Need input on GPU for small PC case

[dnast15]

I've usually been a console gamer, but recently I've been interested in venturing into PC gaming. I mostly play shooters, and the accuracy of the mouse house been appealing to me.

About 6 months ago, I bought a new PC (without gaming in mind since I was still playing console then). I did spend a little more than usual hoping to have it last me some time. My specs are as follows:

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700T CPU @ 2.80GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.60GHz)
Video Card Intel(R) HD Graphics 530
Video Card #2 AMD Radeon(TM) R9 M470 (2.0 GB)
RAM 8.0 GB
Operating System Microsoft Windows 10, 64-bit

I ranked my PC over on https://www.systemrequirementslab.com as well as http://www.game-debate.com. It seems that my processor is up to snuff. I know I can expand to 16 GB RAM if needed, too. However, it seems that my GPU isn't quite up to par to play many of the AAA titles.

The main issue I'm running into is that the PC I purchased has a pretty small case (it's advertised as a home media server). Doing some research on the GPU, it appears that this is a notebook GPU. This leads me to a couple questions:

1) Is it practical to swap out the GPU with a better notebook GPU to be able to play many of the AAA titles out there at full 1080, 60 fps min? My quick research leads me to believe that notebook GPUs might be either insufficient or sufficient but too expensive to be a practical option.

2) I've found some gaming boxes that allow you to utilize a desktop GPU on a notebook. Not sure exactly how they connect to the PC or if they are more expensive than they are worth, but initial research shows that they have fairly positive reviews. Does anyone have any input on these devices? Seems like one of these might be my solution.

I'm pretty good when it comes to PCs, but this is the first time that I've even needed any sort of graphics processing power, so it's new territory for me. Thanks in advance for any input you may have!

 

[neatfeatguy]

If the parts being used are designed for a laptop/notebook, then the GPU (without looking myself) is most likely soldered on the mainboard. You'd have to see if there are possible upgrades that can be swapped on your system. However, usually the available (if any) upgrades tend to cost a lot and don't offer much of a performance increase to justify the time and cost to upgrade.

You'd be better off getting a new computer that's specifically built with gaming in mind. An entry level gaming PC, expect to spend around $600-650. Building a gaming computer used to be a bit cheaper 6-12 months back when RAM & GPU prices weren't so high. You used to be able to get 8GB of RAM for $40-50 or so, now it's almost double the price or more for some of it. Also, decent (mid ranged) GPUs were cheaper. Most GPUs are a good $50-100 over their MSRP now.