Help with Acer Travelmate 5760G with an i5-2450m and a GT 540M

[Bionic Sea Serpent]

I am running a Acer Travelmate 5760G with an i5-2450m and a GT 540M, it's a very Mediocre GPU.
Runs some games and didn't perform well in its 225 Hours of VR Chat.
This is probably a laptop for Emulation and light PC Gaming.
I haven't gotten an SSD in it yet but I plan to, really soon.
I just need to not be Homeless as August I'm going to be forced to leave my Rental as a family of 5.
Picked up for 80 bucks from a Highschool. I guess it's a steal but it's a no go if it can't run Minecraft well.
Tomadachi life runs alright but loads way too slow and it stops loading certain things in.

 

[Frick]

For what it's worth it should run Minecraft reasonably well.

 

[Caring1]

An SSD will speed it up a bit, as will maxing out the Ram, there's not much else you can do to make them faster except maybe upgrade the CPU if it's socketed.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Acer Travelmate 5760G

That laptop can take up to 8GB of DDR3. You can get a pair of 4GB SODIMMs for cheap these days.

with an i5-2450m

That's an older but not bad CPU. It is socketed and can be upgraded. For example you can get an i7-2620M or i7-2640M and both would be drop-in replacements. Both are higher performing CPU's with 4MB of L3 cache instead of the 3MB your current CPU has. However, they are still dual core hyperthreaded CPU models. If you're serious about the upgrade you can also get an i7-2760QM or i7-2860QM. Both are quad core hyperthreaded CPU models. Either of these will double your CPU performance, but they are pricey options.

and a GT 540M, it's a very Mediocre GPU.

That's a relative point. It's still MUCH better than anything Intel's builtin GPU can offer. It's also got 2GB of it's own dedicated RAM which means it does not need to borrow from system ram like Intel GPUs do.

I haven't gotten an SSD in it yet but I plan to, really soon.

That's the first upgrade you should do. Staples currently has a deal on 500GB HP SSD's for about $40. Excellent quality and performance for the price.

Picked up for 80 bucks from a Highschool. I guess it's a steal but it's a no go if it can't run Minecraft well.

That's a good price for that laptop. If you want to play Minecraft you will need to upgrade the RAM as that game runs poorly on 2GB. 4GB should be ok but 8GB is what you should aim for.

BTW, Welcome to TPU. We'll try to help you out as best we can, just keep in mind you're working with an older laptop, so keep your expectations within reason as your options are limited. An SSD and RAM(in that order) should be the first upgrades to focus on, luckily both are inexpensive. A CPU is doable, but requires the laptop be disassembled to a greater degree than a drive and RAM upgrade, and CPU's are more expensive.

 

[Bionic Sea Serpent]

That laptop can take up to 8GB of DDR3. You can get a pair of 4GB SODIMMs for cheap these days.

That's an older but not bad CPU. It is socketed and can be upgraded. For example you can get an i7-2620M or i7-2640M and both would be drop-in replacements. Both are higher performing CPU's with 4MB of L3 cache instead of the 3MB your current CPU has. However, they are still dual core hyperthreaded CPU models. If you're serious about the upgrade you can also get an i7-2760QM or i7-2860QM. Both are quad core hyperthreaded CPU models. Either of these will double your CPU performance, but they are pricey options.

That's a relative point. It's still MUCH better than anything Intel's builtin GPU can offer. It's also got 2GB of it's own dedicated RAM which means it does not need to borrow from system ram like Intel GPUs do.

That's the first upgrade you should do. Staples currently has a deal on 500GB HP SSD's for about $40. Excellent quality and performance for the price.

That's a good price for that laptop. If you want to play Minecraft you will need to upgrade the RAM as that game runs poorly on 2GB. 4GB should be ok but 8GB is what you should aim for.

BTW, Welcome to TPU. We'll try to help you out as best we can, just keep in mind you're working with an older laptop, so keep your expectations within reason as your options are limited. An SSD and RAM(in that order) should be the first upgrades to focus on, luckily both are inexpensive. A CPU is doable, but requires the laptop be disassembled to a greater degree than a drive and RAM upgrade, and CPU's are more expensive.

my 540M carries 1GB of VRAM instead of 2. i have 4GB i don't plan to upgrade CPU and RAM as i have a little budget to go off of. i know its all inexpensive but i'm just going for a Crucial MX500 for 80 Australian Dollars and that's all i could manage apart from a Drive Enclosure. i am going to take my Xbox into EB Games with all the games and get a Wii U, get my 3DS fixed and the SSD and drive enclosure.

 

[simlife]

well the gpu is about that of the x box 360. This gpu was almost released in 2010... the fact its any gpu with 1 gb or ram wont run anything well, extra memory could help a tad as the gpu will take some of it but its slow memory. a ssd probably wont do much for gaming on a computer that old because of the other bottle necks(mostly memory the new amd high end cards for v ram alone is 16 gbs so likely 32 with the system memory). the hhd is likley aging and psy harddrives are just slow overall so maybe it will help more then i think but i dont think its likely...

basically your best best is more memory you cant run out of that or want to hit 96%+ used . the 2013 consoles had 8gbs total and became a bottleneck eventually

its not used much anymore but possible defragging your hard drive could help a bit if its a super old computer thats never used it before

 

[lexluthermiester]

i have 4GB i don't plan to upgrade CPU and RAM as i have a little budget to go off of.

Think about them for the future. Money won't always be tight. There are brighter days ahead.

