Laptop Upgrade Help

[xXPieXx]

I currently use a Alienware 17x laptop with a Nvidia gtx 765m. I got the laptop a little more then a year ago. What I am wondering is can I upgrade the graphics card and if I can where would I buy the card. Every time I search for it on Google it comes up with a actual computer with the card. Second if I can upgrade I am thinking about getting the gtx 970m but should I wait for newer cards to come out or get the 980m.

 

[Robert Cook]

sadly you cannot upgrade a GPU in a laptop. the power draws would be different and your motherboard will most likely not support that, also your battery will not like the extra strain and may die, also the heat generated will be more making your cooling system louder and perhaps not effective enough. swapping out a card may not even be possible, they are often soldered in, and if it does come out, your system could get fried. just save up and get a new laptop.

 

[tjcoops]

The GTX765M seems to be an MXM card which means they aren't soldered and can therefore be replaced. To be sure I'd recommend opening up the laptop and seeing if the GPU can be removed as they may come soldered by some vendors too.

As for places to buy the GPU separately, if you're in the UK there's a site called Fortune Technology which sells OEM laptops and components. I've used them a few times and never had an issue, you can buy a kit, pre-made or individual parts. Outside of the UK or EU I'm not sure of any places that sell laptop components separately but have a look around for 'OEM laptops' or 'OEM laptop components' to help find some.

Another consideration is thermals. I'm not completely sure on if/how much hotter a GTX970M will run compared to your GTX765M but it could possible stress your cooling system too much and degrade your performance if it throttles the GPU. Monitor your CPU and GPU temperatures using HWMonitor and if they look good then maybe it'll be okay to upgrade to a more powerful card.

Hope this helps!

UPDATE: The Alienware 17 laptops all seem to have an MXM slot so swapping out the GPU is physically not an issue!

 

[xXPieXx]

Thanks for the help, The newer 17x laptops have a gtx 970m. I can also switch the card but will I risk the problems Robert mentioned. and if so can and how could I avoid it

Edit
When you say it is MXM that means i don't have to worry about the fan and gpu?

 

[Robert Cook]

your heat sink will fit on it and the whole cooling system will work, but it may not be able to deal with the heat. the 970M may actually use less power than the 765, so if you feel adventurous you can buy it.

 

[Robert Cook]

it is 81 watts vs 60-65 never mind that is too big a change in my mind.