What video card will work on my laptop?

[irishdemon22]

I have a Dell Inspiron 15r laptop that i bought for mobile gaming when i'm not at home. The problem is it only has Intel integrated graphics, and I am told I need a dedicated card to play games. I checked out the Dell site and some of the 15r models come with ATI cards, but other than this what video cards will work with my laptop?

I like Action/Adventure, RPG, MMORPG (WoW anyone?), FPS, etc., so I want as good of graphics as possible with my computer.

If you need any other specific info please tell me where to find it as i'm not a whiz with computers and especially laptops.

 

[STp]

I think you might be **** out of luck, I hope you still have your reciept because as far as I know you cannot replace the video card on laptops - laptops are tightly saudered and jammed together as compact as possible

Solutions
1. If you have a warranty I reccommend hitting it with a hammer and saying you bought it that way
2. Buy a desktop?

 

[Technochicken]

There is no way to replace an integrated video chip, as these are, well, integrated into the motherboard of the laptop. As far as I know, the only laptop video card format that is user upgradeable is MXM.

Depending on the specific Intel chip you have, you may be able to use GMABooster to give you a 25% or so performance increase.

 

[g4mer]

You bought a laptop with integrated graphics card for gaming??? That's your problem. You can't upgrade graphics on laptops. Only thing you can do is to buy a new laptop with dedicated GPU.

 

[irishdemon22]

Why is it that with a laptop you cannot get a dedicated GPU over the Integrated card? Its either one or the other in other words right?

Also do you think this would be suitable for playing some of today's games even if with low graphics? (Also my computer's gaming graphics score is rated 5.1)

Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics (Core i5)
DAC type: Internal
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0046&SUBSYS_04471028&REV_18
Display Memory: 1696 MB
Dedicated Memory: 64 MB
Shared Memory: 1632 MB
Current Mode: 1366 x 768 (32 bit) (59Hz)

I just bought this laptop, and I thought the Intel HD integrated would be sufficient for games, but if this is not the case, I will take it back and keep saving up for my Alienware M17x with Crossfirex 5870s

 

[Technochicken]

The best way to find out if it will work for games is to try some games on it. My guess is that you would be able to play a lot of games, as long as you used the very lowest visual settings.

 

[JMMD]

How much did you pay for the Dell? The CPU is very nice but I don't think you'll be very happy with the video performance unless you really don't mind lower-res with low graphic settings.

What's your price range for a new laptop?

 

[irishdemon22]

Payed $800 dollars for this one, and i think i will just get another one and let my wife use this one.

As for price, does not matter. Currently i am wanting the m17x alienware and fully decked out it is just over $6k

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Waste of money IMO.
Hardly beats my $800 desktop.

 

[irishdemon22]

Its actually pretty good, the graphics are the only thing lacking on it, and even so, they aren't horrible i can still play WoW and Oblivion with mid to high graphics with decent framerate, but like i said this one is going to the wife since she doesn't care about gaming graphics.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Oh, I meant the $6000+ alienware.

 

[irishdemon22]

Why is that?

It would include
Intel core i7 factory overclocked
windows 7 ultimate
crossfirex ATI mobility radeon 5870
8g RAM
512g SSD
BluRay Burner
Microsoft Home and Office
4 year adv warranty
.. among other things

Do you still think it is a waste? And if so what would you recommend?

 

[STp]

If you want a gaming computer I recommend - YOU BUY A DESKTOP - unless you want to play video games in strange mobile locations
In a few years your computer will be out of date in terms of hardware, you will have to buy another laptop or just upgrade some hardware on your desktop

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

That would cost under $2000; in a desktop.

 

[Relic]

As already pointed out if you want to game your best bet is with a desktop PC. The reason most PC gamers are against gaming laptops is because it'll be outdated in 6-12 months, likely not possible to upgrade, overly expensive compared to a desktop counterpart, not run the games as smooth if at all and lastly never travel extensively enough to make it worth the investment.

There are situations where one does come in handy though. As mentioned if you travel often on long trips (weeks) and have the free time to game. Obviously caring around a desktop for situations like this isn't ideal and a laptop with power comes in handy. However if the majority of your gaming is going to happen at home then it's not a smart investment imo. See what best fits your situation overall. Since you mentioned that price does not matter you can get yourself a very nice gaming desktop on top of a good laptop for traveling.