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MXM Graphics Cards are removable graphics cards that are designed for gaming laptops or notebooks, All-in-one PCs, mobile workstations, embedded systems and small form factor PCs. MXM or Mobile PCI Express Module is a standard developed by MXM-SIG for MXM GPUs or graphics cards. The main motive to develop MXM Socket is to provide an easy way to upgrade graphics cards on laptops, all-in-one PC (AIO PC) and other mobile systems. Not much information is there on the MXM graphics cards and MXM standard, so here in this post I am going tell you all about the MXM graphics module and clear all your doubts on it.
Note: Not all laptops with discrete graphics cards have MXM modules because in most of the laptops discrete graphics card is non-removable and is soldered permanently to the motherboard.
Must Read: List of Best Laptop Graphics Cards from Nvidia & AMD
Where to Find MXM Graphics Cards?
You cannot buy MXM Graphics Cards just like regular graphics cards because they are not available to retailers or hardware vendors. MXM graphics cards are only sold in bulk to the manufacturer who makes laptops or other mobile or porttable computers. However, you can find MXM graphics cards on some of the online shopping sites like ebay and amazon. The MXM graphics cards on these online ecommerce sites are ripped or pulled out from other laptops for sale. You can find some MXM graphics cards online on the link given below.
MXM Types / Specifications
Here are the various generations, specifications and types of MXM graphics cards.
MXM (First Generation)
1st generation MXM graphics modules and thermal solutions are backward compatible. All the first generation graphics card modules come with 230 pins but MXM Type III may come with 232 pins also.
| MXM Type | Width | Length | Max. Power | Max. GPU Size |
| MXM-I | 70mm | 68mm | 18W | 35 mm² |
| MXM-II | 73mm | 78mm | 35W | 35 mm² |
| MXM-III (HE) | 82mm | 100mm | 75W | 40 mm² |
| MXM-IV (Depreciated) | 82mm | 117mm |
MXM 3.0 (Second Generation)
2nd generation MXM graphics modules and thermal solutions are also backward compatible.
| MXM Type | Width | Length | Max. Power | GPU Memory Bus |
| MXM-A | 82mm | 70mm | 55W | 64-bit or 128-bit |
| MXM-B | 82mm | 105mm | 200W | 256-bit |
Below you can see the MXM 3.0 Type A and Type B Graphics Cards.
Here width is the length of the MXM connector which is 82mm in the MXM 3.0 cards. Some MXM 3.0 cards PCB can be both wider and longer but the connector length will only be 82mm.
MXM 3.1 revision was released in the year 2012 for added support for PCIe 3.0 bus.
MXM Video Card Compatibility & Upgrade
The compatibility of MXM modules with one another is a bit of concern because first generation MXM modules are not compatible with second generation modules and vice versa. Also MXM graphics cards may differ slightly in the arrangement of GPU, components and mounting holes on the PCB. This can pose problems during mounting of the heat sink on the new MXM graphics card, that you have purchase for your laptop. Also your BIOS should also support the new MXM GPU for your MXM graphics card to work. So before upgrading to a new MXM graphics card for your laptop, you should be aware of the following things:
- New MXM Graphics Card should be of same generation and type
- New MXM card should have the same dimensions of the older card
- Your heat sink should be able to fit the new MXM card properly
- It should be from the same manufacturer if possible
- Your Laptop BIOS should support the new MXM card
- You can use an MXM 3.0 Type A card in a computer or laptop with Type B support, but the reverse is not always possible because of cooling, clearnace and power restriction.
Popular Manufacturers that use MXM Graphics Cards for their Laptops include Clevo, MSI, Alienware, Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Toshiba, Apple. Not all of them use standard MXM modules as some of them use their own proprietary MXM modules that are not compatible with other standard MXM cards. Below you can see the latest GeForce 10 series MXM video cards that include GeForce GTX 1080, GTX 1070 and GTX 1060.
If your laptop is not MXM compatible but got a Thunderbolt port then you can use eGPU Box to upgrade your laptop graphics for playing latest games and for professional graphics work. This eGPU box lets you to connect a full sized external graphics card (desktop graphics card) to your laptop.
