Not a long time ago integrated graphics card was a synonym of low performance, non-game capable video card. Fortunately, huge advancements has been made and today an integrated graphics card can satisfy all of our multimedia and gaming needs (except those of the hardcore gamers, of course). So if you are not a hardcore gamer or a professional video editor, chances are that you have a desktop computer or a laptop with an integrated video card. In this article I'm going to show you how to get the max out of the integrated graphics card in Intel processors - Intel HD Graphics. The performance improvement tips in this article will also work for other integrated graphics cards, for example the AMD integrated graphics.
- Update the graphics card driver
The driver is the piece of software all the programs and games use to communicate with your graphics card. Being with the latest driver means that your graphics card will work faster and you will experience less problems and freezes in graphic intensive applications and games. New driver versions also introduce improvements and optimizations for many games.
If you are on a desktop computer, simply go to Intel's website and search for the exact model of your CPU's graphics card, for example Intel HD Graphics for Celeron, Intel HD Graphics 3000, Intel HD Graphics 4000, etc. Then download the driver for your operating system and install it. If you are on a laptop, it is best to visit the website of you laptop's manufacturer and find the webpage related to your laptop. Usually there's a search text box where you can enter you laptop's exact model number. When you find your notebook's support page, download the Intel HD Graphics driver for it and install it. - Increase the amount of RAM and make it work in dual channel mode
Integrated graphics cards usually do not have their own memory (or only have a small amount of one). They take memory from the RAM of the computer. When your computer has more RAM the Intel HD Graphics will be able to utilize more memory. But what will really speed it up will be using two memory sticks of the same capacity and speed. In this case you computer's RAM will begin to work in dual channel mode which means that it will become at least 15% faster. As the integrated graphics card uses computer's RAM extensively you can expect event greater performance improvement for your Intel HD Graphics.
- Make sure the graphics card is not in power saving mode
If you are after maximum performance of you Intel HD Graphics, make sure you have turned off all of its power saving features. This tip is valid for all video cards, power saving features kills performance and vice versa. That is why in order to achieve maximum performance you have to make sure that your Windows power plan is not on Power Saver, you can use the Balanced or the High Performance power plan. You can also click the Intel HD Graphics driver tray icon (it should be near the clock in the task bar), then click the Power tab and select Maximum Performance. The image to the right shows how this dialog looks for Intel HD Graphics 3000 on Windows 7. Please, note that although this tip will certainly improve your Intel HD Graphics' performance it will also increase the power it draws, as well as the heat it generates under heavy load (which is the case for games). Caution is advised, especially if you are on a laptop that experiences temperature problems.
These 3 tips will greatly improve your Intel HD Graphics performance thus letting you enjoy smooth gameplay even in games you thought you wouldn't be able to play with an integrated graphics card. They will work fine for other graphics cards as well. Other ways to improve the performance of Intel HD Graphics also exist, but I found these 3 ones most effective. Let me know if they work well for you, too, or if you have any other Intel HD Graphics performance improvement methods.
Hi, first i want to thank you about this article it was helpful, second i wante to know if i can increase my dedicated video memoru: intel hd graphics 4000 (32 mb dedicated), windows 8, dell inspiron 15r 5520.
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm glad I've helped. Regarding your question, I doubt you will be able to increase your video memory. As I have explained in point 2 of the article, integrated graphics usually do not have memory of their own, they use shared memory that is taken from the RAM memory installed on your computer. It is dynamically allocated in most cases, but you can take a look at your laptop's BIOS. Some manufacturers put a setting there that lets the users specify the amount of memory the integrated graphics can take from the system RAM.
Deletehi i got some questions 1.i have a hp pavillion g7 with 6 ram and i3 core with intel 4000 integrated , my max of ram is 8g (hp said that) but i would like to know if the difference of 2 ram (from 6 to 8) can make a big change of performance when im playing games. 2. how much of my 6g of ram is my intel 4000 using ?
ReplyDeleteHi, regarding your questions:
Delete1. Dual channel mode works best when you have 2 sticks of RAM with the same speed and size, so upgrading to 8 GB RAM (2 x 4 GB) most probably will increase the performance a little bit. As the integrated graphics use RAM, your Intel HD Graphics will benefit, too, but don't expect a great improvement, I doubt you will get more than 5-10% performance increase. Fortunately, RAM is pretty cheap these days, so it's easy to max it out ;)
2. To check out the amount of memory your Intel HD Graphics 4000 is using right click on your desktop, select Screen resolution, click Advanced settings and select the Adapter tab if it's not selected already.
thanks for answering my question now... i did what you told me and is telling me that my dedicated memory is 32 mb but my total memory available is 1664 mb and 1632 mb of shared system memory so my next question is. does my graphics card use 1664 mb at some point or when need it?. 2. if i get more ram the card would use more for the dedicated memory? and last if you do the math 3269 mb is the total of ram that my card uses? that means i only have less that 3 G of ram available for my games? thanks
DeleteThe memory used by Intel HD Graphics is dynamically allocated when needed. 1664 MB is the maximum amount of memory your graphics card can have. The correct math is 32 MB dedicated + 1632 MB shared = 1664 MB total. Just for reference on my laptop with Core i3 2310m CPU, Intel HD Graphics 3000 and 8 GB RAM i get 64 MB dedicated + 1632 MB shared = 1696 MB total. This 64 MB are not really dedicated memory (Intel HD Graphics don't have dedicated memory), but as far as I know are the minimum amount of memory Intel HD Graphics will use and the 1696 MB are the maximum amount.
