Laptop hardware upgrades

[Fox]

Looking for some community help here. I have a laptop that is about 2.5 yrs old now and in need of some upgrades to run more recent games on high settings (but not highest). Specs are below. The GPU is the biggest need. What is the best bang for my buck there as far as performance/cost? Anything else stand out? The processor is pretty good I believe and 6 GB DDR3 memory isn't too shabby either. I'm trying to get an outside idea of what I should be expecting before taking it to some local businesses for estimates.

Thanks in advance!

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
•• Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-740QM Quad Core processor (1.73GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz
•• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Quad Core Processors
•• 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
•• 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
•• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 4.75 hours of battery life +++
•• 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
•• Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

[[UFO] rad87gn]

What make/model is your laptop. Only a few laptops can have video card and CPU upgrades. More than likely you can't upgrade the GPU.

[Fox]

HP Pavilion dv7t Select Edition

[The Grapist]

The 5650m Is a IGP, So you cant upgrade that without a GBA reball... (No happening)
The Processor on the other hand, Can be upgraded to any GBA988 Socket CPU.
I actually have the socket, You can choose any of these:
i7 820qm, i7 840qm, i7 920xm, i7 940xm.
Upgrade the ram to 16Gb if needed.
You can install a SSD into the Optical drive bay.

Other than that, if you are a audiophile you can get a Express 54 Sound card.

Only the Desktop replacements like i have can swap out the GPU(S).

[Fox]

Is the GPU going to hold back the performance regardless of what else is upgraded? For example, if I upgrade the processor and add memory will games still have trouble performing on high settings because of the graphics card? Or does the dedicated memory not matter if I have enough system memory?

[rotNdude]

You aren't going to upgrade the video in that laptop, so go to your local dealer and start pricing a new laptop.

[[UFO] rad87gn]

Yes, it will still have troubles performing on high settings because of the video card even if you upgrade other things like SSD, RAM, or CPU.

[The Grapist]

Detox の投稿を引用：

Is the GPU going to hold back the performance regardless of what else is upgraded? For example, if I upgrade the processor and add memory will games still have trouble performing on high settings because of the graphics card? Or does the dedicated memory not matter if I have enough system memory?

If the game is CPU intensive then it will Decrease the load Considerbaly, and even if you are GPu limited, you could still expect 10-30% better FPS from that 740qm.

[Fox]

Thanks for the responses! You guys have been more than helpful.