lllJACKlll Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (edited) hey everyone... basically a "Can I run it?" question, but i know that everything SHOULD be up to par, except my graphics card. just to be safe im going to list my specs quick and if anything else needs an upgrade if you could please say, but im looking for a video card that can and will run skyrim at near max settings, however im in college and as you can imagine money is tight, so im looking for something around 100 or 150 dollars. anyone who can help i will greatly appreciate it Model: Dell XPS Studio 1640 (laptop) Processor: Intel Core Duo, P8600 2.40 GHZ Memory: 4090 MB Ram DirectX 11 Graphics Card (The part I know I have to upgrade): ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670 if you need any more information just ask, thanks! Edited October 19, 2011 by lllJACKlll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhardingame Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 You can't upgrade laptop graphics cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllJACKlll Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 You can't upgrade laptop graphics cards. yes you can.... some models im aware its near impossible but ive heard of it being done many times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saldin93 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (edited) it can be done if you have much funds(if you don't wanna DIY) and it's very risky as heart surgery :sleep: yet if you insist, check whether your gfx is intergrated and soldered...if it isn't, try to get nvidia geforce 425m, it can run gta IV smoothly.. Edited October 19, 2011 by saldin93 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedVexHK Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (edited) it can only be done with laptops slotted with modular GPU's.. if your laptop doesn't have one.. you can't upgrade the GPU. only other option is to either buy a desktop... or for about the same price buy an external GPU rig and run it thru your laptop's PCI E cardslot . make sure it has one too... or forget it...most newer laptops have them tho... http://www.magma.com/expressbox1.asp Like I said... not cheap.. and you STILL need to buy a card OK.. AMD has a new ASUS link on their site.. they finally have this rig... http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/External_Graphics_Card/XG_Station/#overview as far as i now you can slot any card the onboard PSU can run OTHER than the one it comes with.. any standard size or low profile GPU Edited October 19, 2011 by RedVexHK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elderiii Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 hey everyone... basically a "Can I run it?" question, but i know that everything SHOULD be up to par, except my graphics card. just to be safe im going to list my specs quick and if anything else needs an upgrade if you could please say, but im looking for a video card that can and will run skyrim at near max settings, however im in college and as you can imagine money is tight, so im looking for something around 100 or 150 dollars. anyone who can help i will greatly appreciate it Model: Dell XPS Studio 1640 (laptop) Processor: Intel Core Duo, P8600 2.40 GHZ Memory: 4090 MB Ram DirectX 11 Graphics Card (The part I know I have to upgrade): ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670 if you need any more information just ask, thanks! I don't want to be harsh or abrupt, but you need to understand that what you are talking about is not feasible. I have been building and repairing computers as a part time business for several years, so trust me when I say it's not something that you want to even think about. First off, your gpu is very likely soldered directly to the motherboard. Even if it is not (which would be rare) you are going to have an extremely limited range of video cards that your laptop will support. Laptop hardware is NOT like desktop hardware, you can't mix and match these parts... most of them are specific to the motherboard and/or chassis of the specific laptop model and will not even fit properly into a different laptop. WIth an older model laptop like that, any mobile gpu that you can find which might happen to fit it would be extremely expensive and just as outdated. Between the cost of purchasing it and paying a professional to do the work you would be able to buy a brand new laptop that would destroy your old one gaming wise. To sum it up --- it won't work. Sorry mate, best to save your pennies - if a desktop is an option for you it would be by far the best in terms of "bang for your buck" - it's also much easier to assemble one yourself, even if you don't have much experience with it. I'd be happy to help you pick out parts and point you in the right direction if you wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonger Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 you upgrade an average lappy's video chip by purchasing a new lappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllJACKlll Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 thanks everyone for the responses... i was aware it would be a bit of a challenge but not THIS big a challenge.... the problem is my friend is a computer whiz, and he built this laptop for me rom scratch and he promised me he could do it, but he lives on the west coast now managing a gaming cafe. long story short, i wont have his help for a few months at least. elder i realize it would probably require me to buy a whole new motherboard and backup files just to replace it so thats probably out of the question unfortunately. jenna im very interested in that option you linked me to, and it sounds perfect esp. for my situation... but starting at 800 dollars is a bit out of the price range for me at the moment... im going to do my own research to these ends for now but hopefully i can find some useful alternative because i really dont want to resort to a console! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonger Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 thanks everyone for the responses... i was aware it would be a bit of a challenge but not THIS big a challenge.... the problem is my friend is a computer whiz, and he built this laptop for me rom scratch and he promised me he could do it, but he lives on the west coast now managing a gaming cafe. long story short, i wont have his help for a few months at least. he's managing a gaming cafe so he's got internet so he's available to counsel you so what's his recommendation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllJACKlll Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 thanks everyone for the responses... i was aware it would be a bit of a challenge but not THIS big a challenge.... the problem is my friend is a computer whiz, and he built this laptop for me rom scratch and he promised me he could do it, but he lives on the west coast now managing a gaming cafe. long story short, i wont have his help for a few months at least. he's managing a gaming cafe so he's got internet so he's available to counsel you so what's his recommendation lol ive asked him this, basically he says he could do it and it would be difficult but this sorta thing is his passion he is miles above anyone i know. he doesnt trust bestbuy or most generic computer repair places to want to or even be able to do this repair, so i either have to tough it out with the standard video card or upgrade the whole system (which im really not in the mood to do) so looks like im gonna keep what i got and play skyrim on medium settings at least until i see him again :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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