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    Is it possible to undervolt graphics cards?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by AlexMcIver, Aug 8, 2006.

  1. AlexMcIver

    AlexMcIver Notebook Consultant

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    I have a Vaio SZ, which has the hybrid graphics system with the intel GMA950 and the Geforce 7400. I've really appreciated being able to improve battery life for desktop applications by using the intel card, but the battery life while gaming with the geforce is still a bit lower than I'd like. I've undervolted the CPU as much as I can (not much!) so now I've turned my attention to the graphics card. Can these be undervolted at all? If so what programs would I use? I would be willing to sacrifice 10-20% of performance while under battery if underclocking slightly would allow me to use lower voltages.

    Thanks
     
    AlexMcIver, Aug 8, 2006
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  2. dagamer34

    dagamer34 Notebook Evangelist NBR Reviewer

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    I don't think any video cards have ways to undervolt the GPU; they can only turn off certain parts of their circuitry.
     
    dagamer34, Aug 8, 2006
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  3. tullnd

    tullnd Notebook Evangelist

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    On the ATI cards, you can lower the clock of the core and the memory. It leads to another 20 minutes or so of battery life on my machine(ATI x700...goes from about 4.5 hours to just under 5....Gateway 8510GZ).

    Performance drop is noticeable though...so I don't think I'd recomend it for gaming of course.
     
    tullnd, Aug 8, 2006
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