[IT애정남] A laptop that automatically changes its graphics card when you upgrade its RAM? Are you real?

He is an ‘IT loving man’ who answers questions about IT in general or questions from readers who have concerns about product and service selection. This time, we are asking if the graphics card is changed to another one depending on the capacity of the system memory (RAM) installed in the laptop. This may sound a little absurd because RAM and graphics cards are completely different parts, but there are very exceptional cases. The inquiry from losalxx is as follows (some contents edited).

hello. I have an inquiry.

I bought a laptop called ASUS VivoBook 14X OLED about half a year ago. I knew that there was an Intel Iris Xe graphics card here, and it was also listed on the manufacturer’s website. So I bought the product and have been using it for a while without any problems. But recently, I happened to look at the system information and found that the name of the graphics card was Intel UHD Graphics.

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I wanted something like this, so I called the service center, and they said it was the same as Intel Iris Xe or Intel UHD, and that Intel UHD changes to Intel Iris Xe when I upgrade the RAM. However, I don’t understand that the same laptop changes to a different graphics card depending on the amount of RAM. Please explain if this is correct.

Built-in graphics system driven by sharing system memory

hello. Thank you for your interest in our article. You must have been quite perplexed, but that is the case. This is due to the policy of Intel, the chip manufacturer, and the characteristics of the built-in graphics of the CPU (Central Processing Unit).

Intel UHD graphics and Iris Xe graphics are not strictly speaking ‘graphics cards’. The expression ‘graphics function’ built into the Intel CPU is more accurate. Built-in graphics have slightly lower performance than a separately mounted graphics card, but have advantages in terms of power consumption, space utilization, and cost.

In addition, while general graphics cards consist of a separate GPU (graphics processing unit) + graphics-only memory, built-in graphics have a structure in which the GPU built into the CPU draws part of the system memory (RAM) and uses it as memory for graphics processing. Therefore, the performance of the built-in graphics may decrease or increase depending on the specifications of the system memory.

In addition, DDR-type RAM, which is commonly used as system memory, supports ‘dual channel’ technology, which doubles the data bandwidth (path through which data passes) and improves processing power when two or four RAM modules are inserted. For example, two sticks of 4GB RAM perform better than one stick of 8GB RAM.

Memory Intel Iris Xe graphics only enabled in dual channel environment

Intel Iris Xe graphics is the most high-performance model among Intel’s built-in graphics, but the system memory must be configured as dual-channel to achieve full performance. If the system memory is not dual-channel, it is displayed in the operating system registration information as ‘Intel UHD Graphics’, a lower product than ‘Intel Iris Xe Graphics’, even though it is the same hardware.

This is a rather unusual case, as Intel introduced such a policy when it launched its 11th Gen Core processors with Iris Xe graphics. This was because they were concerned that the image of the brand Iris Xe would be damaged if the Iris Xe graphics did not perform properly in a dual-channel non-support system.

In the case of the Asus Vivobook 14X OLED laptop (X140) series owned by the questioner, depending on the detailed model, only 8GB basic memory is sold, but 8GB is added to it and sold in a 16GB (8+8GB) configuration. In the case of the model possessed by the questioner, it seems to be equipped with only 8GB basic memory, but this is not a single-channel configuration, but it is estimated that the Iris Xe graphics function is not activated.

If you get 8GB of DDR4 standard memory for a commercially available laptop and add it, it will become a dual channel and the graphics card will be renamed Iris Xe Graphics. In conclusion, I think you can rest assured that you are not being scammed or that there is something wrong with the product.

Please note that Intel Iris Xe graphics with dual-channel memory performance is 20-30% higher than Intel UHD graphics with single-channel memory.

‘IT Affectionate Man’ aims to provide direct help to readers who are concerned about the process of selecting or using IT products or services. We plan to share our know-how with all readers by providing customized consultations with ‘love’ in any field such as PCs, smartphones, cameras, AV devices, accessories, and applications. If you would like to help, please send an email to pengo@itdonga.com. If the story is accepted, we will give you a reply.

Reporter Kim Young-woo, specializing in Donga.com ITT pengo@itdonga.com