Turn off discrete graphics?
Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 1:27 pm
I'm new to your excellent site and have both a general and a specific question. They may of course be based on faulty premises.
Can you turn a discrete graphics card off (using the BIOS or another method) when not doing graphics intensive tasks and just rely on the integrated graphics of the CPU? If you can, would that be an easy way to make a computer quieter since some graphics cards use as much power as a CPU (I'm assuming the graphics card's fan would also shut off)?
I'm about to replace a 10-year-old Dell Dimension and want less noise (it was quite noisy, mainly the fans, even when new) as well as more speed. I'm going to stick with Windows for now (though I will probably buy a Mac Mini after its next upgrade to replace another old Dell--I've tried one and it's certainly quiet enough for me). I'm considering Dell's XPS 8700 (after all discounts, about $550 for one with an i7-4770, 8G of memory, and a 1T hard drive), which comes with either an AMD Radeon HD 7570 (standard) or an nVidea GeForce GTX 645 ($50 extra). Would I ever notice a performance difference if I'm not a gamer? I'm also considering skipping a discrete card altogether since the i7-4770 is supposed to have quite good integrated graphics. Also, I wonder which uses more power and therefore generates more heat, requiring more fan cooling. NVidea's site says the 645's max power usage is 130 watts, which is very high. I can't find the spec on AMD's site for the 7570 but another site says its max is 44 watts. If that's right, I'd guess the 8700 would be quieter with the AMD, unless the 645 has better power regulation when not at peak load.
Can you turn a discrete graphics card off (using the BIOS or another method) when not doing graphics intensive tasks and just rely on the integrated graphics of the CPU? If you can, would that be an easy way to make a computer quieter since some graphics cards use as much power as a CPU (I'm assuming the graphics card's fan would also shut off)?
I'm about to replace a 10-year-old Dell Dimension and want less noise (it was quite noisy, mainly the fans, even when new) as well as more speed. I'm going to stick with Windows for now (though I will probably buy a Mac Mini after its next upgrade to replace another old Dell--I've tried one and it's certainly quiet enough for me). I'm considering Dell's XPS 8700 (after all discounts, about $550 for one with an i7-4770, 8G of memory, and a 1T hard drive), which comes with either an AMD Radeon HD 7570 (standard) or an nVidea GeForce GTX 645 ($50 extra). Would I ever notice a performance difference if I'm not a gamer? I'm also considering skipping a discrete card altogether since the i7-4770 is supposed to have quite good integrated graphics. Also, I wonder which uses more power and therefore generates more heat, requiring more fan cooling. NVidea's site says the 645's max power usage is 130 watts, which is very high. I can't find the spec on AMD's site for the 7570 but another site says its max is 44 watts. If that's right, I'd guess the 8700 would be quieter with the AMD, unless the 645 has better power regulation when not at peak load.