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Tom's Guide > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Nvidia > Upgrading Laptop Graphics card

Upgrading Laptop Graphics card

Forum Graphic & Displays : Nvidia Upgrading Laptop Graphics card

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hey i need some help, i have a gaming laptop and i want to upgrade my graphics card from a Nvidia GTX 425M to a GTX 580M here are my specs, but it says that i have an intel intergrated graphics which i do, but i use my GTX 425M. I don't know if my motherboard can support it, if it can't please link a new mother board that i could run it; thanks.
GRAPHICS INFORMATION
Graphics Product [3] Intel® HD Graphics
3D Acceleration Yes
Hardware Transform & Lighting Support Yes
Video Memory 1.7 GB
Vertex Shader Support 4.0
Pixel Shader Support 4.0
Graphics Product [1] Intel® HD Graphics
Graphics Driver Version not detected
Driver Status Newer Driver Available
3D Acceleration No
Hardware Transform & Lighting Support No
Video Memory 4.0 GB
Vertex Shader Support 5.0
Pixel Shader Support 5.0
Microsoft DirectX* Version 11.0
Current Graphics Resolution 1920x1080
Current Color Depth 32 Bits Per Pixel
Raw EDID[1] 00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 22 64 A5 06 0F 00 00 00 00 0C 01 03 80 00 00 FF 2F 00 00 A0 57 49 9B 26 10 48 4F 00 00 00 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 02 3A 80 18 71 38 2D 40 58 2D 36 00 00 00 00 00 00 1E 00 00 00 FD 00 00 3C 00 AC 0F 00 00 00
MOTHERBOARD INFORMATION
Manufacturer Intel
Model B5130M
AA Number Not Applicable
BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies LTD
BIOS Version Phoenix Technologies LTD 6.00
BIOS Release Date 10/07/10
System Memory 7.7 GB
Built-in Audio Driver Component not detected
Built-in Audio Driver Version 6.0.1.8600
Built-in Audio Driver Status Non-Intel device detected
PROCESSOR INFORMATION
Manufacturer Intel
Model Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU M 640 @ 2.80GHz
Intel Processor analysis tools not detected
CPU Speed 2.8 GHz
Link to Processor Specification Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU M 640 @ 2.80GHz
CPU Revision 02
CPU Type 00
CPU Family 06
CPU Model 25
CPU Stepping 5

Reply to th3deadsilent
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99% of the time, a laptop's graphics chip cannot be upgraded. Also you can't switch motherboards between laptops of different generations/models most of the time. If you take it apart, you'll see why very quickly.

I DO NOT recommend disassembling your laptop unless you are completely willing to ruin it. Again DO NOT DISASSEMBLE YOUR LAPTOP UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO RUIN IT! IT WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!

Now, if you do want to check inside it, there is probably a tutorial on youtube to help you with it.


Message edited by bigj231 on 02-16-2012 at 04:14:03 AM
Reply to bigj231

You can only upgrade laptop video cards if they are MXM slot. Even so dissipating heat generated from higher end models could be an issue. Also MXM GPUs are insanely expensive.

Reply to jrazor247

Add to that the fact that MXM cards from different vendors are often incompatible.

I've spent a couple dozen hours going over parts lists for various HP DV7 laptops to determine which system board I need to have a discrete GPU in my laptop. Not only will I need a new system board, but new heat sinks and copper shims, too. I'll end up spending $350-500 for the system board and about another $100 for the cooling changes, I figure. I'm hoping I can recoup a couple hundred by reselling my old system board and sinks. It's never as easy as you first think.

Reply to sewalk
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