Deletethank you very much! you really helped me!
Deletehi I also have same question about increasing dedicated video ram from 64mb to minimum 512mb plz help I also have 8 gb (2*4gb)
ReplyDeleteHi Harsh, Intel HD Graphics does not have dedicated memory. The 64 MB shown by Windows as dedicated is not actually dedicated but is the minimum amount of shared memory your Intel HD Graphics is using. You can take a look at your computer's BIOS to see if you can change it (such setting is not commonly available on laptops).
DeleteThere's also a maximum amount shown (which is approximately 1.7 GB for Intel HD Graphics 3000 for example). The Intel HD Graphics driver dynamically sets the amount of memory the integrated graphics uses depending on the currently running applications. For example when you run a game, the amount of shared memory used increases, when you close it it decreases so that you have more free RAM.
Hi , I have problem whit my laptop graphic , i have i5, 6gb ram and intel hd graphic , they have a 1669 mb , but vram - video ram is 64 mb and i cant open a game like pro evolution socer , they want a 129 mb of vram , i go check on google and i see that can be change in bios - or probly not ? i go on my bios but nothing for graphic and ram .... I have Lenovo G580 , ty and sry for my bad english...
ReplyDeleteHi, if there isn't a setting in the BIOS, there isn't much you can do. Your best chance is to search for an update, a patch or a fix for the game that makes it work with Intel HD Graphics. Intel HD Graphics is currently the most common laptop GPU, so most of the game vendors make their games compatible with it sooner or later. Good luck ;)
DeleteHi, I have a question .. I am going to buy hp M6 laptop corei5 ivy bridge 4GB RAM withintel HD 4000 shared graphics off 1596mb , now I want to know that will this support heavy games or not ? or i should go for dedicated graphic card ?
ReplyDeleteIf your primary goal is gaming, go for dedicated video card. Currently Intel HD Graphics can run heavy games only on lowest settings, which means that you will not have a very good gaming experience with them...
Deletehi,i a have a question , i am using sony vaio model:SVE14133CN , which has 4gb of ram , Intel HD 4000 graphics .
ReplyDelete1) my first query is that , will I be able to put a external graphics card to increase the gaming performance ?
2) if i use a 8gb pendive to boost the performance of the ram , does this means that the graphis would show a hike in the performance ?
Hi, regarding your questions:
Delete1. If your laptop has an Express Card slot you can try a solution like ViDock, but according to me it's way too expensive and not worth it. If you want to game on a budget it will be best to get a second hand desktop computer and install a new middle class video card in it. It will cost the same as the ViDock solution (about $300-$400) but you will get much better gaming performance.
2. No. The Intel HD Graphics benefits only from speeding up the RAM, which happens when the RAM works in dual channel mode (2 x 4 GB). Besides, using ReadyBoost when you have 8 GB RAM is not necessary, as ReadyBoost only improves the performance of computers with small amount of RAM (e.g. 1 GB).
thank you very much
DeleteHello, I´m from Brazil. Today I received a Gateway NE56 laptop with Intel Core i5 3230m and 4Gb ddr2 1333. Curiosly the Windows 8 Experience Index is 4,5 because the desktop graphics (6,1 for 3D. Is this a normal EI for that kind of hardware? Thanks in advance for your answer. Tito.
ReplyDeleteHi, this WEI is normal for your hardware. If you upgrade your RAM to 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) your memory will start working in dual channel mode and your Intel HD Graphics will also benefit from this, so your desktop graphics score should go all the way up to 5.5 - 5.9. For example my laptop with Core i3 2310m, Intel HD Graphics 3000 and 8 GB RAM (2 x 4 GB) has WEI 5.9 for desktop graphics and 6.2 for gaming graphics.
DeleteI read what you post and am happy to see this...Am from Nigeria and am having problem with my video card memory is 32MB,and am using Hp 650 Intel corei3 4Gram 750hard disk....I want to run pes13 on it and is showing me my video card is nor up to 128mb can I increase it to that range and my bios settings does not show me where I can increase my video card...please help
ReplyDeleteHi, if there isn't a setting in your BIOS, there's not much you can do. I suggest you search (try Google for example) for a patch or a solution that makes the game work with Intel HD Graphics. Good luck!
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