We look at four notebooks from HP, MSI, Sony and Toshiba. We break down their varying media chops and dig into a truly mixed bag with some interesting surprises for everyone.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/2007/1 [...] index.html

Dear Nenewmen:
This is a somewhat thorny problem, in that the notebook must incorporate modular, plug-in video circuitry (a card, as you've observed). But it's also necessary that there be a big enough market for upgrades for some video card manufacturer to build and sell cards to meet that need. It wasn't until 2004, in fact, that both ATI and Nvidia began building sufficiently modular designs to make them replaceable. That said, the only market that exists today are the following:

1. MXM (the Nvidia modular technology)
2. ATI (AXIOM, its modular technology)
3. the so-called "Dell slot" found in modern (higher-end) Dell notebooks

If you've got one of these in your notebook and you want to upgrade you may be in luck. Best thing to do is to investigate the manufacturer Web sites for ATI or NVidia stuff, or the Dell site for a notebook with a "Dell slot."

HTH, and thanks for posting. I'd agree with you that the Sony strikes a great balance between price and features, especially because it includes a Blue-ray player.

--Ed--

I just saw a story in a PC Magazine newsletter about a $199 Blu-ray internal drive apparently resulting from a joint Philips/Lite-on project (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2216365,00.asp). This should not only change the dynamics of the marketplace pretty severely, it should also make it a heck of a lot cheaper to see Blu-ray support in notebooks going forward.

--Ed--