Laptop Video Cards

G.H.O.S.T_01 · Joined: Jan 27, 2006 Posts: 82

I just bought, from newegg, an Asus M70V Series laptop. It's specs are as follows:

Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53ghz CPU
17" WUXGA 1080P HD LCD Monitor
4GB Ram
NVidia GeForce9600m GS
320GB Hard Drive
DVD Super Multi
Windows Vista Home Premium

Now the thing is, i wan to upgrade my video card to the 9800m GT, but I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere. Can I not just buy the GPU?

Help?

P.S.
I looked on Ebay

zlim · Joined: Mar 11, 2005 Posts: 2636

You can't upgrade the video in a laptop.
That's why when the video goes on a laptop, you have no laptop.

G.H.O.S.T_01 · Joined: Jan 27, 2006 Posts: 82

That's stupid...

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

Well, in the first place, it's not stupid because since day one the video circuitry has been integrated into the motherboard of the laptop.
Any knowledgeable user would know that.

The video is NOT a separate card like in so many Desktop PC's. So there is no way to replace it.

You get what you buy and you run what you got!

Want a laptop with advanced video? Then buy one with advanced video.

Cool

goretsky

Hello,

Some notebook computers have what is called an MXM Graphics Module, which is a separate circuit board for the video card and can be replaced. One thing to keep mind is that there are several different sizes of MXM modules, so you need to verify it is the right size (assuming, of course, you have first verified your notebook has one). Another thing to consider is that newer video cards may have different power and cooling requirements, and that while one might physically fit in the computer, it may require so much power or generate too much waste heat that it causes your system to become unstable or crash. I found this table on this web site dedicated to upgrading notebooks with MXM graphics adapter and your wasn't listed, which, probably means your notebook computer does not have one, however, if you look around on the web site, there are some suggestions for how to confirm this by examining BIOSes, running special utilities and so forth.

Another thing to consider is that if the notebook is brand new, that you return it and get one with a graphics card that you prefer.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

zlim · Joined: Mar 11, 2005 Posts: 2636

Very good info and links, goretsky. I had no idea that a limited number of laptops could be upgraded or repaired - video wise.
Late last year or early this year, i was tracking down info on external video cards for notebooks but it seemed to be all talk and no actual product.

goretsky

Hello,

I have never used a notebook computer with an MXM module, however, I suspect they are more common in gaming and desktop replacement notebooks.

Matrox has some external modules that allow additional monitors to be connected to a single monitor connector here. As I understand it, it they work by reporting the monitors plugged into them as a single monitor with the combined size. For example, if you plugged in two 1280x1024 monitors, it would report back to the system that a single 2560x1024 monitor was installed.

There are several external USB video cards available from companies like IOGear, however, as I understand it, they are rather slow and meant to drive things like 2-D text displays and not suitable for displaying streaming video or playing video games unless at very low display resolutions. One review of such a device can be found here.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky