Do any retail/online outlets sell laptop GPUs?

Where can I buy a PCIe card that fits in a laptop, specifically a Mitac 8227DMP?

It has an Intel I965PM motherboard. An Intel rep assures me this means it has a PCIe slot. I need something to replace the Geforce 8600M, which is hardwired to the mobo and can't be removed. The Intel rep told me that the PCIe slot should still be free, and thus I should be able to put in a new card, but not take out the old one.

But, Newegg doesn't sell this type of product.. nor does Fry's or TigerDirect.. so I figure I am missing something..?

 

Most notebooks (or at least everyone I've ever worked) have one mini PCI-e slot built in to the motherboard (this is not the same as a regular "PCI-e" slot on a desktop motherboard).

Now for the bad news:

The mini PCI-e slot is almost always occupied by the internal Wi-Fi card. Assuming you could find a mini PCI-e video card, installing it would likely require removing the internal Wi-Fi card.

I checked Amazon; they don't offer a mini PCI-e video card either.

If the current hardwired GeForce 8600M still works, I'd bite the bullet and live with it.

If connecting to an external monitor, USB video cards with an external monitor connection are available (although I doubt the performance would be much better than the 8600M).

Unless I've missed something, the only way to get beefier on-board video is if comes with a new notebook PC.

Sorry...please don't shoot the messenger. :guns

 

Agreed,

IMHO laptops aren't meant to be upgraded. Additional RAM and HDs maybe but anything more than that and you may as well get new laptop. You dont generally have the room in the case to add additional/replacement components and in addition to this your cooling probably wont be up to handling the heat generated from higher performance components.

 

The problem we all seem to be forgetting here is that the laptop BIOS is very unlikely to use a secondary graphics card, and that the laptop screen is hardwired to the inbuilt graphics card.

Therefore I would assume that it is 99.9999999999999999999% impossible to add another graphics card into an average laptop that has a built-in chip.

 

Good point. Given all the other issues I spaced out on the BIOS limitations.

Yeeha: If your current PC is in decent operating condition, you may be able to get some decent $$$ for it to use towards the purchase of a new one. Used PC stores in the Houston area are asking (and getting) as much as $250 for 4-5 year old notebooks with lousy specs (1.6 Pentium M, XP, 512MB DDR, 40GB hard drive and an old battery that barely holds a charge) - higher prices if the specs are better. If this sounds like a plan, post an ad for it on the bulletin board at your local college(s) and on Craigslist.

 

Thanks for the advice, all. Unfortunately, the laptop is NOT in operating condition and is out of warranty despite being only 3 years old. The manufacturer, CyberPowerPC, refuses to provide any tech support, repair or other service, even though this is known to be a widely occurring problem with this model of laptop.

So basically, going on the advice I am hearing here, it sounds like I have myself a $1000 paperweight.

 

depending on how brave you are you might be able to get a replacement mb of ebay. Obviously this would only be a like for like swap and wouldnt improve performance. Assuming your existing card is faulty and you want to replace rather than upgrade it might be worth a shot.

 

You might also check with a few local (not chain store) PC repair shops. There are a few brave geeks who can actually work on and fix motherboard problems using a soldering iron (just be sure they are up front on the pricing for both a successful repair and a failed attempt).

When you get their estimate, consider the actual replacement cost of a new notebook PC. The specs that cost $1000 three years ago may now be available for $350-$400. As an example, I purchased a mid-line Sony VIAO notebook 18 months ago for $699; I've seen new Toshiba models recently in Fry's local newspaper ads with the same CPU, memory, HDD size, etc. as low as $299. In addition, you may be able to cut some of your losses by selling the old one on eBay as a "for parts only" listing (for every dead motherboard, there's a shattered display screen somewhere in the world waiting on a transplant. ).

 

Great tip, and reminder, gman863 :major :cool

Bazza

 

Great advice from all, and I will be revisiting this thread.

However, in the meantime, I plan to sue the manufacturer in small claims court, demanding any of the following:

1. Replacement of laptop at their expense
2. Replacement part & installation & shipping at their expense
3. Tech support identifying the replacement parts I need, identifying a supplier, and providing me with instructions on how to replace the mobo

This might be worthwhile, since as I understand it the company was aware of defects in the chipset (or at least recurring problems when the chipset was used in a thin form-factor case), while the laptop was still under warranty, and made no effort to warn me of the corresponding need to take special precautions (such as always keeping the laptop sitting on top of a block of dry ice when using the GPU in 3D mode).

Maybe I'll lose, but at least it will force them to own their crappy customer service and recognize the costs of cutting corners.