Does Laptop size correspond (at all) to Upgrade possibilities?

[karennina]

After a good three days of searching, the only laptops I can find with GPU modularity and the turion mobo that would be perfect for what i'm aiming at, are huge beasts - 15.4" or 17" screens all round.

However, looking at the MXM templates on ICE-Tea's page, there seems no reason why 12.1" notebooks should always have integrated graphics.

Am i just being dumb? Probably. But does anybody know if small chassis like these can take a decent GPU, at least in theory?

[Fabrice Roux]

The only rule of thumb is that large laptop users have small weiner... :)

ps: I have a 17 incher...

[karennina]

The only rule of thumb is that large laptop users have small weiner... :)

ps: I have a 17 incher...

So I have to look at mens trouser folds before getting a new gpu? This is getting ridiculous.

If the average size of a man's c*** is 6.5 inches, does that make ultraportables compatible with mxm?

Seriously, though would something like an msi s271 have an mxm slot, or does the phrase "integrated graphics" spell the passing bells for those who game?

[Fabrice Roux]

I seem to remember that Ice-Tea page had a list of laptop using MXM. A lot of these 17" monsters share the same design.

[Ice-Tea]

I seem to remember that Ice-Tea page had a list of laptop using MXM. A lot of these 17" monsters share the same design.

There are few 17" around and a few 15"ers, no 'real' MXM below that.

Keep in mind that going for a modular approach always results in added space (the MXM formfactor calls for 6 large holes in the PCB. This is a huge challenge for small cards.

However, while the 15" models usually feature a mid-range card, many of those can handle better cards.

[karennina]

Ah well, thanks very much for clearing that up *sobs in anticipatory sympathy for his poor back*

[__-_-_-__]

there are some 15' with mxm type III like asus z81sp

[karennina]

After a couple of months of searching and rationalising I've decided to go 17" - its not that much more difficult to carry than a 15 ", which is not that much more difficult than a 14", which is, er, almost the same as a 12"... Thanks for the tip __-__-__

Thanks mainly to the mxm-upgrade page though, it looks like i'll have to spend a lot less money than I originally thought. The new Amilo xa 1526 has socket s1 so will be upgradeable to whatever the fastest turion x2 released for that socket eventually turns out to be. More relevantly though, it has MXM III with potential I suppose to go Go gx7950 from 7600. This could sort ot the X2 4800 / gtx7800 desktop system I wanted a year ago but in a laptop, which would prove that reasonably light laptops are no more thana a year behind big water cooled desktops.

There's also the xi1554 with core2duo and mxm III, though no reviews I can find of either new model yet, and as it's just a spec page, do they have to wait to go in the table?

[®®®]

no more than a a year behind big water cooled desktops.

Thats kinda true, but NEVER ever forget the heat the components in laptops have to handle. Especially cheap produced ones... which is the majority on the market. This was always a problem and mostly totally underestimated by the average Joe (as 3 years of reading forum posts in here have proven) and will be even more relevant in the future now that you already need a 100W AC brcik to power GPUs when gaming.

[karennina]

NEVER ever forget the heat the components in laptops have to handle. Especially cheap produced ones... which is the majority on the market.

Ah, ok. I'll make sure to look at the thermal envelope figure for the GO7600 vs GO7950, and for the xa 1526, and generally in future. Thanks for the advice.