Upgrading Mobile Graphics Cards - ***Read Before Posting***

Upgrading Mobile Graphics Cards

by Dreamer

"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible
whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"

Sherlock Holmes​

Since there have recently been so much interest in upgrading mobile video cards I will try to explain the possibilities (impossibilities) of improving a notebook's gaming performance by upgrading its video card.

A. Having an external video card is IMPOSSIBLE

The Achilles’ heel of the currently existent so-called external graphics solutions (some docking stations and always soon-to-be-released products like the Asus XG Station - follow the link for discussion) is that they are usually bandwidth limited and their price hardly could be justified. Not to mention that some of those solutions have never been meant to improve gaming performance but rather offering multi-monitor solutions with extra ports.

All in all, I will keep this option as impossible until someone releases a product that is meant for gaming and justifies its existence as such.

B. Upgrading an integrated card is IMPOSSIBLE

If your notebook has any of the integrated solutions (IGP) listed below or older, those cards are built into the motherboard, and it is virtually impossible to upgrade them. The PCI Express Graphics attach port, used by discrete graphics solutions, is disabled on those motherboards.

- Intel: GMA 900, GMA 950, X3100, X4500
- Ati: Xpress 200M, Xpress 1100, Xpress 1150, Xpress X1250, Xpress X1270
- Nvidia: Go 6100, Go 6150, 7150M, 8200M G, 9100M G, 9400M G

Again, you cannot upgrade an integrated video card.

C. Upgrading a dedicated card is almost IMPOSSIBLE

However, the rule has a few exceptions which are less than 1% of notebooks on the market. Now take a breath and hope that your notebook is listed somewhere below, which would not necessarily mean that you could upgrade but you would still have a hope unlike people whose notebooks fall in the previous category.

Warning: Upgrading the video card may void the warranty of your notebook in some cases and under certain circumstances. Therefore, it's highly recommended to be familiar with manufacturer's policies regarding the upgarding process.

Tip: You should think whether the overall performance boost after upgrade will justify the price of the upgrade. Some research about the prices of the current generation notebooks may be useful as well.


Exception 1: Proprietary modular format

1.1 Dell notebooks
The video cards of the notebooks listed below can be upgraded only from one dedicated option to another, offered by Dell for the corresponding notebook.


Previous generation notebooks:
- Dell Inspiron E1505 (6400), Video Card/Thermal-Cooling Assembly
- Dell Inspiron E1705 (9400), Video Card/Thermal-Cooling Assembly
- Dell XPS M1710, Video Card/Thermal-Cooling Assembly
- Dell Precision M90, Video Card/Thermal-Cooling Assembly

Current generation notebooks:
- Dell Inspiron 1520/Vostro 1500, Graphics Card Assembly
- Dell Inspiron 1720/Vostro 1700, Graphics Card Assembly
- Dell XPS M1730, Removing the Video Card
- Dell Precision M6400, Video Card/Heatsink Assembly


Note: The act of disassembling your notebook does not void the Dell warranty. However, any damage caused to the system while attempting to disassemble or reassemble it would not be covered.

For more information check out:
- Dell Community Forum (Video Sections: Inspiron, Latutide, XPS, Precision), Dell Systems Manuals
- NotebookForums /Dell Section/
- Dell Notebook Video Upgrades
- Notebookcheck /Case Study: Replacing the Video Card of a Dell Inspiron E1705 (9400)/


1.2 Clevo notebooks
The notebooks listed below can use only cards that Clevo has offerred for them. The highest options are the Quadro FX 2500M/Go 7900 GTX and Go 7950 GTX and nothing, again, nothing newer (a.k.a. DirectX 10).


Previous generation notebooks:
- Clevo M570U (and rebranded versions)
- Clevo D900K (and rebranded versions)


For more information about the process of upgrading refer to the Clevo Section of this forum and the corresponding resellers.


