CN100374984C - A method and device for switching the operating frequency of a graphics card - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for switching the working frequency of a graphics card, which comprises the steps of: storing the frequency status of the graphics card that can be selected by the user; detecting the working frequency supported by the current graphics card; receiving input information for the user to select the working frequency of the graphics card; The working frequency of the graphics card is compared with the working frequency supported by the current graphics card. If the user’s choice cannot be supported, the current graphics card’s working frequency will be output for the user to choose again; Frequency, adjust the related attributes of the video memory; return the adjusted information to complete the switching of the video card operating frequency. The invention also discloses a device for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card.

Description

A method and device for switching the operating frequency of a graphics card

technical field

The invention relates to data processing and display technology, in particular to a method and device for switching the operating frequency of a graphics card.

Background technique

At present, notebook computers are becoming more and more popular, and the graphics cards selected are also varied. Graphics cards with different specifications have different default operating frequencies. For example, the maximum operating frequency of NVIDIA’s graphics card model NV41M-U is 450MHz, the maximum operating frequency of NV43M graphics card is 375MHz, and the maximum operating frequency of NV44M-V graphics card The highest operating frequency is 300MHz. Since high frequency can improve performance and achieve a higher display level, more and more high-frequency graphics cards are used in notebook computers.

However, when we just use a notebook computer to play ordinary DVD movies, or when we just use a notebook computer to write documents, the operating frequency of the graphics card only needs to reach 200MHz, or even 100MHz can fully meet the applications in these modes.

At the same time, the battery life of notebooks has become one of the focuses of public attention. We generally hope that the battery life of the laptop we use can achieve the best results. For this reason, the main manufacturers of graphics cards, ATI and NV, have introduced corresponding power-saving technologies to reduce the power consumption of graphics cards by reducing the frequency and other methods.

However, the operation of these existing power-saving technologies all need to configure some special tools and settings (such as the POWERSTRIP tool for adjusting the frequency of ATI graphics cards), and the work efficiency needs to be improved. Users who are not familiar with the system will feel that the operation is very cumbersome, which will affect the user experience.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a flowchart of a method for adjusting the operating frequency of a graphics card in a traditional notebook computer.

Step S911, the display device displays the desktop; Step S912, the user searches for the graphics card frequency adjustment tool; Step S913, the user starts the graphics card frequency adjustment tool by double-clicking; Processing, controlling the display device to display setting options; step S915, the user selects the operating frequency of the graphics card; step S916, the user selects the corresponding video memory operating frequency; step S917, the user confirms the above selection, and determines the operating frequency of the graphics card.

However, there are some deficiencies in the adjustment method of the prior art: the work efficiency needs to be improved, because there are many operation steps, and users who are not familiar with the system will feel that the operation is very cumbersome, which affects the user's experience; The user selects the corresponding working frequency of the video memory, but cannot automatically adjust the working frequency of the video memory to adapt to the working frequency of the graphics card, which is prone to misoperation, and it is difficult to achieve a better display effect and power saving effect.

Contents of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method and device for switching the operating frequency of a graphics card, which is simple to implement and can conveniently achieve a better display effect.

For this reason, the technical scheme that the present invention solves technical problem is: provide a kind of method of switching graphics card operating frequency, comprise steps:

1) Store the frequency status of the graphics card that can be selected by the user;

2) Detect the operating frequency supported by the current graphics card;

3) receiving input information from the user to select the operating frequency of the graphics card;

4) Compare the working frequency of the graphics card selected by the user with the working frequency supported by the current graphics card, if the user's choice can be supported, then enter step 5); if the user's choice cannot be supported, output the current graphics card working frequency, and return step 3);

5) According to the operating frequency of the selected graphics card, adjust the relevant attributes of the video memory;

6) Return the adjusted information and complete the switching of the graphics card's operating frequency;

The detection process of described step 2) specifically is to call the interface of bottom layer and graphics card in conjunction with the driver of graphics card and VBIOS, the parameter of identification graphics card; The adjustment process of described step 5) is specifically to call VBIOS bottom layer parameter, revise parameter value; Described The return process of step 6) is to pass the Driver identification and feed back the information to the system.

Preferably, the receiving process in step 3) specifically receives the input information generated by the user clicking the working frequency drop-down menu or receives the selection instruction sent by the user through the shortcut key.

