A discrete, or dedicated, video card in a computer certainly improves graphics performance. However, adding a discrete video card also raises the cost of a PC considerably. Therefore, many mainboard and system manufacturers include GPU video chipsets on their boards to lower costs for consumers. While the GPU chipsets on most motherboards offer less performance than higher end video cards in 3D games, the onboard graphics chips provide adequate performance in mainstream applications. Nevertheless, some but not all motherboards with onboard GPUs do allow you to overclock the chipset slightly to improve performance.
Instructions
1. Shut down the computer and restart it. Press the "Pause/Break" key as soon as you see the initial boot screen or the system or motherboard manufacturer logo. Locate a message on the screen that indicates which key you must press to access the BIOS setup menu. If no such message is visible on the screen, refer to the user guide for your system or motherboard. Keys commonly used to access the BIOS setup menu are Delete, F1 and F12. However, the BIOS access key for your machine may differ.
2. Press the appropriate key to access the BIOS setup menu. Enter the BIOS password if prompted and wait a few seconds for the main BIOS menu screen to appear.
3. Press the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the cursor to the "Advanced" or "Advanced Features" option. Press "Enter" and move the cursor to the "Integrated Devices" or "Onboard Devices" setting. Press the "Enter" key again.
4. Scroll down to the "Onboard Video," "Integrated Video" or other similar menu option and press "Enter." Ensure that the "Enabled/Disabled" option is set to "Enabled" and press the "Enter" key.
5. Move the cursor to the "Video Options," "Bandwidth Options," "Speed Settings" or other similarly named menu option in the Onboard Video or Integrated Video submenu.
6. Scroll to the "GPU Core Speed," "Clock Speed" or other similar option and press the "Enter" key. Press the down-arrow key to select a core clock speed in megahertz faster than the current value. Highlight the faster speed setting and press the "Enter" key.
7. Scroll to the "Core Voltage" or "GPU Voltage" menu option. Press the down-arrow key to select a core voltage for the GPU processor that is slightly higher than the current value. If possible, with your BIOS setup menu, increase the core voltage by .25 or less on the first overclocking attempt.
8. Click the "Save and Exit" or "Save Changes and Exit" link on the BIOS menu screen. Wait a few seconds for the computer to restart and allow it to boot into Windows.
9. Launch an application or game and use as you normally would. If the computer runs the game or program without crashing or freezing, you overclocked the onboard GPU successfully. If the computer crashes, go back into the BIOS setup menu and reduce the core speed or voltage for GPU slightly. Continue tweaking the core speed and voltage settings for the GPU until the system runs stably.
Tags: BIOS setup, BIOS setup menu, setup menu, access BIOS, access BIOS setup, menu option