Is it possible to upgrade video cards for laptops?

[cwc73]

I have a Sony Vaio PCG K15 laptop. Is has an integrated ATI radeon 345m card. (i think all that is right). If i am right, it uses 64mb of my ram (currently 1024) for video usage. Is there anyway yo upgrade to a better card for gaming? Or is there anyway to make it use more ram for video functions? I just want to be able to run games a little better. Also, I was wondering if anyone made something external that could help this. Thanks
cain

 

[tiger88]

i heard no for mine
(gatway 8500)

 

[BrothaBill]

i heard no for mine
(gatway 8500)

You have the 850 series, I got an 8510gz gateway from Bestbuy. You can indeed upgrade the video card, thats mention in the reviews of it and easy too.

Unless were talking different things, mines the 17inch laptop. But my video is great with this screen, no gaming

This thing is beyond my expectations, I love it

 

[cwc73]

So, does anyone know how to assign more ram to the motherboard attached graphics card?

 

[wootoom]

im sure u can. my HP has a really good one in it

 

[Lestat]

it depends on the laptop.

To assign memory you either have to do it upon startup in the BIOS. Otherwise the WIndows device manager would have this setting if you chose the video adaptor.

If you aren't running Windows, I have no clue.

 

[cwc73]

ok, help me out lestat. I'm in device manager first

 

[Lestat]

ok, help me out lestat. I'm in device manager first

you just have to poke around, without being there or with the manual for your specific machine, I can't really guide much.

The last computer I had with an integrated video card had a setting in the BIOS for sure, I think I ALSO saw one in windows device manager.

 

[cwc73]

i didnt see anything in the device manager. I'll check the bios

 

[Lestat]

i didnt see anything in the device manager. I'll check the bios

see if you can get into the settings then go through each menu, there shouldn't be much to mess with. Definitely don't change anything chip clock speed or ram speed.

 

[cwc73]

I found it i believe. I changed it from 64 to 128. My overall RAM was 1024-64. Now it is 1024-128=896. You think I will notice anything different as for my speed? You know, losing 64 megs of ram to be running video?

 

[Lestat]

I found it i believe. I changed it from 64 to 128. My overall RAM was 1024-64. Now it is 1024-128=896. You think I will notice anything different as for my speed? You know, losing 64 megs of ram to be running video?

well if you are using apps that have a lot of graphics processing, you should see better rendering and and overall speed up.

What were you running when your computer was getting slow?

 

[blut wump]

Out of a meg of ram, I'd reckon that moving that extra 64 meg to graphics is a good move.

 

[Devastation]

i highly doubt your machine is hardware upgradable if it has integrated video

 

[Lestat]

i highly doubt your machine is hardware upgradable if it has integrated video

good point

 

[blut wump]

I just take it as part of the deal with a laptop. They're good for two or three years and then they become hand-me-downs. Make sure that a laptop can do all you want of it before buying because the chances are that it's never going to improve except, maybe, for a ram upgrade. Even HD upgrades are often too messy to be worth considering.

 

[cwc73]

Yea, I bumped up the hard drive and the ram. Now the video to 128 which is where i should have had it as soon as i added new ram. I just want it to be able to run battle field 2 for now.