The moment you install an external graphics card into your PC, it turns off using the internal one. So, theoretically, you cannot use both cards simultaneously on one monitor. So, how to use onboard graphics and video cards at the same time, then?
Answer: You could use both cards in a dual monitor set-up. Here’s how to do it.
Use Both Onboard and Video Card On Dual Monitors
Step 1:
You cannot use dual monitors from one graphics card if it doesn’t have more than two HDMI cables. You might have seen that your current card has one HDMI and multiple display ports. Fair enough. To resolve this issue, you could either buy another HDMI adapter or you could simply use the one connected to your internal card. Find that HDMI port and connect your second monitor to it.
Step 2
At this point, if you’re getting a display on your second monitor, well and good, otherwise restart your PC.
Step 3
Repeatedly press DEL or any dedicated button your PC uses to get into BIOS.
Step 4.
Search for the Chipset menu in the BIOS. When found, reach for the Internal Graphics option. It might be disabled if the dual monitors aren’t working. Enable this option by toggling the dropdown menu. Note, however, that these settings may be different in your PC because of the manufacturer’s options. You do understand, however, that you’ll have to look for chipset settings.
Step 5
When you enable the option, save and exit. After the PC restarts, you should see the second monitor show display. That monitor will be using your internal graphics card onwards.
How To Use Different Cards for Different Apps?
Besides enabling the two cards simultaneously, you could use any of the two for an app.
Step 1: Go to the app that you want to change the graphics processing settings for.
Step 2: Right-click on it and choose Run with the graphics processor. There, you’ll see two options, which will have your external and dedicated graphics cards. Select the one that you want to run the app with.
Can You Use the APU And GPU At The Same Time To Increase Performance?
Now that’s a hard call. No, you cannot use the two cards simultaneously to increase the processing power or get more rendering for programs. That’s true for both laptops and PCs. There was a time when that was possible with the AMD Hybrid Crossfire. It lets you use both integrated AMD APU with GPU to get max performance. However, that’s been discontinued. We can’t do anything about that.
What Performance Can You Expect From The Integrated Graphics?
The integrated card has less power as compared to the dedicated one if you ask me. That’s understandable because it’s meant to take on mundane tasks. So, even if you connect the second display to it, you shouldn’t expect it to outrun the performance of your GPU. I recommend that you perform simple tasks like running low-end apps, documents, or code.
How to Use Onboard Graphics and Video Cards At The Same Time? – Conclusion
You can use both the onboard graphics and video card at the same time when you’ve connected a dual monitor. Other than that, using the two simultaneously for one monitor isn’t possible as such. To connect two monitors to either graphics card, first, connect the second monitor with the native HDMI of the machine, then go to BIOS and enable Internal Graphics in the Chipset menu. Your second monitor should turn on.
However, do note that your PC’s internal graphics card won’t be able to fire up graphically intensive work.
