Upgrade a Gaming Laptop: How to Upgrade the CPU, GPU & RAM in a Gaming Laptop?

Today’s gaming laptops are incredibly powerful, able to play the latest games at high resolutions and with graphics settings cranked up. Can you upgrade a gaming laptop?

You can upgrade the laptop components depending on the model of the laptop’s motherboard. This is because some motherboards come with additional free slots/ ports that you can upgrade parts like RAM and SSD. However, other gaming laptop motherboards do not have the slots.

You might think that a powerful gaming laptop won’t be able to handle newer games released in the coming years, but that isn’t the case.

Most gaming laptops can actually handle more recent games better than desktops, thanks to their smaller size and optimized internal components. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t get even better. 

Can you upgrade a gaming laptop?

You can upgrade the laptop components depending on the model of the laptop’s motherboard. This is because some motherboards come with additional free slots/ ports that you can upgrade parts like RAM and SSD. However, other gaming laptop motherboards do not have the slots.

Gaming laptops are built to last, but they’re not built to be upgraded. Fortunately, many gaming laptops have external-facing ports that allow you to upgrade their internals.

Some gaming laptops even have removable batteries, making it easier for you to swap out the battery for a fresh one. The first thing you should do if you’re considering an upgrade is to see if the laptop’s motherboard has any free ports.

This is often indicated by a place on the laptop’s exterior where you can slide out the motherboard and take a look at its underside.

The motherboard, or “motherboard,” is the PC’s central circuit board — the place where all of your other computer components plugin.

What you should know before upgrading your gaming laptop

Before you start popping off parts, you should be aware that not all upgrades are created equal. While upgrading some components is as easy as pulling out the old part, installing a new one, and rebooting, other upgrades are much more complicated.

And upgrading your laptop’s graphics card, for instance, is almost certainly going to be a time-consuming process.

Before deciding to upgrade your gaming laptop in any way, ask yourself what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re looking to increase the performance of your machine, there are some upgrades (like adding RAM) that will have a significant impact without being too difficult.

However, if you’re looking for a major performance boost, you’ll probably have to upgrade the laptop’s CPU and GPU. These upgrades are both difficult and extremely expensive, and they often don’t provide a large enough boost in performance to be worth the effort.

How to Upgrade a Gaming Laptop?

Before upgrading your computer, you need to do a few things first. First, you need to find out if you can upgrade your laptop parts at all. There are some parts that can be upgraded, while others cannot.

Once you know what you can and cannot change, the next step is to research the parts that you want to change. This will help you determine what to buy and how much they will cost.

Once you have that figured out, it is time to actually buy the parts. This can be a bit tricky, as some parts will come in kits, while others will be sold separately.

You should also make sure that the parts you buy fit your computer. It is important to be careful when upgrading your computer, as you do not want to break anything. With that said, upgrading your computer can have many benefits.

Upgrading the Laptop CPU: The Core of the Matter

If you’re looking to upgrade your laptop’s CPU, you’ll need to know the type of processor that your machine currently has.

This information can usually be found on a label or sticker near the laptop’s processor. Once you know this, you need to decide which processor you want to upgrade to.

There are many different types of CPUs available, with different features and different performance levels. The most popular CPU types are Intel Core i5s, Intel Core i7s, Intel Core i9s, AMD Ryzen, and Qualcomm Snapdragons.

Once you have decided on a CPU, you need to make sure that it will fit inside your laptop. It is important to note that some CPUs are designed for desktop computers, while others are designed for laptops.

If you choose a desktop CPU, it will not fit inside your laptop. You also need to make sure that the type of motherboard that your laptop has supports the CPU that you want to upgrade to.

Upgrading the Laptop’s Storage with SSD

If you want to replace the laptop’s hard drive with an SSD, you will first need to find out if your laptop’s motherboard supports SSDs.

