Buying a 3D card for a laptop

General · 05-13-2011, 04:46 AM

I'd like to buy a 3D card for an old 1.5 GHz laptop. How can I check if it has some place where the 3D card goes? What is a good, inexpensive 3D card for Linux?

cascade9 · 05-13-2011, 05:22 AM

Video expansion for laptops is possible, but VERY rare. The cards are also VERY expensive (eg, a GTS250M, which is hardly that current or powerful, it well over $350 US...

Even if you do have a video expansion slot, you still need to be very careful about checking what cards will work in what slots.

*edit- if you list your laptop model, I can figure it out pretty quickly if yuo can upgrade you video card. But I'd be almost certain that with an 'old 1.5GHz laptop' you cant.

General · 05-13-2011, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cascade9

Video expansion for laptops is possible, but VERY rare. The cards are also VERY expensive (eg, a GTS250M, which is hardly that current or powerful, it well over $350 US...

Even if you do have a video expansion slot, you still need to be very careful about checking what cards will work in what slots.

*edit- if you list your laptop model, I can figure it out pretty quickly if yuo can upgrade you video card. But I'd be almost certain that with an 'old 1.5GHz laptop' you cant.

Model: Itronix ix260 GoBook

elliott678 · 05-13-2011, 09:15 AM

The only laptops I've ever seen with upgradeable video are high end gaming laptops, like Alienware or maybe a G-series Asus.

It is pretty safe to say that there is no way to upgrade one in that Itronix. It is meant to be a durable laptop, not a fast one, it most likely has onboard Intel graphics or something similar.

The only time you have even a slim chance of being able to upgrade is if it already has a high end card in it.

cascade9 · 05-15-2011, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by General

Model: Itronix ix260 GoBook

From what I could see, no, that laptop will not have any way to upgrade the video.

Quote:

Originally Posted by elliott678

The only laptops I've ever seen with upgradeable video are high end gaming laptops, like Alienware or maybe a G-series Asus.

Aleinware...meh. Overpriced, and also not made by alienware, they just rebardge other peoples laptops (most clevo IIRC).

I dont actually know of any G-series asus that have a MXM slot. At least a few of the asus models are right #%&^#%&$ to get working with replacement MXM slot cards, asus has done a lot of things that just make the job harder (non-standard mounting holes, flipping the MXM connector, etc)

Not all the 'high end gmaing laptops' will have a MXM slot, and not all laptops with a MXM slot would be high end gaming machines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by elliott678

The only time you have even a slim chance of being able to upgrade is if it already has a high end card in it.

Not really. Depending on what you call 'high end'. I've done a MXM slot video card replacement on a system that came with a 8400M chip (Acer 7520G) which I would never call 'high end'.

If you call any laptop with a video card, not poxy intel video as 'high end' then you would be right, I cant recall ever seeing....or hearing about...a laptop with a MXM slot that didnt come with a card in the slot.