Exception 2: MXM standard format

Notebooks which are MXM ( Mobile PCI E Xpress Module) compliant can be upgraded under certain circumstances.


For more information check out:
- What is MXM-Upgrade?
- Table of known MXM laptops
- 10 things you should know about MXM by Ice-Tea


For any further information related to MXM upgrades, feel free to contact the forum member Ice-Tea and use his site linked above.


Exception 3: Just in case

Some notebooks might offer other more exotic ways to upgrade a mobile video card. However, if you are lucky enough to have one of them you probably know that very well.


And so, impossible is nothing, but unless you wear Adidas you should accept that some things are impossible. I'm sorry that's the reality.

 

THANK YOU!!!! You get the Solid Gold Trophy of Win!!!

 

the question about upgrading video cards seems to be asked all the time, i find it a bit annoying. The search feature feels lonely if you dont use it!

nice work

 

PLEASE TO GOD STICKY THIS

way too many times have i seen "can i upgrade my crappy gpu blah blah blah to blah blah blah"

 

I believe I will, and I'll replace our existing thread in the Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades forum with it:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=41454
I can't sticky it in here because we already have four stickies and that is the general limit of how many stickied threads we allow per forum.

 

hi
is ist possible tu upgrade Compal HEL80 with a dedicated graphic card?
thx
shoki

 

The HEL80 comes with a dedicated graphics card already.

 

This thread... it's just amazing! Very nice lay-out, and that qoute of Holmes, nice!

Charlie

 

no, not here in cro.
you can get one with integrated intel graphic, so i thought buying that one (it's waaaay cheaper than one with gf7600), and later buying graphic card, since hel80 is part of intel cbb project...

 

No you can't upgrade an integrated gfx. You have to replace the motherboard with one that doesn't have integrated gfx in order to be able to add the gf7600.

 

There's already an external video card solution using the ExpressCard slot available on many laptops. I think somebody on these forums actually reviewed the gadget, which acted as an external sound card, video card, and USB/Ethernet hub all in one. It was $299 if I'm not mistaken (I just can't remember the name of the gadget). Not anything you can play games off of of course. Oh and I think you provide your own external monitor.

In the future, or near future, look for more advanced external video cards using the ExpressCard port. The technology holds promise, although the consumer demand for it is questionable.

 

First, there are different kind of multi-monitor solutions which just offer ways to get multiple monitors with your notebook.

Second, I don't know about the future. I'm not a prophet. Otherwise, there are rumours right now but I'm not gonna provide misleading information here.

Now let me explain the purpose of this tread

The people usually ask whether they can improve the gaming performance by upgrading the video card and I'm just trying to explain when it is possible...

I am opened to suggestions if you think that something in this thread can be improved.

 

the compal hel 80 has a DEDICATED CARD

you're probably talking about the hel 81, which is gma crap

 

I am not bashing your post, I think it is excellent in quality and fairly accurate and informative---well deserving of a sticky. I know it will clear up some confusion and answer many FAQ's which many notebook users will have. I am hoping all the font editing does not imply you took offense at my equally accurate if not as informative reply, and I apologize for this lack of information---you are talking to a guy who gets -rep for not being too helpful sometimes. After reading your reply I took the time to find out what the nifty gadget with the external GPU was, and where on notebookreview I last saw it. You could see how this is relevant to the discussion. It is not prophetic to suspect that a more powerful external video card option would soon be available. But I agree that the current generation of external video cards is not adequate---or designed for that matter---for gaming.

 

Well, the "gadget" is called a 'docking station' I just forgot to mention that, you should've asked ones again...

Feel free to ask any questions or make any remarks which are related to the topic.

 

Dreamer I see you have a lot of knowledge about external cards etc. Here is a question: Why is a USB 2.0 (or Firewire) videocard (with maybe an external power source) not possible?

