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One limitation that a majority of laptops have in common is the fact you cannot upgrade certain hardware components such as the processor and video card; the two major hardware components that define the speed and power of your mobile computer. The compact nature of the laptop just makes it difficult if not impossible to upgrade certain hardware components. Sure, you can invest in a high-end laptop but it would probably cost way too much and you would still be left with the problem of not being able to upgrade it. I have always thought that there must be a way around this limitation but I couldn’t figure how it could be done. I was expecting that laptops in the future would include a new interface that would allow such an upgrade. I never thought it could be done through the ExpressCard slot.

I may have exaggerated a bit with the title of this article. With the ViDock 2, you don’t actually upgrade your laptop’s video card; instead, you “add” another video card to your computer. So what is it exactly? ViDock 2 is actually a hardware component that allows you to add an “external” video card to your laptop. That’s right, external. You can use any video card that doesn’t require a PCIe power connector. You’ll also have to make sure that the card will fit the case because some cards are too big to fit inside. It connects to the laptop via the ExpressCard interface and requires its own power source so you’ll have to connect it to an electrical outlet. You will also need another monitor because it does not make use of the laptop’s LCD display.

I am aware that it defeats the purpose of having a laptop. The need to carry it around with an external LCD monitor can be quite cumbersome but having the capability of playing high-end games on an otherwise average computer with a weak graphics card is a very attractive concept. Overall, it is a heaven-sent. With the ViDock 2, you won’t have to spend too much for the extra juice that a powerful graphics card has to offer.

Visit PriorityElectronics.com for more information about laptop parts and batteries.