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Graphics/Video card on MacBook

iTechSup

iTechSup

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 20, 2009
18
0
Los Angeles
I have the 2.4 GHz 2GB DDR2 White MacBook. I recently noticed (and some of my friends made fun of this) that I have Inter GMA X3100 Graphics card, but that's not all. I got VRAM (Total): 144 MB, which is abnormal (that's the first time I experience it, and all of my friends were shocked). Also, when I play COD4, guns, cars, sometimes get black, and then come back to half-normal. I get black guns when I'm under shadow.

Let me just skip to the question: Is there a way to upgrade Graphics/Video card to nVidia or maybe something better on MacBook :confused:? I don't feel like buying new Mac :)
 
iTechSup said:
basically, its the part of logic board which is hardly built in?
Click to expand...

It is soldered to the Logic Board. No way to replace it, unless you have the equipment to do such computer surgeries.

Do you mean "hard" or "hardly? They both mean different things.


hard |härd
adjective
1 solid, firm, and resistant to pressure; not easily broken, bent, or pierced : a hard mattress | ground frozen hard as a rock.
• (of a person) not showing any signs of weakness; tough : the hard, tough, honest cop.
• (of information) reliable, esp. because based on something true or substantiated : hard facts about the underclass are maddeningly elusive.
• (of a subject of study) dealing with precise and verifiable facts : efforts to turn psychology into hard science.
• (of water) containing mineral salts that make lathering difficult.
• (of prices of stock, commodities, etc.) stable or firm in value.
• (of science fiction) scientifically accurate rather than purely fantastic or whimsical : a hard SF novel.
• (of a consonant) pronounced as c in cat or g in go.
2 requiring a great deal of endurance or physical or mental effort : stooping over all day was hard work | [with infinitive ] she found it hard to believe that he could be involved.
• putting a lot of energy into an activity : he'd been a hard worker all his life.
• difficult to bear; causing suffering : times were hard at the end of the war | he'd had a hard life.
• not showing sympathy or affection; strict : he can be such a hard taskmaster.
• (of a season or the weather) severe : it's been a long, hard winter.
• harsh or unpleasant to the senses : the hard light of morning.
• (of wine) harsh or sharp to the taste, esp. because of tannin.
3 done with a great deal of force or strength : a hard blow to the head.
4 potent, powerful, or intense, in particular
• (of liquor) strongly alcoholic; denoting distilled spirits rather than beer or wine.
• (of apple cider) having alcoholic content from fermentation.
• (of a drug) potent and addictive.
• denoting an extreme or dogmatic faction within a political party : the hard left.
• (of radiation) highly penetrating.
• (of pornography) highly obscene and explicit.
adverb
1 with a great deal of effort : they work hard at school.
• with a great deal of force; violently : it was raining hard.
2 so as to be solid or firm : the mortar has set hard.
3 to the fullest extent possible : put the wheel hard over to starboard.
PHRASES
be hard on 1 treat or criticize (someone) severely : you're being too hard on her. 2 be difficult for or unfair to : I think the war must have been hard on her. 3 be likely to hurt or damage : the monitor flickers, which is hard on the eyes.
be hard put [usu. with infinitive ] find it very difficult : you'll be hard put to find a better compromise.
give someone a hard time informal deliberately make a situation difficult for someone.
go hard with dated turn out to (someone's) disadvantage : it would go hard with the poor.
hard and fast |ˈˈhɑrd ən ˈføst| (of a rule or a distinction made) fixed and definitive : it is impossible to lay down any hard and fast rules.
hard as nails see nail .
hard at it informal busily working or occupied : they were hard at it with brooms and mops.
hard by close to : he lived hard by the cathedral.
hard done by Brit. harshly or unfairly treated : she would be justified in feeling hard done by.
hard feelings [usu. with negative ] feelings of resentment : there are no hard feelings, and we wish him well.
hard going difficult to understand or enjoy : the studying is at times hard going.
hard hit |ˈhɑrd ˈˈhɪt| badly affected : hard hit by falling oil prices.
a hard nut to crack informal a person or thing that is difficult to understand or influence.
hard of hearing |ˈhɑrd əv ˈˈhɪ(ə)rɪŋ| not able to hear well.
hard on (or upon) close to; following soon after : we followed hard on their tracks.
hard up |ˈhɑrd ˈəp| informal short of money : I'm too hard up to buy fancy clothes.
the hard way through suffering or learning from the unpleasant consequences of mistakes : his reputation was earned the hard way.
play hard to get informal deliberately adopt an aloof or uninterested attitude, typically in order to make oneself more attractive or interesting.
DERIVATIVES
hardish |ˈhɑrdɪʃ| adjective
hardness |ˈhɑrdnəs| noun
ORIGIN Old English hard, heard, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hard and German hart.
THE RIGHT WORD
For the student who doesn't read well, homework is hard work, which means that it demands great physical or mental effort.
An English assignment to write an essay might be particularly difficult, meaning that it not only requires effort but skill. Where hard suggests toil, difficult emphasizes complexity :) a difficult math problem).
Memorizing long lists of vocabulary words would be laborious, which is even more restrictive than hard and suggests prolonged, wearisome toil with no suggestion of the skill required and no reference to the complexity of the task.
Reading War and Peace, however, would be an arduous task, because it would require a persistent effort over a long period of time.
A school assignment may be difficult, but is usually not arduous; that is, it may require skill rather than perseverance. It may also be arduous without being particularly difficult, as when a student is asked to write “I will not throw spitballs” five hundred times.
A student who is new to a school may find it especially trying, which implies that it taxes someone's patience, skill, or capabilities.



