Graphics card in Dell Studio 1737

Hello everyone, this is my first post here but I have been lurking around here for quite a while.

I recently purchased a Dell Studio 1737 for mainly college, everything about this laptop is great, except the graphics card, the infamous Intel Media Accelerator. I would like to know if there's anyway to replace, or would I have to get another motherboard to replace it, and if I have to replace it I would like to know a estimate of how much it would be, and personally I would like a high end Nvidia card =], not so much ATI.

Thanks in advance.

 

The only graphics options for the Studio 1737 are the integrated Intel 4500MHD, and the ATi Mobility Radeon HD 3650 512MB. No nVidia options. To get the ATi card, you would have to replace your entire motherboard, as the graphics card is soldered to the motherboard, and even if you could unsolder it, the dedicated graphics version of the motherboard uses a different chipset from the version with the 4500MHD.

You can get the motherboard from places like parts-people.com or resaleremarketing.net, but it's not going to be cheap.

If I may offer some advice, I would forget about swapping graphics cards/motherboards. I would just sell the notebook you have, and use the funds from that to contribute to the purchase of a new notebook, either another Studio 17 with the dedicated graphics, or a completely different model if you want something more powerful with nVidia graphics.

 

Agree with Mastershroom, I'd not bother trying to upgrade this notebook. Even the option with the dedicated GPU is not very powerful. High end you'd be looking at things like NVidia 9800mGT, 260GTXm, 280GTXm or ATi 4850. FYI the ATi 4850 is no slouch, but I understand people preferring one over the other. I think the NVidia solutions tend to be more widely available anyway.

 

For what it's worth, I've preferred nVidia cards in my desktop builds for years, currently running two GeForce 8800GT 512MB GDDR3 cards in SLI, and probably going to make my next build with a GTX 285 if the price drops enough for the GTX 3 series. Before that, my previous build had a GeForce 6600GT AGP, and I believe 128MB of memory, and the build before that, a GeForce FX5200 AGP, with 64MB.

That FX5200 build was my first "gaming" computer (I use the term lightly, because this thing would struggle to run Halo: Combat Evolved, a game released in 2001, at 1024x768), and it replaced an ATi Radeon 9250 which, quite frankly, sucked.

Since then, it's been nVidia cards for me. My Studio 1535 with the ATi 3450 was my first ATi graphics card since that old 9250, although I didn't exactly buy it for performance. Now, this 1555 that I have has the ATi 4570, and I must say, ATi have really cleaned up their act in the intervening years. Of course, I'm still bitter about the whole mobility driver fiasco.

EDIT - I offer my sincerest apologies for derailing this thread worse than a live polar bear on a high-speed magnet train line.

 

Personally I prefer Ati, my Core i7 setup has 4890s in and runs like the wind for pretty much anything I throw at it. Mind you, cost a pretty penny - so should expect it to

 

Core i7 and dual 4890s does sound pretty tasty, regardless of brand preference. Of course, I'd rather have dual GTX 285s.

 

I just wish there was some optional solution using the Express card if that has enough bandwidth or a pci express mini card slot some type of solution. I have one of each open and ready.

like a 4870 on a Express card slot or some type of add on boost which could take the ati 3650 and add too it.

or maybe even take over totally.

shame my laptops has a far better Core 2 Duo than my buddies desktop, but his Crossfire ATI's even 1 of them far outshines the 3650

Oh well.

 

Bottom line: no way to really do this. Laptop graphics cards are, in general, not upgradeable.

 

A while ago there was talk of doing external upgrade able cards, I think the 54mm Express Card slot can do it, and esata or USB 2.0 might be able to do it.

I know USB 3.0 will be able to, but no companies are willing to make the investment



Look at the Creative Sound card that sticks out 2 inches from the Express card slot, I would not mind something similar.


Or even something thats Plug and play not really mobile So I have a stationary solution I can plug in, and then if I go mobile I disconnect it, and use my internal ATI 3650 which is more than enough, For games probably up to

Half Life 2 or Left 4 Dead, But not Call of Duty 4 in a satisfying way.

I doubt it can play Diablo 3 or Starcraft 2 which I am looking forward to in a high frame rate.



Heck I am still using Launch Drivers because DELL and AMD dont update them or let you update

If I could I know I could get more performance out of the ATI 3650 with 256MB RAM and a 2.53 Ghz CPU with 6MB cache and it has 128-bit bus, its ok.

All I want is new Drivers that all.

 

There already is an external graphics solution available - it's called vidock. It is extremely expensive and restricted by the bus speed on the expresscard interface. It can still outperform some internal notebook graphics solutions though.

 

ViDock2

http://sewelldirect.com/ViDock-2-Ex..._medium=cse&cvsfa=1306&cvsfe=2&cvsfp=SW-22687


$300 I was thinking thousands, heck a 4670 card was $300 a few years ago.

can probably find it cheaper still

http://www.brightsideofnews.com/news/2009/8/11/vidock-2-makes-notebook-gpu-upgrade-a-reality.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE5NmURV5P8

 

Yes, but consider spending that extra $300 on your notebook instead and you'd have had a better graphics solution anyway. In reality, that vidock is really only useful for lightweight machines that typically have integrated graphics; but are docked at home for gaming.