Preferred gpu graphics (High performance and power saving) switched?

arthurz2
arthurz2 Member Posts: 7

Tinkerer

regarding graphics preference mode... I have an amd radeon 530 series integrated graphics card (high performance) along with an amd radeon vega 8 graphics (power saving), but they are literally the opposite of what they say, when I use the 530 series for my games, they lag a lot and have absurd drops in fps, so when I switch to Vega 8, without exaggeration, I gain 70fps more in lighter games like Minecraft, Brawlhalla... And a good stability too, why does that happen? shouldn't it be the other way around?

(And no, I don't use to play my games while defragging my disk lol)

Answers

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 12,065 Trailblazer
    edited December 2022

    What is the laptops model number and how much ram has your laptop got? As the Radeon 530 is not the latest gpu and a crash hot gaming gpu also, as is the Vega 8, as the Radeon 530 has the outdated DDR3 memory size of 2GB and this GPU operates at a frequency of 730 MHz, which can be boosted up to a max of 1024 MHz and its memory is running at 900 MHz while the Vega 8 integrated GPU is operating at a frequency of 300 MHz, which can be boosted up to 1100 MHz and its memory clock is system shared and these two gpu's are really meant for games like Minecraft, Brawlhalla and not in any higher end gaming.

    The thing for gaming is to have the most ram that your laptop can handle, and the best combination for the ram should be in dual channel (2x modules of ram) of min 8GB but preferably 16GB (2x8GB modules) if your laptop can have such ram total? As these games will play perfectly at their high settings in 1080p (1920 X 1080 at 16:9) with 16GB and it will benefit your Radeon 530 and especially your Vega 8 allot more as it reduces the CPUs bottleneck which is the main cause and why your Radeon 530 has such low fps. Try increasing your total ram capacity as your gaming will improve considerably overall and your laptops will perform much better also.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,869 Trailblazer

    The latest integrated GPUs like radeons and iris xes are getting pretty good at using shared RAM. Other users have reported the same results as you --- that is --- the integrated GPU seems to often do better than the discrete GPU in certain games or apps. What's not to like about this?

    Accordingly, I recommend installing an 8GB DDR4 dual channel capable sodimm for your particular laptop to bring the total to 12GB RAM. While some mainboards have been reported to be compatible with 16GB DDR4 sodimms to bring the total to 20GB RAM, it has a much greater chance of being incompatible. 12GB is quite adequate for your machine in most cases.

    Jack E/NJ

  • arthurz2
    arthurz2 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    My specs are: Acer Aspire 3 A315-23g with a ryzen 5 3500u and the radeon 530 being the integrated one as mentioned before along with the vega 8 being the dedicated one. my motherboard says in most places to support only 12gb ram (4gb soldered + 8gb expandable) but as JackE/NJ said in the comment above, I've seen reports in forums that 20gb can be recognized too (4gb soldered + 16gb stick) but I would like to know if the frequent lag spikes that I have in heavier open world games like sekiro (I play at 60fps on low) would be improved by an upgrade of 20gb ram, i mean when I turn the camera fast or enter new open areas these stuttering happens, would 20gb ram solve it?

    and why when i go into the task manager while playing sekiro, my ram memory doesn't seem to be used? of course the game is consuming my ram there, but it doesn't seem to need more than 300mb, I'm afraid a 20gb upgrade wouldn't change anything (at least in game) since the game doesn't seem to need even 1gb ram, but in the specifications recomended on steam is saying 8gb recomended for sekiro

    please enlighten me with your wisdom and forgive my ignorance on the matter😁

  • arthurz2
    arthurz2 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    I will try to do a 20gb upgrade, thanks for the reply

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,869 Trailblazer
    edited December 2022

    Before you order the 16GB sodimm, I suggest running the Crucial dot com scanner on your machine to see what it reports on the maximum RAM capacity. Shared VRAM is often incorrectly reported since it is dynamic, not static. It can change from moment to moment depending on game or app demands.

    Jack E/NJ

  • arthurz2
    arthurz2 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    I had already used the Crucial scan on my pc, and guess what? 12gb ram max capacity, so why would I buy a 16gb stick? simple, because I saw in some places the motherboard recognizing the 16gb stick and leaving it with 20gb (and yes it was the same pc as mine) of course, I run the risk of throwing my money away... wrong because I'm buying with warranty, so if it doesn't work I'll return the 16gb stick and get the 8gb stick.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,869 Trailblazer

    Sounds like good plan to me. Good luck. 🙂

    Jack E/NJ