• How to enable dual graphics. AMD Dual Graphics: analysis of test results. Methods for switching a discrete video card on a laptop

    The solution that AMD is now calling Dual Graphics, was previously called Hybrid CrossFire. Technically speaking, the former name was more accurate as the feature uses AMD's multi-GPU technology to scale APU performance with discrete graphics.

    This means you can take an APU-based system, add a Radeon graphics card, combine them into one configuration, and use the resulting combined graphics performance resource to achieve higher frame rates than the same components alone.

    Solution Dual Graphics was introduced by AMD along with the Llano GPU in 2011; You can find the corresponding review on our resource. While we understand the appeal of Hybrid CrossFire, several flaws were discovered in the first implementation. Then we expected to revise the technology Dual Graphics when she becomes more mature. As time passed, the Llano architecture gave way to Trinity, which in turn was replaced by Richland.

    AMD had three whole generations to refine and improve the hardware and software components of the technology. So we thought it was time to test Dual Graphics more carefully. After all, AMD is making some pretty bold claims about the potential benefits of this feature. The slide below is taken from the presentation accompanying the Richland premiere:

    Over the past two years, we have accumulated many questions about Dual Graphics. For example, AMD does not recommend pairing APUs with video cards higher than Radeon HD 6670 due to possible imbalance of graphic resources. However, we have heard that Radeon HD 7750 perfectly complements the array Dual Graphics. Is it even possible to interface an APU with a VLIW5 graphics architecture and a discrete GCN-based card using this technology? If so, will the cards provide more money? Radeon HD 6670 worthwhile results that justify the overpayment? If any restrictions Dual Graphics, which are worth knowing about? In this material we will try to answer these questions.

    We also wanted to include our FCAT-based analysis, which uses video capture to measure the number of dropped and short frames (too small for the naked eye to perceive) generated by multi-GPU configurations. Unfortunately, we could not get the utility to successfully process video from Dual Graphics. AMD said that the problem we encountered cannot be fixed in the foreseeable future. If you remember in the review of AMD A10-6700 and A10-6800K The problem was that bits of adjacent frames were shown where they should not be, something like this:

    See the gap in the image? We do not agree with this state of affairs, so we found a way to objectively assess the effectiveness Dual Graphics: We used video capture, which is commonly used by FCAT to generate data. You'll be amazed at the unexpected results (at least we were). We'll talk more about video demonstrations later.

    AMD Dual Graphics Review | Demo video, test bench and benchmarks

    We always wanted to show exactly the picture that we see when comparing the output quality of different graphics adapters. The problem is that lossless video capture at 60Hz at 1920x1080 pixels creates a huge video file, too large to download. Additionally, when you upload this file to YouTube, its frame rate is reduced to 30 FPS, throwing away half the information from the original file. Luckily, thanks to testing YouTube on HTML5, we found a solution. You need to activate the beta feature by going to follow the link, and click the "Join HTML5 testing" button:

    After logging in, you should close and restart your web browser. Now you need to access the HTML5 based speed control through the settings button in the lower right corner of the video playback window:

    We recorded our results at half the speed. Therefore, at the “normal” speed settings in YouTube (30 FPS), you can carefully examine the result at a lower speed than in reality and feel the difference. Then, if you want to see the output image as it looks during testing, set the video speed to 2x (60 FPS). Thanks to this technique, we have a great opportunity to demonstrate the gaming experience at 60Hz frame rate, and for readers to see what we see when we collect the results.

    But first we would like to give some tips regarding HTML5 testing. Make sure the video is fully loaded before playing it at 2x speed. To do this, as a rule, you need a wider channel, since jumps and freezes will interfere with the normal perception of the picture. We have also seen situations where YouTube did not register changes to speed settings without reloading the page. Finally, we recommend watching the video at normal speed first, and then at high speed. This makes it much easier to see differences in frame rate smoothness.

    During testing, we are using Catalyst 13.6 Beta drivers instead of Catalyst 13.8 Beta, which adds frame adjustment functionality for smoother, more stable output. AMD says the new driver does not affect configurations Dual Graphics. It only works with a few discrete GPUs. Otherwise, the software of other system components has been updated to the latest versions.

