying a used PC with your 200€ than trying to upgrade that thing.

Hand, n. A singular instrument worn at the end of the human arm and commonly thrust into somebody’s pocket.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
11 minutes ago, cyanite said:

the graphics card (one with dx11 if that is possible)

Not possible, its soldered.

12 minutes ago, cyanite said:

the processor (also removable)

If you awfully wanna roll the dice, look for Core 2 Duo P9400. And even that im not sure if the BIOS nor the board gonna support it.

15 minutes ago, cyanite said:

an ssd (nvme if possible)

Nvme is invented in 2011, long after this thing have run its course.

15 minutes ago, cyanite said:

more ram (8gb if possible)

64 Bit windows would be a massive drag on it, even if intel says its supported. And good luck finding DDR2 Sodimm beyond 2 gigabytes at reasonable price even on used market.

17 minutes ago, cyanite said:

eventuelly the cooling since its getting pretty hot in there right now...

Dust it. Clean the fans with compressed air and change the thermal paste.

18 minutes ago, cyanite said:

and maybe upgrading windows 7 to 10.

As i say, dont bother. Windows 7 might be pullable but i wouldnt even put a Windows 10 LTSC on that thing. Consider Linux.

18 minutes ago, cyanite said:

is it even possible to upgrade cooling?

Nope, unless if you know how to weld heatsinks together and hope that the law of diminishing return wont bite you in the ass.

19 minutes ago, cyanite said:

is it possible to use a wifi card slot as nvme? (i have 2 slots)

Again, that chipset is made way before nvme protocol is even introduced, so no.

20 minutes ago, cyanite said:

will i be able to install an I3 in this laptop? (it has centrino duo now)

The Core i naming scheme is made in 2010. Your laptop predates that.

21 minutes ago, cyanite said:

if u could help me and tell me how i could max it all out in this budget id be very happy.

I cant believe i need to do this, but hoo boy.

PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
Memory Mushkin Essentials 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR2-667 CL5 Memory $137.94 @ Amazon
Storage Kingston A400 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $24.99 @ Amazon
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total $162.93
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-05 10:04 EDT-0400  

And here's the 1 loner listing of that laptop on ebay, at 291 Bucks.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233823585494?hash=item3670f8c4d6:g:HDwAAOSw3o5f2fP1

 

By that stage of money i wouldve just go and blow extra 40$, go to a local cheap PC store (or auction lot for computers) and grab a core i3 sandy lake optiplex. It doesnt make any sense to upgrade that thing at all, even for tinkering.

Press quote to get a response from someone! | Check people's edited posts! | Be specific! | Trans Rights

I am human. I'm scared of the dark, and I get toothaches. My name is Frill. Don't pretend not to see me. I was born from the two of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

1) It looks like it might support a GPU upgrade as it isn't soldered, but I don't know that you'd be able to find anything compatible that would be worth putting any money into.

2) Yes, but only with other Core 2 Duos. I wouldn't personally bother.

3) That's a hard no. You need a SATA SSD.

4) From what I can tell 4GB is the max.

5) Not sure what you'd be able to do for cooling. Cleaning it and replacing the thermal paste can help.

6) It should run Windows 10 alright with an SSD.

And no, it does not support a Core i3 (or any i-series chip for that matter). 

3 minutes ago, SorryClaire said:

Not possible, its soldered.

64 Bit windows would be a massive drag on it, even if intel says its supported.

A couple things: the GPU isn't soldered from what I can tell, and 64-bit Windows will run perfectly fine, even with only 4GB of RAM. 

Phobos: AMD Ryzen 7 2700, 16GB 3000MHz DDR4, ASRock B450 Steel Legend, 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070, 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 1030, 1TB Samsung SSD 980, 450W Corsair CXM, Corsair Carbide 175R, Windows 10 Pro

 

Polaris: Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2, 32GB 1600MHz DDR3, ASRock X79 Extreme6, 12GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, 6GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, 1TB Crucial MX500, 750W Corsair RM750, Antec SX635, Windows 10 Pro

 

Pluto: Intel Core i7-2600, 32GB 1600MHz DDR3, ASUS P8Z68-V, 4GB XFX AMD Radeon RX 570, 8GB ASUS AMD Radeon RX 570, 1TB Samsung 860 EVO, 3TB Seagate BarraCuda, 750W EVGA BQ, Fractal Design Focus G, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations

 

York (NAS): Intel Core i5-2400, 16GB 1600MHz DDR3, HP Compaq OEM, 240GB Kingston V300 (boot), 3x2TB Seagate BarraCuda, 320W HP PSU, HP Compaq 6200 Pro, TrueNAS CORE (12.0)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, SorryClaire said:

Not possible, its soldered.

Can i inform you about Acers try to use MXM cards in their notebooks. Which was pretty useless since all their motherbords only supported 1 or 2 models.
But they are surely not soldered.

But upgrading a notebook (specialy this old) is not worht it.
Most you can do is new thermal paste and an Sata SSD.
Thats what i did to my 10 year old Acer and its still running fine (altho not that fast.)

