7800 and 7800GTX; does pin compatable = mxm?

In notebookreview.com's tech guide for 2006 it said that the 7800 and 7800GTX were pin compatable.

Somebody told me that this meant that they would be upgradable.

So does that mean that these are MXM cards???

 

Not necessairly.

Are they the same class of MXM chip? Yes. There are three classes:

MXM I: for ultraportables/thin and light

MXM II: Mainstream [15-15.4"]

MXM III: Desktop Replacement

Both the Go7800 and Go7800GTX are MXM III class. However, not all GeForce 7800's are MXM. Only a few - it will say it in the notebook's description.

*Technically*, you should be able to upgrade [if it is even possible] to a GTX, but I'd only say that if the laptop were offered with both versions of the card, etc.

Any notebook in particular you are wondering about?

 

To me...pin compatible refers to the processor...meaning it's the same pin layout. In a video card...the processors are usually the same within a class, but differ in clock speed and associated memory speeds(and various combinations of the two result in the different designations).

I'd be weary of saying that pin-compatible refers to MXM upgradeability.

 

Yeah; Pin-compatible would refer to the actual GPU unit itself, not the whole board.

Difficult question.

 

Is there any place that i could go to purchase a 7800 or 7800GTX on it's own?

I've finally decided to go with the z81sp, which has a MXM type III 6800, which should be more than enough for now, but I might want to upgrade in the future

 

Hm, getting an MXM 7800/GTX . . I've never seen one anywhere.

MXM is a great concept, but it is more of a tool for manufacturers so they can easily upgrade the graphics in their own notebooks. I think you will just have to keep an eye out. With the vendors/manufacturers of MXM-compatible notebooks hyping "Upgradeable graphics", I don't see why there wouldn't be one for sale eventually . . the question is when, and that's something only time will tell the answer to.

 

don't you wish they kept records of compatibility somwhere easily accesibke rather than us having to experiment... just a thought

 

Well, if it's mxm, it'll be compatible...provided your slot is the same level of MXM(i.e. I, II, or III) or greater. The issues is physical space in some units.

This is an evolving technology like Chaz said. I'm guessing it'll be about two years before upgradeable video cards are somewhat standardized(not necessarily available on all machines...but following a standardized format). But as some are getting smaller, I think space limitations will continue to be an issue for many solutions.