Upgrading a Laptop??

A

ArthurDaniels

New member
I have been advised that upgrading the graphics processor in a laptop is essentially a complete rebuild because of the integration of the graphics processor into the motherboard and possible power supply issues. Advice was to buy a new laptop rather than to attempt an upgrade.

I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop with an NVIDIA 310M graphics chipset, an Intel i3 CPU M330 @ 2.13 GHZ and 4 GB RAM, running Windows 7 Professional (which I really like and which runs all of my software in a very stable manner).

Should I look further into possibly upgrading, or just consider the purchase of a new gaming laptop?

I am running Trainz 12 and no other PC-based games.
 
You'll probably find a desktop is cheaper than a proper gaming laptop ie I5/7 quad core cpu and a nvidea series 600/700m graphics card.
 
Rebuilding a laptop (slim as they are) would most probably require a new case that is fatter

If you have 2 - 4 GB RAM that is all Trainz uses, a larger Hard Drive would do little for a laptop running Trainz

The most important hardware is the CPU speed (expressed in GHz) ... and the video card (1 -2 GB) ... a larger power supply would be needed for a quality video card.

I'm sure someone has rebuilt a laptop, retrofitted into a briefcase
 
Thanks to all who replied to my query. I am aware of the expense of purchasing a new laptop. I am not interested in a desktop because I need the laptop for other portable activities and I do not want two computers. Your replies confirmed my understanding about the issues associated with trying to update my existing laptop's graphics capabilities, so I have dismissed that option.

I'll just stick with my present laptop until I am forced to upgrade by either a system failure or some other business-related issue.
 
cascaderailroad said:
Rebuilding a laptop (slim as they are) would most probably require a new case that is fatter

If you have 2 - 4 GB RAM that is all Trainz uses, a larger Hard Drive would do little for a laptop running Trainz

The most important hardware is the CPU speed (expressed in GHz) ... and the video card (1 -2 GB) ... a larger power supply would be needed for a quality video card.

I'm sure someone has rebuilt a laptop, retrofitted into a briefcase
Click to expand...

This is utter rubbish. Your first piece of advice is asking OP to rip out his laptop's innards and "simply" fit it into "a new case that is fatter"? You do realize laptop ≠ desktop tower right? Your second piece of advice is for OP to add more memory by buying a larger hard drive..?

Arthur: If buying a more powerful laptop, avoid brands like Alienware (it's just a Dell, really) and Sony. Asus is also getting overpriced. MSI portables are pretty value for money, as are Lenovo and Toshiba although the latter is not known for reliability. Avoid Acer at all costs.

Cheerio,
Nicholas
 
Last edited:
I assume you've tried switching to DirectX, thin is not the default but often gives much better frame rates, the other thing to look at is the performance sliders in particular the distance one, I think the default is 5 kms I'd shrink it back a little.

Cheerio John
 
There is always the add a Graphics card external docking station option, which may work on some laptops, from memory you need an Express Card slot.
 
clam1952 said:
There is always the add a Graphics card external docking station option, which may work on some laptops, from memory you need an Express Card slot.
Click to expand...

Most of the corporate laptops have this, however one has to look at the mobile workstations which are more suited for gaming because most general use corporate-level laptops have Intel built-in graphics chip-sets which makes them useless for Trainz or any other graphics-intensive operation.
 
nicky9499 said:
This is utter rubbish. Your first piece of advice is asking OP to rip out his laptop's innards and "simply" fit it into "a new case that is fatter"? You do realize laptop ≠ desktop tower right? Your second piece of advice is for OP to add more memory by buying a larger hard drive..?

Arthur: If buying a more powerful laptop, avoid brands like Alienware (it's just a Dell, really) and Sony. Asus is also getting overpriced. MSI portables are pretty value for money, as are Lenovo and Toshiba although the latter is not known for reliability. Avoid Acer at all costs.

Cheerio,
Nicholas
Click to expand...

In other words, if you have no clue what you're talking about, it's best not to even reply.
 
clam1952 said:
There is always the add a Graphics card external docking station option, which may work on some laptops, from memory you need an Express Card slot.
Click to expand...

Now, this idea is intriguing. Please reply with some additional details about how this addition might be accomplished.
 
Correct me if I am wrong ... Most laptops do not have an Express Card slot, ... Most laptops only have USB ports, and a multi-pin plug (used for connecting an external monitor) ... on most laptops, upgrading is very limited, or impossible, aside from adding RAM, or a Hard Drive, which will most probably not do anything for Trainz.

CPU speed, and a video card size/speed, is the key to performance in Trainz ... Trainzoptions modifications only improves framerates by single digits, and does not make radical improvements.
 
cascaderailroad said:
Correct me if I am wrong ... Most laptops do not have an Express Card slot, ... Most laptops only have USB ports, and a multi-pin plug (used for connecting an external monitor) ... on most laptops, upgrading is very limited, or impossible, aside from adding RAM, or a Hard Drive, which will most probably not do anything for Trainz.

CPU speed, and a video card size/speed, is the key to performance in Trainz ... Trainzoptions modifications only improves framerates by single digits, and does not make radical improvements.
Click to expand...

But on some it is an option so its worth researching and considering. Unless you prefer the Mac world where even adding memory is not possible on some of their models but that's another story.

Cheerio John
 
cascaderailroad said:
Correct me if I am wrong ... Most laptops do not have an Express Card slot, ... Most laptops only have USB ports, and a multi-pin plug (used for connecting an external monitor) ... on most laptops, upgrading is very limited, or impossible, aside from adding RAM, or a Hard Drive, which will most probably not do anything for Trainz.

