Upgrading Laptop Lcd Panel Options

[briarwood]

Hello,

I recently bought a Gateway P-6825 for next to nothing. It was so cheap that I figured I could spend a few hundred on upgrades and have a pretty good laptop.

My upgrade plans.

Draft N wireless adapter - already done for less than $14
Embedded bluetooth module - already done for less than $10
Memory upgrade - already done $57 for 4 GB of OCZ RAM on ebay, it is $89.40 at Newegg, saved more than $30
CPU upgrade - going to T8300, Laptop King has it for $149 sans shipping
SSD - waiting for prices to drop, just can't justify spending more than $150 on a small HDD
LCD panel WUXGA upgrade - actively researching this upgrade


I have a few questions I was hoping to get some help with. I found two places selling a panel that would fit. My question is concerning the inverter and data cables. The ebay listing states that the panel does not come with either cable and the screenteckinc link doesn't mention it.

Can I use the inverter and data cables from my old lcd panel or do I have to buy separate cables. Also, my current panel has an integrated Webcam, how will that effect the upgrade process?


http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-GATEWAY-P7805U-LAP...=item20acb6605f


http://www.screentekinc.com/Gateway_P-7805...cd-screen.shtml

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.




Here are the specs of the P-6825:

Processor Intel® Pentium® Core™ 2 Duo processor T5250
1.5 GHz | 2 MB L2 cache | 667 MHz FSB
Chipset Intel® GM965
Display panel 17-inch Ultrabright™ WXGA+ TFT (1440 × 900)
Memory 2048 MB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2 × 1024)
Operates at 667 MHz
Total slots: 2 DDR2 slots | Available slots: 0 DDR2 slots
Video controller Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Up to 384 MB of Dynamic Video Memory
Audio High definition audio - 2 channel
Webcam 1.3 Megapixel
HDMI port Yes
Fingerprint reader No
Hard drive 160 GB 5400 RPM SATA hard drive
RAID support No
Optical drive 8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW with DVD-RAM

Write maximum: 8X DVD±R, 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 2X DVD-R DL, 2.4X DVD+R DL, 5X DVD-RAM, 24X CD-R and 16X CD-RW discs
Read maximum: 8X DVD-R/RW/ROM, 4X DVD±R DL, 5X DVD-RAM, 24X CD-R/RW/ROM discs
Modem Integrated V.92 56K modem
Network 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
802.11a/b/g wireless LAN
Memory card reader 5-in-1

* Memory Stick®
* Memory Stick Pro®
* Multimedia Card™
* Secure Digital™
* XD

MiniSD and RS-MMC (when used with adapter that is supplied with card)
Interfaces

* Three - USB 2.0 ports
* One - VGA port
* RJ-11 port (modem)
* RJ-45 port (LAN)
* Headphone/SPDIF audio out jack
* Microphone jack
* One - HDMI V1.2 Connector
* One - Kensington lock slot
* Power input

Pointing device Touchpad with vertical scroll zone
Expansion Slot Expresscard™ Type 54
Battery 6-cell Lithium-ion
Dimensions 1.31 to 1.7-inches (H) × 15.75-inches (W) × 11.75-inches (D)
33 to 43 mm (H) × 400 mm (W) × 298 mm (D)
Weight 8.34 pounds

This post has been edited by briarwood: Oct 20 2009, 12:55 PM

[Tecknomage]

Be aware that Laptops are very unique animals. You CANNOT just upgrade them the way you do desktop PC.

All the hardware is designed specifically for your Laptop, so you finding 3rd-party hardware that would work with it is VERY problematic.

You should get ANY hardware upgrades through Gateway ONLY. And ensure that each is compatible with your P-6825. Not all Gateway hardware is compatible with all models.

If you get non-Gateway hardware, no matter what their advertising says, you risk frying your Gateway P-6825 mainboard

Memory must be an exact match to the motherboard. The ONLY authority on the correct memory to use is the manufacturer of the motherboard, which MAY NOT be the manufacturer of the PC.

In addition, if you go by written specs, you MAY end up with the wrong memory. Some written specs are missing critical info.

Example of FULL specs:
1GB, DDR PC2100, CL=2.5, ECC, Registered
128Meg x 72, 184 Pin DIMM, DDR266, 2.5v

On an old motherboard I had in my home desktop, the written specs at some sites did NOT state "Registered" but the motherboard REQUIRED "Registered" and the DIMM came in both Registered & non-Registered . If I had ordered the non-Registered memory it would not have worked.

One of the best ways to find out what memory to use (used by corporate IT) is 4AllMemory's [Check My System].

This will download a small temporary tool that will scan your motherboard and return a WEB page listing what you already have installed and compatible memory upgrades. For name brand motherboards, the part number will be the manufacturer's (like my MSI motherboard at home, returned the MSI part number). Highly suggest you print and file the page for the future.

You don't have to buy from 4AllMemory, but their prices are reasonable. At the very least you'll have the true spec for compatible memory.