Power consumption issue: dedicated graphics vs. integrated graphics

[peterterra]

Hello forums, I am looking to buy a new laptop, preferably ultraportable, as I will use it mostly for work (I have pc for gaming). With a limited budget, I want the best combination of cpu, ram, battery and other things, without caring much about the graphic cards.
The problem is that, with my budget, around USD 900, I can only buy generic laptops that come with dedicated graphic.
As title suggested, I want to know the difference of power consumption of integrated graphics (like Intel HD620) and dedicated graphics like nVidia 940MX and such. Is it noticable in real world, holding the battery specs constant?, because I will most likely use it for a long time without charging.

Another thing i would like to consult; my dilemma right now is between Acer Swift 5 and Dell Inspirion 7460. To give you guys a clearer picture, I want an Intel 7500U/7200U, upgradable ram, and preferably 15" screen. Also, I want the weight to be as minimal as possible. Please kindly advice my should you have any better choices.
My criteria are
1. battery life
2. weight
3. screen resolution/size

I know it is a long post and not well-organized, but I sincerely thank you all for the time.

 

[nvincent_08]

basicly most laptop that have dedicated graphic card usually also has integrated graphic card, so the graphic is switchable, however if there is no aplication that you run using dedicated graphic so the dedicated graphic wont be used which can save power consumption

1.lenovo ideapad 510-15 http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/500-series/510-15-inch/
2.asus k665ua https://www.asus.com/ae-en/Notebooks/K556UA/specifications/
3.lenovo ideapad 310-15 http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/300-series/310-15-inch/
4.asus f556ua https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-F556UA-UB71-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.3389259000
5.asus x556uq https://www.asus.com/Notebooks/ASUS-Vivobook-X556UQ/
6.acer e15 e5-575g https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/models/laptops/aspire-e
7.acer f15 f5-573g https://www.acer.com/ac/en/MY/content/models/laptops/aspiref15

note:
-not sure all of them have upgradable ram, some have no complete detailed info
-picked from intel website, here if you want to find some more http://www.intel.com/buy/us/en/catalog/laptops/all/7th-generation-intel-core-i7/sort,price-a/page,1/
-some laptop have dedicated nvidia graphic card

 

[jaguarskx]

The Intel i7-7500u is rated as a 15 watt CPU by Intel. Since the Intel HD 620 graphics core is integrated into the CPU which means the 15 watts includes both the CPU and GPU sides of the processor.

There are no official statements from nVidia regarding the power consumption of the 940mx, but it is estimated to be about 25 watts.

 

[nvincent_08]

The Intel i7-7500u is rated as a 15 watt CPU by Intel. Since the Intel HD 620 graphics core is integrated into the CPU which means the 15 watts includes both the CPU and GPU sides of the processor.

There are no official statements from nVidia regarding the power consumption of the 940mx, but it is estimated to be about 25 watts.

But however you only need it for work right? So 940mx not really necessary i guess, especially intel hd 620 is enough for usual task, especially it already support 4k playback

 

[peterterra]

The Intel i7-7500u is rated as a 15 watt CPU by Intel. Since the Intel HD 620 graphics core is integrated into the CPU which means the 15 watts includes both the CPU and GPU sides of the processor.

There are no official statements from nVidia regarding the power consumption of the 940mx, but it is estimated to be about 25 watts.

But however you only need it for work right? So 940mx not really necessary i guess, especially intel hd 620 is enough for usual task, especially it already support 4k playback

Sorry for the waiting, I have been so busy, but thank you for your kind advice Vincent!
You are correct, the dedicated graphics is not neccessary at all. I have more question though, you mentioned that the graphic is switchable, does this means it will automatically switch to the dedicated graphic when I run graphic-related task as it pleases? Battery wise, wouldnt that be power-consuming?
If so, wouldnt it be better if the laptop does not have dedicated graphic from the start to prolong the battery life?

FYI: by graphic-related, I refer to watching 4k movies and stuff, Not gaming.

Thank you all for the time!

Is there anyway to always default the gpu to integrate graphics?

 

[nvincent_08]

The Intel i7-7500u is rated as a 15 watt CPU by Intel. Since the Intel HD 620 graphics core is integrated into the CPU which means the 15 watts includes both the CPU and GPU sides of the processor.

There are no official statements from nVidia regarding the power consumption of the 940mx, but it is estimated to be about 25 watts.

But however you only need it for work right? So 940mx not really necessary i guess, especially intel hd 620 is enough for usual task, especially it already support 4k playback

Sorry for the waiting, I have been so busy, but thank you for your kind advice Vincent!
You are correct, the dedicated graphics is not neccessary at all. I have more question though, you mentioned that the graphic is switchable, does this means it will automatically switch to the dedicated graphic when I run graphic-related task as it pleases? Battery wise, wouldnt that be power-consuming?
If so, wouldnt it be better if the laptop does not have dedicated graphic from the start to prolong the battery life?

FYI: by graphic-related, I refer to watching 4k movies and stuff, Not gaming.

Thank you all for the time!

Is there anyway to always default the gpu to integrate graphics?

yes it will be used for graphics related task, but it may not run at all graphics related stuff, mostly run at 3d task, there should be way to keep it use integrated graphics, but however, even though the dedicated graphics not used, it still need some power to keep active at idle, which i dont know how much it will consume. chance to turn off the dedicated gpu is only little, there may be option at bios, but most laptop dont have that menu

 

[jaguarskx]

Right clicking on the desktop will give you the option to launch the Nvidia Control Panel. From there you can set the Manage 3D Settings to:

1. Auto-select
2. High-performance Nvidia processor = Always use Nvidia GPU
3. Integrated graphics = Always use Intel HD

 

[lukasjindrih]

I have a laptop with i3-5010U (Intel HD 5500) and GeForce 920M. I use these 3 things to increase battery life:

1. Disabling the dedicated graphics using Device Manager
The easiest way to get there is right-clicking on the windows logo (Start menu button) and selecting Device Manager. You can disable any device by right-clicking on its name, You will find both Intel HD and the dedicated GPU under "Graphics adapters".
While disabled, the dedicated graphics is "unplugged" by software, it should not consume any power, its driver will be unloaded and "nVidia Control Panel" link will be removed from most places. No application will be able to use it in any way.
This way, the dedicated graphics can be turned on or off anytime, without the need to reboot.

2. Playing with advanced power options
You can get there in the following way: Control Panel > Power options > Change plan settings (on the right, for any power plan you want) > Change advanced power settings
You can change many things there, for example maximum CPU frequency and TDP. This will limit both performance and power consumption.
Don't worry, I even play games with Intel HD 5500 and CPU limited to 0.8GHz. Also you can change it anytime.

3. Airplane mode
In this mode, all wireless adapters (BlueTooth, WiFi...) will be disabled. Wireless transfers can interfere with some airplane devices, so they are disabled by airplane companies - that's why the name. But you don't have to be in the air to use this mode.
Wireless transfer can sometimes drain a lot of energy, so disabling them can save a lot. You can use it anytime you know you will not need them. You can still use wired network connection to connect to the internet.
Airplane mode can be enabled or disabled in many ways, including a key shortcut (using the "Fn" key, varies by device).