Newbie video card Q's

Hi, from my questions, you'll realize I'm new to notebooks...

What brands of notebooks are you able to install and upgrade your video card? And where can I buy the Nvidia/Radeon notebook cards from? does someone know the prices?

I'm trying to do this all on the cheap, by buying a mid powered machine, then upgrading the graphics card.

Anyone have any advice? Besides, 'just buy a top of the range notebook with a good card already installed!'.

Thanks in advance for any help.

<<<What brands of notebooks are you able to install and upgrade your video card?>>>

Dell is the most prominent, I don't know of any others.

<<<And where can I buy the Nvidia/Radeon notebook cards from?>>>

As all removable graphics boards are proprietary, you can only buy a board for your specific model of notebook from the specific company.

<<<does someone know the prices?>>>

You would have to call replacement parts from the company whose notebook you are using.

<<<I'm trying to do this all on the cheap, by buying a mid powered machine, then upgrading the graphics card.>>>

You are not going to get anywhere by doing that. If you buy a Dell computer, it will come with a dell graphics board installed. If you choose a low end one and upgrade it with a high end one, you will still have to go through Dell, and it would end up costing more.

<<<Anyone have any advice? Besides, 'just buy a top of the range notebook with a good card already installed!'>>>

Buy a top of the range notebook with a good card already installed, it is really the only way - unless you go for i.e. a 2nd hand Dell Inspiron 8200 with a slow card and upgrade it to a Quadro 4 Go 700 (4200 core).

<<<Are all notebooks which have shared memory in the video cards intergrated? How can you tell if they are upgradable by looking a the specs?>>>

Shared Memory pretty much means integrated. You can't upgrade the memory of an integrated card, not that it would make a difference if you could.

Ask around I guess, only the Dell Inspiron 8000, 8100, 8200, 8500; Latitude C800, C840, D800 have removeable Graphics cards that I know of.

Anytime, RaPTuRe

Who's General Failure and why's he reading my disk?