Can I upgrade my Toshiba satellite M840 graphic card? core i7 and AMD RADEON 7670m

Carlos Anthony

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Jan 9, 2015
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I just wanna know if i could upgrade or change my laptop's graphic card since it got busted and can no longer be use. I would want to know also if how much it could possibly cost. either to upgrade or just replace the busted video card.
 
Solution


I don't think there's any easy way to tell from the outside of the laptop. You could try opening it up and having a look: Most laptops are a single main board with a couple of small add on components (e.g. memory and the wifi modules). An MXM board would be a 'credit card' sized additional PCB that slots onto the side (or or top of) the main board and will have a heat-sink and fan on it. If the main heat-sink and fan assembly covers more than one processor on the main board you can be fairly sure the other chip it covers is the graphics chip (and in that case it is soldered and thus non replaceable).

Out of...

cdrkf

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Mar 18, 2013
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That depends on how the graphics card is fitted to the laptop... some high end laptops use 'mxm' modules (i.e. a small graphics board) in which case you can replace them. Unfortunately most laptops simply solder a graphics chip onto the motherboard meaning if it does die it can't me replaced.

I can't find anything that suggests your machine has an MXM board though, so it's probably soldered. In that case the only way to 'replace' it would be get an entire new motherboard which is probably not cost effective.
 

cdrkf

Honorable
Mar 18, 2013
37
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10,610


I don't think there's any easy way to tell from the outside of the laptop. You could try opening it up and having a look: Most laptops are a single main board with a couple of small add on components (e.g. memory and the wifi modules). An MXM board would be a 'credit card' sized additional PCB that slots onto the side (or or top of) the main board and will have a heat-sink and fan on it. If the main heat-sink and fan assembly covers more than one processor on the main board you can be fairly sure the other chip it covers is the graphics chip (and in that case it is soldered and thus non replaceable).

Out of interest, what specifically has happened to the the Radeon card?
 
Solution

Carlos Anthony

Estimable
Jan 9, 2015
4
0
4,510
I was playing nba2k15, then suddenly my device went off and it kept BSOD'ing. Until i decided to reformat the notebook. I installed all the latest drivers I even attempted to restore the machine to factory setting but still nothing happened. It still kept BSOD'ing. Thank you cdrkf.
 

Carlos Anthony

Estimable
Jan 9, 2015
4
0
4,510


I was playing nba2k15, then suddenly my device went off and it kept BSOD'ing. Until i decided to reformat the notebook. I installed all the latest drivers I even attempted to restore the machine to factory setting but still nothing happened. It still kept BSOD'ing. Thank you cdrkf.

 

cdrkf

Honorable
Mar 18, 2013
37
0
10,610


Ah it does sound like a faulty gpu, although one thing you could try before giving up on it....

Overheating can also cause crashes. A common problem with laptops is that a layer of dust can build up in the cooling fan that keeps the CPU and graphics card cool. If that happens then it likely will crash when gaming as it will get way too hot and you'll hear the fan running really fast to try and compensate.

It can be quite difficult to get to the fan / cooler assembly depending on model, however if you can get to it, try removing the fan (leave the heat sink in place if you can) and using an old toothbrush to clean any dust out from in-between the fan and the cooling fins on the heat sink. I had an old ASUS laptop where it had built up a think 'blanket' of dust almost completely blocking the cooling vents (over several years). Cleaning it made it perform like a new machine again :)

It might not be your problem, but it's worth a look just in case.