Also Read: Top AMD and Nvidia Graphics Cards Manufacturers
Advantage of MXM Graphics Module
The main advantage of MXM graphics module is that you can easily upgrade your laptop or other mobile computer graphics card to a higher one for playing latest games or for running professional graphics applications. Also, if your MXM Video Card has gone bad then it can be easily replaced without any soldering and going through too much trouble.
List of MXM Graphics Cards
Here are some of the latest and powerful MXM graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD. These graphics cards include MXM Workstation Graphics Cards and MXM Gaming Graphics Cards.
Nvidia MXM Graphics Cards
- GeForce GTX 1080
- GeForce GTX 1070
- GeForce GTX 1060
- GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
- GeForce GTX 1050
- GeForce GTX 1030
- GeForce GTX 980
- GeForce GTX 980M
- GeForce GTX 970M
- GeForce GTX 960M
- GeForce GTX 950M
- GeForce GTX 940M
- GeForce GTX 930M
- Tesla M6
- Quadro M620 Mobile
- Quadro M1200 Mobile
- Quadro M2200 Mobile
- Quadro P3000 Mobile
- Quadro P4000 Mobile
- Quadro P5000 Mobile
AMD MXM Graphics Cards
- Radeon RX 480
- Radeon R9 M295X
- FirePro W5170M
- FirePro W7170M
- FirePro S4000X
- FirePro S7100X
- Radeon Embedded E9260
- Radeon Embedded E9550
See also:
If you have any queries regarding MXM graphics cards then please leave a comment below, and I will try my best to answer it and clear your doubts.
How to know my bios support another mxm gpu? My laptop is Dell inspiron 1564. It had ati mobility radeon HD 4330 by default. Please reply…….
I think you should ask the manufacturer for this.
can i replay mxm 3.0 III b to mxm III 3.0 a ?
what do you mean by replay?
Sorry I mean *change
I don’t think so.
I can’t help but ask myself this question: Does my laptop’s PSU have enough DC capacity to actually power up the GPU?
Yes it does.
Hello, I am looking into upgrading my graphics card:
– MXM version: 3.0, type A <35W
As you can see it states <35W – do you know any or will I need to go through all the specs one by one to try and find one?
This is for an HP all in one touchscreen PC that I use with a virtual for a bicycle training package called ZWIFT. At the moment the graphics riding on the virtual routes are very "jumpy" and my objective is to try and smooth this out.
thanks in advance
“that I use with a virtual for a bicycle ” = “that I use with a virtual bicycle training…”
I think you should probably look for GeForce GT 540M as it is available as MXM 3.0 Type A card. Others are either higher in power consumption or available as Type B. BTW can you tell me the model of your HP all in one touchscreen PC.
Many thanks so far. It is a HP Touchsmart 600. Intel core i3 m330 2.13ghz / 4gb
NVIDIA GeForce G210 with latest drivers
Running W10
Would more RAM help?
I was given this second hand from a company I used to work with that didn’t use it.
Certainly, For Win 10 I would add another 4GB for smooth working.
Hi, I’m running HP Zbook 15 G3 with Firepro w5170m and wondering if there is faster card out there that would be worth investing in (i.e. not worth slightly faster card for 250€).
From what i found it uses MXM 3.0a standard and I cannot find anything usefull.
Thanks
I don’t think so because faster ones are MXM 3.0 Type B.
And would you recommend going the eGPU way? And if yes what would be your recommendation? Becouse I have a thunderbolt 3 also and would like to play more games than I could now.
If you really want more graphics processing power and want to enjoy latest games on laptop then eGPU is the only solution.
Hi I have an HP Proone 600 G1 AIO P.C. and I recently added the AMD Radeon 7650A MXM graphics card to it I decided to try an Nvidia MXM 3.0A hoping it might work (I like Nvidia better) I have tried hooking it up it fits and the heatsink fits as well but its not booting up I almost certain that the power is right. I’m thinking it is either the drivers not being installed or the Bios…..
Do you have any tips on if this can work and if so what I might need to do to get it going?
Thank you
Adam
Hello, I think the issue is with the BIOS not supporting the Nvidia graphics card. Try updating the BIOS.
Do you know the most powerful MXM-A type GPU?
I currently have a Quadro K4000M 4GB and I was wondering if that is the most powerful mxm-a card or is there a stronger one?
