Dell Inspiron E1705 Graphics Driver Problems

Question

Hello,
I have a Dell Inspiron E1705 which I am having major graphics driver problems with playing World of Warcraft.  I used to play the game quite a while back and got back into it recently but i had to reset my computer one day and when I downloaded the game again the screen flashed black then gray over and over again and there was nothing I could do to exit this other then manually shutting off the laptop.  I had this problem a few years back but somehow the game became compatible.  Basically, I am thinking about buying a completely new graphics card for this computer but I am wondering which cards are compatible and if this will fix the problem.  The Inspiron had vista on it but i acquired Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit after i had heard that this may fix the problem.  I am getting a new computer in three or four months so I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars hoping for less than a hundred.  I will post the computer specs below:
Windows 7 Ulitmate 32 bit
2 gigs ram
100gigs rom
I believe the graphics driver is - Intel 945GM Graphics Controller
Thanks,
Matt

Answer 1

TheLexMachine wrote:
ossaya wrote:
Hello,
I have a Dell Inspiron E1705 which I am having major graphics driver problems with playing World of Warcraft.  I used to play the game quite a while back and got back into it recently but i had to reset my computer one day and when I downloaded the game again the screen flashed black then gray over and over again and there was nothing I could do to exit this other then manually shutting off the laptop.  I had this problem a few years back but somehow the game became compatible.  Basically, I am thinking about buying a completely new graphics card for this computer but I am wondering which cards are compatible and if this will fix the problem.  The Inspiron had vista on it but i acquired Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit after i had heard that this may fix the problem.  I am getting a new computer in three or four months so I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars hoping for less than a hundred.  I will post the computer specs below:
Windows 7 Ulitmate 32 bit
2 gigs ram
100gigs rom
I believe the graphics driver is - Intel 945GM Graphics Controller
Thanks,
Matt
That laptop is not going to get the job done with the latest version of WoW. The machine isn't good for anything other than basic Internet browsing and word processing by today's standards so just save up as much money as you can and buy a better laptop in a few months.
I'd clarify - that specific model of E1705.  E1705s were available with discrete graphics, those will still make the grade for WoW.  (I have an E1705 with discrete graphics.)
E1705s with discrete graphics and E1705s with integrated graphics used different motherboards - no way to upgrade from integrated to discrete.  There were some limited discrete-to-discrete upgrade options (such as the 7900GTX from that generation's XPS machines), but these were rarely economical.
*disclaimer* I am not now, nor have I ever been, an employee of Best Buy, Geek Squad, nor of any of their affiliate, parent, or subsidiary companies.