Upgrading the external GPU of a Sony Vaio Laptop

[bE0]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting here. I have a Sony Vaio laptop S series with (Nvidia GeForce GT 640M LE) as GPU which is not very satisfying, so i'm thinking of upgrading it to something like GTX 770M or at least better, as i know upgrading a laptop is a very delicate matter where chance and other factors play an important role. Concerning my hardware, i have 2 GPUs, an internal one Inter HD Graphics 4000 and the external which is Nvidia. As for the CPU i have an i7-3632QM 2.20Ghz with that Ivy Bridge and not least the motherboard with an Intel Ivy Bridge Chipset.

I'm waiting for your replies, whether it's possble or not.

Cheers.

 

[C12Friedman]

It may not be a viable option, your GT 640M is a BGA socket which means it is soldered onto the motherboard. It can be replaced but it requires specialized equipment and may not be cost effective to do. I will not suggest attempting such a replacement on your own

 

[bE0]

It may not be a viable option, your GT 640M is a BGA socket which means it is soldered onto the motherboard. It can be replaced but it requires specialized equipment and may not be cost effective to do. I will not suggest attempting such a replacement on your own

First, thanks for you answer. So you're saying the replacement is possible, which means i can buy a GTX for notebooks, bring it along with my laptop to a professional in computer electronics, and ask him to do the replacement. But what about the compatibility of the motherboard/CPU ? Is there a way to know whether is compatible of not ? Can my Ivy Bridge motherboard handle a GTX 770M ?

Thanks again.

 

[C12Friedman]

The board/chipset is not the issue here, you would be able to run a GTX 770M as far as hardware compatibility goes. I will suggest conferring with the shop you want to have do the work since there are possible issues. First there is the BIOS which may have a "white list" allowing only certain changes/upgrades (you can get around that by modding the BIOS). Then there is the issue of driver compatibility (usually not an issue but has that potential) if not supported by Sony. Last there is the issue of heat dissipation your GT640 is generating 32W of heat while the GTX 770M will need to dissipate 75W of heat - that's a huge difference that the heat sink may not be able to effectively handle.
Like I said talk to the shop you choose about the possible pitfalls

 

[bE0]

The board/chipset is not the issue here, you would be able to run a GTX 770M as far as hardware compatibility goes. I will suggest conferring with the shop you want to have do the work since there are possible issues. First there is the BIOS which may have a "white list" allowing only certain changes/upgrades (you can get around that by modding the BIOS). Then there is the issue of driver compatibility (usually not an issue but has that potential) if not supported by Sony. Last there is the issue of heat dissipation your GT640 is generating 32W of heat while the GTX 770M will need to dissipate 75W of heat - that's a huge difference that the heat sink may not be able to effectively handle.
Like I said talk to the shop you choose about the possible pitfalls

Well, thank you for answering my questions.