Hello,

My computer is slowing down drastically. The processor is getting very hot very quickly and I'm looking to swap things out.

Information: 
GM45 Intel Mobile Chipset.
Windows 7.
4 GB RAM (only two available to the system).
Not sure how big my harddrive is, but it's mechanical.

I'm looking to upgrade the processor to a QX9300 or an X9100 because of the higher speeds and upgrading my RAM to 8GB. I'm also planning to install Linux to decrease the amount of power the OS takes.

Is all of this possible and if so how do I go about doing so? Will I need drivers for each part upgrade or will I need a firmware update to ensure the hardware works before I put it in? Does my chipset support a 64 bit OS (so as to get the full power of the RAM upgrade available to the system) ? thanks for any help you can give me.