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    Grapgic card question

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by icon007, Dec 22, 2008.

  1. icon007

    icon007 Notebook Evangelist

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    not sure if this is the right area to post.

    Gamer Xtreme M1 says it has a built in dual ati 3870 512mem.

    does this mean it is soldered on the motherboard and no way to upgrade it or replace it.??????????????? :confused:
     
    icon007, Dec 22, 2008
    #1
  2. icon007

    icon007 Notebook Evangelist

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    anyone, anyone????????
     
    icon007, Dec 22, 2008
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  3. Cheeseman

    Cheeseman Eats alot of Cheese

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    The Gamer Xtreme M1 aka Ocz Whitebook Qx9300 aka Alienware M17 has two ATi Mobility Radeon HD 3870 in CrossFireX configuration and they are MXM cards. In other words you can upgrade them.
     
    Cheeseman, Dec 22, 2008
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  4. Redlance

    Redlance Notebook Consultant

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    however you will find out 2 things currently in the MXM market. 1) finding a place that even sells em. 2) upgrading your card with a better card may cause heat issues. Know very well what your thermal budget and power budget it. otherwise you may turn your laptop into a desktop.. and would have spent a heck of a lot more than a mediocre 500$ desktop performance wise just trying to keep it cool.
     
    Redlance, Dec 22, 2008
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  5. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    @original poster - technically you can upgrade; as noted, the cards are removable. However, don't ever plan on upgrading the cards. It will probably not happen.

    The thing people don't understand about MXM is that it is NOT a consumer technology; it was designed to help notebook manufacturers cut costs. In the past, graphics cards were soldered to the motherboard and a video card upgrade required a whole new motherboard. If the graphics card failed, it meant the whole motherboard had to be replaced.

    Now with MXM, it is easy for manufacturers to change and offer different graphics cards, and the whole motherboard doesn't need to be replaced if it fails. Not all current notebooks use MXM, but some do. It is mostly found in high-end notebooks.
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, Dec 22, 2008
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