Need help upgrading video card on my new T61!

Hi,

I was wondering if I was able to upgrade my video card on my Lenovo T61 I just got a week ago. I got a "ThinkPad T61 15 inch widescreen with discrete graphics" (Core2 Duo T7500 clocked at 2.2 ghz, 2 gb RAM), with a NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB).

I want to be able to play a game like Half Life 2 on this laptop, but I didnt realize that this crappy Nvidia Quadro NVS 140M doesn't support Opengl and directx or whatever. Would I be able to upgrade to a video card for this T61 that supports 3d games, like the NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M (256MB Open GL), or am I stuck with what I've got?

And if I can upgrade, does any retailer sell these laptop video cards?

Thanks to any replies in advance.

 

The 140M doesn't play Half Life 2? I find that hard to believe since it handles Oblivion perfectly. I'll try it now.

 

Nope, upgrading the video card isn't an option. You can however get a better driver for gaming. I'm a bit cold on the gaming scene, but I remember omega drivers and laptopvideo2go. Someone else please refresh my memory.

EDIT: Arkit You got to this first AND you have a better screenshot of your battery power!

 

Oh my fault, I thought for sure that I read that the 140M doesn't support 3d video. But is it still possible to upgrade to something better like the Quadro FX 570M, or is that card/other better video cards not compatible with my setup/motherboard?

 

The GPU on T61 is hard soldered on the motherboard and cannot be changed/upgraded. Replacing the motherboard is too expensive to be practical.

 

Aw I'm sorry MYK. My screenshot isn't even real, it's really a 7-cell battery with 3.5hrs of charge. It randomly said that so I took a screenie.

 

clueless,

Your GPU even though discrete is soldered on to your motherboard.

But, as others have stated, HL2 plays well without any changes for your PC. Heck, I played HL2 with an antiquated Nvidia 5200.

For more intense 3D gaming, go to laptopvideo2go.com for the latest driver update.

But, enjoy yourself. Start experimenting.....you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

All NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards support 3d...just to varying degrees of performance and quality. The NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M is a professional version of the Geforce 8400M-GT...a great entry-mid level mobile graphics card.

I'd suggest you make sure your processor is running at it's maximum potential (make sure when you run any graphically intensive game, put the battery mode into Maxiumum Performance or High Performance mode), and that you have the latest drivers from laptopvideo2go.com.

 

Man I played HL2 at max res max details with smooth fps when I had a thinkpad.

 

Lol. I play at max too, albeit with lowered AA/AF settings.

 

And the 140M overclocks like a mother.
Download the drivers from laptopvideo2go (169.04 are known for OC'ability) and ATItool or Rivatuner and start testing the waters.

 

I tried to overclock it with the stock driver, and it didn't work.

to the OP: I play games all the time with my laptop, lol, no problems.

 

A few days ago I got a T61 dual core T7300 @ 2.0 GHz with mobile intel G965 express chipset family

I had the same question as the first poster...and found out that you cant physically upgrade the GPU so my question is:

is there any other way I can tweak the performance of my system?

At the moment games run at 10-15 fps at lowest settings

my system type : 7659-12G with 1G ram

Thanks for your help

--Jack