Hey again,
So I just bought an iBUYPOWER desktop computer and have been getting some great performance out of that sucker. I'd like to imitate that performance in my laptop as I can't always access my desktop. My notebook is the Dell XPS 17 equipped with the pathetic Nvidia 525m. I'm looking to put in a 640 1gb as well as a new CPU (not sure about this, might just overclock with an external laptop cooler). Can anybody help me out with what is compatible with my notebook? Thanks.
What is compatible with your notebook:
Money to buy a new notebook.
Seriously, lol. When it comes to a laptop, you trade off EVERY convenience of a desktop for one thing- portability. You won't find a laptop that can match the power of a high end gaming desktop.. Our technology just isn't there yet.
Exactly what toast said, you best bet to upgrade is sell you're current laptop and get another one, and unless you meant 640m you can't put a desktop GPU in a laptop
laptops do not have socket cpu's you get what you get
as for the gpu i can't seem to find what kind of interface it uses, but you might be able to upgrade it
I'm pretty sure those graphics chips are soldered onto the board itself. But I might be wrong..
Like toast said. It's a laptop. Everything is watered down to fit inside a cramped "hot box."
You got that switched around...
Laptops do have socketed CPUs, for the most part. I know this. I've upgraded numerous laptops.
It's the GPU's that are mostly soldered on, if not all of them.
no i don't
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_grid_array
K then thanks for the feedbac. :P I'll just stick with my desktop and play less on my laptop.
There are gaming laptops out there that can handle games (not as well as a desktop, obviously) but they are pricey and I really don't think they are worth the money.
Obviously, you've never cracked open a laptop with anything higher than a lowend APU.
Not all laptops have soldered CPUs. As I said. I have infact upgraded many laptops.
I do remember something that I read a while back.
They have an adapter for connecting a desktop GPU to a laptop via thunderbolt port. It's bulky and pricey, but apparently it works. Good luck finding one.
Give us the full specs of your laptop and I may look into it. If it has the usual mini-PCI Express slot, then you may have some twist of fate for your beloved laptop, and the CPU on many high-end laptops should be socketed, although it is not always a guarantee. But it also depends on what the thing already has as to whether it would be any noticeable improvement. The biggest improvement that you are likely to see in most laptops will come from replacing your RAM to whatever the fastest is that the motherboard can support (with the lowest voltage, if your motherboard reads XMP data or allows you to set the voltage) and by replacing your HDD with an SSD. The SSD doesn't help a huge amount in games, but it will make for a much better user experience everywhere else. And A-data makes a set of gamer SoDIMM RAM at 1600 MHz that runs at 1.35V. People will usually agree that on the laptops that make use of the lower voltage, they get significantly better battery life.
Also, you should look to at least add a Geforce GTX 650m, as the GTX 640m is pathetic. The GTX 660m is significantly more powerful still, but would probably be pushing well over the TDP of your current card. You'd have to check all that stuff out though, and see if your system is even capable of providing enough power to run the newer card. Although given the general inefficiency of the GTX 500 series compared to the 600 series, it shouldn't be a problem, really.
:/ if you buy something that can handle games in a laptop formfactor be prepared to lug around an 8-10lb brick. The point of a laptop is mobile computing. MOBILE. 8 pounds is not mobile. My friend bought an alienware laptop with the same idea as you. He bought another laptop because his alienware is too heavy.
Just buy a buisness grade notebook with like an i3/a4/a6 swap the RAM like mndless said, and you should be able to handle games at low to medium and not wind up lugging around a fucking phonebook.
Find a cheap laptop with an A10 apu in it.
That'll be the best gaming performance you'll be able to get within reasonable price.