What External Graphic Card are available?

where could i get a ,model name and a place to buy ?
thanks

 

I've never seen a real one on the market. I think ASUS was making one with a 7600 installed, but I'm not sure it ever hit actual production.


This is the only one I've heard of that might be credible,
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20070111060818.html

Also remember that with most external graphics cards, you need an external monitor. The card can't feed the video back into your laptop screen.

 

iv heard about it also but no where to buy it :\\\\\\\\

 

None. Because they don't exist.

 

Its all phantom ware, and there is none around.

 

so how do i improve graphics in notebook?

 

You buy a new notebook.

 

if its integrated graphics, you can't upgrade. if its dedicated you might be able to if its in a MXM factor of some sort. might also try calling the company you bought it from and asking for upgrade.

 

no no no I know

MAGMA.COM

Buy a super expensive pci-e external module pop in the 34/54 express card adapter in your laptop hook it up to the module add an external monitor

And VOILA!

Or you wait for the XG Station which may never come out.

 

OK tahnks to everyone...

 

External graphics card may be under consumer demand, but it kills profitability. If a consumer prolongs the life of his laptop with a $300 upgrade as opposed to just replacing it for $1000+, then the overall market segment has just lost a tonne of money. I'm no economist, but chances are that Nvidia chose not to sell this product so that they could sell more built-in GPUs with laptop makers.

 

Bc135 you are right on the money.

Its sorta like microsoft and Dx10 ,Xp
Why give Xp dx10? When they can force you to buy vista for dx10.
Same idea here. Also When this was even being think of the 8 series are bam are around the corner.
So most likely this is never coming or they are making more laptops with MXM.(That are user friendly.)

 

Luddites and non-believers, it is you who kill innovation !!

First of all there are a ton of external graphics solutions, they just aren't for serious gaming (although some do light gaming).

Second, you guys forget the huge potential market for external graphics cards not only for laptops but for those who wish to put external setups outside their PCs instead of in the hot environment of a case with the CPU and VPU exchanging heat and drawing massive amounts of juice through the MOBO and from a hot PSU instead of an external solution.

And for the economics what do you think is better for nV and AMD, to sell more high-end graphics solutions that people can replace every year, or else hope that you are the one that sells them a mediocre laptop solution as part of a gigantic combination of parts all of which are price optimized to keep overall expense down, most of which people will delay upgrading as a whole versus what they would do if they could upgrade. That argument is very contrary to what would maximize AMD and nV's profits. It wouldn't help DELL or HP, but it would help nV and AMD, if anything it's more likely that the laptop makers are holding things up, not AMD & nV. Doesn't help that ASUS also relies heavily on laptop sales.

The ASUS XG station would suck for anything more powerful than a GF8500/HD2400 anyways thanks to its single PCIe lane (although they were talking about it getting a GF8600 now which is likely the upper limit and still often crippled by the connection). If you were looking for a gaming solution powerful enough to replace a GF8600M or HD2600, you'd need something similar to ATi's LASSO project giving you at least 8 pcie lanes to feed a card.

That solution by Beatsiz would also be so limited with just 1 lane coming from that express slot. You need external PCIe like in the LASSO.

Anywhooo, to the OP, as mentioned the only way to improve the graphics on your laptop is if it's and easily upgradable MXM module, or else buy a new laptop.

Perhaps someday in the future there'll be more options, but for right now we're stuck with weak external graphics adapters for primarily multi-monitor support, and then left to the mercy of whichever handful of laptops have replaceable MXM modules and then whichever are available from places like MXM-upgrade.

 

List them.

We're tired of answering this question over and over again so if you have a good answer, please provide it to us.

 

The rubbish post he gave doesn't even qualify as a solution since the Asus XG does not exist. Like Lithus said give examples or refrain from posting wrong information.

 

Magma.com has external pci-e modules

Dont try to prove me wrong again
I am right this time P)

Yes I know the XG Station does not exist... but... they did show it off at that convention! Which means it exists, it got pushed back because of vista incompatibility... But it is definitely a solution

All you need is 34/54 Express card slot + magma pci-e module + gpu = external gpu

Who cares !? It would definitely not be worth it, but it would surely help my crippled HP DV6226us

 

Sure, but what do I get in return?
(oh, and can I just parrot Beatsiz's link, since that alone negates your myopic "they don't exist"? ).

You know what I'm tired of, people who give one line answers and don't know WTF they're talking about, yet are tired of giving the wrong information over and over again.

I'll see if I can track down some URLs for you.

We got some of the USB ones for a customer's multi-monitor solution (they were available from Future Shop, similar to BestBuy in the US).

Here's a similar product;
http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIUV100.htm#Requirements

and some others;

http://sewelldirect.com/vtbookpcmciacard.asp
http://sewelldirect.com/USB-to-DVI-External-Video-Card.asp

The one I'll see if I can rustle up is the more robust solution that can handle basic 3D, that I will actually have to track.

