Predator Helios 18 Thunderbolt 4 I can't find these information online.

Plebbie
Plebbie Member Posts: 4 New User
edited March 2023 in Predator Laptops

hello, i would like to know if the thunderbolt 4 and hdmi 2.1 port are connected to the dgpu or igpu? I can't find these information online. Thank you in advance for all replies!

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

Answers

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 9,687 Trailblazer

    The Thunderbolt and HDMI ports in a laptop are connected to the GPU through the PCIe bus. Thunderbolt is a high-speed connection technology that supports both data and HD display data on a single cable, while HDMI is a digital interface that uses HD signal to transfer both audio and video signals over a single cable2. Thunderbolt 4 port gives you a multitude of monitor options. Connect Thunderbolt displays, DisplayPort 1.4 displays, or use a Thunderbolt adapter or dock to connect HDMI, DVI, and VGA displays3. Have a look here “Difference Between Thunderbolt and HDMI” as it explains it very well.

  • Plebbie
    Plebbie Member Posts: 4 New User

    No, you didn't understand me.

    here is a text describing a different laptop. And now im asking again, does the thunderbolt 4 have a direct connection to the dedicated gpu, or does the signal have to go through the integrated gpu?


    Thunderbolt 4 with GPU connection

    * About the differences in Thunderbolt 4: the "iTBT"

    solution was introduced in Intel Core 12th Gen H

    series and also applies to the U and P series. It

    provides Thunderbolt directly from the CPU, without

    the requirement of a dedicated host-controller. This

    solution is quite efficient and takes less space on

    the mainboard, but it makes it impossible to provide

    a DisplayPort signal directly from the dedicated

    graphics card. The same is true for AMD's

    implementation of USB4 in AMD Ryzen 6000 and

    7000. As far as we know, almost all laptops with

    Intel Core 12th Gen H-series have this iTBT solution,

    hence the word "usually" in our table.


    The "dTBT" solution describes the traditional

    implementation with a dedicated host controller,

    currently called "Maple Ridge". dTBT used to be the

    norm until it was made obsolete in H-series with

    12th Gen. However, technically, dTBT is still possible

    with H-series, but almost no vendor would opt to

    build a solution for a dTBT solution when iTBT is

    already included in the CPU. One can assume that

    Intel's board support for the supposedly obsolete

    dTBT in systems with u/P/H series is also only

    relatively small by now. For Intel, iTBT has no

    disadvantage, as it connects Intel's iGPU to the

    external monitors.

    However, with HX-series, derived from desktop

    chipsets, dTBT is still a hard requirement for

    Thunderbolt 4. With the dTBT solution, the OEM

    can choose the source of the DisplayPort signal to

    come either from iGPU or dGPU. In XMG NEO (E23),

    the Thunderbolt 4 solution provides 2 separate

    DisplayPort streams from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX

    graphics. This makes the Thunderbolt port in XMG

    NEO compatible with AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-

    SYNC displays and with all currently known

    consumer-grade tethered VR headsets.



  • Plebbie
    Plebbie Member Posts: 4 New User

    does the helios 18 have the same option, yes or no?


    Thunderbolt 4 with direct connection to the dGPU. This used to be the standard for a long time, but that standard became diluted with the introduction of Intel Core 12th Gen (H-series) and with the introduction of USB 4 on the AMD Ryzen CPU platform. Since then, many gaming laptops provide Thunderbolt and USB 4 directly from the CPU, without using a dedicated host controller anymore. This highly integrated solution does not allow to connect Thunderbolt to the dGPU anymore. XMG NEO series (E23) however does not follow this trend and connects Thunderbolt to the dGPU again.

  • Plebbie
    Plebbie Member Posts: 4 New User

    Im just asking how acer solved it in this model, here is my reference:


    Thunderbolt 4 with dGPU connection

    * About the differences in Thunderbolt 4: the “iTBT” solution was introduced in Intel Core 12th Gen H series and also applies to the U and P series. It provides Thunderbolt directly from the CPU, without the requirement of a dedicated host-controller. This solution is quite efficient and takes less space on the mainboard, but it makes it impossible to provide a DisplayPort signal directly from the dedicated graphics card. The same is true for AMD’s implementation of USB4 in AMD Ryzen 6000 and 7000. As far as we know, almost all laptops with Intel Core 12th Gen H-series have this iTBT solution, hence the word “usually” in our table.

    The “dTBT” solution describes the traditional implementation with a dedicated host controller, currently called “Maple Ridge”. dTBT used to be the norm until it was made obsolete in H-series with 12th Gen. However, technically, dTBT is still possible with H-series, but almost no vendor would opt to build a solution for a dTBT solution when iTBT is already included in the CPU. One can assume that Intel’s board support for the supposedly obsolete dTBT in systems with u/P/H series is also only relatively small by now. For Intel, iTBT has no disadvantage, as it connects Intel’s iGPU to the external monitors.

    However, with HX-series, derived from desktop chipsets, dTBT is still a hard requirement for Thunderbolt 4. With the dTBT solution, the OEM can choose the source of the DisplayPort signal to come either from iGPU or dGPU. In XMG NEO (E23), the Thunderbolt 4 solution provides 2 separate DisplayPort streams from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics. This makes the Thunderbolt port in XMG NEO compatible with AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-SYNC displays and with all currently known consumer-grade tethered VR headsets.