# Can these graphics cards be plugged into gaming laptops? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949 "2020-01-04T22:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/1 "2020-01-04T22:31:47Z")
Can these graphics cards be installed into gaming laptops? Or are they just for PCs? > **[Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Super FTW3 Ultra+, Overclocked, 2.75 Slot...](https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Overclocked-Backplate-08G-P4-3377-KR/dp/B07YMFYPR1)** > > Buy EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Super FTW3 Ultra+, Overclocked, 2.75 Slot Extreme Cool Triple + iCX2, 65C Gaming, RGB, Metal Backplate, 15.5GHz 8GB GDDR6, 08G-P4-3377-KR: Everything Else - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases > **[GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2070 DirectX 12 GV-N2070WF2-8GD 8GB 256-Bit GDDR6 PCI...](https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeForce-DirectX-GV-N2070WF2-8GD-256-Bit/dp/B07TSPDF6X)** > > Buy GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2070 DirectX 12 GV-N2070WF2-8GD 8GB 256-Bit GDDR6 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card at Amazon. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/2 "2020-01-04T23:10:36Z")
_Can_ you upgrade the video card in a laptop now? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/3 "2020-01-04T23:22:54Z")
Apparently you can, it’s just difficult ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/4 "2020-01-04T23:33:14Z")
Those are physically way too big to fit in a laptop. Here’s a photo of a GTX 1070 - previous generation but the size is about the same [![](https://www.trustedreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2018/03/GTX-1070-1-768x432.jpg) ](https://www.trustedreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2018/03/GTX-1070-1-768x432.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/5 "2020-01-05T00:00:01Z")
If you have the right kind of connector on a laptop, it’s possible to plug in an external GPU - which may either be a discrete, self-contained device, or a housing into which desktop graphics cards (sometimes more than one) can be installed. Primary market for this is not gaming though; I think it’s for 3D work, video rendering etc ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/6 "2020-01-05T00:03:39Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Apparently you can, it’s just difficult Yep, definitely a thing: [https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/alienware-area-51m](https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/alienware-area-51m) Note that it requires a specialized video card. Even if you could somehow retrofit a PC graphics card to physically fit into laptop, there’s two major issues. First - power. Performance requires power, which is why some high end cards require direct connection to the power supply unit. Second - heat. Look at how thick the Alienware laptop in article is. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/7 "2020-01-05T00:49:02Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > If you have the right kind of connector on a laptop, it’s possible to plug in an external GPU - which may either be a discrete, self-contained device, or a housing into which desktop graphics cards (sometimes more than one) can be installed. > > Primary market for this is not gaming though; I think it’s for 3D work, video rendering etc Alienware has offered a “[graphics amplifier](https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/alienware-graphics-amplifier/apd/452-bcfe/gaming?mkwid=sr8QH76hd&pcrid=276809480112&pkw=%2Balienware%20%2Bgraphics%20%2Bamplifier&pmt=b&pdv=c&slid=&product=&pgrid=62245680868&pgrid=62245680868&ptaid=kwd-326728758954&ptaid=kwd-326728758954&VEN1=sr8QH76hd,276809480112,901pdb6671,c,,,62245680868,kwd-326728758954&VEN1=sr8QH76hd,276809480112,901pdb6671,c,,,62245680868,kwd-326728758954&VEN2=b,%2Balienware%20%2Bgraphics%20%2Bamplifier&VEN2=b,%2Balienware%2B%2Bgraphics%2B%2Bamplifier&dgc=st&dgc=st&dgseg=dhs&dgseg=dhs&acd=1230923830920560&acd=1230923830920560&cid=312465065&st=%2Balienware%2B%2Bgraphics%2B%2Bamplifier&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-KKLiZ7r5gIVQdbACh2n9AVlEAAYASAAEgIFPvD_BwE&lid=59673390382&VEN3=810205264112243772)” for at least a few years now – it’s, as you note, essentially a housing in which one can place a graphics card that’s bigger than what’ll fit into one of their laptops. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/8 "2020-01-06T17:03:12Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Can these graphics cards be installed into gaming laptops? > Or are they just for PCs? > > [https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-PowerLink-08G-P4-3071-Kp/dp/B07Y93MGTJ/](https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-PowerLink-08G-P4-3071-Kp/dp/B07Y93MGTJ/) > > [https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeForce-DirectX-GV-N2070WF2-8GD-256-Bit/dp/B07TSPDF6X/](https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeForce-DirectX-GV-N2070WF2-8GD-256-Bit/dp/B07TSPDF6X/) No, for the most part they don’t make video cards for laptops. This is the important bit: "PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX " [PCI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express) Express 3.0 x16 is the slot type the card goes into. [ATX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX) is a PC motherboard/power supply spec that has been standard for 20 years or more. If you can find a laptop that has a PCI Express 3.0 slot and a power supply with enough power then you’re in business. But I don’t think they exist, and the graphics card wouldn’t physically fit in the laptop anyway. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/9 "2020-01-06T18:10:19Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Apparently you can, it’s just difficult _some_ gaming- oriented laptops have GPUs on a discrete card/module using something like [mobile eXpress Module](https://graphicscardhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/mxm-gtx-1080-1070-1060.jpg) (MXM.) a lot (most) laptops, however, if they have a discrete graphics chip it’s soldered onto the main system board. the two you linked in your OP are desktop cards which do not fit in a laptop. I seem to recall some talk about external GPU chassis for using cards like those with a laptop, but I think they required a high-speed connection like Thunderbolt. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/10 "2020-01-06T19:13:54Z")
Razer makes the [Core X,](https://www.razer.com/gaming-laptops/razer-core-x) a graphics card enclosure that lets you use an external graphics card with a Thunderbolt 3 laptop. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-these-graphics-cards-be-plugged-into-gaming-laptops/845949/11 "2020-01-06T20:49:43Z")
NVidia does make a couple of laptop GPUs which are designed to replace existing NVidia laptop GPUs. But there are so few laptops which have separate GPUs that the answer to the OP is effectively no (other than by connecting external GPU adaptors, which I assume creates some latency issues). ETA: Alienware’s blurb seems to suggest there are no latency issues because the benchmarks approximate what their desktops do with the same GPU installed?