by "Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
Published 04/11/2017 at 08:27
by "Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
Published 04/11/2017 at 08:27
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So, as of a few days ago, I have decided that I’m tired of listening to my cooling fans working overtime when I try to play any game at all on the lowest settings. My RAM is good, my CPU is good, and the only thing lagging behind is the graphics card. I know that it IS possible to get an external GPU, but I’m not sure what to look for. I’d like to try the DIY route, and I’m sure I’ll be able to find all the parts myself, but I just don’t know which things I need to splurge on and which ones should just be the cheapest thing I can find that isn’t coming from a Chinese eBay wholesaler. Does anyone here run a setup like this already or have any specific recommendations? Ideally, I don’t want to spend over $100 total, but I’m fine with up to $200 or so as long as most of the parts will be able to be carried over to my next laptop, whenever that happens.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
04/11/2017 at 08:44, STARS: 8
Unless you already have a decent graphics card laying around you aren’t going to get this done for under $100. Keep in mind that many of the cheap “low end” graphics cards actually perform worse or on par with integrated graphics.
The other issue is that you will need an express port, or a lightning port http://www.pcworld.com/article/2984716/laptop-computers/how-to-transform-your-laptop-into-a-gaming-powerhouse-with-an-external-graphics-card.html
In my humble opinion, this is a gigantic waste of cash. You’ll spend most of the cost a mid range desktop to make your laptop function as a low end desktop...
"Nibby" (nibby68)
04/11/2017 at 08:45, STARS: 1
Complete waste of money... especially if you have a dual core or ULV laptop. It’s going to cost you well over $100 at the minimum and for that money you can put that into your desktop. Those eGPUs... my IRC buddies and I refer to them as epeen GPUs for a reason.
"Nibby" (nibby68)
04/11/2017 at 08:46, STARS: 1
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
04/11/2017 at 08:48, STARS: 0
Hell, buy this from me to game on if you really want some thing compact and capable.
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/who-needs-an-htpc-gaming-rig-1738677440
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
04/11/2017 at 08:51, STARS: 1
yea, no. aint happening at that price point.
your best bet for laptop gaming is to get a aleinware or a razor with the little add on dongle thing for the external GPU. and then you still need to get the external GPU too.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
04/11/2017 at 09:05, STARS: 0
This will be difficult to do in the price range you’re looking at as others have said... what is the laptop model/specs right now?
"jasmits" (jasmits)
04/11/2017 at 09:08, STARS: 0
I’m pretty sure it’s not worth it unless the laptop was designed for that in the first place(like what Razer has going on).
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/11/2017 at 09:26, STARS: 0
Thunderbolt ports are the easiest way to do this, and as others have said, you’re not doing that cheap.
I’m just going to assume that your budget doesn’t include the GPU itself (because a decent GPU itself is $150-200)... spend that $100-200 on a cheap desktop off of Craigslist (if you can get a second-gen i5, that’d be best, but even a Core 2 Quad will do), make sure to pick one with a big enough power supply. Then slap the GPU in that.
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
04/11/2017 at 09:37, STARS: 0
Does your laptop have a thunderbolt 3 port? If so you could spend about $900 for a GPU and enclosure. If not you can’t do an external GPU solution.
"Milky" (jordanmielke)
04/11/2017 at 09:38, STARS: 0
Full disclosure: I’m not a PC person and I didn’t pay for it, but this is nice:
Apparently everyone here is saying no but that setup ran everything I use for work really well. Photoshop, Alias, Showcase and VRED which is really hard on computers.
Ran it for a year with really no complaints, only recently upgraded because the whole office did.
"BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest." (bmanultima)
04/11/2017 at 10:13, STARS: 0
That cost way more than $100, and you started with a decent laptop though.
"Illegitimus Prime" (illprime)
04/11/2017 at 10:31, STARS: 0
eGPUs really are not worth it the performance hit is really large and it’s extremely finicky. With Ryzen 5 out today and with GPUs being cheaper than ever for 1080P gaming it might be worthwhile to go for a budget gaming build (especially since a lot of people are now selling off their Core i5s)
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
04/11/2017 at 10:50, STARS: 0
For gaming, I recommend getting a desktop or a new gaming laptop.
As others mentioned, trying to make a non-gaming laptop into a gaming laptop is a waste of time and money.
HOWEVER... there is one exception... if your current laptop has an MXM card slot.
If it does, then you have to look at what version of MXM slot you have and what card is currently installed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_PCI_Express_Module#2nd_generation_configurations_.28MXM_3.29
Then compare what card you have to what is available to install that works with the type of MXM slot you have:
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/mxm-video-card
Sidenote: For gaming, I recommend NOT getting workstation graphics cards like the Quadro
And THEN you have to look at the graphics processor hierarchy chart and see if the upgrade will result in a meaningful performance upgrade:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
AND EVEN THEN... you may not have a working solution because just having the card isn’t enough... you need a laptop case with cooling and power that was designed to use that graphics card.
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
04/11/2017 at 10:51, STARS: 0
If his laptop has an MXM slot, then he MIGHT have some options to upgrade the graphics without having to go to an external solution.
"Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz)" (galileo-humpkins)
04/11/2017 at 11:31, STARS: 0
First, what kind of machine are you using?
B- I think it will be nearly impossible to do this for under $200, never mind $100.
III) I’d think you’d be better off buying a new (new to you possibly), second mid-range desktop and use that for whatever your graphics intensive needs are and using your laptop for other stuff.