I once heard from Chaz that the reason is that the transfer rate of USB 2.0 is 480 Mbps while the transfer rate of AGP 2x is 1 Gbps. I cannot remember it very clearly but maybe adding this to your sticky (why USB powered videocards are impossible) might be usefull.

Charlie

 

Charlie I don't think I like the idea of external cards and don't expect to play Oblivion on them... soon

Otherwise, the USB 2.0 is able to handle a theoretical 480 MB/s whereas: the ExpressCard tops out at 500 MB/s, the FireWire tops out at 800 Mb/s, the AGP 4x tops out at 1 GB/s, the AGP 8x tops out at 2 GB/s... that's it. PCI-E x16 has 4 GB/s (8 GB/s - full duplex) theoretical bandwidth and it blows others out of the water any day of the week and twice on Sunday (tomorow is the day).

Anyway, I'm not gonna add numbers to the guide, it's not so important and it won't look better...

Thanks

 

Hi,
I haven't posted a query about upgrading my laptop video card yet, but I was thinking about it. However, this thread is rather emphatic about the impossibility of such action.
What I was wondering was what other options are available to upgrade my machine? I have an Acer Travelmate 660, its two years old, but I've kept it in goood condition. It comes with the Intel 855GM chipset, with 64 MB of shared memory. My main motivation is to be able to play the new Medieval 2 : Total War game (highly recommended to all and sundry!) on my baby.
Appreciate any and all comments. Thanks

 

This thread is what it should be...sorry I can't do anything about that

Unfortunately, your Acer has an integrated card so you can not upgrade it.

 

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=3284&catid=461


asus sells the gpu of its a8jm through spare parts

if they sell the 7700 its quite probable the a8jm users will be able to upgrade becuase the card is mxm type

it is a mirror image of mxm aparently either asus only or mostly.

the first user to do this hasnt happened yet

 

Yep. I suppose you could

 

Dreamer - you really deserve my rep. Great post. Sticky to the power of 10.

I have a comp that has a switch between gma900 and MXM ati x700 128MB! (Blue led if I use GMA900 - battery time is great, and green when I use x700 - gaming is great). I guess my comp is an exception that proves your rule!

Cheers,

Ivan

 

No, no, no
I have a dell inspiron 640m and it has an integrated gr card, GMA 950 or something like that.
I know you said that it is impossible to upgrade it, but i was thinking is there any other way, I mean is it possible to change the motherboard and buy a new gr card for my laptop.
plz, I have to change the card no matter what, so if you have any idea post it!!!!!

 

Nihalf my man!
at least someone here who has the same taste in games as me. i got medieval 2 two days ago, the campagne works fine, but the battles s--k, I mean at the lowest settings it takes only 17 minutes to load one battle and it cannot load battles with more than 500 units, it just gets stuck and i have to restart my computer.

 

You CANNOT upgrade that video card.

Dell doesn't offer another motherboard and I suppose that only the orginal motherboard is designed to fit in your notebook.

Sorry, I don't think that you have any chance to do that.

 

If you are that desperate you might as well get another notebook. The mother board would cost a few hundred and the GPU another couple hundred. For three hundred more you could get a new dell e1505 with a dedicated GPU and all of the other tech goodies that come with a new laptop.

 

Thanks Ivan

Yes, I know your notebook. I'll read your review later. I think I like the idea of "combo" GPU but unfortunately I've seen only a few similar notebooks. Otherwise, the people have different needs in different situations and such a combo is really useful in some case.

 

really helpfull thread

 

Regarding the MXM thing, does anyone know if that is possible with Zepto notebooks such as the 6615WD? It's not in the table on the site, but it's not a very well-known brand.

 

Linky ?

 

I can't go on the site now, but I think the link is http://uk.zepto.com and the model is 6615WD. It used a Nvidia GeForce Go 7600. Is it possible that, say, Asus laptops with this card use an MXM version of it, and, say, Dell versions use a non MXM version of the same card?

If that link doesn't work try typing Zepto Computers into Google.

thanks.

