# Can I replace my laptop's display card?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 9, 2002, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588 "2002-12-09T19:59:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/1 "2002-12-09T19:59:39Z")
After a mugging in which I lost my Dell with its decent GeForce2GO display card, I’ve ordered a Toshiba that will come with an ATI M6-P card. I’ve heard that the M6-P is a very poor card. Is it possible for me to remove the M6-P and install a better card (such as a Radeon Mobility or GeForce4GO)? Of course replacing a desktop computer’s display card is a piece of cake and done often, but I’m getting the impression that I’m stuck with whatever the manufactor ships the laptop with.
UnuMondo
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### Author:  [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/2 "2002-12-09T20:14:36Z")
You’re probably stuck. The last “laptop” I saw with a slot for a display card was the Toshiba 3200X. They were 16MHz, 80386SX AC powered laptops with plasma displays. The original crew of Biosphere 2 used them as desktop machines. We used the two expansion slots for a network card and a VGA display adapter.
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### Author:  [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/3 "2002-12-09T20:18:32Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Padeye \*
> **You’re probably stuck. The last “laptop” I saw with a slot for a display card was the Toshiba 3200X**
But what about opening the case (or, more likely, having a technician do so) and simply decoupling the display card from the board and replacing it with the new one? Cards designed for laptops are probably going to be somewhat equally sized, or so I hope…
UnuMondo
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/4 "2002-12-09T20:28:20Z")
I thought the video was on the mobo. They really have a separate board?
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### Author:  [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/5 "2002-12-09T20:38:57Z")
Depends on the laptop. For example, newer Dell Inspirons have video on a separate card – I’ve heard of people swapping out ATI for GeForce cards.
Having said that, I don’t know if the Toshiba uses a discrete video card.
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### Author:  [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/6 "2002-12-09T22:10:55Z")
I wasn’t aware of Dell using a separate video card. Do they use an AGP form card or something proprietary?
The Toshibas I was referring to used long obsolete 16 bit ISA cards.
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### Author:  [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/7 "2002-12-09T22:24:19Z")
If I had to guess, the Dells use mini-PCI; that’s what they use for network & modem cards, which are also replaceable.
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### Author:  [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/8 "2002-12-10T08:03:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by 3waygeek \*
> \*\*If I had to guess, the Dells use mini-PCI; that’s what they use for network & modem cards, which are also replaceable. \*\*
Not sure that’s the case. The Dell I had had an AGP video card, not a mini-PCI.
UnuMondo
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/9 "2002-12-10T12:36:17Z")
I cannot imagine my GF MX440 AGP card, with fan and all, fitting in any laptop unless the laptop is _huge_.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/10 "2002-12-10T12:52:30Z")
No. You can’t replace the card on your Toshibal.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/11 "2002-12-10T15:12:09Z")
“ATI M6-P card. I’ve heard that the M6-P is a very poor card.”
From where? I see people who say its a fine card.
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### Author:  [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/12 "2002-12-10T16:35:59Z")
I have never seen a laptop in 10 years of hardware support that would allow you to replace the integrated video card with another. Not to say its impossible, but certainly improbable.
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### Author:  [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/13 "2002-12-10T16:43:35Z")
**Bongmaster** , you obviously haven’t seen any Dell Inspiron [8000’s](http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&message.id=47763&highlight=), [8100’s](http://www.gotapex.com/reviews.php?rev=misc/dell8100/index.html), or [8200’s](http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&message.id=45933&highlight=).
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/14 "2002-12-10T16:48:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by handy \*
> \*\*“ATI M6-P card. I’ve heard that the M6-P is a very poor card.”
>
> From where? I see people who say its a fine card. \*\*
It’s OK handy but it’s definitely a 2nd or 3rd tier card with respect to speed vs the latest Nvidia notebook video chipsets.
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### Author:  [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-replace-my-laptops-display-card/141588/15 "2002-12-10T19:32:42Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by handy \*
> \*\*“ATI M6-P card. I’ve heard that the M6-P is a very poor card.”
>
> From where? I see people who say its a fine card. \*\*
The M6-P, at least according to some knowledgeable folks on the [Gentoo Linux](http://www.gentoo.org) forums, is a Rage Mobility card, while even low-end laptops nowadays ship with a Radeon Mobility card.
Unfortunately, there are so few resources on the web for the card that I can’t be sure about anything. I just hope it uses the usual DRI drivers in X.
UnuMondo