# Upgrading my Inspiron 1750



## CPepper (Dec 26, 2009)

My family got me a new laptop for christmas. Let me start by saying i've never been impressed with Dell before, but this laptop (Inspiron 1750) is actually pretty nice. The only issue i have with it, is with the video card, or "adapter" since it isn't exactly a "card". It's of the Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family. It has no dedicated memory, it uses the system RAM, and seeing as I'm running Vista until I can upgrade to 7, i need all the RAM I can get. I'm planning on upgrading from the 4 gigs I have, to the maximum 8 gigs my laptop can support. But I also wanted to upgrade the video adapter. I understand this adapter is onboard, therefore i can't simply take it out and replace it. Is it possible to replace the motherboard with one with another onboard adapter like ATI or Nvidea? Is there any way upgrade my graphics adapter at all? Help would be much appreciated, thank you.


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Laptop graphics cards are usually non-upgradeable. If yours is one of the few models that is, it will be quite expensive (probably ~$100 for a low-end dedicated GPU and $150+ for installation). Don't know what to say.


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## BCCOMP (Jul 9, 2007)

Just to add if you wish to use 8GB of memory you will need a 64bit OS.
A 32bit OS will only "see" about 3.5GB.

I do not believe you have a removable video card, so replacing the card will not be an option. The cost of a "new" motherboard with the ATI card (Only other option you will have) would be the cost of another new laptop.


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## CPepper (Dec 26, 2009)

Yeah i'm running a 64 bit version of Vista, and as soon as I go back to school i'll be able to get my hands on 7. Considering i'm using this below par video card, will upgrading my ram show much more performance in my games? I'll be upgrading regardless, i was just wondering if it will make a difference. Right now i have to run everything on low with a horrible looking resolution to even run Borderlands.


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

RAM won't improve that at all; 4GB is the most any gaming machine needs at the moment. The problem is the video card, and that's non-upgradeable.

If you want to game it's best to go with a desktop. Laptops are good for convenience and portability. Gaming; not so much.


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## BCCOMP (Jul 9, 2007)

Agreed, unless the laptop has a memory dedicated video card (atleast 512MB) which in your case it does not. Most laptops, unless you go with high end models like Alienware or Dell XPS among others are not gaming machines.

Bill


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Occasionally you can find mid-range laptops in the $600-800 range that have low-to-midrange graphics cards capable of playing games on medium settings, like the Radeon 4650. But unless you get a gaming laptop (the cheapest of which generally run $900) you're not going to be seeing anything like decent performance. And those high-end laptops tend to have overheating problems, short battery lives, and weigh a ton. More a portable desktop than a laptop.


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