Should I switch video card in Alienware M17X laptop?

[Umrao J]

Does anyone know if is possible to change the video card in Alienware M17X laptop, from an nVidia to ATI, if to be specific? Currently I am having dual nVidia video cards and because of some issues I am facing few issues with them. The program which made it possible to switch from a particular active card to the other two active cards will not work properly anymore in my system. When I m playing games using this video cards, I am experiencing lags. Please help me. I am running windows 7 64-bit in my laptop

[Beverly Archer]

I could be wrong, but I think that if the program worked correctly before and now if it’s not, then the problem is in Windows which is installed in your laptop and not the hardware. I'd be more inclined to reinstall Windows and all the system drivers before trying to change the video card as you have mentioned above. I know performing a clean installation of Windows is a very hectic idea as you will have to backup programs / games and restore all data, once you have completed the shifting. However, the advantage is that the system works like a machine again another time and it feels great!

[Umrao J]

Well, this is what happened. I purchased the laptop, and was not aware that it had a dual video card. I realized how to change between the two video cards. It worked fine until I started the laptop without the AC charger plugged into the boot which said the battery is using integrated graphics, and if you wished to use discrete graphics than I must connect the AC adapter in. So I went on and used only the battery, and when my program started nVidia cards to switch between the two video cards never appeared.

[Maya Angelou]

According to me you are facing this lagging issue because you might have installed the video card in your laptop, but must have forgotten to install the drivers for the same. So, I would suggest you to insert the original Drivers CD of your video card and install it in your system. Once you have installed the drivers, I would also suggest you to make sure that you have installed the latest available updates for the video card’s drivers. While updating the drivers make sure that you have connected your system with the Internet Service.

[Angelica Maria]

The problem might be causing because of some confusion created because of your Onboard card. So, I think that. I would suggest you to disable the onboard card from your BIOS settings. I strongly feel that the problem might be occurring due to some malfunctioning in some of your installed programs. So, I would recommend you to roll back your system to earlier restore point, when you were not facing any such issues. You can do so by doing System restore in your laptop.

[Gillian Anderson]

I strongly feel that the problem might be occurring because you have got an older version of BIOS running in your Alienware laptop. So, I would recommend you to update the BIOS of your laptop and check whether the issue gets solved or not. You can download the latest update form the official website of your laptop’s Motherboard’s manufacturer. Or else I would recommend you to search for the same on Internet or the official website of DELL or Alienware.

[Zethus]

If the problem has happened to my system, then I would have preferred to take the help of some professional who has got good technical knowledge. It can be somewhat risky to experiment with the system and try to resolve the problem by itself. Therefore, in this case, I would strongly recommend looking at a Dell store in the nearby area and get your problem solved by the technician. You can even call the guy to your place and get your problem fixed. Also make sure that you have installed all the necessary drivers for your system.