Thanks
I am pretty sure that Quadro K4000M is MXM Type-B, and for Type-B I think the most powerful would be Quadro P5000 MXM.
can i upgrade my zbook 15 to gtx 880m or gtx965m ?!?
What GPU does it currently have?
quadro 2100m and what best gpu i can upgrade to
Really can’t say because it can have compatibility issues because of limited cooling capacity (55W) of Zbook 15.
can i upgrade to 5100m ?!
Hello, the thing is you need a second generation MXM-A card that you can match your laptop’s GPU cooling capacity. I think you can upgrade to GTX 965M 4GB DDR5 (MXM-A) and also to NVIDIA NVS 5100M.
Hello! Thank you for the article.
I have a Dell M4800 – Firepro M5100 Video “MXM-A”. I understand that the GTX 965M 4GB DDR5 (MXM-A) is the ultimate dream for this laptop. Can you tell me? 🙂
Hello, I did not get your question.
Hello. Great article…..
I have a MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro with a Geforce GTX880m installed…..
I would like to upgrade, but which newer nvidia cards are compatible?
I would say you can upgrade to GTX 1060 MXM 3.0 Type B. Here is an interesting topic on it https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/11018-gtx-1060-in-gt70-and-gt72/
I have a HP Elite 8300 all in one desk top.
It has the slot for the optional
AMD Radeon 7650A MXM 2gb graphics card
Unfortunately I cant find the original gpu heatsink/heatpipe/radiator for this
graphics card.
What third party cooling (heatsink and fan) will work for this video card effectively?
Thanks
You need a cooler with TDP of at least 35W that can easily fit in there.
Will this one be adequate?
No, it is for full size desktop graphics cards.
It will fit – I already measured depth length & width
Hello, i was looking all over the internet (all googled results) regarding the GPU replacement of HP Elitebook 8440p.
I would like to know which GPU can be used as upgrade of Nvidia 3100M.
Friend of mine “advice” me to use Nvidia 940M. I’m not sure if its compatible or not,
Also could you please suggest me from where can i buy these cards except the used ones on the classifieds.
Many thanks in advance.
Kind regards,
Ivan
Nvidia 940M is not compatible and I don’t think there is any better card that will work with it.
How do you check that is or not compatible? Could you please share soke knowledge regarding the topic you start?
By identifying the interface, size, TDP / power consumption.
Hello sir.
I have AMD Radeon RX560X 4GB which is MXM-B.
What are my options of upgrading the GPU?
Well, you can upgrade to any MXM-B graphics card having TDP up to 65W. and i don’t there are much options out there because even GTX 1060 MXM has TDP higher than 80 Watts.
I have a hp envy 23se-d494 , can mxm 3.0b work with this setup and if not, is the Nvidia got 630m a good choice for type A?
Not sure about this model, and NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M is a pretty decent choice for MXM Type A.
For the his Nvidia gt 630m card, 35W could I just stick a small fan on it for the heat or just a heat sink. Or would it need both airflow and heatsink?
Depends on the heatsink TDP and should have airflow over the heatsink.
I have a HP EliteBook 8560w with an old NVIDIA Quadro 1000m on board. What’s the best I can replace this graphics card with?
I would say NVIDIA Quadro M1000M should be a good upgrade over it. You can also look at NVIDIA Quadro M2000M but it has little higher TDP of 55W. (Note: NVIDIA Quadro 1000M has TDP of 45W)
sir.
i also have hp 8560w with quadro 1000m (45W TDP).
can i upgrade it to NVIDIA Quadro M2200 Mobile (55W TDP)
Can cooling system handle this 10W TDP difference.
Well I think 10W TDP difference can be manageable, so you can give it a try.
Hello, great info.
I have a dell 7520 with m2200, 55w, can i have a good upgrade opton?
Thanks in advance!
I think you are pretty good with M2200 as I don’t see any viable upgrade for it.
I have a dell 7730 with NVIDIA Quadro P5200.
Do you know where can I get the replacement for NVIDIA Quadro P5200 card?
Thanks in advance.
If it is under warranty then you have to contact your vendor.
It’s already out of warranty sir.
Hello!
I have mini pc asrock vision X420D https://asrock.com/nettop/Intel/VisionX Series (Haswell). My video card have burned out. Can I change video card to nvidia Quadro K2000M https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-DELL-OEM-Nvidia-N14P-Q3-A2-Quadro-K2000M-2GB-DDR5-MXM-3-0-Video-Card-D30WG/183836563130 or similar?
