Imagine you bought a gaming laptop with a solid GPU and you realize it uses integrated graphics instead. Your game is running so slow you wonder why you even bought the laptop. Dont worry, it happens all the time. However, is there a valid reason, and also can you do anything about it?
In this deep analysis, we will cover:
- Why do laptops use integrated graphics instead of Nvidia/AMD GPU
- Differences between iGPU and dGPU
- Why do we steel need integrated graphics while having dGPU
- How to fix the problem with Nvidia cards
- How to fix the problem with AMD cards
Now let’s dive right into it.
Why is my laptop using an integrated GPU instead of dedicated GPU?
Let’s start with a short and direct answer:
Laptops commonly use integrated graphics instead of dedicated GPU because it is cheaper and has lower power consumption. If you want to, you can easily switch to using either Nvidia or AMD GPU.
These are often the concerns when designing a laptop rather than performance. Gaming laptops always have some type of dedicated graphics.
Also, note that laptops that do use iGPU typically aren’t meant to be gamed on. Instead, these laptops are meant for the average person to do web browsing or some light work. When you think about it, why would those people need a strong GPU? If you buy one of those laptops and want good gaming performance, then you bought the wrong laptop, buddy.
Mid to high-end laptops might have a dedicated GPU (dGPU) from Nvidia or AMD. The CPU may also have an integrated GPU (iGPU). The dGPU is more powerful, having thousands of processors in it, while the iGPU has only a few dozen.
Keep in mind that iGPU is fixed in processors due to the physical and power limitations of incorporating a CPU and GPU in the same package. Because the dedicated GPU is so much more powerful, it is not only physically bigger, but also pulls much more power. For instance, if a laptop is operating on a battery, the added power consumption of the dGPU will shrink the battery life greatly.
Thus, Nvidia and AMD have developed specialized software drivers for laptops that can do primarily two things. They can detect if the CPU has an iGPU, and they can detect if the laptop is plugged into main power. If it is not plugged in, the driver turns off the dGPU and uses the integrated graphics instead.
The way that it functions is brilliant. The dGPU’s output is provided to the iGPU. The iGPU acts as a pass-through, and as long as the iGPU detects the dGPU’s signal, it disables itself and lets the dGPU’s video output go to the display. On the other hand, when the dGPU goes to sleep, the iGPU wakes up and handles the display. Note that all that happens in microseconds, and the user never detects it. Some older implementations required the user to manually turn on one GPU or the other to be the main one.
Some people have asked, Can I use them together if I have two GPUs? The answer is no, and even if you could, there wouldn’t be any usefulness. The dGPU has so many more processors than the iGPU, so the iGPU’s contribution wouldn’t be evident.
The bottom line is, if you can afford a laptop with a dGPU, it is a remarkable system with lots of performance, capable of playing serious games, and yet, able to run on battery for vast periods of time, particularly with the latest generation of CPUs from Intel and AMD.
| Characteristic | iGPU | dGPU |
| RAM | Uses systems RAM | Has its own RAM (VRAM) |
| Power Consumption | Low | High |
| Processing Power | Low | High |
| Heat | Less heat | More heat |
| Space | Less space required | More space required |
Laptop not using Nvidia GPU
Generally speaking, all laptops with Nvidia GPU use Nvidia Optimus. What is Nvidia Optimus you ask?
Nvidia Optimus is a computer GPU switching technology developed by Nvidia that, depending on the resource load caused by software, will seamlessly swap between two graphics adapters within a system in order to provide maximum performance or minimum power draw from the system’s graphics rendering hardware.
How to solve laptop not using Nvidia GPU
Follow these steps:
1. Open the Nvidia Control Panel.
2. Click Manage 3D Settings under 3D Settings.
3. Now click on the “Program Settings” tab and choose the program you want to choose a graphics card for from the drop-down list.
4. Now click “preferred graphics processor” in the drop-down list. (You will notice that the automatic option is listed as a default setting). To use the dedicated graphics card, select a High-performance Nvidia processor.
Once it is running properly, test it again and see if the problem continues.
For more info, check this article.
Laptop not using AMD GPU
Ok, Nvidia has Optimus, but what about AMD? Unsurprisingly, they also have a similar solution called Switchable Graphics. This is a technology that uses both the graphical processing capabilities of a dedicated GPU and the power efficiency of integrated graphics. Laptops supplied with Switchable Graphics are capable of engaging the higher-performance dGPU for 3D applications, and the energy-efficient integrated graphics for less demanding tasks like web browsing.
How to solve laptop not using AMD GPU
*Before this, I would strongly advise installing the latest display drivers provided by your OEM for both iGPU and dGPU.
Now follow these steps:
- Right-click the Desktop and select AMD Radeon Settings
- Select System
- Now click on Switchable Graphics
- Locate your desired application or game using the search bar
- Once selected, choose High performance from the drop-down menu.
For more info, check this guide.
Why do we still need integrated graphics while having a dGPU?
Most people believe that iGPUs do the same thing that dedicated graphics cards do. But actually, there do a lot of things integrated graphics do that dedicated ones do not. For example, iGPU decodes your local and online video(YouTube). This explains why some laptops with bad iGPU’s can’t play numerous videos at the same time.
The way all laptop works is that the integrated graphics handles all the display output for the laptop. The dGPU is only called upon to jump in when the load actually demands it, but it’s still the iGPU that puts the image on your laptop screen. So unlike a PC where you can construct one without an iGPU and rely solely on the dGPU, the iGPU is essential.
So you may not need a dGPU if you have Integrated graphics; however, you will probably need integrated graphics even if you have something like 3080. Also, Integrated graphics are not just cheap, but they also don’t heat and also preserve tons of battery energy when it comes to laptops. I mean, yes, laptops without dGPU have 2-3 times more battery life than those with flashy graphics cards.