Are laptop video cards the same as the ones for a PC?

Just wondering if notebooks have specific video cards for purchase, or if notebooks can even have an upgraded video card.|||Do you see any slots you can install a video card in a laptop??|||Some laptops have an MXM slot which in theory allows for the graphics card to be upgraded although in practice it often won't work because manufacturers often don't follow the spec properly and may also put code in the BIOS to only allow what they've approved to work.



Some manufacturers also have proprietary graphics card slots for their laptops which only work for that brand and nothing else (Dell are a good example).



Then there are laptops which have the graphics chip soldered onto the motherboard (or even part of the chipset northbridge), very rarely will these be even remotely possible to upgrade (a lot of people get done by this when they finally figure out that Intel integrated graphics isn't really any good for gaming).



But none of them are the same as what is in a desktop (laptop components are designed with more emphasis on power usage and heat generation than desktop components, that usually does result in a performance penalty compared to the desktop component).



Oh and don't expect to see a 16 lane PCI slot in a laptop, you will never be able to put a desktop graphics card in a laptop.



As for why the manufacturers use things like MXM, it's not for you to upgrade, but to make it more convenient for them to sell computers with different graphics chips, you'll probably have a hard time getting a new card even if your computer can take one.|||In certain laptops, yes the video card GPU is the exact same as the GPU on a desktop unit. Brands like Alienware and Voodoo use the same GPU's for their gaming laptops as a desktop GPU. This does not mean you can use a desktop video card as the they are soldered to the PCB and are made for desktops...Sometimes you will see mobile GPUs on a pcb made for desktops...these are usually low power units and not fit for gaming.



But for most laptop makers they use a lower end GPU or a de-tuned GPU which is less of a draw on power.|||No, the cards are not the same and as of right now you cannot upgrade the one in your laptop unless you have a dell. They are the only ones that has a proprietary slot for an easy video card upgrade. There are companies that are working on external upgrades but they are not out yet. About all you can get right now is an external VGA or DVI port to hook up an external monitor threw the USB.|||Very few notebooks have their video on a Mini-PCI-e card -- these ones are theoretically upgradeable, but there would have to be specially designed low power MiniPCI-e cards available.



The majority of laptops use video chips that are soldered onto the motherboard.|||No you are pretty much set with the video card that comes in your laptop. If you are looking for good graphics I suggest getting a gaming laptop.|||no there not the same