User Upgradable Graphics

not yet....

Hello.. Yes, Alienware is the only one that has this option coming out shortly... Voodoo is closer, but you have to send it back.. eventually, other pc makers will bring this feature out.. The Alienware user-upgradeable module is proprietary. Of course, other pc makers will have options like this down the road.... and remember.. you get what you pay for... Alienware's prices are quite reasonable and with the new Sager's with paint jobs, the price differences between them will be much smaller.... only Sager and Alienware offer "true" desktop replacements".... other's say they have them but that is not accurate... besides these 2 companies, noone has the specs to match them....

Steve

I believe Dell is the first laptop that have the feature which you can switch/upgrade graphics sub system (Dell is not official promote this feature but we all know that you can get those upgrade card from the eBay).

If there is an upgrade available that has those options; the 8890 nor the 5680 are not said to have user swappable graphics cards.

Common now, there are user upgradeable graphics boards out there:



-Dan

compaq's x1000 is upgradable

looks like a lot of work...

Hello. It looks like you had to open the laptop itself and remove the board. I think the person who started this thread was referring to the type of upgradeable module that Alienware will have. On the new Area-51m, you just undo 4 screws, pop out one module and pop in the other and put the screws back in; less than a 5 minute job and you don't have to open the whole laptop. With future graphics cards, Alienware will change the modules to fit with the next generation of cards and will sell it and let the customer pop it in themselves... that is the way all future laptops should be....

Steve

Dell M60 only takes like four screws to swap the graphics BUt what are you able to upgrade them with? Are the graphics cards all swappable? What about power and cooling usage?

grapics card modules

Hello. When the Area-51m is released, you will have the option of the M10 Pro and the NVidia 5600 go at 128 megs. The cards will come in a module that contains it's own heatsink. If you purchase the machine with the Nvidia card module and later want to get the M10 Pro, Alienware will sell you the module that contains the M10 Pro and you just pop it in. When the next generation cards from ATI and NVidia come out(lord only knows when), if there has been a design change in the video card, they will modify the module and sell you the updated module with the new cards and you pop it in yourself. All the modules containing the video cards will have their own heatsink for cooling purposes. As far as power usage is concerned, the M10 pro has battery saving technology built into it.

www.gamespot.com//pc/news/news_6071862.html

Steve

neotech...

hey neotech...what computer model did you take off that graphics card from?

umm I thought I saw a heatsink/fan in the techTV video of the alienware.

am I wrong?

correct..

Hello Direwolf. You are correct. Each video module has it's own heatsink/fan. When you purchase the video card from Alienware, it is sent to you in the module which does indeed contain it's own heatsink....

Steve

Yea the most impressive thing about the whole videocard ordeal is it has a fan. Fans really do make a difference when it comes down to ocing. As long as you dont oc it to much (which will still void your warranty) then you shouldnt have to worry about anything going wrong

oh well cant wait to see all the new laptops come out and see some reviews

absolutely...

I completely agree Direwolf... gotta be able to overclock and need those fans.... I too, can't wait for the reviews of the new laptops... it will be quite exciting...

Steve

Re: neotech...

That is a Chembook 2050, made by Compal. A lot of places sell them. Yes, it was a lot of work to get it taken apart (probably why voodoo wants you to send them back for upgrades!). However I had to take it apart for another purpose and I figured I would snap a picture to prove it can be done.

-Dan

Honestly, I have to say because of the whole graphics upgrade thing, I think I will get an alienware now instead of sager. I know alienware may have worse customer support, and costs more. When I think about how much it would cost to upgrade graphics cards any other way with a laptop though....


I could care less about a nice case, or a big name, but I think that alienware is really setting them selves apart from everyone else again. They're desktops are pretty good price for what you get when compared to others, and again the case is kind of tacky for me, but all the other things it comes with are real nice and have actual use value (cable management, cooling, usb placement, etc).

I dunno, any one else out there feel the same? That alienware is drastically evolving, not only looking better but actually having a impact on the technology itself?

Anyways, we'll see how it all plays out soon...

Yes, I'm agree with you 100% that Alienware is one of a few company that is very inovative and creative.
I would get a new Area51-m if it's just using Intel 865 chipset and support Dual channel DDR. Maybe I will wait for the next Area51-m. For now my 17" Powerbook is still fast enough for any tasks I throw at it.

Alienware is changing..

Hello. I can tell you from personal experience that Alienware has changed a lot. I ordered an Area-51 desktop on July 25th. The ordering was simple and the sales people were extremely nice and courteous. They have also improved their ship times. I am already in phase 4 out of 6... I have spoken with just about everyone in sales, the produt manager and the head of the finance department. They are all very nice and helpful. I also believe they have begun to regain their innovation and uniqueness. The new laptop is a great example of that. The user-upgradeable graphics was a proprietary Alienware design. There is also still a chance the new laptop will use a dual-channel chipset... I had my doubts about their customer service/sales.. that is what originally held me back from ordering from them; but I took the plunge and was very suprised at how things really are now as compared to the "horror" stories around the internet. Give them a call and see for yourself. They are changing for the better. Even their reseller ratings are climbing back up. The new laptop has great specs., if you have not seen them, check them out in the Alienware section; there is a thread on the specs., the only question mark is the chipset that will be used; it looks really nice. Just my opinion, but worth checking it out for yourself....

Steve