    Test bench configuration
    CPU AMD A10-6800K (Richland), base frequency 4.1 GHz, 4.4 GHz Turbo Core, integrated Radeon HD 8670D (844 MHz)
    System board ASRock FM2A85X, Socket FM2, chipset: AMD A85
    RAM AMD Gamer Series Memory, 2 x 4 GB, DDR3-1866, CL 13-13-13-34
    Storage Western Digital Caviar Black 750 GB 7200 rpm, 32 MB cache, SATA 3Gb/s
    Net Built-in Gigabit LAN controller
    Video card AMD Radeon HD 6670 DDR3, 800 MHz GPU, 1 GB GDDR5 at 800 MHz (1600 MHz effective)
    power unit ePower EP-1200E10-T2 1200 W ATX12V, EPS12V
    OS Microsoft Windows 8 Pro x64
    DirectX DirectX 11
    Graph. drivers AMD Catalyst 13.6 Beta 2
    Tests and settings
    Metro: Last Light Version 1.0.0.0, DirectX 10, built-in benchmark
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Version 1.6.89.06, Version 1.5.26.05, 25 p. Fraps
    Tomb Raider Version 1.04, THG benchmark, 60 pp. Fraps
    F1 2012 Version 1.2, Direct X 11, built-in benchmark, 60 sec. Fraps
    BioShock Infinite Version 1.0.1441711, built-in benchmark, Fraps
    Company Of Heroes 2 Version 3.0.0.9804, built-in benchmark, Fraps

    AMD Dual Graphics Review | Test results

    Tomb Raider

    We begin our analysis with the game Tomb Raider. This is probably the best option for Dual Graphics, since the game was sponsored by AMD. Plus she's very entertaining.

    At least in theory, the results of this benchmark show that Dual Graphics has a significant impact on performance, enhancing the capabilities of a single APU or discrete GPU. According to AMD, Radeon HD 6670 provides the best price/performance ratio when paired with APU A10-6800K, offering 100% speedup over a discrete card.

    The speed increase with GDDR5 cards is less impressive. But despite mixing VLIW5 and GCN architectures, there is a clear improvement in performance.

    The dynamic frame rate graph did not show anything new, although it is clear how the configurations Dual Graphics provide a noticeable increase in frame rates than an APU or discrete graphics card alone.

    Now let's take into account the time fluctuations between frames. It's easy to see that Dual Graphics provides a significant delay in changing successive frames. These delays can cause dropped or short frames, which counteracts the benefits of a high frame rate.

    The video below shows a side-by-side comparison of the results. APU A10-6800K(average frame rate 24.1 FPS), APU A10-6800K With Radeon HD 6670 DDR3 mode Dual Graphics(average frame rate 43.3 FPS) and single Radeon HD 7750(average frame rate 49.2 FPS).

    AMD Dual Graphics Test - Tomb Raider

    Video at half the speed provides a powerful demonstration of what Fraps cannot tell you: configuration Dual Graphics provides the same "choppy" output as a single APU A10-6800K, despite twice the average frame rate. Meanwhile, Radeon HD 7750 displays a perfectly smooth picture. This effect is not as pronounced at full speed, but is still noticeable.

    From the very first game I tested, it became apparent that there was a discrepancy between the readings of utilities like Fraps and the actual experience of the rendered image. The increase in time fluctuations between frames confirms our hypothesis. Dual Graphics, it may increase the number of frames rendered per second, but since these are mostly dropped and short frames, this is not noticeable during actual gameplay.

    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

    A company representative has already stated that this driver does not affect the function Dual Graphics, even despite the introduction of personnel flow regulation. Version 13.8 is aimed at discrete video cards in CrossFire combinations.

    But to make sure of this one hundred percent, we spent an extra day capturing video with the Catalyst 13.8 beta driver.

    AMD Dual Graphics test with beta driver 13.8 - Tomb Raider

    AMD Dual Graphics Test with Beta Driver 13.8 – Skyrim

    AMD Dual Graphics test with beta driver 13.8 - F1 2012

    AMD Dual Graphics Test with Beta Driver 13.8 – Bioshock

    As you can see, the new driver does not change anything regarding Dual Graphics, as the AMD representative said.

    AMD Dual Graphics Review | Good for benchmarks, but not for gaming

    Does installing a discrete graphics card in addition to the APU result in higher frame rates in games when activated? Dual Graphics? According to Fraps, it definitely does.

    But does this lead to smoother gameplay based on what's visible on the screen? Having tested several games using this feature, we think not. But in order not to be unfounded, we found a way to demonstrate this. Since FCAT doesn't work due to AMD driver issues, we used video that would normally be run through FCAT. And the results for Dual Graphics turned out to be disappointing.