I am not sure because I have some doubts regarding its compatibility.
Good day Akshat.
My name is Konstantin. I have HP Elitebook 8560W with Nvidia Quadro 1000M on board.
Please tell me what most powerful MXM card I can installed into my laptop ?
Also? if for it need modify BIOS where I can see information about it ?
I will be very grateful to you for your answer.
I would say Quadro K1100M. For laptop, you need to search manufacturer’s website for BIOS or ask them via support.
I would say Quadro K1100M. For BIOS, you need to search the manufacturer’s website or ask them via support email or form. Hope this helps!
A lot of thanks to you for you answer.
You are most welcome.
I am using the GTX 670M now. But I want to upgrade and I am considering GTX 680M. Is it possible?
And is it possible to upgrade beyond generations?
Thank you in advance.
Yes it is possible but I would not advise it because it will generate more heat, as GTX 680M has TDP of 100W, compared to 75W of GTX 670M. The much better upgrade would be GTX 960M which is much faster than GTX 680M and has 75W TDP.
Thank you for your reply. I am using MSI’s GTX670M. Is there any problem with using cards other than MSI?
I don’t think so.
GTX 965M 4 GB DDR5 (MXM-A) is the most powerful video card available on the MXM-A?
I think so.
🙂
Hi,
I have clevo p150hm, with a 2GB Radeon HD7970m MXM 3 type B in it, looking to put a better graphics card in what would recommend?
Looling at more memory and faster processor, websites are saying this is still pretty fast again a few others around a few years newer.
I would suggest GTX 1060 MXM 3.0 Type B.
Thank you, i like your advice.
Kind Regards.
Hi I have a pc specialist vortex 3.
It randomly comes up with a message saying the nvidea (gtx675m) graphics card cannot be removed then the machine crashes, the crash report always has the graphics card or its driver at the top…
I’m assuming the gpu is faulty.
A card has shown up pulled from a clevo (same drivers for the mother board and I the mother board is the same if his cpu is the same seties) the card I have been offered is a gtx860m 2GB MXM type B
What is the best way to confirm it will work/fit please?
Many thanks
Jay
Just match the form factor, TDP rating and the MXM generation. I think GTX 860M should work in place of GTX 675M.
Hi, thanks for your reply, it looks the same, I have asked the guy to measure it up so I can get a better comparison.
I’m also a little concerned the problem could be on the mother board eg, a problem with the power supply…
I also have a votex 2 with a gtx460m , if they are the same do you think it would be best to put the known good old card in the newer machine or the newer thought faulty card into the older machine? I just want to minimise the risk of damaging the good card or machine..
Thankyou so much for your help, it is very much appreciated.
All the best
Jay
I think it would be better putting newer card (thought of faulty) in the older machine because I don’t think a faulty card can damage a motherboard.
OK, thankyou, now if I could find my vernier or even a ruler.. 🙂
Thanks again for your very quick help and a very useful and well put together thread.
All the best
Jay
You are most welcome.
Hi Akshat, thank you for being there wonderful resource you are :), and apologies in advance for the long msg.
I have a laptop with a 6GB GDDR5 MXM3.0 VRAM NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1060 that’s becoming unreliable in a weird way. If I sleep the machine for a short while it wakes up fine, but for a longer time (some hours) on wake it shows flashes of the login screen, various apps, and random colored rectangles, then reboots. After that, sometimes it’s ok, sometimes only black screen, and I have to hard shut down and restart, then it’s usually ok.
I’ve removed and reinstalled the latest NVIDIA drivers, and Windows 10 is fully up to date.
The crash logs pretty clearly point to the video driver. However, a tech I pretty much trust says the colored blocks indicate a problem with the card itself.
First question: Do you agree it’s very likely the card?
Second, any ideas on what else to try, short of replacing the video card (or reinstalling Windows, which I’d really rather not do)?
Third, any idea where I can find a replacement card? It’s only about 3 years old, but I can’t find a new one anywhere so far, and a used one seems like a bad idea given what’s happening with mine.
Is it true that the motherboard bios head to match up exactly with the card model, so other cards that fit physically won’t work? Is that true even others in that series (1070, 1080)?