Preferably, the step 2) further includes: receiving information that the user initiates the adjustment of the operating frequency, and displaying the operating frequency for the user to select.

Preferably, the process of receiving startup information is specifically receiving a scan code sent by the user through the embedded controller by using a shortcut key.

Preferably, the display process in step 2) includes: comparing the stored operating frequency with the operating frequency supported by the current graphics card, and displaying an adjustable operating frequency.

The present invention also provides a device for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card, including: a user information receiving unit, used to receive the information that the user starts the working frequency adjustment process and the information that the user selects the working frequency; a graphics card parameter identification unit, used to obtain the information supported by the current graphics card operating frequency; adjust the information return unit for returning the selected graphics card operating frequency and video memory attributes to the system; also include:

The frequency storage unit is used to store the frequency state of the graphics card that can be selected by the user;

A frequency display unit, used to display the operating frequency of the graphics card selected by the user;

A frequency comparison unit, used to compare the operating frequency selected by the user with the operating frequency supported by the graphics card;

The video memory attribute adjustment unit is used to adjust the working attribute of the video memory under the working frequency of the selected graphics card;

The user information receiving unit is an embedded controller; the graphics card parameter identification unit includes a graphics card driver and VBIOS; the adjustment information returning unit is a bottom layer driver of a graphics card.

Preferably, the frequency storage unit, the frequency display unit, the frequency comparison unit, and the video memory attribute adjustment unit are separate devices; or at least two units are integrated together.

Preferably, the frequency storage unit, frequency display unit, frequency comparison unit, and video memory attribute adjustment unit are chips containing firmware, or software modules running on data processing equipment.

Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: firstly, because the present invention can automatically detect the operating frequency supported by the graphics card, compare it with the user's selection to determine the appropriate operating frequency, and after determining the operating frequency, it can automatically adjust the operating frequency. The better display effect under the working frequency, it is very convenient to adapt to different working methods and use environments, which is convenient for users to use and prolongs the use time in battery mode as much as possible. Therefore, its implementation is relatively simple, and users only need relatively simple and direct operations (for example, using "one key" or "key combination" to switch) to achieve the purpose of switching the operating frequency of the graphics card, without having to master complex knowledge about the operating system , adding new features of data processing equipment to provide users with a more colorful experience and convenient use. It enables end users to clarify the current working frequency, adjust different working frequencies according to different tasks, save power consumption as much as possible, and extend battery life.

Secondly, due to the use of key switching, the user can complete all switching actions without seeing or clearly seeing the display.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the flow chart of adjusting the operating frequency of the graphics card in the prior art;

Fig. 2 is the flowchart of the method for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card in the present invention;

Fig. 3 is the schematic diagram of user's operation in the method of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram of a device for switching the operating frequency of a graphics card according to the present invention;

5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the device for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a working principle diagram of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 .

Detailed ways

The invention is applied to the data processing equipment to adjust the working frequency of the graphics card of the data processing equipment. The data processing device refers to an electronic device capable of data processing, including but not limited to a desktop computer, a notebook computer, and the like.

When the data processing device is in operation, the present invention can use simple operations to complete the adjustment of the working frequency of the graphics card according to the user's needs, so that the data processing device can be easily adapted to different working modes and use environments, which is convenient for the user to use as much as possible. Potentially prolonging the operating time of the data processing device in battery usage mode.

Please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a flow chart of the method for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card in the present invention.

Step S110, storing the frequency status of the graphics card that can be selected by the user.

Step S120, detecting the operating frequency supported by the current graphics card.

Step S130, receiving input information for the user to select the operating frequency of the graphics card.

Step S140, compare the working frequency of the graphics card selected by the user with the working frequency supported by the current graphics card, if the support of the user can be satisfied, then proceed to step S150; otherwise, execute step S190, output the current working frequency of the graphics card, and return to step S130 .

Step S150, confirming that the graphics card can reach the operating frequency selected by the user.

Step S160, judging whether the user adjusts the operating frequency of the graphics card again.

In step S170, according to the operating frequency of the selected graphics card, adjust the relevant attributes of the video memory to achieve the best display effect.

Step S180, feeding back the parameters of the best display effect to the system to complete the switching.

Wherein, the sequence between step S120 and step S130 can be adjusted according to the actual situation, and can also be performed at the same time.

