Can You Change The Graphics Card In A Laptop? [2024]

Among laptop gamers, the most frequent question is, “Can you change the graphics card in a laptop?”

Its answer can annoy you but being honest means telling you the bitter truth that in most cases the answer is a big no. this is because you can upgrade the graphics card in a laptop only by upgrading GPU (graphics processing unit) to a higher range. And the problem here is that GPU is bound to the motherboard and it can not be removed.

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But don’t get panic, okay?

These days, most laptops have their GPU within the CPU, so you can up upgrade the graphics card of your laptop. But to be honest, this up-gradation does not deserve that much effort of yours because it possesses prominent disadvantages i.e.

If you open up your laptop for this purpose then the warranty offer would go to waste also GPU works in the range of i7 core so it’s also possible that upgradation doesn’t work as you want. So, I would suggest you buy a new laptop instead and I will mention those laptop brands as well.

But still, if you want to change the graphics card of your laptop then don’t get disheartened because I am going to tell you its ways.

CENTRAL USE OF GRAPHICS CARD

A graphics card is a processor designed for handling 3D graphics of videos. This is also responsible for processing the images, colors, motion effects, etc. on your laptop or computer.

The graphics card is also responsible for reducing pressure on the CPU.  As CPU does calculations swiftly and GPU processes its graphics. The graphics card uses the processor and RAM function to process the graphics card.

DISCRETE GRAPHICS CARD IN A LAPTOP

The discrete graphics card is a stand-alone graphics card that is plugged into the motherboard slot or a separate GPU chip. It is in contrast with integrated graphics.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTEGRATED AND DISCRETE GRAPHICS CARD

Integrated cards also referred to as onboard card is built into the motherboard and discrete card is plugged into the motherboard. Discrete cards are more powerful than integrated cards.

WORKING ON GRAPHICS CARD

The graphics card is responsible for the processing of images. Graphics card works by taking data from the CPU and filtering it and after processing it, giving a picture of that data on the screen. The images you get on the screen are made up of small dots that are termed pixels.

Can You Change The Graphics Card In A Laptop?

YES, you can upgrade the graphics card by inserting a graphics card in a laptop. Yes, you can insert a graphics card on your laptop. This option works when your laptop or computer is unable to change the graphics card in your laptop so you can insert one.

There should also be free memory in your GPU to process the data. And your laptop requires a USB Type-C port also for this purpose. This port allows fast transferring of data i.e. 40 Gigabits per second.

STEPS OF CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL GRAPHICS CARD

There are three steps required for inserting an external graphics card into your laptop. These steps are as follows:

1. USB Type-C port in your laptop
2. GPU dock having a pre-installed graphics card
3. Connect the laptop to the dock station with a USB power cable.

These are the steps required to follow in order to add an external graphics card but remember this is not for gaming purposes. This will just give you an extra output of graphics that can help you in driving an external monitor on your laptop’s built-in screen.

CAPABLE LAPTOPS FOR THE UPGRADATION OF GRAPHICS CARD

If your laptop has Thunderbolt 3 ports then I am congratulating you that you can add an external graphics card to your laptop. And, you can also connect a USB Type-C port to the graphics dock station in order to insert an external graphics card into your computer.

ASUS LAPTOP

In ASUS laptops, you can upgrade the graphics cards but to be honest I will not recommend you to do so. Because it will take the replacement of the whole GPU sink for this purpose. So, you will be at more loss. It is better to buy a new laptop instead of disturbing the graphics card.

MSI LAPTOP

Yes, you can upgrade the graphics card on MSI laptops. MSI provides you with only one update for GT80 and GT80s. But remember this upgradation will also cost you high.

LENOVO LAPTOP

Sorry to say but Lenovo laptops do not support the changing of a graphics card. Moreover, you need a USB Type-C port to support PCI-E protocol for connecting a mobile graphics card.

CONCLUSION

In the above discussion, I have briefly mentioned how you can change or upgrade the graphics card of your laptop but there are more dilemmas in upgrading the graphics card. Not every laptop or computer supports this. And doing this can distort the functional units of your device. So, I would suggest you buy a new laptop with more high-end performance and gaming.