If it does, then you need to decide which laptop SSD you want to upgrade to. Once you have decided on a laptop SSD, you will have to remove your computer’s current hard drive and install the new SSD. This process can be tricky, so you may want to consider hiring a professional to do it for you.

If you are confident enough to do it yourself, you will first need to find out if your laptop has a removable hard drive. If it does, you will need to remove the hard drive.

Once you have removed the hard drive, you can install the new SSD. You will then need to attach the hard drive back to the laptop and boot it up.

The laptop will then automatically configure the SSD as a secondary drive. You can then transfer any files that you want to keep from the old hard drive to the new SSD.

External GPU

Upgrading your laptop with an external GPU is probably the most challenging laptop upgrade that you can attempt. This is because you will need to install the GPU to a laptop that does not have a GPU installed.

In order to do this, you will need to purchase a laptop frame with a PCI Express port that can accommodate the external GPU. You will also need a PCI Express extender, a power supply, and a custom cable that connects the GPU to the laptop frame.

Once all of the parts are purchased, you will need to install the GPU to the laptop frame. This can be a tricky process, so you may want to hire a computer repair shop to do it for you.

Once the GPU is installed, you will need to connect it to the laptop frame with the custom cable. You will also need to plug the power supply into the frame, and then plug the other end of the cable into the frame.

Finally, you will need to turn on the computer. The computer will recognize the GPU as an integrated part of the computer.

External graphics card for laptop

The external graphics card for a laptop is a device that connects to the laptop via a USB cable and enables the laptop to use the graphics card.

This allows the laptop to work with more demanding games and software that would normally not work with the laptop’s built-in graphics card.

External GPUs are mostly used by gamers who need the extra graphical grunt while on the go. And yes, it’s also possible to connect an external graphics card to a laptop.

You can connect an external GPU to your laptop either through USB or an external graphics card dock. The external graphics card dock connects to the laptop via PCIe and features additional ports so that you can connect your other computer accessories.

Can you Upgrade laptop with eGPU?

Some of the best external GPUs for your laptop include:

  1. Razer Core X Chroma-This is the best eGPU for your gaming laptop. It will ensure seamless compatibility with your gaming laptop and enhance the graphics.
  2. Razer Core X– The eGPU is excellent for boosting the graphical performance of your gaming laptop by using 3 slot wide PCIe full sized desktop graphics cards.
  3. Asus ROG XG Station
  4. Aorus RTX 3080 Gaming Box

Upgrading the Laptop RAM

If you want to upgrade the laptop’s RAM, you will first need to find out how much RAM is currently in your computer. This information can usually be found on a sticker or a label on the laptop.

Once you know how much RAM your computer has, you will need to decide how much RAM you want to add. It is best to add an equal amount of RAM to what is currently in your computer.

Once you have decided how much RAM you want to add, you will need to purchase new RAM modules. Once you have purchased new RAM modules, you will need to open up the laptop and remove the old RAM modules.

You will then need to insert the new RAM modules in the same slots that the old RAM modules were in. Once you have inserted the new RAM modules, you will need to close up the laptop and boot it up.

Your computer will automatically recognize the new RAM modules as usable computer memory.

Can I upgrade the laptop’s cooling system?

Some gaming laptops allow you to upgrade their cooling systems. These systems are essentially the parts of the laptops that keep the processors and graphics cards cool while gaming.

Some cooling systems can be upgraded by removing a few screws and replacing the cooling fan with a stronger model. Other cooling systems can be upgraded by installing additional cooling fans or even water-cooling systems.

If you want to upgrade your laptop’s cooling system, you will need to find out how the cooling system is currently set up. Once you know how it is set up, you will need to decide how you want to upgrade it.

You may want to install additional cooling fans, install a water-cooling system, or even replace the entire cooling system with a stronger model.

Related: What To Look For In A Gaming Laptop: 10 Specifications for Gaming Laptops

Why Upgrading A Gaming Laptop Is Difficult

When purchasing a new laptop, it’s easy to assume that the computer’s hardware is easily swappable. After all, most laptops come with standard parts like hard drives, RAM, and processors.

