The Best MUX Switch Gaming Laptops 2024 (Our Top Picks)

Best MUX Switch Gaming Laptops

Usually, the average modern gaming laptop comes with two GPUs. The integrated graphics processing unit also known as the IGPU and is a part of the CPU like the Radeon Vega graphics, Intel UHD Graphics, Intel Iris XE, etc, and also, the discrete or dedicated graphics processing unit (DGPU) like NVIDIA’s RTX AND RTX 3090. Gaming laptops like the MSI GS66 Stealth, Dell Alienware X17 R1, and XMG Neo 15 Gaming Laptop Series all feature the MUX switch option.

Our Top 3 Mux Switch Laptops👋

MSI Brand
MSI GS66 Stealth 15.6
  • 15.6" FHD, Anti-Glare Wide View Angle 240Hz 3ms
  • Intel Core i7-10750H
  • 16GB (8G*2) DDR4 2666MHz | 1TB NVMe SSD.
Razer Brand
Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2021
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series 
  • Intel 10th Gen 8-Core CPU 
  • 120Hz UHD for creative work with 4K clarity.
Alienware Brand
Alienware x15 R1, Non-Touch Gaming Laptop
  • 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 360Hz 10ms
  • 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 , 1 TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6.

ln laptops without mux switches, the display is connected to the CPU or IGPU, and then the CPU is connected to the GPU or DGPU. Therefore, all data are processed from the GPU or dGPU and then through the integrated graphics processing unit (IGPU) before being finally sent to the display.

This does not allow the optimization of the GPU or DGPU and reduces the maximum performance of laptops.

For gamers, they have had to reduce their graphic settings when playing some games to get the best frame rate because it’s impossible to disable the integrated graphics of a laptop if it doesn’t come with a mux switch.

Also, it’s impossible to install a mux switch on a laptop unless it has been installed by the manufacturer.

Since the introduction of mux switches in laptops, people have had the option of enabling or disabling their laptop’s integrated graphics to get maximum performance of their laptops.

As we go further in this article, we will discuss mux switches and how they work and also a list of some laptops that possess mux switches.

What Is A Mux Switch?

Mux switches also known as multiplexers are hardware or chips installed in laptops by their manufacturers that allow you to enable or disable the integrated graphics on a laptop.

As stated earlier in this article, data from the dedicated graphics card (DGPU) is processed through the Integrated graphics card (IGPU) before it’s sent to the display but the mux switch allows a bypass.

The mux switch allows us to connect the DGPU directly to the screen by disabling the IGPU which allows the optimization of the DGPU. Also, the mux switch allows the direct connection of the DGPU to the display by disabling the DGPU.

In this instance, the iGPU doesn’t get any data from the DGPU and is directly connected to the screen

The mux switch allows users to get the best of both GPUs by disabling one for the other to function at its best. Disabling the integrated graphics processing unit or the DGPU allows the full optimization of the DGPU and this allows gamers to enjoy the best possible gaming performance.

Without mux switches, gamers are stuck with having to reduce the graphic settings of their laptops to get a consistent FPS (frames per second) but mux switches have provided another option.

However, the disadvantage that comes with disabling the integrated graphics of a laptop and connecting the DGPU directly to the screen is that it consumes more battery. Because the laptop is at its best possible performance, it consumes more power and reduces the battery life of the laptop.

Unfortunately, not all laptops possess mux switches. With the really impressive option mux switches offer, one would expect all manufacturers to include the feature in their laptops but not even all-new modern flagship releases have mux switches.

Hopefully, this feature will be included in the majority if not all future laptops to allow people to get the best of both GPUs. Moving on, we will be looking at a list of laptops that possess mux switches.

Top Gaming Laptops With Mux Switches

In the earlier section of this article, we talked about what mux switches are and how they work. Now let’s see a list of famous gaming laptops with mux switches installed in them.