    There's no correlation between the higher frame rates in Fraps and what you actually see when outputting via DVI. AMD has been talking about this feature for almost two years now, and Dual Graphics should have already experienced her childhood illnesses. We don't know how many gamers bought a graphics card to pair with a Llano, Trinity, or Richland APU thinking it would improve the gaming experience noticeably, but from what we saw, the extra expense was largely wasted.

    Yes, the Fraps metric says that the average frame rate increases significantly. However, it was this paradox that inspired the creation of the FCAT in the first place. If the program counts every missed and short frame from the average frame rate Dual Graphics, you won't get any benefit from chunks of frames (like the image above) that artificially boost performance.

    We're not trying to pick on AMD. While artifacts such as small "slowdowns" have been known for years, the isolation of data that makes sense for real-world sensations is a more recent phenomenon that was noticed by the portal team The Tech Report, and then quantified using the FCAT utility developed by Nvidia. We are very glad that AMD took these problems seriously enough and developed a special driver to solve them. We'll soon be testing the latest Catalyst beta driver using the same technology to see if the gameplay experience improves with more stable frame delivery. If this happens, we will happily praise AMD's product software development team.

    However, the newest driver does not improve the situation with Dual Graphics. The problems with this technology are even greater than we thought before planning this analysis. We hope that the company will take a responsible approach to correcting the work Dual Graphics, as is the case with improved CrossFire performance with two discrete GPUs. AMD is now promoting a feature that improves benchmark results, but not gameplay itself. And that's wrong.

    AMD Radeon Dual Graphics is an AMD CrossFireX™-based technology available only on AMD APU-based systems installed with AMD Radeon discrete graphics cards. For the latest list of APU and discrete graphics systems supporting AMD Radeon Dual Graphics technology, see http://www.amd.com/dualgraphics.

    When AMD Radeon Dual Graphics is enabled, the integrated graphics processor in the APU works in conjunction with the discrete graphics card to improve graphics quality and performance, especially for gaming applications. For more information about how these components work together, see .

    Enable/Disable AMD Radeon™ Dual Graphics Technology

    Use the AMD Radeon Dual Graphics page to enable or disable AMD Radeon Dual Graphics support.

    When AMD Radeon Dual Graphics support is enabled, the discrete graphics card is used in conjunction with the APU to improve graphics quality and performance (when possible).

    Note: When AMD Radeon Dual Graphics support is enabled, Control Center automatically restarts.

    1. Go to the AMD Radeon Dual Graphics page:
      • Standard view - Performance And Games > Gaming performance.
      • Expanded view - Performance and Games.
    2. Select the appropriate option from the following:
      • Enable AMD Radeon Dual Graphics- Allows multiple GPUs to work together to improve graphics quality and performance. Displays connected to the secondary graphics card are automatically disabled. As of Windows® 8.1, AMD Radeon Dual Graphics support is enabled by default only for applications and games with the AMD Standard Profile or a Custom Application Profile. To enable AMD Radeon Dual Graphics for all games and applications - even those that do not have an application profile - select Enable AMD Radeon Dual Graphics for applications without a profile.
      • Disable AMD Radeon Dual Graphics- Allows you to enable additional displays on the secondary graphics card (this action does not result in increased performance or improved graphics quality).
    3. To unlock support for displays connected to the secondary graphics card, click and drag the slider as needed. Not all AMD Radeon Dual Graphics configurations support unlocking displays connected to the secondary graphics card. Note: For optimal performance when running 3D video, applications, connect all displays to the primary GPU and (if necessary) unlock displays connected to the secondary GPU.
    4. Click the Apply button.

    AMD Radeon Dual Graphics support is enabled or disabled accordingly. When you enable AMD Radeon Dual Graphics, you can choose to show or hide the AMD Radeon Dual Graphics indicator.

    Show/Hide the AMD Radeon™ Dual Graphics Logo

    With AMD Radeon Dual Graphics support enabled, you can choose to display the AMD Radeon Dual Graphics logo for 3D applications and games running in full screen mode. This logo appears in the upper right corner of the screen and indicates that AMD Radeon Dual Graphics support is enabled. When AMD Radeon Dual Graphics support is disabled, the logo does not display.

