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[TheFuriousWombat]

I got a laptop as my high school graduation gift. It's a pretty nice toshiba with a dual core 2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. The problem is it has an on board graphics. Is it possible to upgrade a laptop's graphics card? I have never seen a mobile graphics for sale on its own. Is there anything I can do?

[0bsessions]

As far as I know, it can be done, but it's not a particularly pleasant procedure. Anything that's not meant to be interchanged by the consumer (I.E. Ram, mostly) is an utter bitch to switch out in a laptop. If it's a dual core processor, the onboard graphics probably aren't so horrible that I'd recommend going to the trouble.

[Dimmukane]

Your best bet is to take it into a shop to have someone else do it.  Odds are they'll have the right tools. 

[TheFuriousWombat]

I think I found someone who can take care of the procedure. Do you guys have any idea where I can buy a mobile graphics card? Something good but not amazing (an NVIDIA Go 7400 for example) but still pretty good. I can't find anywhere that sells them.

[Dimmukane]

You'll need a credit card and the internet for that bit.  Or try to find a locally owned computer store, because as far as I know, zero chains carry them...maybe CompUSA, but I doubt it.

[SpacemanSpiff]

What's the model? Chances are you can't replace the graphics card.
If the laptop has an MXM slot, it is possible. But only very, very few laptops have that and as far as I know, not a single Toshiba has it (I've mostly heard of OEM laptops having that feature).
Mobile graphics cards usually just come as the chip and with some RAM. In case of the MXM, they come on a module. But usually, they're soldered right to the motherboard and as such, not upgradable.

Plus, if the laptop has integrated graphics, the thermal design of it won't allow for hotter seperate graphics cards.

The way I see it, there's no way this is going to work unless you happen to have an MXM slot, sorry.

edit: This might help you, once Asus releases it. It's an external graphics card, you would need another screen for that one too, though.

[Matteh99]

This is the only PCMICA grapics card for notebooks that I have seen.
http://www.villagetronic.com/vtbook/index.html

This is from their FAQ
    


VTBook Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
See also the Tech Support FAQ and the Tested Hardware page
 
General questions:
Why do I need VTBook if my notebook already has a video output?
Is VTBook the same for Mac and Windows?
Is a third monitor (2nd external) possible?
Can I work with my notebook closed?
DVD/video fullscreen playback supported on the VTBook?
What improvements will VTBook offer in the future?
Performance Questions:
Will I be able to play games faster?
Will VTBook enhance my internal display?
Windows/PC questions:
Which Windows versions are supported by VTBook?
Is my notebook compatible with VTBook?
Does VTBook support Windows98 SE?
Are the Apple displays supported on PC notebooks?
How can I mirror my internal display to VTBook?
How can I configure a mirrored dual display configuration?
How can I watch DVDs on the display connected to VTBook?
Can I use more than one display for my PowerPoint presentations?
How to make a VTBook screen primary?
How can I move the taskbar and Start menu on a VTBook screen?
Mac questions:
Will VTBook work on my PowerBook?
Will VTBook work on my MacBook Pro?
Is VTBook compatible with Tiger?
Is the VTBook DualDisplay Cable compatible with Mac OS?
Can I use VTBook with my iBook or with my PowerBook 12"?
Are all Apple ADC LCD displays supported on Mac?
Does VTBook acclerate 3D OpenGL on Mac OS?
Does VTBook support Quartz Extreme?
Does VTBook support Mac OS X?
Does VTBook support Mac OS 9?
Does VTBook support older Mac OSs?
Linux questions:
Where can I find Linux drivers for VTBook?
Sales questions:
What is the price of VTBook?
Where can I buy my VTBook?
 
 
General Questions:
Why do I need VTBook if my notebook already has a video output?
VTBook has 32 MB memory dedicated to one video output, this means it can offer higher and deeper (more colorful) resolution for your external display while still benefitting from hardware acceleration. See the resolution table for more details.
VTBook offers a full digital DVI display connector, as well as the traditional VGA connector.
VTBook natively supports a huge range of displays and resolutions and, on Mac OS, can dinamically recognize even more resolutions reading from the display.
VTBook supports special displays like Apple ADC displays or portrait (pivotable) LCD displays.
On older notebooks VTBook is faster than the internal video output.
With VTBook you can add one more external display to your notebook and, if your notebook already has a video output, reach the total of three displays.
 
Is VTBook the same for Mac and Windows?
Yes! The hardware is exactly the same
VTBook needs different software drivers for Mac OS and Windows. With every VTBook comes a CD with both Mac OS and Windows drivers. Look in the VTBook download page for the most recent software release.
 
Is a third monitor (2nd external) possible?
Yes VTBook is exactly doing this for latest generation notebook that already have a reasonable independent external video capability.
VTBook can offer a third display support for your notebook for special applications that require a lot of working area like video editing, control-systems, various banking needs etc.
When using two external displays you may even close your notebook and use only the big screens.
If your notebook doesn't already have an external video output, you still can use VTBook to drive a second display.
 
Can I work with my notebook closed?
Most notebooks, when closed, sense if an external display is attached through the built-in external video connector. If a display is found, the notebook is kept awake, otherwise it is put to sleep/hybernation. The presence of VTBook is not considered when looking for an external display.
So, if you want to use your notebook with the lid closed (using external keyboard and mouse of course), you must connect an external display also to the built-in video connector. The result is a two external display setup.
 
DVD/video fullscreen playback supported on the VTBook?
The video playback possiblitiy on the VTBook screen depends much on notebook model and software. On Apple notebooks the DVD player for example allows by design no DVD playback on any external monitor and on PC notebooks specific software may be needed.
VTBook can, however, display fullscreen video with the most common video players as the QuickTime player or the Windows Media Player.
On Mac OS VTBook does not provide video acceleration: fullscreen playback performance may be not acceptable.
 
What improvements will VTBook offer in the future?
We're actively working to make the VTBook an even better experience for every user. We're developing:
Faster acceleration, both for 2D (especially video playback) and 3D
Better OS support for all VTBook's features
Integration of even more video resolutions
Better custom controls for the user
Lower power consumption
More localizations for both software and documentation
 
 
 
Performance Questions:
Will I be able to play games faster?
VTBook was not designed with games in mind, but for the professional user in need for high resolution and color depth: VTBook goes to millions of colors at 1920x1200 as needed for the Apple 23" Cinema display.
Due to the PC card power and cooling limitations in a notebook, VTBook does not compete with 3D performances of ATI Radeon Mobility or nVidia chipsets that are included in latest notebooks.
If your notebook is not equipped with such a fast graphics engine, VTBook may still let you to improve the gaming experiences significantly on the external display.
VTBook uses a Trident XP2 chipset which is very optimised for heat and power consumption. The memory clock is run between 200 and 266 MHZ DDR. It is delivered with 3D drivers compatible with DirectX 8.1 and OpenGL. To operate on the external display, a game needs to be DirectX 8.1 compliant or the user has to run operating system Windows2000 or WindowsXP. The PC Card socket of the notebook must deliver at least 3.3 Watt of power in order to have the 3D features enabled. All Apple PowerBooks are fully compliant to this specification.

Eric Matt

[SpacemanSpiff]

This however will not help you at all. The Trident chipset used in there is even slower than the internal graphics that you have and might even cause driver issues or at least issues with the games (most games aren't used to having to deal with two separate graphics chipsets).