Question Can you get rid of Nvidia Optimus?

Snowy2

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2022
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Optimus is nice if you run on battery power and need to switch to integrated graphics. But it also has a big drawback: when the GeForce GPU is running, Optimus makes the GPU send the signals to the CPU and not directly to the screen. The CPU is often slower than the GPU, resulting in lower FPS.

I've heard some ways to get around this, but what works? I'm asking in general for all laptops that are GeForce / Optius equipped.

As for my own laptop, I have uninstalled GeForce Experience, not sure if it also disabled Optimus. I always have the icon from GeForce in the system tray, not sure if it means the integrated graphics are disabled.
 

Golgatha

Lifer
Jul 18, 2003
12,635
1,466
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Optimus is nice if you run on battery power and need to switch to integrated graphics. But it also has a big drawback: when the GeForce GPU is running, Optimus makes the GPU send the signals to the CPU and not directly to the screen. The CPU is often slower than the GPU, resulting in lower FPS.

I've heard some ways to get around this, but what works? I'm asking in general for all laptops that are GeForce / Optius equipped.

As for my own laptop, I have uninstalled GeForce Experience, not sure if it also disabled Optimus. I always have the icon from GeForce in the system tray, not sure if it means the integrated graphics are disabled.

 
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Snowy2

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2022
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Thanks. Looking on that page I recognize software that I once had, but I don't have it anymore. It got lost by either me uninstalling it, or when I upgraded to Windows 10.

I lost the sound suite because Asus is not supporting Windows 10, not sure if the same was the reason with this software.
 

OscaAndShintjee

Junior Member
Feb 22, 2022
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In all laptops that I'm aware of, where Optimus (configuration of Intel iGPU + NVIDIA dGPU) is used, the dGPU is only a co-graphics-processor that is never directly hooked to the display. The role of being connected to eDP falls to the iGPU, while the dGPU can be used by the OS to render select tasks and then hand that render over to the iGPU. So as far as I'm aware, the only possibility is to use the laptop's external display connectors (HDMI, DP, etc.) which are usually tied to the dGPU directly (You can verify this with NVIDIA's control panel).
 

Stuka87

Diamond Member
Dec 10, 2010
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In all laptops that I'm aware of, where Optimus (configuration of Intel iGPU + NVIDIA dGPU) is used, the dGPU is only a co-graphics-processor that is never directly hooked to the display. The role of being connected to eDP falls to the iGPU, while the dGPU can be used by the OS to render select tasks and then hand that render over to the iGPU. So as far as I'm aware, the only possibility is to use the laptop's external display connectors (HDMI, DP, etc.) which are usually tied to the dGPU directly (You can verify this with NVIDIA's control panel).

Yup, every laptop I have had with an nVidia GPU (a lot of them) have had to work this way. The built in display always passes the rendered frame to the iGPU to be displayed on screen, even if the nVidia card is doing the actual rendering. Typically there is 1-2 external display connections. One of those will tie directly to the dGPU. On my current Precision, I believe the HDMI is iGPU, and the MiniDP is the Quadro.
 
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KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
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In all laptops that I'm aware of, where Optimus (configuration of Intel iGPU + NVIDIA dGPU) is used, the dGPU is only a co-graphics-processor that is never directly hooked to the display. The role of being connected to eDP falls to the iGPU, while the dGPU can be used by the OS to render select tasks and then hand that render over to the iGPU. So as far as I'm aware, the only possibility is to use the laptop's external display connectors (HDMI, DP, etc.) which are usually tied to the dGPU directly (You can verify this with NVIDIA's control panel).

Unless they have a Mux switch which is pretty common on higher end Nvidia based laptops. The switch sits between the GPU, CPU and display and routes the image. Nvidia has an option called Advance Optimus where it can make the switch in realtime, otherwise it requires a power cycle to allow the BIOS to make the change. My R17 can run with either Optimus or direct for example.

 
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Snowy2

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2022
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The built in display always passes the rendered frame to the iGPU to be displayed on screen, even if the nVidia card is doing the actual rendering.
I'm curious why they make it that way. I see no advantages but maybe there are some.
Maybe routing the frames through the iGPU saves costs but I don't see how it can save costs.
 

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
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I'm curious why they make it that way. I see no advantages but maybe there are some.
Maybe routing the frames through the iGPU saves costs but I don't see how it can save costs.

I answered it above. It requires a MUX switch which is an added cost. Even on a desktop, how do you wire two GPUs into a monitor without something in the middle that can select which input to use? That's what the MUX switch is doing in the background. It's a video input switch that is tied to the drivers.

Since the iGPU uses much less power for the majority of tasks, it has priority. Routing it to the dGPU would mean using more power to render the desktop.