Referring to Fig. 3 together, in the process flow of the present invention, for the user, the operation that needs to carry out is only the following two steps: start the graphics card operating frequency adjustment process, bring up the selection menu of the graphics card operating frequency; carry out the selection of the graphics card operating frequency, Enter selection information. The remaining steps are carried out automatically by the data processing equipment.

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which is a schematic diagram of the device for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card according to the present invention.

The device of the present invention includes a frequency storage unit 110 , a user information receiving unit 120 , a frequency display unit 130 , a graphics card parameter identification unit 140 , a frequency comparison unit 150 , a video memory attribute adjustment unit 160 and an adjustment information return unit 170 .

Wherein, the frequency storage unit 110 stores the frequency status of the graphics card that can be selected and used by the user.

The user information receiving unit 120 is configured to receive the information that the user initiates the adjustment of the working frequency and the selection information of the working frequency by the user.

The frequency display unit 130 is used for displaying the operating frequency of the graphics card that can be selected by the user during the adjustment process of the operating frequency.

The graphics card parameter identification unit 140 is used to detect the working frequency supported by the current graphics card during the working frequency adjustment process.

The frequency comparison unit 150 is used for comparing the operating frequency selected by the user with the operating frequency supported by the graphics card.

The video memory attribute adjustment unit 160 is used for adjusting the working attribute of the video memory under the selected graphics card operating frequency until the best display effect is achieved.

The adjustment information returning unit 170 is used to feed back the final adjustment information to complete the switching of the operating frequency of the graphics card.

Wherein, the frequency storage unit, the frequency display unit, the frequency comparison unit, and the video memory attribute adjustment unit are separate devices; or at least two units are integrated together. The frequency storage unit, frequency display unit, frequency comparison unit, and video memory property adjustment unit are chips containing firmware, or software modules running on data processing equipment.

In order to better understand the present invention, the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the examples.

Please refer to FIG. 5 , in an embodiment of the present invention, the data processing device includes a shortcut program module 200, and the shortcut program module 200 stores the operating frequency of the graphics card that can be selected by the user. The shortcut program module 200 receives instructions and data sent by the EC (embedded controller) 300, and performs corresponding processing;

Please also refer to Fig. 6, the working principle of this embodiment is:

Step S510, when the shortcut program module 200 is installed, the frequency status of the graphics card needed for actual work (such as playing DVD only needs 200MHz, document operation only needs 100MHz, etc.) is stored in the system, and the shortcut program module 200 stores graphics cards in different modes the required operating frequency;

Step S520, the user uses the shortcut key to call the shortcut program module 200 under the OS (operating system) through the EC 300;

Step S530, the shortcut program module 200 combines the driver of the graphics card and the VBIOS 400 to transfer to the bottom layer and the interface of the graphics card, and recognizes various parameters of the current graphics card; through the data stored in the shortcut program module 200, the shortcut program module 200 automatically detects all supported graphics cards. working frequency;

Step S540, displaying a menu of operating frequencies that allow adjustment, and the user selects the operating frequency of the graphics card (the selection can be specifically that the user clicks on the operating frequency drop-down menu to generate input information or the user sends a selection instruction through a shortcut key);

Step S550, select the minimum operating frequency of the graphics card supported by the user in reality, the shortcut program module 200 calls the VBIOS underlying parameters, changes the relevant values, adjusts the operating frequency of the video memory, etc., and automatically selects the best display effect;

In step S560, after the change of the underlying parameters is completed, the relevant information is fed back to the system through Driver identification, and the operating frequency of the graphics card is changed to the operating frequency required by the user.

The above operations are performed automatically by the shortcut program module combined with EC and VBIOS. For the user, only the following two operations are required:

Use the shortcut key to bring up the menu for adjusting the operating frequency of the graphics card;

Select the operating frequency of the graphics card.

It can be understood that the shortcut program module running in the data processing device may be software solidified in the chip; the chip may be a device in the existing data processing device, or it may be a Devices added on the basis of Of course, the shortcut program module can also be implemented in the form of hardware.

The present invention will be described below in conjunction with specific examples.

This example is an adjustment scheme that can be used with a laptop. The graphics card of the notebook computer is configured as NV-44m independent graphics card of NV Company. The core operating frequency of the graphics card is 400MHz by default. In fact, as long as the operating frequency is 200MHz, DVD discs can be played smoothly. When doing document operations, only 100MHz is needed to achieve good results. The shortcut program module can quickly switch between the required operating frequency in these two typical states and the highest 400MHz operating frequency that most needs to emphasize performance.

