Technically Impossible?

[Kenessy]

So today I was bored, and I was experimenting on my older machine (I got it for christmas from my parents). I updated the drivers, BIOS, GPU drivers also and so on. After that I started experimenting with setting in the BIOS and I found something really weird. [my older machine: A10 5800K APU, GTX 650 OC 2GB, MSI FM2-A55M-E33 motherboard, 2x4 GB 1333mHz DDR2 ram]

 

As far as I know, it's impossible to make dual graphics with an A10 5800K APU and an nVidia card. BUT!:

 

 

When I saw it I thought it's just a bug or something, it can't work... but when I started a game.. my jaw hit the floor. Watch this:

 

ONLY gtx 650 OC 2GB: (overclocked +200 MHZ to core and clock): 
         Metro 2033: DX11, 1600x900px, no advanced DOF; tescell. on; AAA; AF 4x; High preset, - around 23 fps

 

Dual graphics enabled in BIOS with applied overclocking to GTX 650

         Metro 2033: DX11, 1600x900px, advanced DOF ENABLED; tescell on, AAA, AF 4x, VERY HIGH preset - around 32-35 FPS

 

I tried other games too, like witcher 2, where I didnt changed the settings (mid-high - 1080p), and I can feel the difference, it's much smoother... And other less demanding games like Sniper Elite V2, where the game get incredibly smooth, stable 60 fps even with game recording software on.

 

So WTF? Have you any idea what happened? The APU itself can"t run theese games (on theese settings) even on 10 FPS, so what, is this really working?  :blink:

    

[Enderman]

Magic!

[ForsakenLive]

The whole point on AMD APUs was to get the internal GPU to help the dedicated GPU process part of the load, even if they were completely different. But this would require lots of optimization and effort from the developers to make the feature work, or at least the game engine/API should be competent enough, what it's definitively not the case on those games. Seeing this I can only think AMD drivers and chipset is actually making wonders, I want to see someone with lots of CPUs and GPUs (like Linus) to test all the different configurations and if there are any improvements!

[isteelsolz]

im guessing that its running the game on the 650 but the signal is being sent through to the outputs on the motherboard. There is a similar piece of software on the Intel side called Virtuia MVP that can do this as well.

[Kenessy]

im guessing that its running the game on the 650 but the signal is being sent through to the outputs on the motherboard. There is a similar piece of software on the Intel side called Virtuia MVP that can do this as well.

 

 

But the display cables are still connected to the GTX 650 (even I have the same connection slots on my motherboard).... Wait... so if I connect my cables to the mobo, is it going to be better?

[Sauron]

If this is true, and apus can really be used in tandem with WHATEVER other graphics card even from other producers to achieve better results, this could be a major breakthrough and also place apus much higher in the budget gaming cpu market.

[Kenessy]

I'm really interested in this and tomorrow I think I will make some benchmarks on MSI's Kombustor and put them in here. 

[Scionyde]

If this is true, and apus can really be used in tandem with WHATEVER other graphics card even from other producers to achieve better results, this could be a major breakthrough and also place apus much higher in the budget gaming cpu market.

 

If that were the case, AMD would've been fully aware of it, and would be advertising this achievement to everybody. Instead, they've been very careful to mention which specific low-end AMD GPUs would pair with APUs in Dual Graphics for a performance benefit. I'm not entirely sure what's happening here, but I wouldn't think that something revolutionary to the CPU world is going on.

 

If I had to guess...yeah, magic probably.

[VintageCake]

What the hell?

...How???

[Sauron]

If that were the case, AMD would've been fully aware of it, and would be advertising this achievement to everybody. Instead, they've been very careful to mention which specific low-end AMD GPUs would pair with APUs in Dual Graphics for a performance benefit. I'm not entirely sure what's happening here, but I wouldn't think that something revolutionary to the CPU world is going on.

 

If I had to guess...yeah, magic probably.

 

Imagine you're AMD. You know this can be done, which means people can buy your cpu and use it to boost performance with your main competitor and market leader, nvidia. Would you tell people they can use other gpus that yours? No, you'd probably specifically direct the market into purchasing your own low end gpus to boost your own sales. Also bare in mind that if apus performed better than the FX line in games at a similar or lower they'd loose a lot of market on those, and we know they aren't exactly selling like pancakes... finally they wouldn't mention compatibility with the high end line because if you can buy an r9 290 you can afford an 8350 at the very least too, so they can make more money on that.

[JDS]

The AMD hitman is probably hunting you down.

[The_Strict_Nein]

 

Twice today I've posted this