Can I upgrade my laptop without buying a new one?

Question

I am looking to upgrade my laptop memory from a 3GB DDR2 to hopefully a 6GB DDR3. Also I want to upgrade my graphics card to be able to support HDMI. If I can do this where and what do you suggest I should get? Thanks for all your help.

Update:

Thanks a lot guys. This helps a lot.

Nick T · Accepted Answer

You need to find out what the maximum your laptop supports. Take a look in the manual technical spec or on the manufacturer's website.  Be aware that a 32 bit OS will only support 3GB. You may have 4GB already installed but your OS cannot access it. 

upgrading a laptops video card is basically impossible. One or two do allow you to add more dedicated video memory (not shared memory via bios) but thats about it. You should be able to find an external USB VGA card with HDMI output, british website i'm afraid but at least shows you what to look for.

http://www.bytemart.co.uk/display-converters/grand-multiview-usb-to-vga-hdmi-converter

Chad - try reading the entire question. You are correct in that I misread the question concerning DDR3, I read it as DDR2 and hence my reply but the second part does concern upgrading a video card which is why teh 'random' post.

And I've been building computers for over 20 yrs, back when it actually meant something.

Chad · Answer

The answer is no you cannot upgrade from 3GB ddr2 to 6GB ddr3 Technology is completely different.
The notch in DDR2 is different in DDR3 and DDR3 memory will not fit in a DDR2 Slot.

Oh and I love the Random responses from the 2 other posters that really had nothing to do with the question.
They should be Classified as Tirades since both did not answer the question the user had.

? · Answer

There are different ways that a person could upgrade their computer. Depending on the expansion abilities of the computer (which you can find on the website that supports the laptop that you have (ex. www.hp.com) by searching the computer model number) there are cards, in body expansion packs, and out of body expansion packs. out of body expansion packs are the easiest to find, and what it is, is a attachment to the bottom of your computer that plugs into your hard drive that will not only increase computing power, but also create more memory room. A good website to look for expansions is www.tigerdirect.com, once you know the expansion ability of your computer and the expansion packs that are available.

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Can I upgrade my laptop without buying a new one?

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