The reason why gaming laptops have two graphic cards is that they can switch between them according to the use case, allowing the gaming laptops to be power efficient.
Modern gaming laptops do this by utilizing something like the MUX switch where they switch to discrete GPU when a heavy load like a game is booted.
Once you are done playing a game and you are back on the desktop doing something light and nonintensive like browsing the web or working on a word document, it uses the much more efficient integrated graphics.
This helps the gaming laptop consume less battery overall, which helps it last longer. This is much needed considering that gaming laptops are infamous for having a horrible battery life.
Some other reasons why gaming laptops have two graphic cards
The CPU just so happens to have one
It’s just that all mobile CPU SKUs have integrated graphics in them. It’s not just worth the time and money to make a mobile CPU that only a few selected devices would use, so Intel and AMD just don’t bother with it. Instead, they just include integrated graphics in all of their CPUs.
This comes in handy as manufacturers can use the same CPU in both traditional laptops and gaming laptops, reducing potential manufacturing complexities.
And due to all this, your gaming laptop just ends up having an additional iGPU.
Backup GPU
Though this is not the intended use case for an iGPU, it can be of significant help.
If in case your discrete GPU starts to malfunction due to a faulty driver or a hardware issue, you could just simply switch to an integrated GPU and keep using your gaming laptop.
Though you won’t be actually able to play games on your laptop until you get your discrete GPU fixed, you would at least be able to use your gaming laptop for regular tasks.
Wait what about SLI and Crossfire?
There was a time when you could combine the power of two GPUs to get a better performance. However, since people used multiple GPUs weren’t that many, developers lacked the motivation to make games with SLI support.
This lack of interest led to a very minimal userbase, which lead Nvidia to ultimately drop SLI starting the RTX 4000 series and stopping supporting it altogether.
FAQs
How can I determine if my laptop has two graphic cards?
One of the easiest ways to check if your laptop has two graphic cards is by checking the stickers located near the lower side of your gaming laptop.
If your laptop has a Geforce RTX/GTX logo alongside an Intel logo or an AMD logo, then it means that your gaming laptop has two graphics cards.
Can you have two dedicated graphic cards on a laptop?
Unless you have a specialty gaming laptop like Acer Predator 21X, it’s not possible to have two dedicated graphic cards, especially considering that SLI is dead.
Does having two GPUs on a laptop increase performance?
No, having two GPUs on a laptop does not increase a gaming laptop’s performance. As we discussed earlier, laptops use two GPUs to maintain efficient power management as they can switch between these two GPUs depending on the use case.
You might also wanna read…
What is a MUX Switch ? A Detailed Explaination
Is your laptop good for gaming? (Here’s how to check it)
