Recently, among computer users, stationary terminals and laptops, in which not one graphic chip, but two are installed, have become especially popular. In this regard, there are a lot of questions on how to change the graphics card from integrated to discrete. In principle, ordinary users can be offered several universal methods, however, before making the most suitable decision, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with some theoretical information regarding the main difference between the two types of adapters and a full understanding of exactly what situations may require the following steps.
Discrete and integrated graphics card: the difference between devices
First, let's focus on understanding the basic differences between these two types of graphics cards. First, consider the definition and purpose of an integrated video card. What kind of equipment is is quite simple to understand. Therefore, we begin to study!
An integrated card (not only graphic, but also, for example, sound) refers to the type of equipment that is initially installed on the motherboard by its manufacturer. If you want, such an adapter is “embedded” in the main board and is intended exclusively for use with graphics, for displaying which too high computing capabilities are not needed.
Discrete adapters are a kind of external devices installed in special slots on the motherboard (that is, they can be removed at any time), and the main purpose is to use them exclusively in cases where the graphics have increased complexity (for example , three-dimensional textures in modern computer games), the processing of which the integrated card is unable to handle.
Why is it necessary to switch from one adapter to another?
The question is not idle. Indeed, why switch from one adapter to another or replace it, for example, on the same laptop, if the manufacturer pre-made sure that all the hardware was suitable not only for installing the operating system, but also could work normally with all additionally installed users applications? Alas, the same computer games in their development quite often ahead of the evolution of video cards, which could be observed when the sensational Doom IV shooter was released. In addition, integrated chips do not have the resources that are needed to perform the same floating point operations, which, again, is almost the basis of all modern graphics in complex realistic games. Therefore, discrete cards are equipped with their own processors and allocated memory, so as not to be dependent on the central processor and RAM of the computer. At the same time, the main burden on processing and displaying graphics rests precisely on them, due to which the use of resources of the main components is also reduced. By and large, even with a super-powerful processor and a huge amount of RAM, most games will not work without a discrete adapter.
Physical replacement of the graphics chip. The essence of the process
Experts, explaining how to change a video card from integrated to discrete, note that one could, of course, advise physical replacement of equipment, which involves removing an unnecessary chip and installing a discrete one instead. But this procedure is quite laborious. Since it is very dangerous to solder the “sewn” into the motherboard without special knowledge and skills, after all, careless actions can harm the “motherboard” itself. If you are planning to perform such actions, you must clearly understand all the risks associated with the failure of the entire computer system.
And why refuse to use the built-in adapter? It can come in handy when the system crashes due to a discrete card, which is very often observed when there are conflicts of graphics chip drivers, accompanied by blue screens of death. Thus, the easiest way is to perform the most conventional switching, using the discrete chip as the main one, and leaving the integrated one as it were, in reserve. However, this process is also best left to professionals.
How to change a video card from integrated to discrete in BIOS
So, now we begin to consider the basic switching techniques. And as the first method, you can suggest changing some settings of the primary BIOS / UEFI input / output systems.
After entering the interface by using the Del key on stationary terminals, special buttons on the keyboard panel or Fn-based keyboard shortcuts for laptops, find the hardware section responsible for the graphics and select the discrete one from the list of installed chips. In some BIOS modifications, you may come across additional options like turning off one card and turning on another. In this case, the built-in chip is set to Disabled, and for the discrete Enabled. Upon completion of the installation of the required parameters when exiting the BIOS, do not forget to agree to save the options ( F10 + Y). Immediately it is worth noting that this method seems to be simple, but inconvenient in that you will only have to use a discrete adapter and without the possibility of including an integrated adapter, if automatic switching is not provided for in the BIOS at all.
Switch graphics using Windows
If you can figure out how to disable the integrated video card on a laptop or desktop PC using a more sophisticated and, in a sense, even safe method, you can recommend using the most common “Device Manager” (devmgmt.msc).
In it, you will need to turn to the section of devices responsible for the schedule, select the built-in adapter, and through the PCM menu, click on the deactivation item. In theory, a discrete card will turn on automatically. If this does not happen, use the same method to turn on the second card (but usually this is not required). This technique is convenient in that if you want, you can always use the built-in chip without the need to reboot the system and interfere with BIOS settings.
NVIDIA Chip Settings
If you have installed one of the NVIDIA graphics accelerator models, all the problems associated with how to change the graphics card from integrated to discrete are even easier to solve. As you know, complete with the main set of drivers, which must be installed without fail, very often additional control utilities are supplied, and the “NVIDIA Control Panel” is generally an integral component.
Thus, in the running program, you just need to find the control point for 3D parameters, and then, using the browse button, add a program for which only a discrete adapter will be used (usually it can be, for example, an executable executable file for launching a game or any other applications). As you already noticed, it is completely optional to disable the integrated chip, and the discrete card will automatically turn on when you start the selected program.
Actions with AMD cards
Finally, talking about how to enable a discrete graphics card if you have an AMD adapter (for example, the popular Radeon series) on your computer, you can use a well-known program called Catalyst. Here, however, the method of switching between adapters is somewhat different and is based on the use of available power schemes.
You need to move to the power section, find the subsection of switchable video adapters there, and then for applications selected in the same way as in the previous case, to activate the discrete card, set the value to high performance, and specify the energy saving for the built-in chip.