Laptop uprades

[format]

Ok, so my girlfriend is going to South Africa over the summer for a few months (AIDS charity work) and I figure this would be an ideal time to give her laptop some new shiny upgrades.
She has been pestering me for some time now to do so I asked her to leave it with me when she goes.
Its a Dell Inspiron 1300

specs -

Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
Processor Type: Intel Celeron M
Hard Drive Capacity: 60 GB
Memory (RAM): 512 mb
Screen Size: 15.4 inches - widescreen
Primary Drive: DVD+/-RW

So I'm thinking

New HDD
New RAM
New battery.
Possibly install Linux ( not much experience here )

Trouble is, despite having built my own PC from scratch, I've no idea about laptops, I've never even taken one apart.
I'm hoping its not much different from a PC but any advice or help you guys could give me would be great.

Thanks!

[Biscuit]

Dell Inspiron 1300/B120/B130 Service Manual

Here is the service manual for the inspiron 1300, should be able to use this to guide you through the process of taking it apart.

Im kind of educated guessing with these parts as i dont know the full spec of the machine but i would say you need these kind of hard drives (2.5" IDE);
Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

And this kind of ram (DDR SODIMM)
Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

Not sure about batterier you may have to contact dell.

Remember these are educated guess' so i would check before you purchase anything

[s3ds]

for memory upgrade to laptops i use

https://www.crucial.com/

uk

Memory upgrades, flash media, and usb storage at Crucial.com

not sure why lol as i dont for desktops

[hermeticist]

I was really impressed with crucial, bought 2GB of DDR2 SODIMM with free delivery (expecting to wait 3-5 days). Ordered in the evening, arrived next morning - installed perfectly. What more could you ask for?

[staffsMike]

At a guess these upgrades are going to cost £140 - £150 for worth while upgrades (1GB RAM, 120GB HDD and new battery)

So why not suprise her with a shinny new laptop, you could probably get something dual core for around £300 Big pockets sell some nice refurbs also, might be worth looking there, and MCS MCS Technology Ltd > Dell Inspiron & XPS (Refurbed by DELL) 3yr On-Site Warranty

Just an idea.

But as has been suggested crucial are a good way to go for RAM, it should be a 2.5" IDE so biscuits suggestion is good there and the battery should be around £65 by the looks of a quick froogle.

Dells are simple to upgrade in the area's you want to.

The hard drive will be in a little caddy with a special connector on the end, it's 6 or so screws to get it out normally but they are very easy access.

RAM is normally accessed from the bottom by a couple of screws.. bit tricky to fit the first time you do it but take your time and it's easy enough. Worst case is.. it's under the keyboard which is slightly more annoying.

[arthurleung]

Well, 1GB ram will probably cost a lot given its DDR ram not DDR2
Harddrive, however is cheap at 55 quids for 250GB.

Battery is like 30 quids on ebay.
I recently found out that shops in Hong Kong / China build batteries to order using empty shell and new cells, so they might be even better than original one (which could have been lying in the warehouse for 1~2 years and only have half the charge left)

[format]

Cheers guys.
By the sounds of it the battery will be the most expensive...
Is ebay really a good idea for it?
If the upgrades come to more than 150 then I might just buy her a new one like Mike said.... depending on the funds... I have some things I'd like for myself first - 22" monitor and new speakers

[format]

Found this

# 15.4-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) CCFL TrueLife (glossy) screen
# 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7250 processor
# 2GB DDR2-667 SDRAM (up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM available)
# 120GB 5400 RPM SATA HDD
# 8x Dual-layer DVD±RW drive
# Video: Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
# Wireless: Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card

on that MCS site.
Looks like a decent deal for 250

[staffsMike]

Yeah if you don't want to buy now just keep an eye out they have loads of stock passing through all the time

[Steve B]

format, where is she going in South Africa?

[format]

Uhm... a small village in the northeast as far as I know?
If you are very interested I'll get back to you about it, its part of the SVA group.
She's actually having a fundraiser tonight, there will be bands and a raffle!
Prizes incl. a £10 voucher for the really good cheese shop on Great Western Road