In referece to the "DOOM 3" post, I have to run also among alot others, the lowest setting on display characters to get it to run smoothly. I have a Toshiba (A65-S1762, from Costco) and also a Generic laptop (unkwn brand but it's a 2.3 GHZ and a 32 MB video card). The Toshiba was supposed to be for my father, but's he given up and given the computer to my sister. She doesn't use it either as she has a regular desktop PIII 700 MHZ (yah I know it's outdated) that she still loves to use, so by lineage down the line , that one is also mine. Anyway, I remember upgrading the video card and memory slots in an old computer I used to have, can you do the same to these notebooks; I guess I'd have to try and open it up, but I'd rather ask before proceeding to go through that hassle.

 

The ati redeon igp which that unit has is part of the motherboard which means you can't unpgrade it without changing the motherboard which that unit had an ati 64 mb igp option. There are laptops with changable graphics card this just isn't one of them.The problem with canned system from a department store or wholeseller is you have no idea what is really in it. It would probably help more if you had the motherboard number.

 

screw that, I can't change motherboards, I bet that's expensive to do. Might as well start looking for a decent desktop with what I want.

 

You are better off just selling that laptop and buying another if you want better graphics. Desktop will be the cheapest way to get a replaceable graphics card and will be much more upgradeable in the future as well. Good graphics is one of the reasons I chose my Dell 9100 with an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro

 

Not now, but I'll look into a desktop in the near future. Thanks for the info though

 

I have an alienware area 51 laptop. It is pretty nice but hardcore games get all the fans cooking. I put a fan on my desk and have it blow over the keyboards to minimize the heat.


All the new alienware 51's have upgradeable graphics cards. You just put em in like a battery. Tho the next generation vid card looks to be insanely different. So how long they will remain interchangeable is anyones guess.

 

I've lost one laptop to heat since then I've been using a cool pad. basically a plastic base with a couple fans in it and pluggs into a usb port. Acually your lap top would be just fine if you have it on a flat surface and prop the rear of it up to let air circulate on the bottom were most of the heat build up

 

I share your pain. I have a 3 year old laptop and although it cost $2,400 it has always had really poor graphics. I have since retired it from gaming and swithched to PS2.

 

Well I've decided I'm going to buy a desktop unit real soon (around Christmas time). My truck will be all paid off next month so I'll have extra cash in my pocket now and can use that to buy a desktop I'm thinking Dell, just because generic CPU I haven't had the greatest luck in them and Dell seems to be number one on everyone's list.

Then I can finally get past the first level in Doom3, slow graphics are making the monsters kill me ever so easily.

 

no you cant the video chipsets in laptops are propritary