This Windows 11 Acer Laptop got me Questioning...

very_452001 · Jan 7, 2024

ThrashZone said:
Enable or Disable Driver Updates in Windows Update in Windows 10

How to Enable or Disable Including Driver Updates in Windows Update in Windows 10

www.tenforums.com

Great, so the idea is to do this on a new laptop before you open windows update?

very_452001 · Jan 7, 2024

BobOmb said:
The lazy way to remove pre-installed apps is to let ADWCleaner do all the work

https://adwcleaner.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner?channel=release

I already have Malwarebytes Premium. This is extra cost?

very_452001 · Jan 7, 2024

Helmut said:
There are no issues, you can look up the details of those updates but it is very tedious and time consuming.
An older version maybe required before the latest, obviously on a new Laptop they may appear to be duplicated/older because so many were done on the same date. No need to worry about that.

Okay to confirm MS windows update needs to install both the old version and new version of a driver for a single same device to get that device working? Installing just the latest version is not enough?

Helmut said:
You don't, it decides itself, in conjunction with power limits of the Laptop cooling solution.
Max TDP limit is part of that.
If it could run at max Turbo Boost and increased TDP all the time the Laptop CPU would overheat and shut down to protect itself.

Do you know where I can see the TDP settings in windows?

The AMD Radeon 660M RDNA 2 iGPU only has a low 512mb of Dedicated VRAM after googling, I like to game on this laptop, do you know how do I increase the VRAM?

Okay lastly the Microsoft Pluton Chip, do you know anything about it? I think this laptop has both TPM and MS Pluton in it, I don't know whether the TPM in this laptop is actual hardware device or software emulated however MS Pluton is superior to any TPM right? How do I know whether windows is using MS Pluton or TPM or does windows use both? From here do you know how I can encrypt the laptop SSD drive using MS Pluton?

idgat · Jan 7, 2024

very_452001 said:
Okay to confirm MS windows update needs to install both the old version and new version of a driver for a single same device to get that device working? Installing just the latest version is not enough?

In some cases, an update is just a change/addition to an existing installation. In other cases it's a total new installation.

Let Windows decide.

very_452001 · Jan 7, 2024

idgat said:
In some cases, an update is just a change/addition to an existing installation. In other cases it's a total new installation.

Let Windows decide.

Okay shall I download the AMD Graphics GPU drivers from AMD website or from Acer site when it comes to gaming performance?

I ask because I went to AMD site and AMD says on their site:

Important Note for Laptop and All-In-One (AIO) PCs

AMD recommends OEM-provided drivers which are customized and validated for their system-specific features and optimizations.

If you experience issues using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition driver package downloaded from AMD.com, please install the OEM-provided drivers for full support and compatibility.

What's the difference between OEM drivers and the latest drivers directly from a website?

From here shall I ignore AMD's message on their site and download the latest drivers anyway?

Same applies to Chipset Drivers?

Helmut · Jan 8, 2024

AdwCleaner will detect Manufacturers stuff as PUPs which you will have to put on an exclusion list otherwise it will stop them working.
You still have to make the decisions. If you do not know, don't use it. It is a free App.

"Okay to confirm MS windows update needs to install both the old version and new version of a driver for a single same device to get that device working? Installing just the latest version is not enough?"

No, the same drivers are updated, the device will work before and after the updates. I think Windows archives the last driver so you can roll back, however I doubt you would ever use that feature.

Drivers from the Manufacturers and Windows updates are in general OEM. There maybe slight differences for particular Laptop hardware.

"From here shall I ignore AMD's message on their site and download the latest drivers anyway?
Same applies to Chipset Drivers?"

No need for this at all, just leave it to Windows updates/manufacturers app.

"Do you know where I can see the TDP settings in windows?"
You can't, they are of no use to you anyway. The configurable TDP is only 15-28 w.

The specs for your iGPU is "GPU Max. Memory 2GB" taken from AMD spec sheet.
No idea about AMD CPUs/iGPUs/GPUs, I'm firmly in the Intel and Nvidia camps.

very_452001 · Jan 8, 2024

Helmut said:
"Okay to confirm MS windows update needs to install both the old version and new version of a driver for a single same device to get that device working? Installing just the latest version is not enough?"

