http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/ Engadget Comments for MSI Graphics Upgrade Solution seeks an ExpressCard slot to call home http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/Currently it pumps data to the card and receives picture through the same cable.

Don't know how much it would help though...

Maybe its time for laptops to get PCI-E x4?]]>May 21st 2010 8:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/ExpressCard 1.0 can only do 250 MB\sec.
ExpressCard 2.0 can do double that..it's just no one is using it yet.
I would hope that a product like this in 2010 would be expresscard 2.0, but I doubt it. I don't think there are many laptop motherboard chipsets available that offer expresscard 2.0.]]>May 21st 2010 9:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 10:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 11:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/Everyone should just check out the DIYVidock Project on the notebookreview forums. I've got an ATI 5770 hooked up to my Studio XPS 13. It's not the prettiest, but I'm getting some crazy performance.

Currently we're investigating the Expresscard's 1 x 2.0 performance since the SXPS 13 does have it, but it seems to be locked by Nvidia's drivers.]]>May 21st 2010 3:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 9:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/Would something like this work with Photoshop?
I guess no, though - does anybody know more?

Because if not I stick with my Intel GPU which is perfectly fine :) even if I should decide to waste some time on the odd computer game

(Yes I'm no gamer)]]>May 21st 2010 8:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
It's a card attached to a (hot-swappable) PCIe x1 slot.

It might not make Photoshop faster (not sure if Photoshop uses any GPU acceleration,) and it won't work with the internal display, but it'll allow you to hook up more external monitors than your GPU would normally allow.]]>May 21st 2010 8:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/Yes, like MindStrider said - Photoshop is hardware accelerated.

I was thinking along the lines of using an external GPU to do the hardware acceleration and using my internal laptop monitor for actually seeing what I have - but I guess that wouldn't work?
]]>May 21st 2010 8:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
but how much you think is the expected improvement in like a 2 year old laptop with integrated graphics]]>May 21st 2010 12:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/I couldn't tell - but funny that you say that, because my laptop is about 2 years old.

Using a little registry change you can run Photoshop CS4 on the X3100 but that has some problems of its own in Windows - but for tasks that use the GPU its much faster than the CPU.
I've also got that infamous 8400M GS that I'd rather not use (and actually I don't use it at all - except a bit at the start) - so I couldn't tell...

But unless there is a bandwidth problem it should beat any integrated card quite easily.
]]>May 21st 2010 1:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
It should because the ExpressCard slot has comparable performance to USB3.0. However, USB has more overhead so overall performance might be lower and probably not good enough for game graphics. Normal graphics that already have video adapters that plug into USB2.0.]]>May 21st 2010 8:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/You'd better believe it is. But I suspect Light Peak would be even better.]]>May 21st 2010 8:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 10:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/The way Intel bridges and such are designed, such an idea would be unusual and stupid, simply because of the latency and non-integration. Drivers for it would be incredibly weird, most likely, and coordination with the CPU in things like DirectCompute and such would be ugly, to say the least. The CPU would have to do processing just to figure out where the heck to send its graphics information. Probably not worth it, with all of the overhead. Besides, you're not doing anything with those PCI-E lanes anyway.]]>May 31st 2010 10:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
Exactly. I remember when I bought my 15" HP a year ago my main concern was that it used pretty much the fastest GPU available for laptops its size. The HP is a great machine but there were other laptops I liked more for whatever reason but they lacked the GPU punch I needed.

This would help smaller laptops be more viable gaming machines as smaller laptops rarely have advanced GPUs. The only requirement now would be Expresscard which isn't so bad.]]>May 21st 2010 8:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
Since expresscard 1x v1.0 can only do 250 mb per sec it is way to slow. The upgraded 1x v2.0 can do 500mb per sec which is twice as much and could therefore be barely sufficient for a decent graphics card.

I think usb 3.0 can do 625mb per sec but I am not sure about how efficient the protocol is. Usb 2.0 is horrible but I heard the protocol got streamlined and improved for 3.0 so that might also be an option for future external graphics cards.

Anyway any possibility that I can use a great business notebook with a decent screen (no glare ips panel), low weight, long running-time and the option to add a decent external graphics card (and no, thats not a 5670) for gaming whenever I want to would be absolutely frickin' awesome.
]]>May 21st 2010 8:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/I've been wondering the same thing!!
PCIe 2.0 has been out for what seems like forever now...ExpressCard 2.0 is basically just a 1 lane PCIe2 slot in a laptop -- so what is the deal? Why is no one using this yet? No chipsets available? ]]>May 21st 2010 9:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
I have really no idea. The specification for the technology is over 1 year old and I still see no implementations of it anywhere...

I only hope the theoretically faster usb 3.0 will make decent external gpus feasible...]]>May 21st 2010 10:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 9:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 9:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 9:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/Apple friggen sucks, who wants a 17" laptop just to get an expresscard slot? It's funny how nowadays how Apple's laptops have become LESS powerful than their predecessors. I guess they are just catering to the whole fanboi cult who doesn't even know what that big hole on the side of their machine is.]]>May 21st 2010 9:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
Why? There is little perceived value in having an expresscard port-- 3G WWAN cards come in mini-PCIe form factors to be integrated into laptop motherboards, SD card readers just get built-in to the motherboard (often where an expresscard port would go), everything else a normal consumer would attach can connect to USB 2.0.

Don't misunderstand-- I like expresscard. But the industry is going a different direction.]]>May 21st 2010 9:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 8:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 9:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/It was a driver issue that conflicted in Vista. Windows XP and Windows 7 Machines can operate separate drivers.]]>May 21st 2010 3:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 9:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 9:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 9:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 10:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 10:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 10:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
question - would this help using video editors like Pinnacle Studio 14?

it's sometimes processor intensive - not sure if this would help]]>May 21st 2010 10:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
Nope, it wouldn't. GPU's work with direct manipulation of 3D media. Unless some software (Photoshop CS3+) uses hardware acceleration. This wouldn't help video production at all. That's all processor heavy stuff. ]]>May 21st 2010 11:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/
The 7950gtx worked great when I bought the laptop but obviously it is starting to run into games now that it can only run on low settings =\ Being a college student a laptop for gaming is really my best option but I can't quite afford to buy a new one at the moment.]]>May 21st 2010 10:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 10:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/msi-graphics-upgrade-solution-seeks-an-expresscard-slot-to-call/May 21st 2010 10:37AM