Dell Precision M4800 - Can GPU be upgraded?

This is likely as I can't see any P3000 available in MXM 3.0a form factor ever.
So the top option for M4800 is M2200 to the moment?

 

Yes, that is my current understanding. Assuming it works, haven't seen anyone try it.

 

Can't find this card sold anywhere new or 2nd hand. Only in OEM laptops?! Who sells these?

Thanks. So your M2000M is running flawlessly? How many displays are you using (if any) connected to your M4800?

No idea what this means. How can I check? Willing to learn!

 

I think it's a moot point because the P3000 (the only Pascal chip mentioned here) is too large to fit in the M4800. But, I am referring to the connection between the display and the motherboard. LVDS is like VGA, and eDP is like DisplayPort (it actually stands for "embedded DisplayPort"), so eDP is more modern. Pretty much all new systems use eDP for the internal display, but the M4800 is from a time when the transition was still underway. Only M4800s purchased late in the cycle have eDP.

To tell which you have, you can use a tool like hwinfo64 to figure out what model display is in your system, and then Google up some information on the display to see what type of interface it uses.

 

Yes, no probs. I'm currently use one additional display Dell 24" via DisplayPort on docking station. 1920x1200@60Hz. Works fine, no issues.
And my laptop has this panel:15.6" LCD QHD+ Sharp LQ156Z1 3200x1800.

 

I am so ecstatic that I'm not the only one who want's to change the M4800 internal graphics card.

I created an account just for this.

I thought of everything after other forms told me that mxm-'a' was a malformity that was useless for upgrades.

I was just going to save up for a whole new system.

I digress, M2200 is the best current option, untested but possible......when will we know when or if the P3000 will be available?

I also wonder, why stop at the P3000? Why not P4000 or P5000?

And @Aaron44126 I looked up my screen and the standard is Display port and is eDP.

I am truly curious about these projects..........
-Nearly Thomas

[*Unrealted*] P.s I am also trying to get an SSD into my system through replacing the Optical drive. Any suggestions or pointing to another form? I have a caddy on Amazon I am eyeing with an 850 evo drive SSD.

 

These are MXM 3.0b cards, too large to fit in the M4800, which can only take 3.0a cards.

The only difference between MXM 3.0a and 3.0b is the physical card size... the interface is the same. Oh, and 3.0b cards have a higher power rating, so you'd potentially need a bigger laptop PSU to drive one. (This is why the 17" Precisions ship with a 240W PSU and the 15" Precisions ship with a 180W.)

Even if you were to somehow get the larger card to install in your system (I haven't looked at pics of the motherboard layout to see how feasible that is), the heatsink would give you trouble, it needs to cover the entire card.



The P3000 is only currently available as an MXM 3.0b card. TechPowerUp lists it as a 3.0a card, but I'm rather sure that this is just an error on their end. 3.0b cards are generally only used in 17" systems, where there is more room.

If you want something faster than the M2200, you'll have to wait for the next generation of NVIDIA GPUs to launch next year, and see if they are still compatible. MXM 3.0a versions of cards that were originally released as 3.0b cards rarely show up... By the time it is possible to package an older card up at the smaller size, it would make more sense just to make a card with a more modern GPU.

 

@Aaron44126
Very informative.
Alright, it's a waiting game then.
Any good places to buy the M2200?
-NearlyThomas

 

Not really... The only places these cards really show up is when someone gets one in a laptop from an OEM, and pulls it out to sell it separately. It's a new card so that isn't happening very much yet. And considering that the M2000M is going for $400ish, I wouldn't be surprised to see this card fetching $600 or so when it is available.

* Stalk eBay
* Check out the GPU upgrade section at Eurocom, sometimes they have stuff like this, I think that there is even a place where you can put in an upgrade request
* Buy a Precision 7520 with this card, extract the card, and sell it back online without one (it will run with the Intel GPU)

Regarding your SSD, any SATA optical drive bay caddy should be fine, make sure that it is 9.5mm tall and not 12.7mm.

 

@Aaron44126