Unfortunately, gaming laptops are a different beast entirely. As gaming laptops are built for extreme performance, they often have specialized parts that aren’t easy to replace or upgrade.

You may need to upgrade the processor if you upgrade other laptop components such as GPU. While it’s possible to upgrade the RAM and the storage on a laptop, you’re often limited by the model of the motherboard that’s inside the machine.

Even if you do find an open slot that’s compatible with a new piece of hardware, there’s a chance that the motherboard isn’t able to accommodate the extra hardware.

For example, you may have a laptop that only has two open slots for RAM, and you may want to upgrade both slots with a new set of 16 GB modules. Unfortunately, that motherboard might not be able to handle two 16 GB modules.

Is It Worth Upgrading a Gaming Laptop?

If you’ve purchased a gaming laptop and aren’t completely satisfied with its performance, you may be tempted to buy an entirely new laptop. Before you make that leap, you may want to consider what kind of upgrades are available to you.

Gaming laptops are notoriously expensive. Even standard machines with enough power to get the job done are pricey. On top of that, you’ll have to pay a significant amount of money in order to upgrade a laptop.

With that said, you may get more value out of the money you’ve already invested in your laptop if you upgrade it rather than purchase a new one.

If you are serious about upgrading your laptop, we recommend doing some research and reading some gaming laptop reviews. This will help you determine which model of laptop is best for your needs.

Can you replace parts in a gaming laptop?

Unfortunately, not all parts of gaming laptops are swappable. You may not be able to plug in new RAM modules or hard drives, or you may only be able to replace them with parts from the same manufacturer.

The best way to find out is to consult your laptop’s user manual. The manual will contain instructions for removing and replacing parts, as well as information about the compatibility of each part.

If the manual doesn’t give you the information that you need, you can also consult the manufacturer’s website. The website will have FAQs and guides related to your specific laptop model.

Alternative Ways To Increase Gaming Laptop Performance

There are several other ways of increasing the gaming laptop’s performance without upgrading the components. These methods are easy to implement and always result in a marked improvement in your gaming laptop performance.

Some of the alternative ways to increase the performance of your laptop include:

  1. Using the lowest graphics setting: When you’re playing a game that’s too demanding for your computer, the game will automatically switch to the lowest graphics setting so that it can still run well. This will allow the game to be playable, but the graphics will look terrible.
  2. Keep your laptop plugged in: Powering your laptop reduces the need to reduce the power usage by reducing the performance. Keeping the laptop plugged in helps to give you the optimal performance while also reducing the usage of the battery while gaming on your laptop.
  3. Get a gaming router for online gaming: A gaming laptop for online gaming will most definitely be throttled by a router that does not meet the gaming specifications. Therefore, to improve the gaming performance of your gaming laptop, invest in a gaming router.
  4. Overclock safely: Overclocking if implemented according to the guidelines improves the gaming laptop’s performance. However, if not well done, it can leave permanent damage to your gaming laptop. Therefore, check out the different guides for your gaming laptop.
  5. Activate Game Mode on Windows 10: If you are using Windows 10 on your gaming laptop, we recommend activating the “Game Mode” to increase the gaming performance of your laptop. The Game Mode enhances the gaming performance by tweaking the software to enable seamless gaming.

The bottom line

When it comes to gaming laptops, you get what you pay for. These machines are designed for extreme performance, and they often come with specialized parts that can’t be easily replaced or upgraded.

While it’s possible to upgrade a laptop, it’s often not worth the cost, especially considering how expensive gaming laptops tend to be.

Instead, we recommend choosing the highest-end gaming laptop that you can afford and using it for as long as you can.

Citations:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-ways-improve-laptop-gaming-performance/

https://www.lifewire.com/upgrade-graphics-card-in-laptop-5118159

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