Does your laptop have a hard time operating newer games or software? Are you experiencing slower performance than usual from your laptop? These slight changes could motivate you to replace the graphic card of your laptop.
However, in that prospect, the first question that hits your mind will be, “Can I really change the graphic card on my laptop?”
The answer is no, it is not possible to change the graphic card of the laptop. Most laptops have integrated graphics, which means a graphic card is attached to the motherboard, and GPU is connected to the CPU. If you still want to get it changed, you will have to get a new motherboard.
As the motherboard is the laptop’s most giant circuit board, all the functions and devices of the computer are attached or controlled. So it’s difficult to remove and replace permanently placed graphic cards. If you attempt to do it, there will be a considerable risk of damaging your laptop.
But here is the good news.
In specific models of laptops, you can change the graphic card under the following certain conditions, which we will discuss below. Stay tuned.
Table of Contents
Why is it not possible to replace graphic cards in most laptop models?
From the 2010s, the laptop industry started to generate laptops with the integrated graphic card attached to the motherboard. So if you need to change the laptop’s graphic card, you will have to replace the whole motherboard. It is a costly upgrade, and instead, you can also get the new laptop with the graphic card you require.
GPU and CPU
Now, the vast majority of the latest laptops have a GPU with a processing function equivalent to a CPU. They both are deeply connected.
So, if you attempt to replace your graphic card of a laptop with GPU, you also have to upgrade the CPU to see the desired improvement in display and performance as they are equivalent to each other, upgrading one will affect the performance of the other.
Replacing a graphic card is not something that you will be fond of, even though it will cost your pocket a lot. Buying a new laptop instead of upgrading the previous one is a considerable decision. Nevertheless, in some cases, it is possible to make an upgrade and see your desired results.
Some Hardware manufacturers like Eurocom offer upgrade kits to some of their models. These kits are attached to the bottom of your device with GPU and CPU. With that upgrade, users might see a substantial change in the performance and display of the laptop.
Is there any way to upgrade the GPU in all the hassle?
It seems impossible for people like us to replace existing graphic card processing units with less technical knowledge about laptops. But, there is a way to use a modern desktop with your laptop to maximize performance.
It is known as an external GPU or eGPU, it has its own PCI-E and power connection, and you can connect it directly to your USB port laptops.
On paper, it sounds like a good solution, but how effective is it? Well, it is more expensive than the GPU alone, and you will never have to make full use of power as usual compared to your existing GPU. Due to the nature of the external GPU, they are about 10-15% slower than the GPU itself, so the price to performance ratio is relatively poor.
In the future, this type of technology can effectively make faster and better data transmission methods. Thunderbolt 3 is currently the best source of transferring data between laptop and external graphics card. Maybe one day, we can eliminate the loss of performance with better data transfer technology.
Note: not all external GPUs provide full compatibility; for example, if you see a Razer GPU, it may only support a specific Razer laptop.
Is it worth buying an External GPU for a Laptop?
If you already have a nice laptop and don’t want to shift to the new one just because of the graphic card, then adding external GPUs to maximize performance is an excellent choice. It is expensive but not as much compared to purchasing a new laptop.
The thunderbolt 3 is almost 3x slower than the PCI-E connection so that it would have a significant impact on performance, but it is not about performance degradation. If you have an ultrabook, then the eGPU will suit you as it transforms the device from being good only to spreadsheets to a capable gaming console.
Suppose your laptop already has a sound dedicated graphics card. In that case, an integrated GPU will make a minimal impression as the dedicated GPU that comes with the laptop may work very well, and you will not suffer from loss of functionality.
Conclusion
Upgrading a laptop’s internal graphic card, whether dedicated or integrated, seems impossible, especially for a non-professional person. It is just a waste of time and money, and not everyone wants to put their nice working laptop in danger just for the sake of replacing a graphic card. But there are always ways around; you can boost your laptop performance using eGPU (External Graphic Card).
Buying a new laptop with a high-definitional card is the better option, and we also recommend it.
Also, external graphics cards are not worth it if you have a decent laptop with a dedicated/split GPU from NVIDIA or AMD. Since external GPUs suffer from poor performance, it may not be appropriate to purchase them if your laptop has a dedicated/different graphics card.