Mobile Computing: Upgrading vs. Buying New

Shopping for a notebook? Better read this first.

James A. Martin

Feature: Upgrading Your Notebook

Buying a new notebook to ring in the New Year is awfully tempting. Tablet PCs have finally arrived, bringing some much-needed innovation to portable computer design. Today's subnotebooks often weigh just three or four pounds, yet no longer demand big sacrifices in performance and features in exchange. Many new notebooks include built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for wireless networking. And a few portable computers (from the likes of Sony and Apple) even offer built-in DVD burners.

Unfortunately, all these compelling new features come at a time when many people don't have the money for new gear. The good news: Many new technologies, including Bluetooth and DVD burners, as well as everyday components such as memory (which helps increase performance) and storage are available as add-ons to existing notebooks. And depending on your need, you may be able to upgrade your current portable for far less money than what it costs to purchase a new or even refurbished model.

But first, some caveats. If your notebook doubles as your desktop machine and you absolutely need the fastest mobile processor available, upgrading probably isn't for you. Or if your notebook needs have changed or will soon change dramatically-you're now on the road most of the time and need to ditch your heavy portable with a lightweight subnotebook, for instance-you're better off buying than upgrading.

Otherwise, upgrading makes great sense if you use your notebook as a second computer when you're on the road. It might be the way to go if you plan to primarily check e-mail, surf the Web, edit documents, or work on PowerPoint presentations. Finally, if you don't expect your notebook needs to change significantly in the next year, upgrading could be just the ticket.

Do the Math

Before you make any decisions, make a list of questions to ponder. What do you need in a notebook that you don't have? Why do you need it? And most importantly, how much will it cost to get what you need?

Recently, I compared the costs of upgrading my nearly three-year-old Dell Inspiron 3700 against the prices of a new low-end Inspiron and refurbished models on Dell's Web site. My Inspiron 3700 has a 500-MHz Pentium III processor, 128MB of memory, a 6GB hard drive, a 6X CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive, 56-kilobits-per-second modem, Windows 98, and Microsoft Office 2000. My thought was to use the Inspiron 3700 when traveling, instead of my desktop-replacement Inspiron 8100, which weighs several pounds more than the older portable.

To bring the 3700 up to par, I wanted to upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP Home and Microsoft Office XP. To run XP comfortably, I also wanted more memory. At PC Connection, the XP operating system upgrade is $99 and Microsoft Office XP Standard goes for $425. Total: $524.

Seeking a better deal, I found an XP upgrade on EBay described as unused and unregistered for the Buy-It-Now price of $85. More importantly, there were several Buy-It-Now offers of new, sealed, unregistered, full-install versions of Microsoft Office XP Standard (including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) for only $170. Total: $255, a savings of $269.

Next, I called Dell tech support to find out my 3700's memory capacity, if the computer has a DIMM slot available for adding memory, and if the 3700 is still under warranty. I learned I could expand up to 512MB, the notebook had one open memory slot, and the warranty is good until April 2003.

The type of memory my Inspiron uses is PC100 SDRAM, the tech support staffer pointed out, adding that I should make sure to buy memory compatible with what's already in my computer. He directed me to the Dell Web site, where I found a 256MB PC100 SDRAM memory module for $100.

Knowing I wouldn't want to do those installations myself, I asked a local computer repair shop how much they'd charge. Their quote, $250, seemed reasonable (for San Francisco, at any rate). That brought the upgrade tally (provided I buy the software on EBay) to $605.

Compare Upgrade Costs to New or Refurbished Computers

For comparison's sake, I searched the refurbished Inspirons at Dell's Web site. The closest equivalent was an Inspiron 3800 with a 650-MHz Pentium III chip, 128MB of memory, a 12GB hard drive, a 56-kbps modem, an 8X CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive, Microsoft Windows 2000, and Microsoft Works. Cost: $1383. While this option gave me more hard drive space, an incrementally faster processor and CD/DVD drive, I still wouldn't have an up-to-date operating system or the Office apps I'd need. And the cost was more than double the upgrade total.

Finally, I configured a new low-end Inspiron 2650 at Dell's Web site with a 1.5-GHz Intel Celeron processor, 384MB of memory, a 20GB hard drive, Windows XP Home, an integrated network card, a 56-kbps modem, a 24X CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, Microsoft Office XP Small Business, and a three-year limited warranty. The $1567 price tag was $962 more than the upgrade total. Enough said.

