Intel Core processors often include an integrated GPU, but I'm wondering what happens after installing a dedicated graphics card. Does the integrated GPU get disabled completely, or can it still work alongside the dedicated card for displays, video encoding, decoding, OpenCL, or other tasks?
4 Answers
The integrated GPU can still be useful for Intel Quick Sync video encoding and decoding. Video-editing and streaming applications may use it alongside the dedicated GPU, which can reduce workload, power use, or render time depending on the codecs and software.
You can sometimes use the iGPU as a separate compute device for lighter OpenCL or similar workloads while the dedicated GPU handles a larger task. It generally won’t help gaming performance, though, and compatibility varies between applications.
For normal gaming and most graphics work, the dedicated GPU handles everything, especially when your monitor is plugged into it. Some motherboards disable the integrated GPU automatically, while others leave it enabled as an option.
Even if you don’t use it regularly, keeping the iGPU enabled can provide a backup display output if the dedicated graphics card fails. It can also be useful for a second monitor or small hardware-monitoring screen, but disabling it is fine if your system or applications have problems with it.
It depends on the motherboard and BIOS settings. Some systems can drive a monitor from each GPU at the same time, while others disable the integrated graphics when a PCIe card is installed.