Intel HD 4600 Low Benchmark Scores

[adamv66]

Hi,

Recently purchased optimus V with the 4700MQ processor and 8GB hyper-x ram and pretty happy with system so far. One thing that is puzzling me is that I am getting very low performance from the integrated intel 4600 GPU. I have benchmarked using cinebench, 3dmark and passmarks performance test and in all cases the score I get is roughly 50% below the average of other systems benchmarked. For example, in performance test my score was 352. The average across all the other systems with the same cpu/gpu was about 600 and the MINIMUM of any of those systems was 476 - so i'm way under. As I say, identical story with cinebench and 3dmark (as according to benchmarks reported on notebookcheck.net).

Any ideas what might be causing the gpu to respond so poorly - I've checked all the settings under the intel hd graphics manager and they're set to performance (not battery saver) and all my windows power options are set for performance. Obviously I'm also running with the power connected, and did the usual stuff like not having anything else running at the same time....

As an aside - when I benchmarked my GTX 765M the scores I got were pretty much the same as the benchmarks of other systems.....

Thanks in advance for any help.........

 

[keynes]

Are you experiencing any issues running applications/programmes or it is just the benchmarks?

 

[adamv66]

Everything is working fine. Have not run any games yet but it follows that if the performance in all the benchmarks is 50% of what is expected I am going to see the same results in the FPS...

 

[keynes]

I am not sure about the benchmark results, you could try reinstalling or updating the drivers for the HD 4600 but I'd suggest running other applications and see how it performs.

I am going to see the same results in the FPS...

If it is for gaming the GTX 765m should kick in.

 

[adamv66]

Ah I have just discovered something! I have been forcing the laptop to use the HD 4600 by pressing the "VGA" button on the chassis which turns off the nvidia GPU.
I have just realised that if I don't touch this button (ie. leaving it in optimus mode) but forcing (using the nvidia control panel) the global setting to use integrated graphics - voila! I am suddenly seeing exactly the scores I am expecting to see - nearly a 50% boost! So there must be something else going on when that button is pressed - a bug perhaps??

But you are quite right - the GTX 765M does kick in so this is somewhat of a moot point....

 

[ubuysa]

It might not be a bug, as far as I've been able to discover the VGA button is really only of use if you want to get maximum battery life by switching off (as you rightly say) the nVidia GPU. Perhaps it also underclocks (or undervolts) the iGPU as well to save even more battery power?

I never use the VGA button, frankly it seems a waste of a button to me. +Rep for spotting it though!

 

[adamv66]

Yes I think I'll be ignoring this button from now on too!