hardly |ˈhärdlē|
adverb
1 scarcely (used to qualify a statement by saying that it is true to an insignificant degree) : it is hardly bigger than a credit card.
• only a very short time before : the party had hardly started when the police arrived.
• only with great difficulty : she could hardly sit up straight.
• no or not (suggesting surprise at or disagreement with a statement) : I hardly think so.
2 archaic harshly : the rule worked hardly.
PHRASES
hardly any almost no : they sold hardly any books. • almost none : hardly any had previous convictions.
hardly ever very rarely : we hardly ever see them.
USAGE 1 Words like hardly, scarcely, and rarely should not be used with negative constructions. Thus, it is correct to say : I can hardly wait but incorrect to say : I can't hardly wait. This is because adverbs like hardly are treated as if they were negatives, and it is a well-known grammatical rule of standard English that double negatives are not acceptable. Words like hardly behave as negatives in other respects as well, as for example in combining with terms such as any or at all, which normally occur only where a negative is present (thus, standard usage is : I've got hardly any money, but not : I've got any money). See also usage at double negative . 2 Hardly . . . than versus hardly . . . when: the conjunction : than is best left to work with comparative adjectives and adverbs ( : lovelier than;: more quickly than). Consider a construction such as : Sheila had hardly recovered from the flu when she lost her beloved beagle: in speech, one might tend to use than as the complement to hardly, but in careful writing, since time is the point, the word to use is when. In a more formal context, however, the idea would be better conveyed: : No sooner had Sheila recovered from the flu than she lost her beloved beagle. In this sentence, : than does belong because it is the natural conjunction after the comparative adjective : sooner. 3 As synonyms, : hardly,: barely, and : scarcely are almost indistinguishable.
 
spinnerlys said:
It is soldered to the Logic Board. No way to replace it, unless you have the equipment to do such computer surgeries.

Do you mean "hard" or "hardly? They both mean different things.
Click to expand...

I ment like it's soldered, just like you said. But it's sad though, can't play games normally. Do they sell MacBook Logicboards? And if yes, where? And will the previous 800MHz white LogicBoard work on my mac?
 
flopticalcube said:
Integrated GPUs like the X3100 are exactly that, integrated. They are built into the controlling chipset and cannot be removed or replaced. Some laptops allow for an additional discrete GPU to be added but not Apple's.
Click to expand...

shouldve wait till unibody comes out :(:(:(
 
iTechSup said:
shouldve wait till unibody comes out :(:(:(
Click to expand...

Those are the MBP with Nvidia 9400M right?

