Upgrading a laptop's graphics card?

[TradeNurkicNow]

Sup guys,

I've got a Gateway NV series and Skyrim hardly runs on low settings. I know, this is the biggest concern in my life right now.

Anyway, I can't find shit about this online. Can I replace the video card with a better one? Can I put in a motherboard from a different comp from the NV series that has a better integrated chip? Should I just buy a new computer (not gonna happen).

Thanks.

 

[Sinobas]

It's usually integrated in with the motherboard, meaning you can't upgrade it without replacing your entire MB. (which would be a big pain in the ass). I'd say to run a top end game like that, you'd need a desktop, and buy a high end video card for it. A laptop that has an integrated GPU capable of handling top end games will probably be very expensive. But you could get a $500-$600 PC plus a $150 video card and get the same performance.

 

[speeds]

You need a dedicated video card to run a game like Skyrim and you'll end up either swapping out almost all of your hardware (if you can find new items that both fit inside the case and are compatible) or buying a new computer. Save yourself the hassle and buy a cheap Xbox. I saw some door crashers this week $129 for the 4GB edition. Or if you don't already have a BR player get a PS3.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Most laptops share ram with the integrated video so you can max out (meaning buy new ram) the ram in your laptop and then go into the BIOS and increase the amount of system ram dedicated to the video. This will help a little. Also after you boot up hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete and turn off as many programs that are running in the background.

 

[Denny Crane]

Some laptops have graphics cards you can replace with upgrades. I'm not sure about this model.

Many do have integrated graphics which is fine for apps but sucks for games.

 

[jlprk]

Here's what you want, with upgradeable empty space inside. My son has one like this, only a year old.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230142

...you said you won't be buying a new one, so this info is for others...

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

Thanks for all the info dudes.

I think I will try and do the RAM trick, since it's becoming obvious that upgrading is impossible. Mine is a Gateway NV59C ($600) and after some tweaking Skyrim actually runs totally smooth on the lowest settings. Considering the last game I spent any time on was Mincecraft, Skyrim on low is a pretty big step up.

 

[Natebishop3]

Don't waste your money. I used to game on a laptop and eventually I fried the video card. I've been building towers ever since. I still have a laptop that is only used for school/work/etc with a pedestrian video card and a shitty processor. Basically I got the cheapest laptop I could find that only serves as a word processor and a portal to the interwebs.

Instead of upgrading the beast you should just put the money towards a desktop and leave your laptop for the things you do on the run.

 

[ppilot]

Don't waste your money. I used to game on a laptop and eventually I fried the video card. I've been building towers ever since. I still have a laptop that is only used for school/work/etc with a pedestrian video card and a shitty processor. Basically I got the cheapest laptop I could find that only serves as a word processor and a portal to the interwebs.

Instead of upgrading the beast you should just put the money towards a desktop and leave your laptop for the things you do on the run.

Yeah you can build a pretty solid gaming machine for $600. Also makes it easier to upgrade in the future.

 

[Natebishop3]

Yeah you can build a pretty solid gaming machine for $600. Also makes it easier to upgrade in the future.

Exactly.

 

[DeanMoriarty]

If you want to build a desktop and don't know what to get, this will help:

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png

 

[Nikolokolus]

Also if you don't like big bulky towers and want something with a small footprint, there are some pretty powerful/full featured microATX and even ITX based motherboards and some pretty ingenious case designs. I just finished building a new i7, quad core with 32 GBs of RAM and dual ATI HD 6950s all packed into this little thing:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163184

 

[Natebishop3]

Also if you don't like big bulky towers and want something with a small footprint, there are some pretty powerful/full featured microATX and even ITX based motherboards and some pretty ingenious case designs. I just finished building a new i7, quad core with 32 GBs of RAM and dual ATI HD 6950s all packed into this little thing:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163184

What the hell are you doing with 32 gigs of ram nik? I have a mobo that can expand to 32 but I only put in 8 at the moment.

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

Yeah I basically swore off games a couple years ago to get through grad school and haven't had a tower since. Not gonna in the future either, since I plan on travelling for the better part of the next decade. Slow ass Skyrim will have to do.

 

[Nikolokolus]

What the hell are you doing with 32 gigs of ram nik? I have a mobo that can expand to 32 but I only put in 8 at the moment.

VMware so I can run multiple instances of Windows (and Linux as needed) so I can let simulation software run in the background while I get my geek on with games.

 

[Denny Crane]

VMware so I can run multiple instances of Windows (and Linux as needed) so I can let simulation software run in the background while I get my geek on with games.

My laptop is maxed out at 12G so I can run VMs (VirtualBox, it's free and good).