AMD System Monitor shows GPU at 0%

[Jabba-Dabba-Doo]

Hello everybody, new user here.

I just bought my first ever brand new computer, previously all my computers have been old hand-me-downs.

It's a cheap HP laptop with a basic CPU because I will only use the laptop for web browsing, listening to MP3s and the occasional movie viewing, never for gaming.

I've been using Windows XP up until now, and it's time to take the step to a modern OS (the new laptop came pre-installed with Win 8.1 but I downgraded it to Windows 7).

Specs:
HP 255 G2 with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
AMD Dual-Core E1-2100 APU with Radeon HD 8210-graphics (1 GHz, 1 MB cache)

Problem (?):
I've downloaded the AMD System Monitor, and according to the monitor the two cores are working fine. However, the red bar connected to the AMD Radeon 8210 is completely lifeless at 0%. It also says "0MHz" at the right hand of the red bar and "Memory Speed 0MHz" below.

I just watched a video on Youtube where some guy was demonstrating the AMD System Monitor, and on his computer there was a value for the GPU at both the "MHz" next to the bar and for "Memory Speed", even when the GPU wasn't doing anything.

So the question is, when AMD System Monitor tells me that my AMD Radeon 8210 is basically not used, is that normal for my HP laptop or do I need to take some action?

UPDATE:
Screenshots of Luxmark benchmark tool and AMD System Monitor, see reply below.

 

[Danbuscus25]

well, if you wernt using your graphics at the time, then it can be at 0%. your graphics obviously work, and am sure they are fine. but amd system monitor may not support your graphics, or your chipset, so it may not work properly.

 

[OnkelCannabia]

Might be that you're APU is active and the GPU isn't being used at all. Check your BIOS and make sure the IGP (integrated graphics processor) is disabled.

 

[Jabba-Dabba-Doo]

well, if you wernt using your graphics at the time, then it can be at 0%. your graphics obviously work, and am sure they are fine. but amd system monitor may not support your graphics, or your chipset, so it may not work properly.

That sounds likely. I've now run the LuxMark benchmark tool, and it says I have a Kalindi GPU (?) clocked at 300MHz. So maybe AMD System Monitor should have said Kalindi at 300MHz instead of AMD Radeon 8210 at 0Mhz?

Might be that you're APU is active and the GPU isn't being used at all. Check your BIOS and make sure the IGP (integrated graphics processor) is disabled.

Unfortunately my BIOS seems very limited, I can basically just make adjustments to date/time and boot order. That's weird because on every computer I've had before, the BIOS had loads of options (not that I messed around in BIOS alot).

 

[OnkelCannabia]

Are you sure is GPU really wasn't doing anything. GPU aren't just for rendering games. They have other useful capabilities that can be used during video editing or for flash videos for example. Check your GPU usage in a game, if it is still zero you'll know for sure. Also look up some benchmarks online and do the same benchmarks on your system. If you get roughly the same performance, all is well.

 

[Jabba-Dabba-Doo]

Are you sure is GPU really wasn't doing anything. GPU aren't just for rendering games. They have other useful capabilities that can be used during video editing or for flash videos for example. Check your GPU usage in a game, if it is still zero you'll know for sure. Also look up some benchmarks online and do the same benchmarks on your system. If you get roughly the same performance, all is well.

I've had AMD Systems Monitor running while doing different things on the computer but the GPU bar hasn't moved an inch. It didn't even show any activity when I did the LuxMark benchmark GPU test, but according to LuxMark I do have a functioning GPU. So the conclusion must be that AMD System Monitor isn't compatible with my hardware which causes the program to give false/inaccurate information.

Thanks for the replies, guys!

 

[smeezekitty]

Could be a bad driver install.

Wow 1GHz APU I didn't know they made them that slow!

 

[Danbuscus25]

hmmm well, do you have both an apu and integrated graphics? if you o, make sure the integrated graphics are disabled.

 

[Jabba-Dabba-Doo]

hmmm well, do you have both an apu and integrated graphics? if you o, make sure the integrated graphics are disabled.

Is there a way to disable integrated graphics other than through BIOS? As I said to OnkelCannabia, my BIOS is very limited for some reason.

EDIT:
Apparently, the BIOS is always limited on basic HP laptops. I'll have to buy a real computer next time.

 

[Danbuscus25]

i had an hp laptop too, bios sucks. and you might be able to disable intergrated graphics through windows.

 

[Jabba-Dabba-Doo]

Cheers

 

[diginess]

I can tell you what's going on with this card because I just did a ton of reading about it - I'm a Linux user and the open source OpenGL driver wasn't working for some programming I was doing.

In any case (I realize this is almost two years later), the reason this is probably happening is that this graphics card does not have its own internal memory (crazy, right?), it uses the system memory - the same memory the CPU uses. That's probably why there's a 0% value there for memory speed. Essentially, max memory speed would be the bus speed on the computer/motherboard itself. This is further supported by the monitor showing the cores are working - if they are working, then they must be getting data, right? They would be getting that data from system memory, and have no internal memory to access.