How to identify laptop with dedicated graphics.

Mariachi

Member
Apr 8, 2016
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This question is mostly about older laptops 2012-2018

I used to have old Elitebook 8560w with Quadro K1000M and i was able to completely disable built in Intel HD 4000 graphic card without problems, however on new laptop Dell G5 15 5587 i cannot disable because dedicated card acts as extension for main card somehow.

If i buy laptop in future is there some rule of thumb how to tell if card is extension or dedicated e.g. if card is embedded on motherboard then its extension if its installed as Mobile PCI Express Module then it can function independently from built in card?

Or i would have to physically check every laptop settings trying to disable built in card before buying?
 

lakedude

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2009
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I don't really understand what you are asking or why.

Since no one else has answered I'll give it a go.

I had a cool 😎 laptop with a dGPU. For normal surfing 🏄‍♂️ the dGPU was overkill and not needed so the laptop used the integrated graphics. When you played a 3d game it would automatically switch to the dGPU and the large power button would change color to indicate the GPU switch.

The GPU that was not in use was automatically "off" as far as I know.

Why do you need to manually turn off one GPU?
 
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Mariachi

Member
Apr 8, 2016
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I looked up your Dell and it seems to have a 1050ti like our Nitro 5.

In the setting there is an option to choose which video card you use.
Problem is some graphics editing software are coded poorly and do not detect GPU this way and crash under Windows 7.

Other laptop i have with even slower specs yet dedicated GPU software recognize just fine.

Foreseeing your next question "why i still use Windows 7?" because laptops i use are cheap under $50 with 4GB RAM DDR2 (upgrading to 8gb is not possible 2 memory slots only and its rare to find DDR2 memory stick more than 2GB), they would not run Windows 10 or if they will run then they have no memory left for other software.
 
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lakedude

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2009
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Windows system requirements started out tiny and have grown bigger and bigger over time but they have more or less leveled out since W7.

Does the manual switch I showed you in the NVIDIA driver software help?

If you are happy I'm happy however I expect you could switch to W10 if you wanted to.

Screenshot_20220317-102828_Chrome.jpg

Screenshot_20220317-103900_Chrome.jpg
 
Jul 27, 2020
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Usually, the iGPU is connected directly to the display. The dGPU's frames are sent over the PCIe bus to the iGPU for displaying on the laptop's screen. I believe they do this to save cost but I could be wrong.
 

Rogerjohn45

Junior Member
Apr 24, 2022
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Hey buddy, I need some help. I am having trouble with my computer. The laptop I am using features an Intel Core I7 6th generation processor, 256 GB SSD hard drive from Samsung, and 8 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, the Chrome browser remains slow even with all these features. Tell me what should I do about it..
 
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daveybrat

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Jan 31, 2000
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Hey buddy, I need some help. I am having trouble with my computer. The laptop I am using features an Intel Core I7 6th generation processor, 256 GB SSD hard drive from Samsung, and 8 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, the Chrome browser remains slow even with all these features. Tell me what should I do about it..

Upgrade your internet speed.
 
Jul 27, 2020
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Unfortunately, the Chrome browser remains slow even with all these features. Tell me what should I do about it..
I have 32 GB RAM and I still run out of RAM from time to time. Try using Opera or Brave browser. 8GB RAM is really low for browsing these days. Try to add a 16GB SODIMM.
 

mastertech01

Moderator Emeritus Elite Member
Nov 13, 1999
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I can tell you that with my HP Zbook 17 G4, I can go into bios and select to use either one or let windows decide (auto select) I disable the Intel graphics because when I would bench test 3D it often would only bench the Intel graphics and not the Nvidia. So I just run the Nvidia all the time. No issues with fans running high all the time like some I have read about when they do that.