There are two factors to consider when thinking about the best graphics card for your laptop. First, it is extremely rare to find a laptop that does not have an integrated graphics card on the motherboard, so you are not likely going to be able to update the card. Second, however, you can check the computer’s specifications to see what kind of graphics processor it does have so you can compare its performance against other computers before you buy. Let’s look at these in some more detail.
Laptops and motherboards
Your laptop most likely comes with either an integrated graphics card or a graphics processing unit on the motherboard. Unless you have a hot-swappable port, you will not be able to add an external graphics card and disable the onboard one. Laptops just do not have the room inside the case. They also do not have the ability to plug in something externally to boost graphics performance.
Adding RAM
One thing you can do is add extra memory to your computer. By adding more RAM, you give your computer more desk space to put all of the photos and webpages you are working on onto. That way the processor has less of a load and images from the movie you are trying to edit or the photos you are culling through will not slow down the overall operation.
Accessing processor information
To find out what kind of video card you have so you can do some comparisons, you can access this information from the Control Panel screen or off the Computer link from the start menu. Start at the Start Menu, then click Control Panel, Appearance and Personalization, and then Hardware and Sound. Roll down to Device Manager, then select View Hardware and Devices. Click the plus sign next to Display Adapters, and you will see the video card or processor installed on the computer. This applies to Windows XP through Windows 7 computers.
There is also a way to get a basic overview of your computer’s processor from the Computer link. Once you open that, there should be a tab at the top for System Properties. Click that, and you will see the processor name and speed, plus the overall Windows Experience Rating for your computer (Windows Vista and later can see this).
Computer information in Windows 8
Windows 8 will be a little different. Flick in from the right and click on Settings. At the bottom is Change PC Settings – click this, then click on PC and Devices. At the bottom should be PC Info. When you click this, in the top of the next part will be the name of the chipset for your computer. This way you can see what the overall processor speed is for the laptop you are looking at.
Time to compare
Once you have the processor speeds, you can do a little comparison shopping to find the right one for your needs. You should also read some reviews of your computer, or find gaming sites and see which ones fellow gamers recommend as best to help guide you. You can also ask for suggestions from your store’s sales people – many of them own the computers you are looking at, so they can give you their personal opinions of which laptops are best for each type of user. Your best bet? The most amount of memory capacity you can buy, plus a dual-core and/or high speed processor. That way your computer will be able to handle whatever you want to do.
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