ImageProductFeaturesPrice
Alienware x15 R1, 15.6

Alienware x15 R1, 15.6" FHD 360Hz Non-Touch Gaming Laptop

  • 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 360Hz 10ms
  • 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H
  • 16GB 3200MHz DDR4.
9.8
Check On Amazon
MSI GS66 Stealth 15.6

MSI GS66 Stealth 15.6" 240Hz 3ms Ultra Thin Light Gaming Laptop

  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 Max-Q
  • 16GB (8G*2) DDR4 2666MHz.
9.7
Check On Amazon
2021 Flagship Lenovo Legion 5i Gaming Laptop

2021 Flagship Lenovo Legion 5i Gaming Laptop

  • 6GB RAM | 1TB SSD:
  • Fast 10th Gen Intel 6-Core i7-10750H.
9.7
Check On Amazon
Lenovo Flagship Legion 7 16 Gaming Laptop

Lenovo Flagship Legion 7 16 Gaming Laptop

  • 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD
  • Fast AMD Ryzen 5000 H Series.
9.7
Check On Amazon
Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2021

Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2021

  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Graphics for Stunning Visuals
9.6
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GIGABYTE AORUS 15G XC Gaming Laptop

GIGABYTE AORUS 15G XC Gaming Laptop

  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
  • 1‎0th Gen Intel Core i7-10870H (2.2GHz - 5.0GHz).
9.6
Check On Amazon
Prometheus XVI (2021) 16

Prometheus XVI (2021) 16" RTX 3080 Gaming Laptop

  • Performance Inspired.
9.6
Check On Amazon
Eluktronics MECH-15 G3 (2021) 15.6

Eluktronics MECH-15 G3 (2021) 15.6" NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Laptop

9.5
Check On Amazon

1. MSI GS66 Stealth

MSI GS66 Stealth 15.6

MSI laptop brand is one of the leading manufacturers of gaming laptops. They have been really impressive with their laptop releases in recent years and have been doing a good job satisfying the needs of gamers.

The MSI GS66 Stealth is a gaming laptop with a price range of 1300$-2500$.

It comes with a 1440p display with a really high refresh rate, and to give awesome frames, it features the newest Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series for GPU which are Nvidia GeForce RTX 306O Mobile 6GB, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile 8GB, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile 16GB.

For ram and storage capacity. It comes with an intel core i7 processor and has very impressive battery life. It comes with 16GB RAM and a storage capacity of 512, 1TB upgradeable to 2TB and it comes with a cooling system.

2. Razerblade 17

Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2021: Intel Core i7-10875H 8-Core, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, 17.3" FHD 360Hz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - Chroma RGB - Thunderbolt 3 - SD Card Reader

This gaming laptop is one of the best gaming laptops you can ever own and it has a price range of about 2400$-3000$.

It features a 17.3 inch 1920 x 1080p display with a refresh rate of 360Hz, CPU variations of intel core i7 11800H, and an intel core 11900H with a base frequency of 1.9GHz-2.3GHz and a boost frequency of 4.6GHz.

It has dedicated GPU variations of GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile 6GB, GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile 8GB, and maxes out at GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile 16GB with a GPU base clock of 1467MHz and a boost clock of 1778MHz.

It comes with DDR4 RAM size variations of 16GB,32GB, and maximum RAM size of 64GB, and SSD storage size variations of 1TB, 2TB, and maximum storage size of 4TB. Overall, it’s a very impressive gaming laptop.

3. Gigabyte Aorus 15G (RTX 30 Series)

GIGABYTE AORUS 15G XC - 15.6

The Gigabyte Aorus 15G is currently one of the best gaming laptops with really impressive features that satisfy the needs of every gamer.

It has a price range of 2,100$ – 3000$ and features the latest Nvidia RTX Series with a GPU base clock of  930MHz and boost clock of 1365MHz and also an Intel core i7 10870H processor with a base frequency of 2.2GHz and a boost frequency of 5.0GHz.

It comes with a 15.6 inch 1920 x 1080p display screen with a refresh rate of 240GHz and an anti-glare feature. To prevent thermal problems, this laptop also comes with a WINDFORCE Infinity cooling system with two fans and a battery life of up to 8hrs.

It comes with DDR4 RAM variations of 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB with a speed of 2933MHz and maxes out at 64GB and a storage capacity of 256GB, 512GB and maxes out at 1TB.

This is a really high-performance laptop that will allow you to have a good gaming experience even when playing high demanding games.

4. XMG Neo 15 Laptop Series

XMG laptops are excellent high-performance laptops and are good for gaming.

