possible card upgrades for ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 512MB

these are my specs

sony vaio VGN-FW290J -- 4.0GB RAM; 2.26GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo; ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 512MB RAM, 1600x900 16.4" HD Screen

what is the most powerful card that i can upgrade to?
would it be possible to get a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire?
also could i change the processor?

 

I'm doubt you can change your graphics card, it's probably soldered onto the mother board. Even if you do have an MXM card (removable), they tend to be very expensive. No way you could put 2 5870s into your computer either. If you really need more graphics performance, I would advise you to look at a new computer.

On the other hand, you can upgrade your CPU- (can't go to an i5/i7), but unless you're doing CPU intensive tasks (video editing and the like), your core 2 duo's sufficient and you wont see much of a difference in upgrading.

 

Dont think that the GPUs in Sony Vaio notebooks are replaceable.
You could perhaps check out MXM Upgrade Home Page .

 

If your notebook is out of warranty, take it apart and check if it truly is MXM. I have seen some posts before claiming that some Vaios have MXM and some don't.

Since the 3650 is MXM II, you could most likely upgrade to a Moblity Radeon HD 4670 at best. There is no way you are going to get Crossfire 5870's in there, though.

 

thanks for the help so far....so the 5000 Series are out of the question then?

 

Here You are photos from dissasembling vaio vgn fw series. It's exuipped in hd3470 I think, but there is the wersion with hd3650 and I doubt that FW290J have different components layout from this one: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...fficial-vaio-fw-series-owners-thread-119.html

 

thaaannnnnnnnnk youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!! but any ideas on the most powerful card i could get?

 

Did You checked those photos from the link? Graphic card is embeded in the motherboard therefore no upgrade availalble.

 

Maybe consider a DIY ViDock...

 

YUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKK FUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! LOL...naw but thats why my status is newbie. i looked at the pics but i didnt take the time to discern it. thank for the help tho

awsome can "increase 3dmark06 and gaming frames-per-second by over 10 times over an integrated graphics solution". i guessed right tho there is a performance loss because of the way its connected. is there a limit to the card i could use with this technique?

 

AFAIK, the only way you are going to be limited is by with what PSU you use. If you get a PSU to accommodate a card like a GTX 480 or HD 5970, then there is essentially no limit to what card you can use.

But however, due to the way it's connected, as you said, it will be quite limited. For example, if you hooked a desktop 5870, you would get around 13,000 3DMarks in 3DMark06. If this was a desktop set up with something like a i5 750, it would probably get around 20,000, instead. On the later series ATI cards, performance isn't severely limited by the x1 link, but take note that you will definitely not get the performance that is advertised in a similar desktop rig.

Overall, it's a good option if the notebook is stationary, and the performance difference between a ViDock'd 5870 and the MR 3650 will be phenomenal.

 

yes it will be but its makes ur laptop unportable and u need an external monitor.. i rather build a desktop instead.. defeats the purpose of a laptop.

 

what about the 2x link? also i need some advice on the psu.
i want to use a HD 5770 Crossfire. can some one give the highest performing part(links,adapter,etc.)
using an external lcd screen isnt a big deal. i dont play games on the road and i can take the image from the external screen and put it back onto the laptop screen, but im guessing if the external screen is not hd than you would not be able to achieve hd on the internal screen with this method. correct me if i am wrong.

 

What do you mean take the image and put it back on the laptop screen? With what?

I would advise against the 5770 Crossfire. That means you're going to need two links and link them up into one, etc. What I would go with is a 5870 or a 5850, personally. I think you are going to find that it will be more difficult to set up a dual card link.

As for PSU's I would recommend that you get something along the lines of a Corsair CMPSU 550HX, or TX, if you can't afford the modular HX. The HX will be tidier though, as you have modular cables, and don't need to stack a bunch of protruding wires anywhere. It also does not need to be too powerful, as it is to power the card only, and nothing else. There is no other attachment.

The x2 or x1 link will limit your performance compared to a desktop set up, as the bandwith of the card is reduced to what speed the link is running at. So you will not get the advertised performance, but it will still be tenfold of what the 3650 can do. Your processor, depending on what clockspeed it runs at and how much cache it has, may or may not bottleneck the card.

I suggest that if you really want to pursue this type of set up, that you contact Nando4 through PM or something. He is one of the first people to use it, so he will know what you need, what you should do, etc.