Question [PERFORMANCE] Both integrated and dedicated GPU

[Codrinul]

Hello guys,

Laptop Model: Asus X556UQK
GPU (dedicated) - GeForce MX940
GPU (integrated) - Intel 620

I am really struggling with performance issues for a while now. Also, a fan is making a weird noise.
Consistent and lenghty FPS drops on both dedicated and integrated GPUs making the simplest games unplayable.

I have checked the task manager (performance tab) and noticed weird spikes on the usage graph.

Please help and advise!

(Side story: I had disk issues about 3 months ago and I changed from HDD to SSD. I also added additional 8Gb of RAM at this upgrade. All went good for about 1 month, then I started to have frequent lengthy fps drops on dedicated GPU.
I then started to use integrated GPU on the games I played and all on low settings - League of Legends/Starcraft.

I then went to a different technician to investigate possible issues, who said he pushed the GPUs to a high temperature and it was all okay, and the weird noise is because the fan is a little bit offcentred and it must be replaced.
When I asked if he can replace it and what's the model he said he didnt note the model and he had already put my laptop back together.
So I took my laptop home in the idea to take it elsewhere. Which I didn't do by now
I am now having the same issues on the integrated GPU while playing the simplest games)

 

[Eximo]

So he took it apart, found a problem, and put it back together? What kind of shop is that? Did you refuse payment or something? Free diagnostics?

Either way, you just look up your laptop model and 'replacement fan' and you should be some results for used and refurbished parts, or new in this case.

https://www.amazon.com/Laptop-X556UQ-FL5900U-FL5900L-Cooling/dp/B07LG9ST17

Not that difficult to take apart, usually just need a set of small electronics (commonly called precision) screw drivers and a jimmy/spudger (guitar picks work fairly well, or oddly, I've found my mother's plastic makeup applicators to be quite amazing) for any plastic clips that need separation.

https://www.amazon.com/iFixit-Essen...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E2ZYS4Z99GA95EQB7DQJ

https://www.amazon.com/Beauticom-Co...eup+applicator+spatula,electronics,200&sr=8-6

And you can find whole tutorials for dissaembly:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQkl3Bru4Xw

 

[Codrinul]

So he took it apart, found a problem, and put it back together? What kind of shop is that? Did you refuse payment or something? Free diagnostics?

Either way, you just look up your laptop model and 'replacement fan' and you should be some results for used and refurbished parts, or new in this case.

https://www.amazon.com/Laptop-X556UQ-FL5900U-FL5900L-Cooling/dp/B07LG9ST17

Not that difficult to take apart, usually just need a set of small electronics (commonly called precision) screw drivers and a jimmy/spudger (guitar picks work fairly well, or oddly, I've found my mother's plastic makeup applicators to be quite amazing) for any plastic clips that need separation.

https://www.amazon.com/iFixit-Essen...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E2ZYS4Z99GA95EQB7DQJ

https://www.amazon.com/Beauticom-Cosmetic-Disposable-Spatulas-Container/dp/B01CTYUFJA/ref=sr_1_6?crid=37KSJUDBS0ITP&keywords=makeup+applicator+spatula&qid=1573070049&sprefix=makeup+applicator+spatula,electronics,200&sr=8-6

And you can find whole tutorials for dissaembly:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQkl3Bru4Xw

Thanks for the tips,
I went for a diagnosis and a clean up. They said they tested both GPUs without issues so they put it back together.
They did say I should replace the fan and not must.
When they said they have to take the laptop apart again in order to take the model of the fan I just took it back,

Wanted to see if there is anything else wrong before turning it in.

Maybe some checks somebody might figure out with some software, etc.

 

[Eximo]

Well, a non-working fan is a pretty big deal to a laptop.

As for software tests, you could run memest x86 to see if the memory upgrade worked alright. That could certainly cause issues since the onboard graphics uses that memory.

Any application running off the MX940 would be using its own internal memory, so wouldn't be effected. You could look at drivers, making sure they are up to date.

Only other thing would be to monitor temperatures while attempting to run games. If the system is overheating, that would explain a lot. Without knowing how those guys run their diagnostics or what they did to verify everything was working, not sure what to tell you on that.

 

[Codrinul]

Well, a non-working fan is a pretty big deal to a laptop.

As for software tests, you could run memest x86 to see if the memory upgrade worked alright. That could certainly cause issues since the onboard graphics uses that memory.

Any application running off the MX940 would be using its own internal memory, so wouldn't be effected. You could look at drivers, making sure they are up to date.

Only other thing would be to monitor temperatures while attempting to run games. If the system is overheating, that would explain a lot. Without knowing how those guys run their diagnostics or what they did to verify everything was working, not sure what to tell you on that.

Temperatures don't go above 65 ... 70 degrees Celsius (in BIOS).
Will run the memtest.

Until now I have disabled the dedicated GPU but now the integrated one behaves the same.

Poor performance.