No, the same drivers are updated, the device will work before and after the updates. I think Windows archives the last driver so you can roll back, however I doubt you would ever use that feature.

Okay from my understanding the older prior driver is downloaded and kept in archive just in case you need to roll back to it due to for example new latest driver version are not stable?

Helmut said:
Drivers from the Manufacturers and Windows updates are in general OEM. There maybe slight differences for particular Laptop hardware.

I have a laptop so which types of drivers you suggest for me?

Helmut said:
"From here shall I ignore AMD's message on their site and download the latest drivers anyway?
Same applies to Chipset Drivers?"

No need for this at all, just leave it to Windows updates/manufacturers app.

I mean for gaming performance, shall I stick to AMD OEM drivers from Acer website/Windows update or get the latest drivers directly from AMD website? I see the OEM ones are old dated.

Helmut said:
The configurable TDP is only 15-28 w.

The TDP cant be configured to max 28w? In windows 11 settings how do I increase the performance of the laptop when the charger is plugged in?

Helmut said:
The specs for your iGPU is "GPU Max. Memory 2GB" taken from AMD spec sheet.
No idea about AMD CPUs/iGPUs/GPUs, I'm firmly in the Intel and Nvidia camps.

It says dedicated memory is 512MB, you mean it borrows some RAM from my 16GB main system ram automatically to get it to 2GB when needed reducing my system ran to 14gb when gaming?

Helmut · Jan 10, 2024

The Laptop has an integrated GPU, almost nothing can be done to improve performance, it is what it is.

"The TDP cant be configured to max 28w? In windows 11 settings how do I increase the performance of the laptop when the charger is plugged in?"

The manufacturer sets the TDP in line with the cooling solution. Also the power plan is different when plugged in.

"you mean it borrows some RAM from my 16GB main system ram automatically to get it to 2GB when needed reducing my system ran to 14gb when gaming?"

Yes, depends on how much VRAM a game needs, 2 GB out of 16 GB is not much, so it does not matter.

"I have a laptop so which types of drivers you suggest for me?"

I already said, you just get drivers from the Manufacturer and Windows updates. It does not impact gaming performance. There is almost nothing that will improve gaming performance with integrated graphics.

You are just repeating the same questions.

Hazel123 · Jan 10, 2024

There aren’t that many Acer apps. I would just leave them. Over time you can explore and see if they are useful or not. Or just ignore them completely. The one that allows bios updates is important as that can simplify bios updates when they’re released.

So in terms of uninstalling any useless pre installed software, I would just uninstall things like trials of antivirus.

And just enjoy the laptop.

pparks1 · Jan 10, 2024

very_452001 said:
https://store.acer.com/en-gb/acer-swift-edge-ultra-thin-laptop-sfa16-41-blue-nx-kabek-002

I have this 16" Oled, 3840 x 2400, 60Hz, 16:10 Screen Laptop, Specs:

- Windows 11 Home
- AMD Ryzen 6600U CPU (How do I enable Turbo Boost from 2.90GHz to 4.50GHz?)

There is nothing you have to enable on the Ryzen 6600U CPU. 2.9Ghz is the base frequency clock, and it will boost to 4.5Ghz when needed on it's own.

very_452001 · Jan 11, 2024

Helmut said:
The manufacturer sets the TDP in line with the cooling solution. Also the power plan is different when plugged in.

Okay to clarify for my understanding the power plan settings in windows determines is correlated to the TDP however both depends on the laptop's cooling capabilities?

Helmut said:
Yes, depends on how much VRAM a game needs, 2 GB out of 16 GB is not much, so it does not matter.

Ok the iGPU has dedicated 512MB of VRAM and can borrow further ram from the system main memory to max 2GB. What it is that I like to play Older PC games at 4K 60fps maxed out settings as I understand newer today games wont run well on this laptop you know what I mean.

Helmut said:
I already said, you just get drivers from the Manufacturer and Windows updates. It does not impact gaming performance. There is almost nothing that will improve gaming performance with integrated graphics.

Will there be issues with my laptop if I directly download the latest amd radeon drivers directly from the amd website?
What it is I like to optimise the max I can get from this laptop while its plugged in.