Someday, I'd like somebody to explain to me why it's impossible to upgrade video cards in a laptop. Seems like something manufacturers would want to sell you twice during the life of the machine, you know?
Like desktops, Laptops can have either Integrated Video or a seperate video adapter.
For several reasons, most laptops use Integrated.
1)Laptops are traditionally intended for business use, and integrated is good enough for most business purposes.
2)Power - as a general rule, integrated chipsets use less power, which leads to longer battery life.
3)Space - sticking one or two chips on the motherboard takes up much less space than a graphics card. Unlike a desktop, space is at a premium inside a laptop's case.
4)Price - integrated chipsets tend to cost much less than cards, plus adding the circuitry and plug for an adapter is an extra increase in cost.
5)They are unlikely to be selling you a replacement card even when the capability is there. Most people never do upgrades beyond adding some ram, even on desktop machines. The whole machine gets replaced at once. Us gamers are a distinct minority. Businesses (the target market for most laptops) are even less likely to replace pieces of their computers than the average home user.
Now, if you happen to have a laptop that uses a card and not integrated chipset, you
can upgrade the video card. The big problems with doing that are 1)there aren't many places you can buy them and 2)doing so will probably void any remaining warranty you might have.