    1. Right-click the Control Center logo in the Windows® notification area.
    2. In the menu that appears, select the graphics card associated with the APU, specify AMD Radeon Dual Graphics Options and select Show AMD Radeon Dual Graphics status icon (if applicable) to display the AMD Radeon Dual Graphics logo when AMD Radeon Dual Graphics is enabled. To always hide the logo, even when AMD Radeon Dual Graphics is enabled, clear the check box.

    Found a typo? Select the text and press Ctrl + Enter

    All laptops have at least one graphics solution - a built-in video card. However, for comfortable work with applications (in particular, gaming ones), it is recommended to use not the built-in video system, but an additional one. It can be called differently: external, discrete, etc. This does not change the essence: this video card is a separate unit, not integrated into the laptop, so it is not subject to the restrictions typical for a laptop card.

    In particular, its performance does not depend on the load on the laptop devices and is determined only by the internal design. In addition, it has its own memory and does not take up the RAM of the laptop.

    In general, a discrete video card in a laptop is a complete analogue of a regular video card in a desktop PC, but made in a different design.

    This article will look at how to enable a discrete graphics card on an AMD laptop.

    The main feature of a discrete adapter is its increased performance compared to the built-in one. Sometimes the increase in performance when switching to a discrete card is up to 200-300%.

    Of course, this significantly increases the energy consumption of the system, which leads to a decrease in the mobility of the laptop, but in cases where high performance of the video system is required from it, this is the only possible solution.

    Methods for switching a discrete video card on a laptop

    There are several ways to switch which GPU is used:

    1. System tools included in the Windows operating system (OS).
    2. Using a low-level laptop configuration program - BIOS or UEFI.
    3. Using special software supplied with the laptop.

    Each method has its own application characteristics, and in some cases it may not be enough. For example, you cannot make a switch in the operating system if the external adapter is “tightly” disabled in the BIOS.

    Let's consider the use of each method in more detail:

    Windows Standard Tools

    To switch to a discrete card in the Windows operating system, you must first disable the built-in card and then reboot the laptop. After this procedure, it will switch to using a discrete video adapter.

    Disabling is done in Device Manager in the “Video adapters” section. Just select the integrated card, right-click on it and select “Disable”.

    Important! This should only be done if both cards are displayed in the device manager! If only one is displayed, you should first enable discrete in the BIOS.

    UEFI or BIOS

    If you use BIOS switching, you need to go to the peripheral settings (it may be called “Peripherals”, “Advanced Configuration”, etc.) and select the graphics device to use. The menu item for selecting an adapter may be named “Graphics device”, “Video Adapter”, “Display...”, etc.

    Attention! In systems where the UEFI interface is used instead of BIOS, the algorithm for changing the adapter is similar, although the information can be either textual or displayed in the form of icons.

    Using software installed with drivers

    Setting up a particular adapter can also be done using special software, which, as a rule, comes with the OS on the laptop. For AMD adapters, this may be the Catalyst Control Center program.

    In the Catalyst program panel (which is called up by clicking on it in the system tray), select the “Switchable graphs” item. adapters”, where the choice of the video card used is made. An alternative would be the “Performance” item, in which the integrated card is disabled in the “Dual Graphics” section.

    AMD Dual Graphics Review | Hybrid CrossFire, reboot

    The solution that AMD is now calling Dual Graphics, was previously called Hybrid CrossFire. Technically speaking, the former name was more accurate as the feature uses AMD's multi-GPU technology to scale APU performance with discrete graphics.

    This means you can take an APU-based system, add a Radeon graphics card, combine them into one configuration, and use the resulting combined graphics performance resource to achieve higher frame rates than the same components alone.

    Solution Dual Graphics was introduced by AMD along with the Llano GPU in 2011; You can find the corresponding review on our resource. While we understand the appeal of Hybrid CrossFire, several flaws were discovered in the first implementation. Then we expected to revise the technology Dual Graphics when she becomes more mature. As time passed, the Llano architecture gave way to Trinity, which in turn was replaced by Richland.

    AMD had three whole generations to refine and improve the hardware and software components of the technology. So we thought it was time to test Dual Graphics more carefully. After all, AMD is making some pretty bold claims about the potential benefits of this feature. The slide below is taken from the presentation accompanying the Richland premiere:

    Over the past two years, we have accumulated many questions about Dual Graphics. For example, AMD does not recommend pairing APUs with video cards higher than Radeon HD 6670 due to possible imbalance of graphic resources. However, we have heard that Radeon HD 7750 perfectly complements the array Dual Graphics. Is it even possible to interface an APU with a VLIW5 graphics architecture and a discrete GCN-based card using this technology? If so, will the cards provide more money? Radeon HD 6670 worthwhile results that justify the overpayment? If any restrictions Dual Graphics, which are worth knowing about? In this material we will try to answer these questions.

