Portable video cards?

[ibex333]

Over the past 5 eyars I heard many rumors and speculations that major GPU manufacturers were planning to release a portable video card that can be hooked up to a crappy integrated gfx laptop, giving it a huge performance boost in games.

Somehow, it just doesnt ever happen and doesnt look like it will. What I cannot understand though, is WHY?! From the tech perspective, I am sure it can be done, maybe performance will suffer greatly, but it will be surely better than nothing!

Does anyone know what is the problem? Why doesnt it happen? Video card manufacturers have nothing to lose and everyhting to gain from this IMO.

 

[Lonyo]

It has happened in various ways at various times with various different methods.
It will never be particularly mainstream because it's low in demand and it's high in cost so no one has put a concentrated effort into it.

 

[ibex333]

I dont see why cost should be very high for somethign like this. Higher than current solutions maybe, but shouldnt be much higher.

And demand would be extremely high, I am sure, if the price was right.

 

[crisium]

I'd love to get a cheaper non-gaming laptop and then add a portable 6850 for when I have it on my home desk for like $200 or so. I guess the demand isn't there.

 

[Lonyo]

I'd love to get a cheaper non-gaming laptop and then add a portable 6850 for when I have it on my home desk for like $200 or so. I guess the demand isn't there.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4474/sony-updates-vaio-z-thinner-lighter-light-peak-and-external-gpu

$500 for an HD6550M

 

[greenhawk]

low demand is one issue, another is finding a common and fast connection for the laptop to allow the GPU to be connected. Until recently, the fastest connection was the PCMCIA slot which IIRC was a slow PCI at best, the chance to the PCI-E version has helped, but it is still only a PCI-E x1 slot IIRC. Not much bandwidth to allow a high end video card to run.

Though most people just give up as it kills portability of the laptop, espically with the external monitor needed.

Going forward it should get better, but people are moving away from laptops into portable tablets/phones for a lot of their needs, so the current laptop is slipping in popularity (personal speculation). This does not help.

Ideally, a laptop's docking station is the perfect place for a external video card, but the killer of that idea is that each docking station needs to be made for a limited range of laptops, so limiting it's use even more.

Plenty of usb GPUs around for running extra monitors, but they are only good for displaying static data, not gaming due to their refresh rates.

Personally, cheap ($200) GPUs that addon to a laptop is not going to happen, the market is just moving on. It might make a come back, but not when a new laptop with a faster GPU start at the cost just the external GPU (linked to above).

 

[SlowSpyder]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4474/sony-updates-vaio-z-thinner-lighter-light-peak-and-external-gpu

$500 for an HD6550M

That is pretty cool, I could see using one with an Intel integrated graphics laptop. But the problem is that when you use one of those you are using it as a desktop, and $500 buys you a gaming system these days. And for not much more than that you can get a laptop with that level of card already built in.

 

[SlowSpyder]

As an example, checking Ebay, there is a $700 Acer with a 6550M built in. Or you can buy that $500 external 6550 plus the cost of the Sony laptop. That's why you just don't see them. :/