Notebooks & Netbooks

[flickerstorm]

I have an Acer Aspire V3-771 with two graphics cards, and integrated intel 4000 and a "high performance" GT650m. Is it possible to replace the GT650 with a faster one? And is it possible to upgrade to an SSD since some versions of this computer come with one?

[Inspiration101 · Accepted solution]

The graphics is built into the mainboard so not possible to upgrade it.

The SSD in other models uses the mSata style of SSD.  You could opt for removing your SATA HDD and installing a 7mm or 9.5mm SSD HDD which you can get relatively cheaply from most computer shops online.

Hope this helps and best of luck !

[flickerstorm]

Thanks for the response! You would think with two different graphics cards, at least one would be replacable but oh well, there must be a technical reason since it seems to be the standard with laptops. If not then there's room to innovate. I know many gamers would love a laptop with a replacable GPU. The SSDs I'm looking at are all 120-500 GB with only one at 750GB. I guess Ill wait for an affordable 1TB+ SSD to be released.

[Alan-London]

Upgradeability of laptops has always been a problem. They are not really built for it. It's not so much a design decision as a consequence of the tightly packed nature.

It is frequently overlooked by users but heat management is a major headache in such designs. Even where an alternative component is physically and electrically compatible does not mean that it can be used if its heat characteristics are not. Even with my own modest electronics designs, I find that heat and its dissipation are a major headache and I don't face the same constraints found in laptop design with their 'shoehorned' nature.

Even a HDD change can cause problems if it generates more heat than the original design. I suspect that the cooling fan and ducting in any laptop will not have much overhead cooling capacity as it too takes up space in the already packed interior. A build up of dust in the vents etc can cause random blue screens and crashes due to the build up of heat. In future designs we will no doubt see a reduction in size of components together with greater efficiency and thus reduced heat generation. Until then we will be limited in our upgradability options. At least the introduction of the SSD is reducing the heat problem!