Thinkpads Forum

Has anyone tried GMABooster (http://www.gmabooster.com/), which claims to overclock Intel integrated graphics, on a ThinkPad?

No.

However it does look interesting, so I am going to try it on my T60 and report back. I am using Vista Ultimate, so I wonder if it will hurt or help the system. Not a big deal really as that is why we have restore points.

Tried it and it said my GPU was already clocked at 400MHz.

I re-booted and re-ran the software and it still says 400MHz. Vista showed no increase in GPU performce from the WEI index.

It could be that the program doesn't work, or doesn't work under Vista. I even tried running it as Administrator to see if it made any difference. It hasn't.

FWIW.

OK, so I just tried it too on a T60.

The clock was set to 400MHz right after start so I could only clock it down. It indeed does something as the rate reported by Lavalys Everest changes.

However, they don't match. The value showed by Everest is always lower. If I set it to 400MHz, Everest reports 250Mhz. If I set 250, it reports 200 and so on. I don't know who to believe. This issue is mentioned in the FAQ on GMABooster's website.

I haven't done any benchmarks on the lower settings, maybe later if I get some free time.

I guess the tool may really work on some hardware but not on ThinkPads. According to the FAQ, most manufacturers clock the GMA down, this doesn't include Lenovo it seems. We already have what this tool tries to give us.

Hey,

Those frequency issues you mention are all explained in the program's faq... It is not possible to read the GMA950s frequency correctly, tools like Everest and GPU-Z read it as 250 or 400mhz, although that might not be the correct speed.

Q.: On my laptop (built on Intel® 945GM/GME/GMS/GSE or 943/940GML/GU Express chipset) a popular diagnostic utility GPU-Z reports that I already have GMA 950 running at a speed of 400 MHz. Do I still need the GMABooster?
A.: Well, GPU-Z detects GMA 950, but does not read its actual clock. This is a known issue. Please note that there are no devices built on Intel® 945GM/GME/GMS/GSE or 943/940GML/GU Express chipset which have GMA 950 running at a default clock of 400 MHz. By the way, another popular utility, Lavalys® Everest is also not correct in its readings. It will report 250 MHz for actual 400 MHz and 200 MHz for actual 250 MHz. So, an answer is: yes, the GMABooster is still needed.

Above have been copy/pasted from http://www.gmabooster.com/faq.htm

By the way, a popular Lavalys Everest is also telling You the wrong values: 250 instead of 400, 200 instead of 250. But if You run a low-level GPU test like Pixel Shaders and Multitexturing in 3dmark '05/'06, you would see a relevant boost. You can even precisely predict it with a calculator for each avaliable setting.

Above written by the author of the program...

More information can be found here:
http://forums.msiwind.net/internal-hard ... 30-20.html

Too bad it's not made for the X3100
/Speeder

what is the main reason to boost your X3100 ???

Thinkpad is non meant for gaming,
assembly a powerful desktop pc is high end gaming is your option.

gunston wrote:what is the main reason to boost your X3100 ???

Thinkpad is non meant for gaming,
assembly a powerful desktop pc is high end gaming is your option.

"Not meant for gaming" doesn't mean "can't run games at all". Obviously no overclocking of Intel graphics is going to match a dedicated GPU but that doesn't mean it isn't worth getting the most you can out of it. I play several older 3D games on my X61; if I had no interest in games at all I'd probably still be using my X31 as my main portable.

jdrou wrote: "Not meant for gaming" doesn't mean "can't run games at all". Obviously no overclocking of Intel graphics is going to match a dedicated GPU but that doesn't mean it isn't worth getting the most you can out of it. I play several older 3D games on my X61; if I had no interest in games at all I'd probably still be using my X31 as my main portable.

HEY! The X31 is a great machine for emulating the Nintendo 64! Don't knock it until you try it!

spirit of X31

I didn't say there was anything wrong with the X31; I played BF1942 and UT2004 on it occasionally. It's certainly not as good as an X61 for gaming though; many games will simply not load at all on a video card that old (e.g. no pixel shaders at all). BF2 runs (barely) on my X61 (only with external monitor because the game can't handle a 50Hz refresh). Also the strategy game Europa Universalis III which requires pixel shader 2.0 (added 50Hz refresh support in a patch).