Can I upgrade my laptop graphics card?

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xAshliex

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Jul 15, 2014
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Hi guys! I currently have a HP Envy dv7 7238hr notebook and I'm curious to know if it's possible to upgrade my graphics card and if so what cards would be compatible? Hp tech support said it was possible and said they had dedicated graphics card on their site but no luck, i even called the store customer service and still no luck. Thanks so much!
 
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If your laptop has integrated graphics (intel hd .... or if you have an amd a-....) then the answer is an immediate no.

If your laptop has dedicated graphics (nvidia or ati) then there may be a beter grahics card that HP made for that product line. Desktop graphics cards all use the same port and size (at least in height and width) standards, laptops on the hand vary from OEM to OEM and even model to model so you have a very limited amount of upgrades availible if any.
If your laptop has integrated graphics (intel hd .... or if you have an amd a-....) then the answer is an immediate no.

If your laptop has dedicated graphics (nvidia or ati) then there may be a beter grahics card that HP made for that product line. Desktop graphics cards all use the same port and size (at least in height and width) standards, laptops on the hand vary from OEM to OEM and even model to model so you have a very limited amount of upgrades availible if any.
 
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xAshliex

Estimable
Jul 15, 2014
4
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4,510


Yeah i thought it was a little weird when he said i had to get a dedicated graphics card to be able to do it then said that dedicated cards are external -_-
that shoulda been a sign right there...
 

USAFRet

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RAM? Possibly. Depends on what is already in there.
Processor? Possibly. But only within a certain range, and you probably won't see a significant performance increase.

In what way is it lacking currently?
 

JonnyDough

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Feb 24, 2007
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I'm not allowed to rate posts. Blast this site and it's admins. I know this is a really old post but to educate anyone that's currently still listening...

You can do some external graphics solutions through USB, etc. There is still not an open standard spec so it hasn't really caught on. The HP rep did know what he was talking about but shouldn't have even bothered to mention it. It's possible HP sells something like this, they are a huge corporation with lots of business solutions for bloated IT depts.

That said, your CPU can be upgraded. I ran across this post looking to take a Phenom II x3 to a quad and must remain within a 35w processor envelope. My graphics M HD5650 is integrated, integrated meaning that it is soldered onto the motherboard and would require some amazingly talented soldering skills and likely a bios hack to replace. There are mobile cards today that are actually slotted and can be swapped out - an idea I am both a fan of (due to the heat output of graphics and how often they fail in laptops) and also not a fan of (due to the added weight/cost/space requirements in a laptop). The answer to all of this of course is what chip makers are calling system on a chip. It takes the graphics processor and moves it onto the CPU. AMD calls this an APU. I stumbled across this in a search to see if my mobile card was integrated and felt it may benefit others so I felt a good answer was warranted.
 

USAFRet

Illustrious
Moderator
External graphics for a laptop? Sure, if your laptop has the right port. ExpressDrive or Thunderbolt. Expensive and less than optimal results.
Turning a portable laptop into an underperforming desktop.

USB video? Sure. For displaying a PowerPoint slideshow, maybe.
 

Voltan

Estimable
Jun 16, 2015
1
1
4,510
Hi,

I heard that it is doable, because even if the GPU is soldered to the mother board, there are techniques to remelt the solder to replace the GPU. But as it is like a brain surgery, it shall be done under extreme attention, right tools, right monitoring and expert judgement. Such as you should use laser thermometers to monitor the temperature not to burn the motherboard while melting the solder. You have to be careful because there might be neighbor solders which might be melted too.

So to sum up, this procedure is highly risky, and no one takes that risk to proceed this upgrade. Plus i have heard people who burned their motherboard while trying to do that. Even one computer guy told me that, even if it is a success the GPU might got into problems within two years of usage as it will have defects in the procedure. So that's why people say 99% you can't change it. Which is sad, and i'm pissed off too.

In my case i have the same problem and i'm still searching for solution. I have a dell latitude 14 rugged extreme 7404 with i5 and an integrated GPU HD 4400 i guess. So in the owners manual i saw that there are instruction about how to replace the GPU ! Please check it from this link.

http://www.dell.com/support/manuals/au/en/audhs1/Topic/latitude-7404-laptop/Lat14_7404_OM-v1/en-us/GUID-9CCD6D90-C1D1-427F-9E77-D4F83F3AD2B6

Click the pdf button to get the manual. Search for GPU, then you will see.

I really wonder that if i can really replace my GPU with GT 720m ? I said Gt 720m because this laptop model has already an option to be bought with GT 720m, so i think that it should be compatible somehow. Further more i wonder if all these assumptions are right why not to use a GT 755m ? They seem similar ? :D

Any ideas on this voyage, please let me know. I'm just an architect so i really don't know much of these stuff. I really appreciate if anyone can confirm that this laptop can be upgraded or not.
 
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JoeRaptor

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Jan 18, 2016
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What GPU do you have? Is it AMD or Nvidia. It's possible.
 


I'm thinking this might be the laptop:

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03512969



 
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