4

I know there are integrated (on-board) and discrete graphics cards available. But what is the difference between integrated and discrete graphics cards?

I'm not interested in the difference between different models of graphics cards, which would be too broad for this question, but the difference between these two types of graphics cards. Are they the same type of device or are they different?

I'm not interested in trivia regarding dimensions, voltages, fan speeds of different models of graphics cards, etc. That would also be too broad for this question.

I'm not interested in anything else that would be too broad for this question, whatever it is that I haven't imagined yet. I'm interested in the basic difference between these two types of graphics cards.

0

1 Answer 1

8

Integrated graphics

Integrated or on-board graphics are built in to the motherboard or CPU. Integrated graphics use a portion of a computer's system RAM instead of their own dedicated memory.1 Integrated graphics are less powerful than discrete graphics, but conserve energy.

Some AMD Ryzen processors have no integrated graphics, so you won't see anything on the monitor and they can't run Ubuntu unless there is an additional discrete graphics processor device installed. You need a discrete GPU for Ryzen CPUs that don't have a G suffix. The open source drivers for integrated graphics of Intel CPUs are installed by default in all currently supported versions of Ubuntu. The open source drivers for integrated graphics of AMD CPUs that include built-in integrated graphics are also installed by default in all currently supported versions of Ubuntu.

Discrete graphics

Discrete graphics deliver more processing power and a higher quality visual experience compared to integrated graphics, for use in applications that require a lot of computing power such as HD video content and 3D games.

The built-in ubuntu-drivers terminal program can be useful in identifying the recommended proprietary discrete graphics drivers, but it is important to understand that the results of ubuntu-drivers devices are sometimes wrong for some very new devices, and that is one of the reasons why open source graphics drivers are built-in in Ubuntu.

Hybrid graphics

Hybrid graphics software permits switching between integrated and discrete graphics based on how much processing power the running applications require. The right hybrid graphics software to install in Ubuntu is the software that is compatible with your computer's hardware.

Motherboards with integrated and discrete graphics
Integrated graphics can be integrated onto the motherboard as part of the chipset and/or within the same die as the CPU1

1 Wikipedia

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .