Studio 15 questions, first laptop

Hi! I just ordered my first laptop, the Studio 15 yesterday. Should be here around the 25th, according to Dell. Anyway, I'm not that big of a PC gamer, but I was wondering what kind of options I have for the graphics card. Is it possible to replace it with a better one? For example, the [ Radeon HD 3850]. I'm completely new to laptops, so I've got no clue.

All I really need out of the card is some basic muscle to play some old games. I.E. Half-Life 2, maybe some Civ4, so will the one it comes packaged with do? Thanks for any answers you can throw my way.

Here's the specs. Can't wait!

Studio 15
Intel Core 2 Duo T8100, 2.1GHz, 800Mhz, 3M L2 Cache
4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm
Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800)
ATI MOBILITY RADEON HD 3450
320G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

Also, any suggestions for a newbie? "Don't drop it" aside, I'd appreciate anything you'd like to pass on.

 

Congrats on the new laptop!

Get rid of all the junk software like time-limited antivirus, any dell tools that you don't need, they use up a lot of system power and make your computer really slow.

Chances are that you won't be able to upgrade your gpu but the 3450 should be fine for those games.

 

No.

/thread I think?
Sorry, laptop GPUs are usually soldered to the motherboard.

 

Thanks for the speedy replies!

When I talked to the Dell rep who called to confirm the order, I asked about the graphics card. She said while the Intel X3100 was integrated, the ATI 3450 was not. Would that mean it's not attached to the motherboard?

Yeah, I might just reformat it.

 

+1 to reformatting, but wait for a guide IMO so any quirks will be found for you (mediadirect etc, look at the xps one!).
No, it still isn't upgradeable, sorry. She meant that at one point the card & mobo weren't, but laptop manufacturers solder (basically using melted metal as glue if you didn't know) the card to the board.

 

Yeah, the whole mediadirect stuff is what's leaning me towards just cleaning the registry and what not. I've reformatted desktops, which is pretty easy, but when you throw in all the drivers that laptops need, dunno if it's worth the trouble.

And yes, I know what solder means. Too bad about that. Well, at any rate it's bound to be better than my old Intel 845g.

 

MediaDirect is great if your laptop is shutdown a lot. If you suspend or hibernate it, it is less of a convenience since your laptop wakes up so fast.

 

Yeah, it sounds pretty cool. Don't really see myself using it that much, but having quick access to pictures and stuff is neat.

 

Actually, on the Studio they got rid of the pre-boot media direct option; so you have to boot to Windows (or so I am told, can anyone else confirm this?)