External graphics solutions are available, but they aren't great because either they rely on CPU help or they are very weak chips similar to the intelExtreme. So like i said, not for any serious gaming. Also for the cost, a cheap GF8400/HD2400 laptop would likely be cheaper than the more robust solutions.

Anywhoo that should suffice for now. M'kay !?!

Or else what, you will pummel me with your ignorance?

PS, the ASUS does exist, even if it isn't currently being sold. So perhaps you should try the 'refrain from posting wrong information' thing yourself. M'kay !?!

 

Great list. Here's the problem:

1. Except for the Magma, those are not GPUs for any type of gaming. They merely add ports onto your computer.

2. Throughput of the Expresscard slot is 2.5 Gbps. Throughput of a standard PCI-E x16 slot (standard for today's generation of GPUs) is 80 Gbps.

Port replicating is easy. Adding a slot with the type of bandwidth that a PCI-E x16 slot does with an external solution isn't. That's why there aren't any that could half qualify as an "upgrade" to the GPU soldered on the laptop motherboard.

 

Perhaps ignorance is defined as acknowledging that an announced product that has seen no light of day is considered "in existence" and as you claim is a VALID solution to potential buyers of a external graphics card for games. To prove my "ignorance" is really dense I'd now like you to provide price and shipping details for the mythical Asus XG station, I have yet to see anyone give concrete details on purchases and testing.

Beatsiz: If the magma solution you posted does exist, why aren't you buying it to boost your precious HP and its integrated graphics card? If it was such a fantastic solution why do you still keep harping on and on about getting a 8800GTX equipped laptop?

 

Which is exactly what I said. Even commenting on your second comment about bandwidth limitations as well. So both points covered.

 

So how are those by any means "solutions" then?

 

Why?

I never said you could buy one, but I also didn't say they didn't exist, that was you.

Sofar neither Beatsiz or I posted wrong information, we leave that to others like yourself.

So ala Hitchhicker's Guide, perhaps you should just dissapear in a puff of logic since you're so adamant about the posting of wrong information.

M'kay !?!

Depends on what you're trying to solve.

For FS they're great solutions allowing up to 9 monitor c0ckpit setup.

I said they aren't for serious gaming, but as the question was abiguous and as the responses were even less informative, I provided all of the above including the caveat that there are external solutions, but they aren't very good, and shouldn't be considered for gaming.

Compared to the other responses in the thread save Beatsiz's I think it's more than sufficient for the question asked.

Did you have something else to add to the list?

 

*wonders what other purpose the OP was asking this question for besides gaming*

Anyway, glad we all agree, any external graphics card solution is a POS, so might as well stick with your integrated chip.

 

1- I SAID THE MAGMA SOLUTION WAS NOT GOING TO BE CHEAP ! ! !

2- I am not buying that because I was just suggesting it, and I am going to purchase an Alienware m15x

3- XG STATION EXISTS, go back and look at all the articles where they tested it against X3100 (I believe) and it proved 10X more efficient.

4- We never said these would be cheap, powerful or easy

5- The Magma solution is there for an obvious reason... DEMAND... which means people want/need it, they are also there to put other pci/pci-e cards... physics cards, sound cards, gpus, wireless, special pci cards etc...

6- How about something along the lines of a 7inch laptop with express card and then at home make it somewhat speedier!? Its always possible...

HAVE YOU EVEN CHECKED OUT MAGMA.COM !?!

 

1. The XG station can't be purchased. So does it really matter whether it exists or not? Like previously stated, it's Phantomware.

2. The Magma doesn't work. If it did, there would be much more news surrounding it. The Expresscard slot cannot handle the bandwidth required by x16 GPUs (Remember 3rd grade, 2.5 < 80). Plus the largest PCI-E card accepted by a Magma is a 4x.

 

i'm probably going to get a temp ban again for this

but


Beatsiz, you're an idiot

 

I think this dude works for Magma lol.

 

this is a pointless thread. you probably should just buy a notebook with dedicated graphics...they're pretty cheap nowadays. end o' story

 

Let's start with the facts now.

I will admit I should have clarified my stand on the Magma post, it technically exists and I stand corrected on its viability as a TECHNICAL solution, however neither proponent is actively pushed forward as a solution for the OP so I don't see why these solutions are even being mentioned. After all the Ape user mentioned in his own post that these are not even viable solutions for light gamers.

Comparing the XG to the integrated X3100 which is derided by most users on this forum for its poor performance is not much of a recommendation, if you still believe I should "disappear" for being adamant about my SINGLE POST of "wrong information" I invite both aggrieved parties to post a recent article on the XG product and its POTENTIAL performance.

Since the OP did post about external graphic cards in the GAMING forum and not the Hardware forum, why post solutions which both users already acknowledge as unsuitable for anything above "light gaming"?

 

Just bringing this back to the fore because I held off posting a solution I knew about because of a pending product review by a friend.

Should arrive shortly so just tracking this down again for future reference.