The XMG Neo 15 is designed to provide the maximum performance needed by gamers. It has a price range of 1800$ – 2500 dollars and comes with a 15.6 inch 2560 x 1440px with a refresh rate of 240GHz, and both feature the new Nvidia GeForce RTX  graphics card series that maxes out at RTX 3080.

The XMG Neo 15 E21 comes with CPU variations of AMD Ryzen 7 5800H and AMD Ryzen 7 5900HX while the XMG Neo 15 (E22)  features an Intel core i7-12700H processor.

They feature DDR5 RAM variations of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and max out at 64GB and an upgradeable storage capacity of 1TB. Also, it comes with a cooling system.

5. Eluktronics MECH 15 G3 (2021)

Eluktronics MECH-15 G3 (2021) 15.6" NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Laptop, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, 15.6 inch QHD Display, 2TB PCIe SSD, 32GB DDR4 RAM, Mechanical Keyboard, 94WHr Battery, Windows 10 Home

The Eluktronics MECH 15 G3 (2021)  is a high-performance gaming laptop with very impressive features and has a price range of 2600$ – 3000$.

This laptop features CPU variations of AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, AMD Ryzen 7 5700HX, and an Intel core i7 11800H processor with a base frequency of 3.2GHz and a boost frequency of 4.4GHz.

It comes with DGPU variations of the GeForce RTX 3070 mobile 8GB and a GeForce RTX 3080 mobile 16GB with a base clock of 1310MHz and a boost clock of 1725MHz.

It also features ram variations of 8Gb, 16GB, and 32GB and maxes out at 64GB with a speed of 3200MHz and also features upgradeable storage capacity variations of 512GB, 1TB, 2GB and maxes out at 4TB. Also, It has a cooling system that helps prevent thermal issues.

The features that come with this laptop allow really impressive gaming speeds and excellent performance.

6. Eluktronics Prometheus XVI (2021)

Prometheus XVI (2021) 16" RTX 3080 Gaming Laptop, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Processor, 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Graphics Card, 16.0 inch 16:10 QHD 165Hz Display, 1TB NVMe SSD, 32GB RAM, Windows 10 Home

This is another gaming laptop that possesses features that offers the best possible gaming experience every gamer wants.

It has a price range of 2700$- 3000$ with a 16 Inch 2560 x 1600p IPS LCD screen display with a refresh rate of 165Hz.

For GPU, It features the new series of the Nvidia GeForce RTX. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 maxes out at Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and for CPU, it features the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X processor.

It comes with DDR4 RAM variations of  16GB, 32GB, and maxes out at 64GB and storage capacity variations of 512GB SSD NVMe, 1TB SSD NVMe and maxes out at 2TB SSD NVMe with a speed of 3200MHz.

Also, it comes with a cooling system to prevent thermal issues. With these features, this laptop is capable of offering gaming perfection.

7. Lenovo Legion 5i 17″ (2021, Intel)

2021 Flagship Lenovo Legion 5i Gaming Laptop 17.3" FHD IPS 144Hz (72% NTSC) Intel 6-Core i7-10750H 16GB RAM 1TB SSD GeForce RTX 2060 6GB Backlit USB-C Wifi6 Dolby Win10 + HDMI Cable

Lenovo is one of the best and most famous laptop brands in the world currently and their products are top-notch. They have varieties of laptops released in the market and one of them is this high-performance laptop that features very awesome specs.

The Lenovo Legion 5i 17” is a flagship gaming laptop with a price range of 1600$ – 2000$.

It features a 17.3 inch 1920 x 1080p display with a refresh rate of 66Hz and 144Hz, DDR4 RAM variations of 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB with a speed of 3200MHz. It features SSD storage capacity variations of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

For CPU, the Lenovo Legion 5i 17 comes in CPU variations of Intel core 11400H and Intel core 11800H with a base clock of 2.7GHz and a boost clock of 4.4GHz. For DGPU or GPU, It features the GeForce RTX series with a base clock of 1530Mhz and a boost clock of 1740Mhz.

It comes with a cooling system to prevent thermal problems and has a battery life of approximately 5 hours.

8. Dell Alienware X17 R1

Alienware x15 R1, 15.6 inch FHD 360Hz Non-Touch Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light

This is one of Dell’s high-performance flagship laptops that comes with lots of really cool features including a mux switch.

