RC520-S02, two video cards?

So I just bought this laptop yesterday, it's good value for money and I'm overall pretty pleased with it.
Something strikes me as odd, though, it seems to have 2 graphic cards? (or graphic adapters)

One of them is an Intel HD and the other is the (advertised) nVidia 520M.

I asked someone and they told me it was for battery saving reasons, the Intel HD adapter runs when not much is required graphic wise and then the 520M comes on when there's more demand... is this the real reason? Is there a way to let the 520M handle everything?

Some screenshots attached.

 

The dual GPU system was created by Nvidia so that users could have better graphics performance when they needed it but didn't suffer from the presence of the dedicated GPU taking an hour or two off the battery run time or just creating extra heat even when it wasn't doing much work.

Before you condemn the Intel GPU be aware that this latest version has moved into the performance territory previously owned by the dedicated GPUs.

I don't have first hand experience of Optimus but understand that that it should automatically switch to the dedicated GPU whenever appropriate which is, I think, for 3D graphics where the extra pipelines give it a boost relative to the Intel GPU.

John

 

That would explain it, but nevertheless thanks to this "workaround" the Windows experience test shows that Desktop performance (I presume governed by the Intel HD thingy) is the lowest score on this otherwise quite good laptop.

I'm still happy with it though, have to say.

 

If you are worried by the low WEI then I think you will find that your computer has only one RAM module on board. Put another module into the empty slot and that desktop graphics score will go up to around 5.5 (that's what I'm getting). and the memory score will go up to over 7.

A lot of manufacturers send out computers with a single RAM module (usually 4GB these days). This means users can upgrade their RAM without throwing out an existing module but it also impacts on performance because SandyBridge's integrated memory controller has doubled compared with the previous Intel platform (it's this increased memory bandwidth that has given the Intel graphics performance a big boost).

John

 

Do you have any idea if this particular model is DDR2 or 3? I'm guessing (and hoping) it's DDR3, and would save me the trouble of opening the laptop up.

Edit**

Downloaded CPU-Z, DDR3 as was expected. Will do the expansion to 8 GB total.

 

I don't think any current production uses DDR2 since DDR3 is now cheaper.

I presume that CPU-Z also confirmed my suspicion that you only have one module and the memory is running as single channel.

John

 

Yes indeed. Would it be more advisable to purchase another 4gb module or to try and trade in the factory one and get 2 of the same brand and model modules so they dual channel properly?

 

I always keep the supplied RAM in case there's any warranty issue with the computer.

These days (in fact for the past several years) the BIOS can make full dual channel out of any two fairly similar modules: Each module has timing data (look on CPU-Z's SPD page) and the BIOS works out the fastest timings supported by both modules. So any 1333MHz or faster SODIMM should do.

I'm an unusual person because I'm actually running 4GB + 2GB in asymettric dual channel by choice because i have found that with 8GB RAM my hibernation / resume times are uncomfortably long, so 6GB is a compromise. There is a slight performance hit (0.1 in WEI) relative to full dual channel.

John

 

Why is yours a 520m?
mines the same model everything, but its a 525m. just kind of weird.

 

Says on your signature yours is a RC512, mine is a RC520-S02PT... The RC520-S01PT has half the VRAM, and the RV520-S01PT has the same graphic card but a smaller disk or something. Funny thing is that they all cost exactly the same. Thankfully I got the model with the nice VRAM and disk (1gb and 640 respectively)

 

oh.. i misread your title i thought said rc512. that was another thread i was looking at. xD