What the switching mode in this example adopts is that the special key on the keyboard sends out the combined key code to call the switching function (or mode switching key).

For example, switching from "400MHz Performance display mode" to "200MHz hard disk playback display mode" (refer to Figure 1 and Figure 6 together), it can be seen that through the use of this example, the operations required by the user are greatly reduced, from The original 6 steps are reduced to only 2 steps, and because of the key switch, the user can complete all the switching actions without seeing or clearly seeing the display. The most important thing is that by reducing the frequency, the battery life can be greatly extended to meet the needs of users.

In summary, the present invention calls the VBIOS underlying control technology of the graphics card through the shortcut key, adjusts the working frequency of the graphics card, and achieves the fast switching of the working frequency of the graphics card of the data processing device in different working environments, and achieves the best display effect in frequency adjustment. Under certain circumstances, it can meet the different requirements of customers for the operating frequency of the graphics card in different environments, so as to reduce the power consumption of data processing equipment or to promote the brand. And, if you only want to switch between certain specific operating frequencies, you can use shortcut keys to complete the switching in one step.

The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be pointed out that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, some improvements and modifications can also be made, and these improvements and modifications can also be made. It should be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

1. A method for switching graphics card operating frequency, characterized in that, comprising steps: 1) Store the frequency status of the graphics card that can be selected by the user; 2) Detect the operating frequency supported by the current graphics card; 3) receiving input information from the user to select the operating frequency of the graphics card; 4) Compare the working frequency of the graphics card selected by the user with the working frequency supported by the current graphics card, if the user's choice can be supported, then enter step 5); if the user's choice cannot be supported, output the current graphics card working frequency, and return step 3); 5) According to the operating frequency of the selected graphics card, adjust the relevant attributes of the video memory; 6) Return the adjusted information and complete the switching of the graphics card's working frequency; The detection process of described step 2) specifically is to call the interface of bottom layer and graphics card in conjunction with the driver of graphics card and VBIOS, the parameter of identification graphics card; The adjustment process of described step 5) is specifically to call VBIOS bottom layer parameter, revise parameter value; Described The return process of step 6) is to pass the Driver identification and feed back the information to the system. 2. The method for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card according to claim 1, characterized in that, the receiving process in the step 3) is specifically receiving the input information generated by the user clicking on the operating frequency drop-down menu or receiving the input information sent by the user through a shortcut key selection command. 3. The method for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the step 2) further comprises: receiving information that the user initiates the adjustment of the operating frequency, and displaying the operating frequency for the user to select. 4 . The method for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card according to claim 3 , wherein the process of receiving startup information is specifically receiving a scan code sent by a user through an embedded controller using a shortcut key. 5 . 5. The method for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card according to claim 3, wherein the display process of the step 2) includes: comparing the stored operating frequency with the operating frequency supported by the current graphics card, and displaying the allowable adjustment working frequency. 6. A device for switching the operating frequency of a graphics card, comprising: a user information receiving unit, which is used to receive the information that the user starts the working frequency adjustment process and the information that the user selects the working frequency; a graphics card parameter identification unit, which is used to obtain the work supported by the current graphics card Frequency; the adjustment information return unit is used to return the selected graphics card operating frequency and video memory attributes to the system; it is characterized in that it also includes: The frequency storage unit is used to store the frequency state of the graphics card that can be selected by the user; A frequency display unit, used to display the operating frequency of the graphics card selected by the user; A frequency comparison unit, used to compare the operating frequency selected by the user with the operating frequency supported by the graphics card; The video memory attribute adjustment unit is used to adjust the working attribute of the video memory under the working frequency of the selected graphics card; The user information receiving unit is an embedded controller; the graphics card parameter identification unit includes a graphics card driver and VBIOS; the adjustment information returning unit is a bottom layer driver of a graphics card. 7. The device for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card according to claim 6, wherein the frequency storage unit, the frequency display unit, the frequency comparison unit, and the video memory attribute adjustment unit are separate devices; or at least two units are integrated in Together. 8. The device for switching the operating frequency of the graphics card according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the frequency storage unit, the frequency display unit, the frequency comparison unit, and the video memory attribute adjustment unit are chips containing firmware, or A software module that runs on a data processing device.

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