Topic: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

Hi,

in the past dedicated graphic cards for laptops (in contrast to "shared memory" onboard graphics) have been recommended, e.g. for use with the digiface (my DAW software: samplitude/sequoia).

Is this still true for the latest generation Intel graphics HD3000, shipped with sandy bridge laptops? It is said to be quite powerful.

Thanks for a comment on this,
Ulrich

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

Performance of the GPU should not be much of a problem with 2D drawing of audio applications. Sharing the same memory could be for memory intensive stuff (big sample libraries maybe, but even those usually stream from HD mostly). Dedicated GPUs can even cause issues that the HD3000 does not have.

You need to try and it should work.

3

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

They said the same for the previous HD version in my laptop (Intel mobile 4). Even 2D is slow, and the internal graphics seems to cause DPCs from time to time. Using dual monitors it's even slower. That said I would try to get a laptop that has both and where you can switch between them.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

There was one user on this forum who own a Sony Vaio laptop with a switch. Since Nvidia messed up the 330M GT driver of the dedicated graphic he switched to the internal (likely Intel) one and could work away.

It's hit and miss with these things unless someone tries to build up a laptop review database. wink

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

Timur wrote:

It's hit and miss with these things unless someone tries to build up a laptop review database. wink

What about a laptop section here in the RME forum...?

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

A bit pointless, given current product life cycles... Best to stick to dedicated retailers of audio PCs.


Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

Timur wrote:

There was one user on this forum who own a Sony Vaio laptop with a switch. Since Nvidia messed up the 330M GT driver of the dedicated graphic he switched to the internal (likely Intel) one and could work away.

I guess that user was me.

After a year or so working like this I start to get REALLY tired of Sony. I always work with the STAMINA-button switched on, but I bought the laptop mainly for its great specs on paper (great specs when in SPEED-mode that is). Even with the STAMINA-button it's not working as it should. The screen freezes about one second with an interval of around 10-15 minutes, sometimes even more frequent depending on the workload. The sound never stops, it sounds good and the recordings are without dropouts or other flaws, but it's extremely frustrating to work like this.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to buy a Vaio for audio- or videopurposes.

Just spoke to Sony support also, and they said that Sony refuses to update any drivers, both now and in the future as they claim that the included drivers are tested and works just fine (which is bull****). Nvidia doesn't have any updated drivers either. So the support guy recommended me to write my own drivers if I could take the time to do it.

Now, I was thinking about continuing what I started a year ago in the thread I created but I might aswell ask in this thread as it's kind of about the same thing;

1. Are there any external graphic cards that would work with my laptop? Like a docking station or so? External graphic cards, do they at all exist? I've never seen one..

2. Timur, have you heard anything about new Nvidia-drivers for hybrid technology laptops that actually works? Official or non-official releases? How could you write your own drivers without messing up the computer?

Sorry if I hijack this thread..
I have a Sony Vaio VPC Z13M9E/B and i use it with an RME FF800 by the way..

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

You could use a PCIe graphics card in an external case: http://www.rme-audio.de/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11282

The question would be whether internal graphics can be deactivated.
And of course you'd need an external monitor.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

Thanks Daniel!
That looks extremely interesting, and it seems that you guys haven't had any problems with it so far. Where can you get one? I googled it but I only found online stores and ebay stores selling them from the U.S. (I live in Sweden).. I would love to try one out before an eventual purchase. Feels like it could be great, but I also have the feeling that if I'd buy one on chance it won't work to disable the internal graphic card, meaning that I would pay $800 for nothing (for the most interesting one that is):
http://www.netstor.com.tw/_03/03_02.php?ODQ

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

I could ask my Netstor contact for retailer addresses in Sweden. Whether or not internal graphics can be disabled is something your laptop mannufacturer should be able to confirm.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

mrpony wrote:

2. Timur, have you heard anything about new Nvidia-drivers for hybrid technology laptops that actually works? Official or non-official releases? How could you write your own drivers without messing up the computer?

Sorry, no personal experience with hybrid laptops. What I did was to edit the INF file of the standard NVidia mobile driver to include the Hardware ID of my laptop (Macbook Pro). For that I just looked up an existing entry for 330M GT and replaced that ID with mine.

To get it fully working I had to add a registry entry that I got from analyzing a Microsoft published NVidia *Quadro* driver (these are based on the same GPU chipsets). It's also possible to edit the Quadro INF by replacing hardware IDs, but using the registry hack worked quite well with later NVidia drivers.

Last but not least there is another workaround (I had to come up with for some time) for DPC latency issues with NVidia mobile drivers: Open the NVidia Control Panel and switch to the 3D settings view where the 3D logo is spinning. Once that logo is active DPCs vanish. You can now minimize the Control Panel, but have to keep it active. Don't worry too much about GPU load from that logo, it's minimal (when I measured it). There are other ways that work on the same basis, but this one is the easiest to follow.

Re: Laptop graphics: dedicated graphic card still recommended?

Thank you very much for your answers!
Please ask your contact Daniel, I would be very grateful!

Timur wrote:

Last but not least there is another workaround (I had to come up with for some time) for DPC latency issues with NVidia mobile drivers: Open the NVidia Control Panel and switch to the 3D settings view where the 3D logo is spinning. Once that logo is active DPCs vanish. You can now minimize the Control Panel, but have to keep it active. Don't worry too much about GPU load from that logo, it's minimal (when I measured it). There are other ways that work on the same basis, but this one is the easiest to follow.

That's just weird haha! But I'll definitely try it.