When i ask for more specs, don't expect me to know the answer!
I'm just helping YOU to help YOURSELF!
(The more info you give the easier it is for others to help you out!)

Not willing to capitulate to the ignorance of the masses!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
2 minutes ago, HanZie82 said:

Can i inform you about Acers try to use MXM cards in their notebooks. Which was pretty useless since all their motherbords only supported 1 or 2 models.
But they are surely not soldered.

My reference is this PCB, and i cant find anything resembling MXM ports on it. So maybe its possible that i got the wrong layout?

 

Laptop Motherboard FOR ACER Aspire 7730 7730G MBAQG06001 (MB.AQG06.001) mainboard with 45days warranty|laptop motherboard acer|laptop motherboard problemlaptop motherboard form factor - AliExpress

Press quote to get a response from someone! | Check people's edited posts! | Be specific! | Trans Rights

I am human. I'm scared of the dark, and I get toothaches. My name is Frill. Don't pretend not to see me. I was born from the two of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
4 minutes ago, SorryClaire said:

My reference is this PCB, and i cant find anything resembling MXM ports on it. So maybe its possible that i got the wrong layout?

It seems @HanZie82is correct and there is an MXM-slot at the top-left, the large area covered by the black plastic. That said, finding a GPU for it will be difficult, if not impossible and entirely not worth the money.

Hand, n. A singular instrument worn at the end of the human arm and commonly thrust into somebody’s pocket.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
2 minutes ago, WereCatf said:

It seems @HanZie82is correct and there is an MXM-slot at the top-left, the large area covered by the black plastic.

Ah, gotcha.

Press quote to get a response from someone! | Check people's edited posts! | Be specific! | Trans Rights

I am human. I'm scared of the dark, and I get toothaches. My name is Frill. Don't pretend not to see me. I was born from the two of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
23 minutes ago, SorryClaire said:

Not possible, its soldered.

If you awfully wanna roll the dice, look for Core 2 Duo P9400. And even that im not sure if the BIOS nor the board gonna support it.

Nvme is invented in 2011, long after this thing have run its course.

64 Bit windows would be a massive drag on it, even if intel says its supported. And good luck finding DDR2 Sodimm beyond 2 gigabytes at reasonable price even on used market.

Dust it. Clean the fans with compressed air and change the thermal paste.

As i say, dont bother. Windows 7 might be pullable but i wouldnt even put a Windows 10 LTSC on that thing. Consider Linux.

Nope, unless if you know how to weld heatsinks together and hope that the law of diminishing return wont bite you in the ass.

Again, that chipset is made way before nvme protocol is even introduced, so no.

The Core i naming scheme is made in 2010. Your laptop predates that.

I cant believe i need to do this, but hoo boy.

PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
Memory Mushkin Essentials 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR2-667 CL5 Memory $137.94 @ Amazon
Storage Kingston A400 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $24.99 @ Amazon
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total $162.93
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-05 10:04 EDT-0400  

And here's the 1 loner listing of that laptop on ebay, at 291 Bucks.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233823585494?hash=item3670f8c4d6:g:HDwAAOSw3o5f2fP1

 

By that stage of money i wouldve just go and blow extra 40$, go to a local cheap PC store (or auction lot for computers) and grab a core i3 sandy lake optiplex. It doesnt make any sense to upgrade that thing at all, even for tinkering.

U say the gpu is soldered? It isnt, i did took it out some times to replace thermal pads and clean dust out of cooling, i just wanted to squeeze more out of the laptop, bu i see its just to old and il have to accept it.

 

Thanks anyways!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, cyanite said:

U say the gpu is soldered? It isnt, i did took it out some times to replace thermal pads and clean dust out of cooling

Yeah, i was wrong on that. Also on windows being ass on 64 bit, but imho if i want 64 bit apps on something that old ill run linux or debloated windows.

Press quote to get a response from someone! | Check people's edited posts! | Be specific! | Trans Rights

I am human. I'm scared of the dark, and I get toothaches. My name is Frill. Don't pretend not to see me. I was born from the two of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
22 hours ago, cyanite said:

U say the gpu is soldered? It isnt, i did took it out some times to replace thermal pads and clean dust out of cooling, i just wanted to squeeze more out of the laptop, bu i see its just to old and il have to accept it.

 

Thanks anyways!

Well there are also some differences in MXM ports, if i remember correctly.
I looked into changing GPU on my trusty old Acer 8930 long ago (also has MXM slot/port) but there were only 2 video cards the motherboard would accept (both not that great).

So your options might be limited anyway, only the GPU and also CPU for that matter work if the motherboard explicitly supports them which Acer did not do. (lots of work making motherboards compatible with many CPU and GPU's.)

Try and google to see if there is a compatibility list for it.

 

In the end i found it not worth trying to upgrade. Rather save up and buy a whole new notebook.

Cus thats what the manufacturer wants. Sell more stuff you dont really need. -Oh sorry almost going on a rant too here.

When i ask for more specs, don't expect me to know the answer!
I'm just helping YOU to help YOURSELF!
(The more info you give the easier it is for others to help you out!)

Not willing to capitulate to the ignorance of the masses!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing New Builds and Planning

×