Check Out Other Upgrade Options

I also researched ways to add new technologies to old notebooks. Using PC Card or USB adapters from companies such as Belkin and IOGear, you can add USB 2.0 ports, FireWire ports, and Bluetooth networking cards, usually for less than $100 each.

3Com, Asante Technologies, and D-Link Systems are among the vendors offering Wi-Fi (802.11b) networking on PC Cards for $45 to $100. Use the PCWorld.com Product Finder to get the latest prices.

You can upgrade storage space by adding external hard drives, CD burners, and DVD recorders. They're available from a variety of vendors; prices depend on form factor, capacity, and interface. For external hard drives and CD burners, try Iomega's Web site. Go to the Sony site for information on an external DVD burner, the DRX500UL, that's compatible with all current DVD formats. You can use our Product Finder to find the best price on the Sony DRX500UL.

For the latest information on storage and product reviews, go to PCWorld.com.

To Upgrade or Not?

Ultimately, I finally opened my stock portfolio statements that had been piling up for the last six months and decided to forgo any tech expenditures until next spring. But I learned a valuable lesson: Next time I decide I need a new notebook, I'll look into upgrading the one I have first.

Notebooks & Accessories

News: Inflatable Speakers

Shopping for the MP3 nut who has (or wants) everything? Ellula's inflatable HotAir speakers should float their boat. The speakers, when blown up, grow from two to nine inches tall and can be used with MP3 players, notebooks, and other portable devices. A built-in amplifier is powered by batteries or an optional AC adapter. The speakers come in various models, including one that resembles a Budweiser beer can. As for sound quality, the HotAir speakers were designed with spring break revelers rather than Chopin aficionados in mind. Ellula is based in the U.K. One of the few retailers currently selling HotAir speakers (for $49) in the United States is Audiovideoman.com.

News: Pixie Dust From Big Blue

IBM has enhanced its "Pixie Dust" technology, which packs data more tightly onto hard drives, resulting in an internal 80GB drive for notebooks that breaks through the current 60GB limit. IBM's drive is expected to be available in notebooks early next year.

News: Faster Wi-Fi Built Into Toshiba Notebook

Toshiba's new Satellite 6100 Pro business notebooks will include an 802.11a wireless radio module by year's end. Though 802.11b (also known as Wi-Fi) is the most common wireless LAN standard, the newer 802.11a allows data to be transferred wirelessly at speeds up to 54 megabits per second, compared to Wi-Fi's 11-mbps ceiling. Toshiba's design allows you to access the Internet using the "a" or "b" standard without an external card.

Handhelds

News: Slimmed-Down Stowaway

The Stowaway has earned a legion of fans for bringing touch-typing ease to handheld devices. When folded, the Stowaway is about the size of a thick PDA. When unfolded, it's a full-size keyboard for Palms and Pocket PCs. The new Stowaway, sold as the Palm Ultra-Thin Keyboard, is a sleeker, smaller version that comes in a slick silver-and-black case. The keyboard is about half the thickness of the original Stowaway, yet still offers keys that are approximately the same size as those on a notebook computer. Available for $99 for selected Palm models (including the new Tungsten T) at Palm's online store.

News: Full-Featured Fossil

Coming in mid 2003: a Fossil watch that's also a Palm OS-based PDA. The Wrist PDA includes a touch screen, a stylus integrated into the band, 2MB of memory, an infrared port, and standard Palm applications. It runs all Palm OS applications, too. Fossil's previous Palm wristwatches could hold data transferred from handhelds only. This go-round, the watches are full-featured, stand-alone PDAs that, oh yes, also tell time. Prices haven't been disclosed yet.

Wireless

News: A Bluetoothless Headset

Logitech recently previewed a new wireless headset for mobile phones that uses a proprietary ultra-low-power radio frequency technology. The radio-frequency headset's range is about 12 to 15 feet from the phone. You can make calls and change the volume using headset controls; numbers can be dialed via voice recognition. Best of all, the headset--to be available in early 2003 for about $100--can be used with existing mobile phones. Though this headset doesn't use Bluetooth technology, a Logitech representative said the company hopes to add the wireless technology to a different headset next year.

What's the Big Idea?

Got a story idea you think would be of interest to other mobile computer users? Is there an area of mobile computing technology you'd like to see covered in future issues? If so, drop me a note.

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