Integrated Video Problems with Core i5 Line

[Vicenarian]

Forgive my n00bness, but I'm still new to the while i3/i5/i7 line of Intel processors. From what I understand, the i3 and i5 (not sure on the i7) have integrated graphics processors. Now, theoretically, if the integrated graphics processor on these CPUs were to go bad, would you be able to disable the integrated graphics and use an external graphics card? Or is this even a valid concern of the core i3/i5/i7 line? I would imagine the integrated GPU would generate quite a bit more heat...but yeah, forgive my ignorance.

Anyone want to clue me in on this issue?

 

[NYJimbo]

I have only read up on the i3 and from what I can tell there are pins on the chip to disable the graphics core or circuits. I imagine it would also require a BIOS and other circuits outside the CPU for operator intervention like during diags or configuration. Some lines on the chip seem to mimic all the normal circuits of a outboard video chip (if we can call it that) and so even though these new chips integrate it, it would still be seen to coders as discrete addressable lines and just require signals to turn them on or off or use them for monitoring.

There are scattered chats about i3/i5 thermal issues, like this one:

http://www.howtofixcomputers.com/forums/hardware/core-i3-thermals-287831.html

but this is still pretty new stuff so I think we need more people batting them around to find out real world, rather than Intel cleanroom information.

I would be very interested to get some i3 and i5 systems with graphics problems and see if they are really isolated from the circuits that make up the rest of the cpu.

 

[Vicenarian]

I should have replied to this sorry, but yeah, it's an interesting topic. I guess as these CPUs become more popular, and therefore more people have issues with them, we'll see what fixes come up.