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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Lepanto on April 05, 2015, 06:04:13 pm

Title: Any way to run an external desktop graphics card on a laptop?
Post by: Lepanto on April 05, 2015, 06:04:13 pm
Happy Easter! :) Anyhow, I bought a desktop graphics card for my laptop. (Yeah, I'm not very hardware-savvy. Go ahead and laugh at my stupidity.) What's the cheapest (and preferably simplest) way to hook an external graphics card up to a laptop, provided I have an extra monitor? Card's a PCI-E x16, low-spec but doesn't need a power adapter. Laptop has a VGA port, and an ExpressCard slot (I think.)

I'm aware that this may not be practically feasible. If that's the case, I'll just send the card back.
Title: Re: Any way to run an external desktop graphics card on a laptop?
Post by: Polpolion on April 05, 2015, 07:07:08 pm
IIRC Alienware and MSI were working on true external GPU enclosures, but they require specific laptops to use (if they're even available yet). PCI-ExpressCard adapters exist, but as far as I'm aware I don't think it would be possible to use with your laptop's screen. (without some extra crazy adapter that would involve tearing apart your laptop case and disconnecting your screen, at least).
Title: Re: Any way to run an external desktop graphics card on a laptop?
Post by: deathspeed on April 05, 2015, 08:47:25 pm
this (http://www.anandtech.com/show/8653/alienware-graphics-amplifier) is one I read about recently.  "More interesting perhaps is the PCIe interface, which up until now has always been the sticking point in getting a video card chassis to market. The good news is that Alienware has more or less solved the problem, but the bad news is that the interface is a proprietary Alienware/Dell design that is only available on their laptops."
Title: Re: Any way to run an external desktop graphics card on a laptop?
Post by: MP-Ryan on April 05, 2015, 09:25:49 pm
Send it back.

Or drop $300-400 on a barebones AMD system and throw it in that.  Regardless, there is absolutely no point in having a desktop video card for a laptop at this moment in time unless you have a ridiculous amount of expendable cash, which would be better used simply buying a more powerful laptop anyway.
Title: Re: Any way to run an external desktop graphics card on a laptop?
Post by: Bobboau on April 06, 2015, 01:44:59 am
yeah, you dun goofed and there really isn't anything to do bout it short of getting a refund.