How Can I Disable the IGPU in my New i5-3470?

[Reggie_B]

Hi everyone, I have a tech support question I’m hoping you can help me with. I wasn't satisfied with my computer’s performance, so I decided to upgrade my CPU. I just finished replacing my intel G860 with a brand new intel i5-3470. But now when I run some games, my frame rates are much worse than they were before the upgrade.
As far as I can tell, my computer has fully recognized my new processor, reporting the proper name, 4 cores, and 3.2 GHz maximum speed. So far, my best guess as to the problem is that my computer is using the new CPU's integrated graphics processing unit instead of my dedicated graphics card. However my BIOS does not have an option to disable the IGPU, and I can't find that setting anywhere else. So I would be very grateful if someone could tell me how to make sure that all my games are using the discrete graphics card; and if they are, what else the problem might be.
Nothing else about my computer has changed. The other components I use are:
OS: Windows 8
Motherboard: Asrock H77 Pro4-M
GPU: Radeon 6850
RAM: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 × 4GB)
Hard Drive: WD5000AAKS
Can anyone offer any insight that might help me solve my computer troubles? Thanks.

 

[elemein]

Start>Search>Device Manager>Display Adapter>HD4000>Disable

That should disable your HD4000. You may need to reconfigure your display settings to re use the other GPU.

 

[ihog]

Is your display plugged into your graphics card? If so, the IGP is not being used, and isn't the problem.

Is the 6850 in the first PCIe slot?

What bios revision are you using? You have to have at least version 1.20 to run the i5 3470 properly.

 

[Reggie_B]

Under display adapters, I only see "Radeon HD 6800 Series", I don't see an option for HD4000.

My display is plugged into my graphics card, but it is not possible for the graphics card to occupy the first PCI-E slot due to space limitations.

My current BIOS version is 1.4, but I can try updating to 1.8 and seeing if that makes a difference. Is there anything else I can do that might solve the issue?

 

[elemein]

The IGPU is not the issue then if your monitor is not plugged into the motherboard display port.

 

[ihog]

How are you on revision 1.4 when the latest bios is 1.3?

The GPU might be bottlenecked by the second PCIe slot, since it is PCIe 2.0 x16 (running at x4).

 

[Reggie_B]

How are you on revision 1.4 when the latest bios is 1.3?

The GPU might be bottlenecked by the second PCIe slot, since it is PCIe 2.0 x16 (running at x4).

According to the Asrock website, 1.80 is the latest version of the BIOS for my motherboard: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H77%20Pro4-M/?cat=Download&os=BIOS . Is this incorrect?

Keep in mind that my performance actually decreased when I installed the new CPU, is that consistent with the idea that my GPU slot might be the bottleneck? Or would you expect at worse no increase in performance with a new CPU?

 

[ihog]

Look at your original post, and look at the link you just posted. You said your mobo was the ASRock H77M, not the H77 Pro4-M.

Also, I'm not sure if it would be affecting it, but it's better to just use a slot that runs at full x16 to rule out anything else. But, the info I gave you is all incorrect, because you didn't post the correct mobo, besides "Is your display plugged into your graphics card? If so, the IGP is not being used, and isn't the problem."

So, to be clear, is your mobo the ASRock H77M or the ASRock H77 Pro4-M?

 

[Reggie_B]

Oops, thanks for correcting that. My motherboard is infact a H77 Pro4-M. Sorry for the confusion, the names they're coming up with these days are awfully similar.

 

[ihog]

Okay, update your bios to the latest revision, because your current one doesn't officially support Windows 8, which could be causing problems.

I do seriously recommend making some room to use the top slot, because it could be bottlenecking your card, even from before you got the new CPU, because the second PCIe slot runs at x4, and the bottom PCIe slot runs at x1. Plus, it gives me some peace of mind when troubleshooting.

 

[Reggie_B]

Alright, thanks alot for the advice. If I can't figure out any other solution, I'll assume that the PCI-e slot is the bottleneck; I'll have to buy a usb wireless card to make room, but it should be possible. I didn't really know there was a difference in PCI-e slots, so thanks for telling me.

 

[Reggie_B]

Okay, update your bios to the latest revision, because your current one doesn't officially support Windows 8, which could be causing problems.

I do seriously recommend making some room to use the top slot, because it could be bottlenecking your card, even from before you got the new CPU, because the second PCIe slot runs at x4, and the bottom PCIe slot runs at x1. Plus, it gives me some peace of mind when troubleshooting.

That did it! I messed around with some stuff to test it, and using the top PCI-e port made all the difference. I'm still not sure why upgrading my CPU would make things worse if my GPU was the bottleneck, but I'm not going to complain about getting things working. Thanks again for all your help.