Compatibility and installation
Therefore, we need to be clear that our GPU or iGPU supports these operating systems through a driver that we can find on AMD’s website and then download it. The ideal would be to install the last version of the driver for each graphics card, whatever the brand logically. To see the specific model, we will have to resort to the device manager, which will normally correctly identify the model of each of them.
Knowing this, we can logically download it, and install it one by one with a previous reboot after the completion of these. Normally, the order to be processed in terms of drivers is simple: first the updated drivers of the iGPU and after the corresponding reboot after installation, then we install the one of the discrete GPU.
There is a bit of controversy here, as many graphics products (especially laptops) are OEM, that is, they are made for a specific model or series, so the driver, even if AMD provides it signed, is the manufacturer of the laptop that supplies and updates the easiest. In this case you have to go to the manufacturer’s site and the model of our laptop to download it, because it will not be compatible on the AMD site.
Assuming both drivers are installed, switching from a GPU to an iGPU or vice versa is more or less easy.
How to access switchable graphics
This step is quick, since it suffices to access the AMD driver (in this case) to be able to switch from the GPU to the iGPU or vice versa, depending on whether our card is one or the other. To do this, we will either have to click on the desktop with the right mouse button and click on the option “AMD Radeon software” or, failing that, on the taskbar next to the time when we will have the logo AMD, the one we prefer.
Once inside we will have a large number of options, but the one we are interested in is in the gear that is at the top right. When we click there, another top menu will open where we will have another number of options, among which we will have to go to System or System, depending on the language.
Once inside there will be other panels such as Overview, Software, our GPU or iGPU and finally the much sought after Switchable Graphics, which we will access. Here we come to the critical point of this change, since we are not talking about a total change between GPU and iGPU, but it is partial and we explain ourselves.
AMD offers three different performance modes:
- Energy saving (will use iGPU)
- High performance (will use system GPU)
- Based on power source (iGPU when we do not have power connected, GPU when we are connected to power)
Because? Because what we always try is to use the minimum possible energy resources and there is no GPU that uses less than the iGPU processor. Therefore, what we intend to affect performance for each application is not to change all performance to one or the other.
If you look closely, there will be an option called Running Apps, where clicking on it will take you to the installed profile apps. This is important, because except for those that appear with a padlock (system apps that the iGPU will run) in the rest, we can select the GPU on which we want to run the program, game or software based on them. three points described above.
Do we want the GPU to be the one running a game? Then we will select High Performance, is it an indie game and we prefer the sound and freshness? Then it is possible that the iGPU is enough and with Energy Saver it will be enough, and so on.
How do we know if we are using switchable graphics?
Logically, once the energy profile has been selected, we will want to know if it is the iGPU or the GPU that does the designated work. We can use GPU-Z, MSI Afterburner, ASUS Tweak or Windows task manager in its performance tab.
We do not forget a detail, what happens if the game or the program is not in the AMD list in its driver? We just give the search or Browse section and enter the name, which will cause the driver to search for it on the PC and select it.
In addition, if we decide to start from scratch or have made a mistake, we can not forget about the reset button, which will leave the factory settings and with this we will logically start over.
