[Art]

@ whomever can assist,
Full specs provided.  TIA!!

Is it possible to add a graphics card to a laptop and (I suppose) turn off or disable the onboard one?

The laptop is a Dell Inspiron
Intel® Core 2 Duo inside
Chipset    Mobile Intel GM965 Express cipset family
RAM Size    2 gig
RAM Type    667Mhz DDR2
RAM Slots    2

Storage
HDD Size    up to 500GB - 5400RPM
HDD Type    SATA
HDD Bays    1
HDD Size    2.5”
Input
Keyboard    Full Size
TouchPad    Yes
Track Point    No
Graphics

monitor                            generic PnP monitor
Screen    15.4” WXGA Widescreen
Graphics Controller    Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Graphics Memory Type    Shared
VGA Out Port    Yes
DVI Out Port    No
HDMI Out Port    Yes
DisplayPort    No
TV Out Port    No
Tablet    No

Sound
Sound Controller    High Definition Audio
Speakers    2
Microphone    Yes
Headphone Port    Yes, 2
Microphone Port    Yes
Line In Port    No
S/PDIF In Port    No
S/PDIF Out Port    No

Network
Ethernet Port    10/100 Ethernet
Wireless    Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card Wireless
   
WWAN    
Dell Wireless 5720 EVDO Rev A mobile broadband mini-card
Dell Wireless 5510 HSPDA
Ultra WideBand    No
Modem    Yes

Ports
USB Ports    4 x USB2.0
Firewire Ports    1 x 1394a
ExpressCard Slot    Yes - 54mm
PC Card Slot    No
E-SATA Port    No
Serial Port    No
Parallel Port    No
Docking Station Port    No
IR    Optional

Physical Details
Dimensions (W x D x H)    35.7cm x 25.6cm x 3.7cm
Weight    2.7kg

Power
AC Power    AC 120/230 V
Battery    4-cell battery
6-cell battery
9-cell battery

Other Hardware
Card Reader    Yes, 8-in-1
   
TV Tuner    No
Fingerprint Reader    No
SmartCard    No
GPS    No
Other Details
windows 7 home premium

[Data]

In a word Art “No” its not possible.

You could try putting the latest driver in for the onboard graphics, that can sometimes give it a little boost.

I had a look on the Intel site for a driver for you, it seems the latest driver is 2009, that’s actually quite old but it is the correct driver made by Intel, I believe some of the first laptops sold with the GM965 cipset might have had Microsoft drivers for the graphics and they will not be as good as the Intel ones.

Might be worth a try, it cant do any harm.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18223&ProdId=2800&lang=eng

[Art]

Thanks for that DH. The computer belongs to my young grandson and he was inquiring about upping the graphics card. I personally didn't think so but thought I'd refer to a professional Hero of Hacksters, Guru of Geekdom, Earl of Electronics...etc., etc., ad nauseum....and blah...blah....

I'm glad we agree but my grandson is liable to be disappointed. Then again if that's the biggest disappointment he'll face in life then it will be a good thing!!

Seriously, thanks for your valued input!

[photostill]

They take a lot of short cuts with laptops because of space. One of the really bad places they short cut is with the graphics section. In almost all cases, the graphics section is merely a place on the motherboard for the graphics side and there is no expansion slots to increase capabilities.

Because of these short cuts, there are always funnies in the drivers too. Something that will work without problem on a desktop will fail to work at all on a laptop.

The last thing is that laptops have a scam around the batteries. You will at some point have to replace the battery. Often the only difference between years of the same maker is that there will be tabs molded to prevent you from using a different year's battery even though they would work if you could. They are always expensive for what you get.

One thing I have learned is that if mobility is not needed stay away from a laptop like it has the plague.

You don't often run into these same problems with a desktop PC.

[Art]

That's some good food for thought photostill. Same thing applies to cell phones. So many different types, styles, shapes, manufacturers, etc. Those plastic snap-in holsters and batteries have to drive the suppliers NUTS!

One never fits another make or model.

It's nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Goes way back to the day when Ford and Chevy designed their own bolt patterns for wheels so ya couldn't interchange them!! Can we say PROPRIETARY?