 

Can`t figure out who makes them..

I think you are confusing `card` with `GPU`. Dell, Asus, Uniwill, anybody buys GPU`s, the chips, from nVidia. What they do with it is up to them. Some slap it on a card that adheres to the MXM formfactor, some use large chunks from the MXM spec and stray a little, some cook up their own formfactor, others embed the chip on the motherboard itself..

 

Oh I see. So the Nvidia Gefore is the GPU, but that's part of the graphics card? Is the other stuff on the graphics card things like VGA, S-video and graphic-related ports?

Also, what could give me a clue as to who make it, apart from just the name of the company? Are there any other phrases that are likely to be used.

 

The other stuff is basically memory, power switchers and a bit of flash memory.

The folks who make these cards are the same who make the notebooks, and they design and produce a card for a specific notebook only (with a few exceptions) but there`s basically no open market for them. These are the kind of people who laugh their ass of if you ask `m for a single card. Actually, they still laugh when you ask for 1000 pieces. Trust me, I know.

They are called `ODMs`. They are the folks that make the notebooks for Dell, Alienware, Apple,... Notable ODMs include Arima, Compal, Quanta, Asus, Acer, Winstron,...

 

Thanks for the thread, info, and links. Very helpful.

I tried updating my ATI Radeon X200m and downloaded the whole Catalyst package from ATI/AMD. It really goofed up my system - huge jump in start up time, then waiting for the screen to flash black before doing anything.

Reinstalled original drivers, then just installed the updated video drivers. Worked great and no problems. Only noticeable improvement I've seen, though, is that colors seem a little more solid and not as transparent as before.

 

Could you link me to the 'just drivers' you installed? I have always found ATi's own drivers don't work on my x200m!

 

I used the ATI link in message number one at the top.

 

I'm not seeing a link in post #1 if that's what you mean...

 

hello guys.

i use compaq presario x1000 with ati radeon 7500 radeon.
can this graphics can be upgrade to 128mb or 256mb?

pls......help me:ati:

 

You got your answer a couple of days ago.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=91359

 

jess_paws and sanpabloguy, since this thread has nothing to do with GPU drivers, probably you're talking about another guide, which is located here.

 

Dreamer,

You're right! I apologize. I would have sworn I was posting to that thread. I don't even know why I would have been on the GPU thread - doesn't apply to me.

 

sorry guys im not really familiar with computers......i have an inspiron 6400/E1505 core 2 duo 2 ghz with 2GB ram and an x1400....im extremely dissatisfied with the performance of my x1400.....

what i get from this thread is that i could have upgraded my graphics card if i asked for an option to allow a new one to be installed???

if that is so how do i check whether my graphics card is integrated or not...

 

The X1400 is a dedicated video card but it is the highest option that Dell offers for the Inspiron E1505.

You cannot put anything better than the X1400 in your notebook.

 

1) If you have an ATI/nVidia card it is most likely not integrated. The X1400 is dedicated.
2) Even if you could upgrade, the part has to come from Dell (or whoever) and it had to have been offered on that specific notebook at some time on the manufacturer's website. Example: The E1705 (I think) comes with either the X1400 or 7900GS. If you got the X1400 and wanted to upgrade to a X1600, you could not because Dell never offered a X1600 equipped E1705.
3) NEVERMIND
4) You already have the best card available for the E1505.

 

The E1505 is upgradeable notebook. If you have the Go 7300 or the X1300, you could upgade to a X1400.

 

Thanks......another Q.....would it be possible to upgrade say in the future...if dell decide to Offer a better graphics card for the E1505 ?

 

I stand corrected...thanks .

Yes, however I'm guessing that any better cards will be reserved for the XPS series.

 

The X1400 is a good mid-range card, so if you have some problems with your gaming performance, you could post in the Gaming section about that.

 

lol great idea...i wish ppl had told me this b4; took me 4ever to learn bout that...and now i can divert all the "noobs" here