CPU speed, and a video card size/speed, is the key to performance in Trainz ... Trainzoptions modifications only improves framerates by single digits, and does not make radical improvements.
Click to expand...

Most newer laptops no longer have that PCI-express slot. They went away with the huge parallel port modems and memory cards. Corporate-level laptops have docking station ports usually found on the bottom of the laptop where there is a long multi-pinned connector and some buttons. The docking stations usually come in two flavors, a port replicator, or a full dock. The full dock is preferable because there are multiple USB ports and bays which make up for the lack of them on the laptop its self. These full units usually cost about $150 and up, while the simple port replicator is about $100. The full docking station also comes with a full-blown video card. These range from either NVidia and ATI to the Intel chipset. The cheaper models usually have the Intel chipset. The unfortunate part is these video cards, even on the docking stations, are poor cousins to their full blown relatives found on desktop computers.

The alternative to this, if one still wants a dockable laptop, is to look at the mobile workstations. These are similar to Alienware machines by Dell and come with a substantial amount of RAM, disk space, etc., and even the mobile versions of the higher-end video cards. You have to be careful though and not get a CAD card because CAD-capable video cards are not good for playing games. This is due to their channel control and the lack of support for gaming-level video calls. CAD cards usually have built-in support for graphic primitives such as cubes, cylinders, and other polygon support which is not usually available in general purpose or gaming video cards.

It's important to note too that there are some newer docking stations out there. These are connected via the USB ports. I have never checked the performance on them, but my hunch is they are okay for general purpose office-type work, but would never suit a graphics intensive program such as Trainz.

John
 
I had no idea that I would stir up such a lively dialogue when I created this post. I am content with my present Toshiba laptop for the time being. I am a model railroader and I am currently knee-deep in using Surveyor to replicate my HO scale 12 by 22 foot garage layout. My model RR does not have much scenery yet, so I will be using Trainz to test various and mostly urban scenery concepts (plus being able to run engines such as a Big Boy on my virtual layout that I don't own in reality). My current laptop will probably serve me well for this application because I will not have a large amount of graphics to slow it down during Driver sessions. When the time comes, I will purchase a new "gaming" laptop to service both my Trainz and business needs.

Thanks again to all posters for your interesting comments.
 
ArthurDaniels said:
I had no idea that I would stir up such a lively dialogue when I created this post. I am content with my present Toshiba laptop for the time being. I am a model railroader and I am currently knee-deep in using Surveyor to replicate my HO scale 12 by 22 foot garage layout. My model RR does not have much scenery yet, so I will be using Trainz to test various and mostly urban scenery concepts (plus being able to run engines such as a Big Boy on my virtual layout that I don't own in reality). My current laptop will probably serve me well for this application because I will not have a large amount of graphics to slow it down during Driver sessions. When the time comes, I will purchase a new "gaming" laptop to service both my Trainz and business needs.

Thanks again to all posters for your interesting comments.
Click to expand...
Arthur,

A lively debate? Welcome to the Trainz forums, we've only gotten started! ;)

That's great that you are recreating your HO layout in V-Scale. This is one of the greatest things about Trainz. You can do what you want fairly easily and hopefully have fun at the same time. :)

I'm sure your current laptop will work quite fine for some time. Eventually, like all computer hardware, it'll have to be replaced since upgrading a laptop as we've shown isn't done that easily. Now for an important point regarding your Toshiba. In general, I have found Toshiba machines to run hot, hotter than most laptops. This is from experience both with my long gone personal laptop which I had years ago, and some that I supported while at Oracle. So make sure you put it on a cooling pad. These are a flat thing, almost like a small platform, with some fans inside. They're usually powered via a USB port on your laptop and cost about $35. I got mine at Best Buy and it really helps my Alienware machine stay cool when I use it for Trainz.

John
 
JCitron said:
Arthur,

A lively debate? Welcome to the Trainz forums, we've only gotten started! ;)

That's great that you are recreating your HO layout in V-Scale. This is one of the greatest things about Trainz. You can do what you want fairly easily and hopefully have fun at the same time. :)

I'm sure your current laptop will work quite fine for some time. Eventually, like all computer hardware, it'll have to be replaced since upgrading a laptop as we've shown isn't done that easily. Now for an important point regarding your Toshiba. In general, I have found Toshiba machines to run hot, hotter than most laptops. This is from experience both with my long gone personal laptop which I had years ago, and some that I supported while at Oracle. So make sure you put it on a cooling pad. These are a flat thing, almost like a small platform, with some fans inside. They're usually powered via a USB port on your laptop and cost about $35. I got mine at Best Buy and it really helps my Alienware machine stay cool when I use it for Trainz.

John
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips regarding use of a cooling pad. Thus far, I have not experienced over-heating issues with my Toshiba, but I will consider purchase and use of a cooling pad.
 
ArthurDaniels said:
... I am a model railroader and I am currently knee-deep in using Surveyor to replicate my HO scale 12 by 22 foot garage layout...
Click to expand...

Beware! I was a model railway enthusiast (G Scale) and got Trainz (2006) to help with planning the layout. Nowadays the G scale sits unused and forlorn in its garage & shed and all my modelling is done in Trainz.

Regarding your laptop, given that you are only currently creating a very small route your existing machine should be fine. In the future and bearing in mind the requirements of the next version of Trainz (T2/TANE ) You should be looking for a laptop equipped with a top end graphics card with 2+ GB of memory, at least a 4 core processor and at least 8 GB of RAM. You will also need a 64 bit operating system - in my view Windows 7 Pro 64 bit is the best at the moment.
 
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