I also heard this...
I was at London Drugs checking out the MBP models and a sales person said that the Nvidia 9400M is 256MB but can possibly run at 512MB, is this true? He confused me...
 
lilskaterpunk said:
Those are the MBP with Nvidia 9400M right?

I also heard this...
I was at London Drugs checking out the MBP models and a sales person said that the Nvidia 9400M is 256MB but can possibly run at 512MB, is this true? He confused me...
Click to expand...

Which MBP are you talking about? The previous generation of 15-17 MBP Were Intel GMA I think
 
You can't do anything but get a new computer.

The 9400 is better than the intel but in the end its still a integrated chip. If you want to play games decently you'll need to get a laptop with a dedicated GPU.

If you want to play many games then I'd suggest staying away from macs next time :p
 
flopticalcube said:
The current 9400m is about the same performance level as seen in the MacBook Pro's X1600 discrete card 3 years ago. Its OK for most games but don't expect anything spectacular.
Click to expand...

Lol ok. Do u for see Apple upgrading there products from a 9400M to something newer? or is that only gonna be an option in there higher end models?
About my question earlier...
lilskaterpunk said:
I also heard this...
I was at London Drugs checking out the MBP models and a sales person said that the Nvidia 9400M is 256MB but can possibly run at 512MB, is this true? He confused me...
Click to expand...
 
lilskaterpunk said:
Lol ok. Do u for see Apple upgrading there products from a 9400M to something newer? or is that only gonna be an option in there higher end models?
About my question earlier...
Click to expand...
The graphics drivers in OSX don't operate the same as under Windows. Whereas Windows drivers may allocated a set amount of shared memory straight away, OSX allocates as "needed". I believe the 9400m is capable of using at least 512MB of RAM. With a card of its capability, I doubt you would see much of a difference between 256MB and 512MB allocated. I doubt Apple will replace the 9400m for another year. If they do, they probably will go back to Intel since nVidia is not making integrated chipsets after the 9400m.
 
flopticalcube said:
The graphics drivers in OSX don't operate the same as under Windows. Whereas Windows drivers may allocated a set amount of shared memory straight away, OSX allocates as "needed". I believe the 9400m is capable of using at least 512MB of RAM. With a card of its capability, I doubt you would see much of a difference between 256MB and 512MB allocated. I doubt Apple will replace the 9400m for another year. If they do, they probably will go back to Intel since nVidia is not making integrated chipsets after the 9400m.
Click to expand...
Makes sense, thanks!:apple:
 
flopticalcube said:
The graphics drivers in OSX don't operate the same as under Windows. Whereas Windows drivers may allocated a set amount of shared memory straight away, OSX allocates as "needed". I believe the 9400m is capable of using at least 512MB of RAM. With a card of its capability, I doubt you would see much of a difference between 256MB and 512MB allocated. I doubt Apple will replace the 9400m for another year. If they do, they probably will go back to Intel since nVidia is not making integrated chipsets after the 9400m.
Click to expand...

:apple: then I seriously gotta get a mac right NOW, not later, is that what you trying to say? cause I don't feel like staying on stupid intel graphics :mad:
 
iTechSup said:
:apple: then I seriously gotta get a mac right NOW, not later, is that what you trying to say? cause I don't feel like staying on stupid intel graphics :mad:
Click to expand...
Well, Intel graphics 6 months from now will probably be better than the 9400m right now but no one really knows for sure. Perhaps someone with a better handle on what's coming down Intels graphics pipe can elaborate. You can pick up a 9400m MacBook for under $700 in Apple's refurb store. They pop up there from time-to-time so keep an eye out.
 
flopticalcube said:
The current 9400m is about the same performance level as seen in the MacBook Pro's X1600 discrete card 3 years ago. Its OK for most games but don't expect anything spectacular.
Click to expand...

It's not that bad. I play bioshock at max settings and low/medium for COD:W@W.
 
Sounds god guys! Thanks for the comments. I think its just my current video card is wicked and down sizing to a integrated just makes ya think...
I don't play hard core games anywayz. Just trying to get the best for price.
 
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