These days there are a multitude of reasons to require more graphics processing power from your laptop. Whether you are a gamer, a civil engineer, or just need to use multiple displays with a single laptop, you’ll probably be making good use of your laptop’s graphics processing unit.
Hence, if your laptop is unable to meet the demands you set for it, the resulting situation might be quite frustrating; it might prevent you from working or enjoying your free time the way you’d like. Thus, Alienware graphics amplifiers may seem like a good choice for those searching for a solution to this sort of problem.
But the question is whether these graphics amplifiers can be used with just any laptop. This article will answer that question and suggest other ways to deal with your graphics processing limitations.
Can You Use Alienware Graphics Amplifiers With Any Laptop?
You cannot use Alienware graphics amplifiers with any laptop; Alienware graphics amplifiers are specifically designed to only work with specific laptops designed by Alienware. As an alternative, one may choose to purchase a new laptop, buy an external graphics processing unit case, purchase a laptop with a replaceable graphics processing unit, switch to a desktop, or take measures to improve the performance of the graphics processing unit you already have.
The reason you cannot use an Alienware graphics amplifier with a laptop not produced by Alienware is that these amplifiers are designed with special ports unique to Alienware. Hence, no other laptops have these ports. Furthermore, because Alienware started producing laptops in 2009 and graphics amplifiers in 2014 and subsequently stopped in 2021, not all Alienware laptops even support their amplifiers.
It is impractical to provide an exhaustive list of the Alienware laptops that support the amplifiers (due to their great number), but some popular Alienware laptops that are compatible with these amplifiers include the 15 R3, 17 R2, and M17xR3. However, confirmation on other models can be obtained on Dell’s website as Alienware is a subsidiary of the company. Due to the foregoing, it is advisable to seek alternatives to the Alienware graphics amplifier.
How to Upgrade Laptop Graphics Card
1) Get a new laptop
In truth, this is the easiest and most pragmatic solution to issues with your current laptop’s graphics card. Due to the need for laptops to be portable and lightweight, their internal components are tightly packed within them. As a result, their graphics processing units are soldered onto the motherboard and, by and large, cannot be replaced.
Furthermore, external graphics cards are limited by their “distance” from the motherboard of the laptop. Because they are not integrated into the laptop’s primary circuitry, they will simply never be as fast or as efficient as the same graphics card soldered onto the laptop’s motherboard. Hence, if you need a better graphics processing unit for your laptop, getting a new laptop is your surest and most pragmatic bet.
2) Buy an External Graphics Processing Unit Case
Though cases for external graphics processing units are inferior to laptops with an integrated graphics processing unit, they are still a viable alternative. However, these cases run on thunderbolt infrastructure; Thunderbolt is essentially a data transfer infrastructure that allows one to share certain types of data faster and over a specialized connection
In practical terms, if your laptop comes with a Thunderbolt port, you might be able to use an external graphics card -via an external casing- with it. However, you will need to have a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 port for this to work. If your laptop was released from 2015 onwards and has a thunderbolt port, then you are good to go.
To determine whether your laptop has a thunderbolt port, search for something that looks like a Universal Serial Bus port on your laptop’s side but has rounded edges and looks smaller than a normal Universal Serial Bus port. You may also see a lightning bolt or a stylized letter “D” placed beside the port. If you still are not sure, you can check the website of the manufacturer of your laptop. Nevertheless, note that you will still have to purchase a compatible external graphics card separately.
3) Buy a laptop with a replaceable graphics processing unit
Though extremely rare, and for a good reason (as they come with limitations), some laptops allow you to replace their graphics processing units, and two such examples are the Alienware Area 51M and the Alienware Area 51M R2. However, the graphics processing units that can be placed in the stead of the ones removed are units already pre-approved by Alienware.
Also, these laptops do not support future iterations of graphics processing units, so as things stand presently, there are no plans to make new graphics processing units included in Alienware laptops backward compatible with the Area 51M series.
Nonetheless, this remains a viable option for users that specifically need to regularly cycle through graphics processing units. For example, tech enthusiasts heavily invested in the modding and testing community.
4) Switch to a desktop
Though a desktop does not offer the convenience and portability of a laptop, they are another viable option for live streamers and users of three-dimensional rendering software that need the permanent option of using new graphics cards at will.
Because they have considerably more space than laptops, one can purchase a desktop graphics processing unit and swap it in for an old one. As it is an internal component, this method also does not suffer from the pitfalls of external graphics processing unit cases in terms of latency and lag.
Furthermore, desktops are generally more suited for most graphics processing functions than laptops because they are better at heat dissipation during processor-intensive activities, are easily customized, and an equivalent laptop would cost considerably more.
5) Take measures to improve the performance of the graphics processing unit you already have
If your graphics processing unit is merely suffering from occasional instances of lag and frame rate limitations, optimizing the conditions surrounding its functioning might help to solve the issue.
One possible cause of graphics processing unit lag is the overheating that occurs when your laptop is performing processor-intensive tasks. The heat may damage the graphics processing unit and its functions. Also, the unit may regulate its performance to avoid overheating. Hence, it’s important to get a cooling fan and clean your laptop’s vents at least once every 6 months.
Also, updating the driver of your graphics processing unit could potentially increase its performance speeds.
Final Thoughts
You cannot use Alienware graphics amplifiers with any laptop; Alienware graphics amplifiers are specifically designed to only work with specific laptops designed by Alienware. As an alternative, one may choose to purchase a new laptop, buy an external graphics processing unit case, purchase a laptop with a replaceable graphics processing unit, switch to a desktop, or take measures to improve the performance of the graphics processing unit you already have.
Some of the Alienware laptops that support their graphics amplifier include the 15 R3, 17 R2, and M17xR3. Among the possible alternatives, buying a new laptop is the most practical as it offers the best possible promise of performance. Nonetheless, depending on the individual needs of the user, some of the other alternatives may be viable options.
