Studio XPS 16 + New Video Card

Hey there. I'm about to put my money down on a Dell Studio XPS 16 notebook. The only problem I have with this thing is the half assed video card. I read in a review that the notebook has a free PCI-E port. So naturally, I'm wondering if it's possible to buy a kick video card and connect it externally, to avoid the obvious problem of heat. I'm hoping the video card would work sort of like a dock when I'm at my house. Still, I'm assuming power requirements or something else will be a problem, and wondering if simply buying a higher-wattage power cord will solve that problem...probably not I'm guessing? The chipset is an Intel PM45 and I'm looking for any kind of video card in the range of...say being able to handle Crysis on max at a decent resolution. Yes I KNOW this sounds unnecessary and stupid, but I just want to know if it can be done. Thanks for any and all help!

 

Short answer: No, you can't replace the GPU at all.

Long answer: The 3670 is top of its upgrade path and I think it might even be soldered on to the board. You can't upgrade it and you won't be ever playing Crysis on max with that laptop.

 

I am going to be the different goose and say it is possible.

However you need to know your limitations.

You can run a desktop pcie graphics card from your internal mini pcie port. However it is going to take a special adapter.
You will need a PEMINI2X1-F
The adapter is made by ADEX electronics.
Its on the bottom of this sheet:
http://www.diffusion-informatique.com/produits/riser/pci_express_bus_riser_rallonge.htm

Give Cheryl at ADEX a email and ask her what the potential of the card is. I am sure it can get the job done.
[email protected]

However note that using that adapter will limit you to a PCIe X1 interface/bandwidth.
You can get an adapter to run full length PCIe cards, but please note all this allows you to do is run a X16 card on a X1 interface, so you will only get X1 bandwidth
To do this, you need a PEXP16-SX-16/1
That adapter is mentioned about a quarter of the way down the site.

Please note you will need to plug an adapter into an adapter.
Than you would need a desktop graphics card, and a power supply for it.
To power the card, you will need a ATX desktop power supply which has the PCIe power connectors and a floppy sized mini molex to power the adapters.

It is possible, anything is possible.

Please note you may need to buy the first adapter with a long ribbon cable, so you can have enough room for the whole apparatus. You will also need to know where your mini pcie port is. If its under your keyboard, you will have to cut a hole somewhere to let the ribbon cable through.
If the mini pcie port is on the bottom, you will have to remove a plastic panel or cut a small groove in the chassis to let the cable through.

K-TRON

 

Nice thats exactly what I was looking for. Is it safe to say that the laptop I'm looking at probably only has an x1 slot? And is the bandwidth for x1 enough for gaming? And one more question, if I'm using an external power supply, does that mean I don't have to worry about damaging my motherboard or anything?

 

I have never seen it done before, but I would think it should work fine.

Since the graphics is powered externally from the laptop, their is no way you can damage your motherboard. You have to physically cut the chassis to get the pcie ribbon out, so that will void your warranty. Unless you buy another plastic shell.

I do not know the bandwidth of the pcie x1 port, you will have to figure that out. I am pretty sure a 8800GT could max the bandwidth out.

I dont know how many pcie ports the XPS16 has, you may want to ask in the Dell section if you do not get an answer.

The only thing I am worried about is, getting the graphics to run from the external graphics. Their must be a way to force the system to use the external over the internal, but I dont know how to do it.

K-TRON

 

You can play it on max with 800x600 res i have this laptop and it's plenty fine for the price... you can max out most games except crysis. If you want a better card get a better laptop... that's what sucks about them.

 

that's why avoid dell at all cost because they have old technologies on their laptops. a 3k series card? meh get a 4k series card FTW

 

They probably will upgrade soon considering the Studio 15 has 4xxx series in it now.

 

Do they? I don't see any Radeon 4-series cards available to configure on their site. But if thats the case, I might just drop the whole thing and pick up that instead. The 4-series is a big step up, no?

 

Yes and no. The 4570 (the card offered in the 15) is a pretty big step below the 3670, only getting around 3200 in 3D06. We might see 4650s/70s in the Studio 17, SXPS 16 though, which should offer a massive boost over the currently used 3670s.

Btw, the Studio 1555 is only available to configure on select sites, Dell India, Singapore and Australia in particular. Jump over to those sites and you can see some of the specs.