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Dell 5737 - best graphics option for max CPU turbo boost
I am getting to grips with a new Dell 5737, which has 8870M switchable graphics on-board.
I'm using this machine for programming, so need to maximise the turbo performance of the PC, and I believe this is partly determined by CPU temperature, IE the CPU will throttle back if temps get too high.
I'm wondering if I would get any benefit from switching over to discrete graphics when doing development? Would this reduce heat load from the integrated HD4400 graphics, and reduce the chance of the CPU throttling back after long periods at 100% load?
I don't think I've seen any throttling yet, just looking to optimise my setup.
Thanks for any help.
Martin
ejn63
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July 15th, 2014 08:00
The AMD GPU funnels all data through the Intel GPU, so the Intel GPU is always active - whether or not it actually did the processing of the data. Only the Intel GPU has a connection to the screen - the AMD GPU does not (it's a software controlled GPU, also known as a "muxless" design), so -- the Intel GPU is always active, no matter what.
You can select the AMD GPU manually or allow the system to determine when it is needed - but you cannot force the AMD GPU to run standalone. There's no way for it to do that.
ejn63
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July 15th, 2014 09:00
Correct. And Intel's processors are quite robust -- they'll throttle back long before they suffer thermal damage. Processors very rarely fail -- the same cannot be said for GPUs, which are far less robustly built.
ejn63
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July 15th, 2014 06:00
By default, if you do nothing, the system will automatically switch over to the Intel GPU when the AMD co-processor is not needed.
So -- you need not change anything on the system to have it run that way.
IAmAbacus
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July 15th, 2014 08:00
Many thanks.
So, basically, selecting the AMD GPU won't remove any significant processing / heat load off the Intel GPU if only doing 2D processing?
Cheers,
Martin
IAmAbacus
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July 15th, 2014 08:00
Many thanks, but I'm afraid you have mis-understood my question.
The Intel GPU will generate heat while it is being used. The Intel CPU is on the same die, and will throttle if the combined heat load from CPU + GPU causes the package to exceed some temperature limit.
Can I run for longer in turbo mode if I force the laptop to use the *AMD* co-processor?
Thanks,
Martin
IAmAbacus
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July 15th, 2014 10:00
Thanks again.
I had an old Core2 Duo CPU that went into throttling when the thermal paste degraded. Ran it for a long time before I realised why it was running so slow. So yes, my experience is that Intel CPUs are very robust, and with good protection built in. (Also, my desktop has a water cooled / overclocked CPU, so I'm quite familiar with thermal issues / management.)
I think I'll just configure the Switchable Graphics Global Settings to "optimize power savings" or "force power-saving graphics", and be done with it.
cheers,
Martin