    We also wanted to include our FCAT-based analysis, which uses video capture to measure the number of dropped and short frames (too small for the naked eye to perceive) generated by multi-GPU configurations. Unfortunately, we could not get the utility to successfully process video from Dual Graphics. AMD said that the problem we encountered cannot be fixed in the foreseeable future. If you remember in the review of AMD A10-6700 and A10-6800K The problem was that bits of adjacent frames were shown where they should not be, something like this:

    See the gap in the image? We do not agree with this state of affairs, so we found a way to objectively assess the effectiveness Dual Graphics: We used video capture, which is commonly used by FCAT to generate data. You'll be amazed at the unexpected results (at least we were). We'll talk more about video demonstrations later.

    AMD Dual Graphics Review | Demo video, test bench and benchmarks

    We always wanted to show exactly the picture that we see when comparing the output quality of different graphics adapters. The problem is that lossless video capture at 60Hz at 1920x1080 pixels creates a huge video file, too large to download. Additionally, when you upload this file to YouTube, its frame rate is reduced to 30 FPS, throwing away half the information from the original file. Luckily, thanks to testing YouTube on HTML5, we found a solution. You need to activate the beta feature by going to follow the link, and click the "Join HTML5 testing" button:

    After logging in, you should close and restart your web browser. Now you need to access the HTML5 based speed control through the settings button in the lower right corner of the video playback window:

    We recorded our results at half the speed. Therefore, at the “normal” speed settings in YouTube (30 FPS), you can carefully examine the result at a lower speed than in reality and feel the difference. Then, if you want to see the output image as it looks during testing, set the video speed to 2x (60 FPS). Thanks to this technique, we have a great opportunity to demonstrate the gaming experience at 60Hz frame rate, and for readers to see what we see when we collect the results.

    But first we would like to give some tips regarding HTML5 testing. Make sure the video is fully loaded before playing it at 2x speed. To do this, as a rule, you need a wider channel, since jumps and freezes will interfere with the normal perception of the picture. We have also seen situations where YouTube did not register changes to speed settings without reloading the page. Finally, we recommend watching the video at normal speed first, and then at high speed. This makes it much easier to see differences in frame rate smoothness.

    During testing, we are using Catalyst 13.6 Beta drivers instead of Catalyst 13.8 Beta, which adds frame adjustment functionality for smoother, more stable output. AMD says the new driver does not affect configurations Dual Graphics. It only works with a few discrete GPUs. Otherwise, the software of other system components has been updated to the latest versions.

    Test bench configuration
    CPU AMD A10-6800K (Richland), base frequency 4.1 GHz, 4.4 GHz Turbo Core, integrated Radeon HD 8670D (844 MHz)
    System board ASRock FM2A85X, Socket FM2, chipset: AMD A85
    RAM AMD Gamer Series Memory, 2 x 4 GB, DDR3-1866, CL 13-13-13-34
    Storage Western Digital Caviar Black 750 GB 7200 rpm, 32 MB cache, SATA 3Gb/s
    Net Built-in Gigabit LAN controller
    Video card AMD Radeon HD 6670 DDR3, 800 MHz GPU, 1 GB GDDR5 at 800 MHz (1600 MHz effective)
    power unit ePower EP-1200E10-T2 1200 W ATX12V, EPS12V
    OS Microsoft Windows 8 Pro x64
    DirectX DirectX 11
    Graph. drivers AMD Catalyst 13.6 Beta 2
    Tests and settings
    Metro: Last Light Version 1.0.0.0, DirectX 10, built-in benchmark
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Version 1.6.89.06, Version 1.5.26.05, 25 p. Fraps
    Tomb Raider Version 1.04, THG benchmark, 60 pp. Fraps
    F1 2012 Version 1.2, Direct X 11, built-in benchmark, 60 sec. Fraps
    BioShock Infinite Version 1.0.1441711, built-in benchmark, Fraps
    Company Of Heroes 2 Version 3.0.0.9804, built-in benchmark, Fraps

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