The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    The age old question regarding Graphic Cards

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by jtromans, Mar 12, 2008.

  1. jtromans

    jtromans Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    35
    Messages:
    236
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I have a question about my graphics card in the Sony Vaio VGN-SZ680 CTO machine.
    I have been very happy with my Vaio - having purchased it in September 2007 I can safely say it is the best investment I have made for a long time.

    As a UK resident, I was originally psyched to be getting an Dell XPS M1330, but after waiting a month or two longer than originally expected (I was expecting to wait a while...) I decided to have a look at the competing Sony machines while I was on a month long trip to Seattle to visit my gf.

    Buying the Sony Vaio SZ680 with my strong UK pound, along with the poorest hard-drive and lowest RAM configuration meant I saved myself around £500+ (or over $1000) compared to the Dell M1330 spec I had created, and a similar amount on buying a Sony Vaio in the UK. In fact, the SZ680 CTO was not available in the UK at the time... (still isn't?)

    Subsequently, I manually upgraded at a far smaller cost to a large SSD drive and 4 GB RAM. I already have a 2.4 DualCore Intel chip which is utilized brilliantly by the 64bit openSuse Linux I have installed as a dualboot OS.

    My next logical question rests on whether it is remotely possible to upgrade the GeForce 8400M GS graphics processing chip, perhaps even only with the GeForce 8400M GT? I understand this will void my warranty and given the fact I'm fairly screw-driver happy with my machine as it is - that doesn't concern me.

    I was just curious as to whether even with the right expertise in soldering would this become possible. Last time I took my Vaio apart was to clean the keyboard and I didn't check to look at the graphics card since this idea to replace it occurred to me this morning :)

    Has anyone had any experience with this to date?
     
  2. Xirurg

    Xirurg ORLY???

    Reputations:
    3,189
    Messages:
    7,375
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    206
    as i now it is not possible to change the video card!
     
  3. jtromans

    jtromans Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    35
    Messages:
    236
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I beg to differ!
     
  4. Lithus

    Lithus NBR Janitor

    Reputations:
    5,504
    Messages:
    9,788
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    It is not possible to change the video card. Read the stickies before you post.
     
  5. jtromans

    jtromans Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    35
    Messages:
    236
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    None of the sticky pages in the sony forums say - thats why I posted!
     
  6. jtromans

    jtromans Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    35
    Messages:
    236
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I just read your sig and I realise you have links to stickys that aren't in the sony forums and thus I haven't read. Perhaps a note at the top of each forum section with links to the overarching stickies might be useful :)