Asked By
lindy
100 points
N/A
Posted on - 04/26/2011
I just want to ask if upgrading video card for my laptop is possible? I'm using ACER 4930. I'm having a problem when I play heavy graphic games. I want a smoother flow and I cant get a higher resolution.
Thanks, just need some ideas.
Is it possible to upgrade the graphics card of my laptop?
Hi Lindy,
You mentioned that you had an Acer 4930. If I’m not mistaken that model supports an NVIDIA GeForce 9600 or 9300 GPU with 265 MB dedicated VRAM. Your laptop however does not belong in the upgrade video chipset class, so an upgrade is out of the question for now.
I’ve seen illegal infiltration that uses the laptop’s PCI express slot which is connected to a desktop graphics card but it seems too much work, having cables strung out from underneath the laptop. There are ways however to maximize what you currently have to try and give you a smoother gaming experience.
- Make sure that your graphics card drivers are always updated to the latest version. Manufacturers like NVIDIA post driver updates their website for enhancements and fixes to improve display for some and higher fps (frames per second) for others. Go to this page for the latest.
- Now if you are sure that you have the latest drivers, maybe it is time for some tweaking. NVIDIA offers a utility called Ntune, where you can customize settings which are not normally found on the normal control panel configuration for video. You can over or under clock your system depending on your particular graphics needs. Try it out here.
- Another over clocking application you might want to check out is RivaTuner. It supports NVIDIA hardware configurations right up to the latest chipset models. So you can safely tweak your 3D and open settings that are vital to gaming speed and performance. Link to the site rests here
- Sometimes NVIDIA’s official drivers don’t work when gaming in terms of fps so a group of gamers have come out with “modded” drivers for NVIDIA that speak of improved performances for most of its graphics Chipset. Please feel free to check out this for more tweaks and mods
- Now if you’ve done it and still not satisfied with the performance, tweak the settings on your game/games that are playing. Factors as screen size, textures, details, shades, and smoothing contribute to game speed that determine lag. Adjust accordingly to your liking and settle for a compromise between usability and appearance. Faster gaming speeds can be accomplished with 640×480 size, low model and texture display, low shading, and low smoothing.
- For adventurous types do some research into a particular hardware mod that capitalizes on utilizing an extra PCI express socket underneath the laptop and connecting it to an extender that latches onto a desktop PCI gaming express card via a special adapter. Check out this thread and this mod using ViDock.
Answered By
james071
0 points
N/A
#88327
Is it possible to upgrade the graphics card of my laptop?
Your video card cannot be upgraded internally, but when I go through your laptop’s specifications I saw that there is a slot Supports Express Card™/54 slot. Nowadays there are tests being conducted to upgrade the graphic card by using this express card.
In future you may be able to upgrade your graphic card with your express card. But this time you cannot upgrade your video card. BE CAREFUL when you play heavy graphic games, because sometimes your laptop can be damaged by it.
