can i disable GPU?

TechDude13

Honorable
Aug 8, 2013
23
0
10,510
I am building a new DAW-orientated PC, with which my mriorities are power and silence.

i realise that it also has ample performance to be used as a gaming rig. the drawback of this though is that i will have the added noise of a GPU.

is there any way to switch off the GPU (BIOS i am thinking) so that it is turned off for the most part, and i can switch it on only to satisfy my needs, on the rare occasions when i want to game?

i am thinking maybe a HD7770 for the GPU, the important parts of the rest of the rig is FX8350, 8GB Crucial Ballistix, M5A990FX Pro R2. in case they bear any relevance.

alternatively, for £70 or less, what ist the quietest/best performing GPU i can get? noise being mor ethe priority than power. as long as it can run Dirt3, Crysis1 and NFS Most Wanted >30fps on low settings, i am happy. thanks guys :D
 

neon neophyte

Splendid
BANNED
how would you use your computer at all without a graphics card?

graphics cards have their own power management. it is pretty decent. pretty much doesnt use what you arent using.

i suppose i could offer an alternative along the lines you are thinking though.

try msi afterburner. its a program for managing your gpu.

what you will want to do is set up a fan profile. figure out the max comfortable temperatures you want for your gpu (do some research on 7770 heat) and set up a gpu fan profile accordingly to minimizing noise without going over your max comfortable temperature.

might also consider disabling windows aero. it is what makes borders and the task bar translucent. it uses a slight amount of gpu to accomplish this. in turn it would cause your fan to spin just slightly faster. (theoretically.)
 

TechDude13

Honorable
Aug 8, 2013
23
0
10,510


i had a brainfart then. for some reason i thought that the CPU had an IGP. dont even ask me how that happened... haha

and yeah thanks for the Aero and fan profile advice, i will try them out for sure.

is the 7770 overkill at all, in terms of performance/noise? would a 7750 or 7730 do me better off? i would like to try and stick with a 7*** card, because of Mantle, and because they seem pretty futureproof.

cheers