Thanks in advance for any help you can be, would really rather not replace the whole machine.
Hello Dave,
1. It can be either a video card, driver, OS or a motherboard issue.
2. Here are some things that you can try:
i) Uninstall the video card driver using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) and then install a fresh one.
ii) If that doesn’t work then clean install Windows or try fixing the system files using sfc /scannow command.
3. You can get MXM cards on ebay or aliexpress (used and new ones)
4. For MXM card compatibility, you have to match the TDP rating as it should equal or less than your original card and also the MXM Type.
Thanks for getting back Akshat.
At one point in trying to fix this, I did uninstall the driver using DDU, and did a clean install of the current version, problem was still happening. Some time after that, a Microsoft support tech noticed that the display driver showed an error in device manager, which it didn’t other times I had looked. They uninstalled it again, but directly from device manager, rebooted, and the error was gone, but the problem isn’t.
I’ve run sfc /verifyonly, it found nothing.
Replacing the video card is expensive, but not as much as a new laptop like this (Clevo P775DM3-G based, i7-6700K). My worry is getting the right thing, from a reliable seller, that has more life left in it than mine, which of course I can’t tell. I found only a few computer stuff sellers on aliexpress with any reviews at all, but only a few, and they’re awful, literally as low as possible. Are there any you (or anyone else) would recommend?
One thing you didn’t answer about is bios compatibility. Don’t I need the exact same video card, or one in that series (1060/70/80) to be compatible at that level? I don’t see TDP ratings on the aliexpress cards, but I would hope one in that series would be ok, there just aren’t very many out there.
Reinstalling Windows is actually a pretty big deal for me, I’m a programmer, and there’s lots of custom stuff set up on this machine, not just documents. A low-level disk image backup would preserve all that, but also any defects.
Sorry to say so much, this is just hugely frustrating, unclear answers (not from you, from the world),. and no good options.
Hello Dave,
I understand your pain. Well, I cannot recommend any specific seller from aliexpress, but I buy quite a lot of stuff from them and one time I have even bought a used processor (core i5 3230m) for my laptop. I judge the seller by their positive feedback & ratings, how accurate the product description is and even by the product reviews if it has any. Also, you can contact the seller for general inquiries about the product. Regarding the BIOS compatibility, I can say that if the card is of same MXM Type or generation then most of the time you will not face any problem. Hope this helps!
hi, i have a Radeon HD 7970M in my Clevo P17oem
can i upgrade this card? if yes with what card ?
thx.
Yes you can with a Clevo supported GeForce GTX 6XXXM series MXM 3.0 Type-B card e.g. GeForce GTX 680M having MXM 3.0.
ok, thank you
Hello Akshat,
I have HP Z2 mini G3 with Quadro M620 on board, which makes it MXM-A I guess. Could you please advise me, is there any chance to upgrade it to smth more powerful/game-friendly?
Many thanks!
Yes it is a MXM-A (3.0) card that has TDP of 30W. I think you can upgrade with another MXM-A (3.0) card having TDP at around 30W.
Hi!
I’m looking to replace the NVIDIA NVS 5200M in my Dell Latitude E6430, but I don’t really know what cards are compatible. Do you have any suggestions? I want to run Win10 and play some nice games.
Thanks!
I don’t think upgrade is possible for this laptop.
Okay. Do you know why? I haven’t had the chance to open it up yet, but from what I’ve read it’s supposed to be an MXM card.
Thanks!
I am not completely sure about this model.
I spoke to the Dell support and actually they couldn’t tell either. A bit odd!
Anyway, thanks for looking into it!
Hi, first of all thank you for writing an article on this topic.
I have a HP Elite 8300 USDT (Ultra Slim) and my question is what is the most powerful graphics card i can use. its a MXM 2nd Gen Type A. I have looked for the gtx 960m and the gtx 965m but im not sure if they are compatible with the 180W PS. The stock card is a AMD Radeon HD 7650A MXM3.
Thank you.
Well, I am also not sure because BIOS on these HP systems are very unpredictable, so you can face compatibility issues.
So are there other alternatives?
What alternatives?
I mean other MXM3 Type A cards that are really good becausr i couldnt find much.
Well there are not good enough cards in MXM3 Type A. However, some of the better ones are GTX 950M, GTX 960M, GTX 965M.