P170EM GPU Upgrade

I need a new laptop in the next couple weeks and am looking at the P170EM. However, I really want the AMD 7970M but cannot wait until late May. I have a couple questions for the seasoned forum-goers:

1) Any chance of anyone making it available in the next week or so? They'd have my business.

2) I've heard that the GPU is readily accessible on this laptop from the bottom panel. However, I've only swapped out the GPUs in desktop computers. Would I be able to upgrade it myself from the 675M at a later date?

Thanks!

 

You can upgrade it yourself. But then you would have to sell the old card (which will be hard, because its an old gtx675m, that resembles the gtx580m and people know that) and a standalone laptop GPU costs a fortune to buy. Like 500$ or more.

Basically, you better wait for the 7970m to come out and purchase it then with your laptop. Dont go the upgrading way. Its a way, that is way way more expensive...way.

 

Thanks. But.... Diablo 3....

 

Hey if you have cash to burn it isnt a problem. You can easily get a 675M now and upgrade to a 7970M or 680M later. But itll cost you...

 

If I were to use the 675M for a couple years before upgrading the card, would the 7970M be within the $200-300 range at that point?
As a grad student, I can't really rationalize dropping $500 in a year for the new card.

 

Generally, no. Mobile cards don't really ever drop that low in price. They're sold new at high cost, then as new parts come out they're gradually discontinued (no more are made but prices don't drop- just the supply does). A few years down the road you're looking at (most likely) getting a used card from someone else's machine, possibly snagging a new one that's going to be selling for about the same as the new ones at release, or you'll just get a new card that's better than the 7970 anyway.

For example, the 9800m is an ancient card by comparison and I still see them selling for $300-400 at times as replacements.

 

That's scary considering I currently have a 9800M GTX. I'll talk it over with my friends (who are eager to play Diablo 3 on release) and consider whether waiting for the 7970M is the right course of action...

Thanks for the assistance.

 

I cant rationalize this diablo 3 passion and the need to play it at launch, the game aint going to run away from you, if you dont play it at that time.

 

You dont need more than a GTX675m or AMD 6990M to play Diablo 3 at ridiculously high framerates.

But its always a good investment if you wait 1 month for the 7970m.

 

Isn't D3 anyway more CPU consuming than GPU consuming?

 

I agree wholeheartedly. However, I have a close group of friends who are going to get together and play it on launch night and I would prefer to be part of the festivities.

 

and thats why I drink beer.

 

If you buy from Mythlogic, they'll upgrade you to 7970m later for just a tiny bit more than it would cost to buy it later. That's what I'm doing, only I'll wait for 7990m. This is on top of all the other good things they offer.

 

I can't imagine that being the case. From what I can gather, there's actually quite a lot of breathing room for Sandy Bridge processors already where even Ivy Bridge might be overkill.