How to determine memory speed between integrated GPU and system memory?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm buying a laptop that will be used for video editing. Unfortunately, all the laptops in my required form factor (ultralight 2-in-1 convertibles) only have integrated Intel 620 graphics.

Software like Adobe Premiere really utilize GPU memory throughput substantially, so I need to maximize this.

How do I determine if a particular laptop with Intel 620 has maximum memory throughput for the GPU? What specs in particular would I look for?

A laptop with DDR4 instead of DDR3? Anything else?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

DDR3 isn't really a thing anymore. You're looking for higher speeds (DDR4-2400 instead of 2133, etc., bigger numbers better) and you'll want to avoid laptops with single-channel RAM configurations. That's about all there is to it.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

DDR3 isn't really a thing anymore. You're looking for higher speeds (DDR4-2400 instead of 2133, etc., bigger numbers better) and you'll want to avoid laptops with single-channel RAM configurations. That's about all there is to it.

At least for current ultralight 2-in-1s, DDR3 is stilll pretty prevalent:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...-12-5290-2-in-1-laptop?appliedRefinements=403

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/tablet...ries/ThinkPad-X1-Tablet-3rd-Gen/p/22TP2CP0113

All use LPDDR3

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Oh, that Low Power stuff. Yeah; I'd avoid it but if you don't have a choice, you don't.

Your preferred form factor sacrifices a lot of sustained CPU performance too. Are you sure you need one of these for video editing?

 

[IntelUser2000]

A laptop with DDR4 instead of DDR3? Anything else?

Memory speed isn't a huge deal for the UHD 620. Just make sure its dual channel, because some aren't. Most should be however.

Also, the chip is capable of supporting up to LPDDR3-2133, which makes getting DDR4-2400 basically a wash. The difference between the two is less than 5% even for graphics.

 

[LTC8K6]

Dual channel is really the only thing to worry about with integrated graphics. You need DC ram.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Memory speed isn't a huge deal for the UHD 620. Just make sure its dual channel, because some aren't. Most should be however.

Also, the chip is capable of supporting up to LPDDR3-2133, which makes getting DDR4-2400 basically a wash. The difference between the two is less than 5% even for graphics.

How do I determine if something is dual channel, such as with this one? I basically need to make sure it has two sticks of completely identical (same size and density) LPDDR3? Most compact laptops only have one memory card slot, with maybe some onboard RAM. If the RAM is soldered, I don't really know how to tell if it's dual channel or not.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...latitude-12-5290-2-in-1-laptop/s012l52902n1us

Intel® Core™ i7-8650U Processor (Quad Core, 8M Cache, 1.9GHz,15W, vPro)

16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3

If I don't get dual channel how much of a performance decrease would I be talking about?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Bah, correct me if I'm wrong, but the only real way to tell is see if I can find more detailed system specs, such as a CPU-Z screenshot,of the exact model I intend to get?

 

[mxnerd]

Visit that product link and chat with Dell Business Adviser to find out whether it's dual channel.

But according to it's manual, the memory is fixed and not expandable.

Due to it's 2-in 1 and super thin, this is expected.

https://www.dell.com/support/manual...b59fab-ce0a-4170-bc8b-4fab76c9b296&lang=en-us

==

According to its PDF manual p.55 , the laptop has DIMM A & DIMM B, so it's very likely it's dual channel.

https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/latitude-12-5290-2-in-1-laptop_owners-manual4_en-us.pdf

 

[IntelUser2000]

Bah, correct me if I'm wrong, but the only real way to tell is see if I can find more detailed system specs, such as a CPU-Z screenshot,of the exact model I intend to get?

Not really. Read some reviews about it. Search specifically for the model you want and what the memory configuration is. This would prevent you from buying at launch day 1, but hey, you want good specs right?

According to the CPU-Z screenshot here, the Dell model you linked is indeed dual channel. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-...vertible-Review.290788.0.html#toc-performance