You need to know about the newest tech to be the best at gaming, making videos, etc. The graphics card in the laptop works with the help of the RAM and CPU. With its RAM and CPU, a laptop video card manages what is displayed on the screen. Find out more about different kinds of video and graphics cards, how to upgrade laptop GPUs, and how to upgrade laptop graphics cards by reading on.
This guide will show you how to upgrade the graphics card in your laptop, whether you want to upgrade your current laptop or build a PC from the ground up. We know this is a hard job, so we’ve simplified this step-by-step guide. It’s likely different from what you were looking for when you asked how to upgrade a laptop’s graphics card. There are few ways to improve an Nvidia external laptop graphics card.
You should get a new laptop and learn how to upgrade its graphics card to get better gaming performance. Unlike in a desktop PC, the graphics processing unit (GPU) is permanently attached to the motherboard and cannot be removed. Most laptops operate in this case. These days, a lot of CPUs have the GPU built in. You would need to change the processor to improve the laptop’s USB graphics card.
Add a graphics card to your laptop. In Intel’s case, the GPU stays the same or improves as you move up the Core i7 line. So, if you update the processor, your graphics will also improve. Also, you might lose your warranty if you open your laptop and start looking inside.
Does a laptop have a graphics card that can be added for gaming? It would help if you got a desktop computer instead of a laptop to play PC games. It will work faster and cost less. Though, this isn’t the only choice. To update your laptop’s graphics card, follow these steps.
Main types To Update Laptop Graphics Card
Different laptop graphics cards can be used for various purposes, such as gaming or movie watching. While some graphics cards have their VRAM to make them faster, they still work with the CPU and GPU of the machine. Integrated External Graphics Card for Laptop – HP is built into the laptop’s motherboard and is adequate for watching YouTube videos and light gaming without 3D, such as Among Us. Another name for these is “standalone graphics cards,” but these are more powerful and high-end. For games with a lot going on, these cards are great.
Company | Product | Price |
AMD | Radeon RX 6700M | High end |
AMD | Radeon RX 5600M | Medium range |
NVIDIA | GeForce RTX 6000 | High end |
NVIDIA | Quadro P5200 | Medium range |
Intel | Intel HD series | Low end |
Intel | Iris Xe | Low end |
AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA make most laptop graphics cards. These two companies make the best graphics cards. The AMD Radeon line and the Nvidia external graphics card are the best laptop graphics cards. Even though Intel does make integrated graphics cards, they are better than the ones made by NVIDIA and AMD.
How to add a graphics card to a laptop
There are better options for gaming than adding a graphics card to a laptop. You can attach one to a USB port, even if it sounds weird. It adds another graphics port to connect an external monitor and use your laptop’s screen with it. If your laptop already has a DisplayPort, VGA, or HDMI port, you can use a USB graphics card to add a third screen instead of just two.
Step 1: Ensure the New Graphics Card is Compatible with your Laptop
A lot of laptops have different amounts of graphics power. Before purchasing a new card chip, make sure your laptop can be changed and the new graphics cards are compatible. This is easy to figure out; look at the page with the information. Ensure your laptop has these slots because many graphics cards use the PCI Express expansion bus standard. You might discover the spot closest to the CPU along the PCI slots. The new card will likely work with HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, VGA, and other popular USB ports. Before installing a new GPU, update your BIOS and power brick.
Step 2: Uninstall your Old Drivers
When you attempt to upgrade the graphics card on your laptop, you will frequently encounter errors because the drivers are incompatible. First, It must remove the drivers that the operating system is using to use the laptop’s current graphics card.
Installing the Card
How to Make Your Laptop’s Graphics Card Better: Get rid of the old drivers on your computer. When drivers don’t work together, errors and other issues can happen. Windows is currently using drivers to see your laptop’s USB graphics card. It would help if you got rid of these drivers before installing your new card.
Go to Device Manager and uninstall your drivers to remove them. Find Device Manager in the Start menu, press Win+X, and pick it from the list (only Windows 8).
Make the Display Adapters section bigger while you’re in Device Manager. Click the right mouse button on your current display device and choose “Uninstall.” Just observe the steps on the screen to get the driver off your computer. Your display’s brightness will be reset to low, with big buttons and fuzzy text. After taking the drivers off, turn off your computer.
Keep your ground. Always ensure that you are properly grounded when working with sensitive computer parts. The electrostatic discharge could hurt or kill your parts, making them useless. It would help if you used an anti-static wrist strap as long as you can see metal in your case. You can touch a metal water tap to ground yourself if you don’t have one.
Stand on tile or linoleum when working inside the computer, and ensure that the open computer isn’t on the carpet. Before working on the inside, ensure the computer is not plugged in—that old card. Your old graphics card is most likely connected to your motherboard via a PCI-E or AGP slot. Older computers are more likely to have AGP cards. Your hard drive may be smaller than your graphics card. Many of the extra graphics cards for laptops made by HP are big. They frequently include fans and heatsinks.
Installing Drivers and Testing it Out
Please turn on your computer. Your operating system will find the new card, which will then try to set your display to the best resolution and color depth it can. Turn back on the computer after accepting the changes. You will need to change your computer if it doesn’t have any pictures. The second time, make sure the card is added and tied correctly.
If your picture is shaky, cutting out, or off-center, it could mean that your laptop’s graphics card isn’t working right. Before calling the maker, ensure your laptop’s USB graphics card is set up properly.
How to Make Your Laptop’s Graphics Card Better: Get the drivers from your disc or use your disc. Now, you can start the driver update by putting in the disc that came with your graphics card. If your card didn’t come with a disc or want to ensure you have the most recent version, there are direct links from Nvidia or AMD to get the drivers.
The next question is changing a laptop’s graphics card from Intel to Nvidia. Add the drivers that are needed. The driver download process is usually handled for you, but you may be asked to install extra tools to handle your graphics card. This extra tool is not required, but it might help you keep your drivers up to date. While the update is taking place, your display might blink and reset. Most of the time, drivers on a disc are out of date, so you will be asked to update them after installing them.