 

[Bionic Sea Serpent]

its not used much anymore but possible defragging your hard drive could help a bit if its a super old computer that's never used it before

it gets done Weekly so thats taken care of

Think about them for the future. Money won't always be tight. There are brighter days ahead.

i'll upgrade that new laptop soon enough. this thing wont receive very many upgrades in the first place so.

 

[yotano211]

Back then lots of laptop bios where not program for quad core cpus. Besides the small heat sink might not handle the extra 45w power, dual cores where 35w. The i7 dual core will work, it's just a drop in.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Back then lots of laptop bios where not program for quad core cpus. Besides the small heat sink might not handle the extra 45w power, dual cores where 35w. The i7 dual core will work, it's just a drop in.

Acer makes BIOS updates easy and I already checked, that laptop supports the quad cores. Also, the current dual core i5 is a 35w CPU and the heatsink/fan combo would have no problem with the extra 10w from the 45w quad.

 

[yotano211]

Acer makes BIOS updates easy and I already checked, that laptop supports the quad cores. Also, the current dual core i5 is a 35w CPU and the heatsink/fan combo would have no problem with the extra 10w from the 45w quad.

Good for Acer, I remember I had a elitebook that didnt have Bios for the 2nd quad i-core generation.
Or I think I mistook for the 1st generation i-core that didnt have Bios for the quads.

 

[Bionic Sea Serpent]

the heatsink/fan combo would have no problem with the extra 10w from the 45w quad.

there's also that. the Battery is supposed to have 48Wh but i only get 13 and keeping this thing on battery power longer than 30 minutes is Impossible. a higher wattage CPU would be able to shorten that life. an SSD should draw a little bit less power than the Hard drive and at least save me a few more minutes of Battery life. i just need to get the money for it. that will be when i can get my Xbox back and trade it into EB Games

 

[lexluthermiester]

the Battery is supposed to have 48Wh but i only get 13 and keeping this thing on battery power longer than 30 minutes is Impossible.

It's an old battery. A new replacement would last longer.

a higher wattage CPU would be able to shorten that life.

True. But not by much.

an SSD should draw a little bit less power than the Hard drive and at least save me a few more minutes of Battery life.

Also true.

 

[Midland Dog]

I am running a Acer Travelmate 5760G with an i5-2450m and a GT 540M, it's a very Mediocre GPU.
Runs some games and didn't perform well in its 225 Hours of VR Chat.
This is probably a laptop for Emulation and light PC Gaming.
I haven't gotten an SSD in it yet but I plan to, really soon.
I just need to not be Homeless as August I'm going to be forced to leave my Rental as a family of 5.
Picked up for 80 bucks from a Highschool. I guess it's a steal but it's a no go if it can't run Minecraft well.
Tomadachi life runs alright but loads way too slow and it stops loading certain things in.

java edition will run okish, it relies on st, you should boost around 3ghz on a 2 core load (all core). gpu wise the igpu will run it fine at 720p lol

 

[DR4G00N]

You can always oc the gpu to get a bit more out of it if you need to. My laptop is pretty similar and I run the GT 525M up to 850 core/1050 mem (vs 600/900 stock) for a decent boost.
Plays Mass Effect pretty well so I would guess that something like minecraft would run fine.

 

[lexluthermiester]

You can always oc the gpu to get a bit more out of it if you need to. My laptop is pretty similar and I run the GT 525M up to 850 core/1050 mem (vs 600/900 stock) for a decent boost.
Plays Mass Effect pretty well so I would guess that something like minecraft would run fine.

What's really holding them back is the 4GB of RAM. Minecraft is not just a CPU hog, it's also a bit of a RAM hog.

 

[Bionic Sea Serpent]

i should be able to get a better system in time when i can find a job that is willing to hire me in time. i have given up on hopes of upgrading this thing as i don't like how this thing has peeled the skin off my fingers thus. more unnecessary pain to live with.

 

[eidairaman1]

If the gpu doesnt have the edge connector its not upgradeable then. Id say replace it for something modern.

 

[Bionic Sea Serpent]

If the gpu doesnt have the edge connector its not upgradeable then. Id say replace it for something modern.

yeah i'm 99% sure my GPU is soldered on.

 

[lexluthermiester]

yeah i'm 99% sure my GPU is soldered on.

I'm 100%. I've worked on that line of laptops. Acer did not make a C2D/C2Q generation laptop with a modular GPU, especially not in their "Travelmate" line.

 

[yotano211]

i shouldbe able to get a better system in time when i can find a job that is willing to hire me in time. i have given up on hopes of upgrading this thing as i don't like how this thing has peeled the skin off my fingers thus. more unnecessary pain to live with.

If you're located in the US, trucking companies are always hiring. You can get your CDL license within 3-4 weeks, pays okay at first but much better after 1st year. School is about $4-6k but lots of cities/states have programs that they will pay 100% of the tuition.
The job is not for everyone since you're on the road alot but its pretty much a guaranteed job.

 

[Bionic Sea Serpent]

If you're located in the US, trucking companies are always hiring. You can get your CDL license within 3-4 weeks, pays okay at first but much better after 1st year. School is about $4-6k but lots of cities/states have programs that they will pay 100% of the tuition.
The job is not for everyone since you're on the road alot but its pretty much a guaranteed job.

great advice but i'm located in Victoria Australia

 

[yotano211]

great advice but i'm located in Victoria Australia

Even in Aussie land I'm sure driving jobs are only a few weeks training

 

[eidairaman1]

Time for an upgrade is all i can say.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Time for an upgrade is all i can say.

The OP is in a tight spot and this is all they have..