How can I enable both Intel graphics and PCI-E in Asus P8H61?

Hello!

I have already contacted Asus about it, but I post it here as well, just in case someone knows the answer and can help me. I have an Asus P8H61 motherboard which is based on Intel H61 chipset (socket 1155). This motherboard supports Intel graphics combined with a compatible CPU, such as my Intel Core-i3 3220. I have also installed a discreet PCI-E graphics card, Asus GT620-1DG3 which is based on nVidia GeForce GT 620 chipset. So far so good. Recently I read about DirectX 12's ability to combine two or more graphics adapters to improve performance, so I decided to enable the onboard Intel graphics and try it. The problem is that onboard graphics is disabled automatically when a discreet graphics card is installed, and I couldn't find in BIOS how to enable it. I remember some other motherboards have a control for auto (disable onboard if discreet is installed) or enable (enable onboard even if discreet is installed). I could not find anything similar in my BIOS. Anyone knows if it is possible for my motherboard and how to do it? Reading the Manual didn't shed any light and I have already searched all the BIOS settings many times. I'm missing something? Could it be that a new BIOS dropped support for this feature? Not that I expect miracles in performance, but I want to do it just out of curiosity.

Thank you in advance.

If memory serves, Asus had a Win 7 utility called Lucid Virtu that enable both the iGPU (integrated GPU) and a discrete GPU to be operated simultaneously. The main point was to permit the Intel iGPU to be used as a numerical accelerator for some software that supported it.

It required that the iGPU be turned on in the BIOS settings. As your H61 board lacks that setting, it may not be possible to prevent the iGPU from being disabled.

In the sour grapes area, the performance of the iGPU may be so poor compared to even a low-end discrete card that you're not missing out on much.

I'm also doubtful that Win 7 currently supports heterogeneous graphics controllers. It has been promised, but I doubt that current drivers permit that.

Thank you for your reply. I suspect that the BIOS settings are dynamic. This means that it hides settings that do not apply with current hardware. Since I have installed a discreet graphics card, any option relative to iGPU is hidden. I will try to remove the card and boot with the iGPU to see if there is any difference in BIOS. Chances are that I will be able to always enable it, even when a discreet graphics card is present. I am not 100% sure, but I would bet I have seen this setting in my BIOS as well, that's why I was surprised not to find it now. I'll do my test and let you know.

Well.. mystery solved, sort of... I shutdown my computer in order to remove my discreet graphics card and try booting with iGPU, only to find out there is no VGA output on the motherboard! And then I remembered that my motherboard is a full-ATX model, so there is no onboard graphics support, even if my CPU can provide Intel graphics at supported motherboards! That's why I could not find anything relevant in the BIOS. I obviously had in mind the mini-ATX Asus models that do support iGPU. I feel so stupid...

Thank you guys for trying to help.

Good news is that I would probably not see much improvement combining Intel HD graphics with GeForce GT 620.