It has a price range of about 2300$ – 3500$ depending on the seller and the specs it possesses.

It has a 17.3 inch 4k resolution display of 3840 x 2160 @ 120Hz with two extra display options of 1920 x 1080 @ 165Hz and 1920 x 1080Hz @ 360Hz.

It comes in DDR4 RAM variations of 16GB and 32ram with a maximum RAM size of 64GB, storage variations of 256GB, 512GB, and 1 TB upgradeable to 2 TB and maxes out at 4TB.

Also for CPU and GPU, it comes in CPU variations of intel core i7 11800H and intel core i9 11980HK with a base frequency 2.3GHz and a turbo frequency of 4.6GHz, GPU variations of Nvidia GeForce RTX 306O Mobile 6GB, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile 8GB and maxes out with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile 16GB.

The GPU has a base clock speed of 1387 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1702 MHz.

It features a cooling system with four fans and a vapor chamber that helps prevent thermal issues and has a battery life of approximately 6 hours.

9. Lenovo Legion 7 16″

Lenovo Flagship Legion 7 16 Gaming Laptop 16" QHD IPS 165Hz (500 nits 100% sRGB) AMD 8-Core Ryzen 7 5800H (Beats i7-11375H) 16GB RAM 1TB SSD GeForce RTX 3070 8GB Backlit USB-C Win10 Grey + HDMI Cable

This is another high-performance Lenovo gaming laptop on this list with really cool features that can offer a very good gaming experience.

This flagship laptop has a price range of about 2000$ – 2500$ and comes with a 16 Inch 2560 x 1600p display screen with a refresh rate of 165Hz.

It features DDR4 RAM variations of 8GB, 16GB, and a maximum of 32GB with a speed of 3200MHz and SSD storage capacity variations of 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and a maximum of 2TB. This laptop comes with a cooling system feature and a vapor chamber to prevent thermal issues.

It features CPU variations of AMD Ryzen 5800H and AMD Ryzen 5900Hx with a base frequency of 3.2GHz and a boost frequency of 4.4GHz. It also has an integrated Radeon RX Vega 8 graphics card in the CPU.

It features three dedicated graphics processing units OR DGPU variations of the GeForce RTX 3060 Moblie: 6GB, 8GB, and 16GB with a base clock of about 1504MHz and a boost clock of 1802MHz.

How to Enable MUX Switch In Laptops

Enabling the MUX switch on your laptop allows you to get the best out of your DGPU. Enabling the MUX switch on laptops differs according to brand.

In Asus gaming laptops with MUX switches, you can enable the MUX switch of your laptop in the Armoury Crate. Under the System configuration box in the Armoury Crate, you’ll find the options for the MUX switch and MSHybrid. All you need to do is click on the MUX switch option to switch your laptop to DGPU mode.

In Acer gaming laptops like in the Predator series, you’ll find the option to switch to Discrete GPU Only under the Cog Icon. To do this, open the Predator Sense Software, where you’ll find the Cog Icon.

In Gigabyte Aorus Laptops, the Control Center Software is where you need to go. Under the Control Center Software, you’ll find the Manager tab and under this tab, you’ll find the Graphic Switch which is the MUX switch.

In MSI gaming laptops, go to the Dragon Center Software, where you’ll find the General Settings options. Under General Settings, you’ll find the GPU Switch option, where you can switch between the DGPU and Optimus.

For Lenovo gaming laptops with a MUX switch, you need to go to the Lenovo Vantage Software, where you’ll find a Hybrid Mode Switch. This switch turns on or Optimus

Some gaming laptops like Dell and Alienware feature MUX switches but do not possess software that can allow you to switch on or off your MUX switch. You can enable or disable your MUX switch by booting your laptop into BIOS.

In BIOS, you’ll find a tab tagged Advance. Click on this tab and select Enable Hybrid graphics.

Also, some laptops feature Advanced Nvidia Optimus which is an automatic MUX switch. It switches between the IGPU and DGPU automatically based on the application running. However, after switching on or switching off your MUX, your laptop might require a reboot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ROG Strix Have A MUX Switch?

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G533 (2022), ROG Strix G15 G513 (2022), ROG Strix G17 G713 (2022), and ROG Strix Scar 17 G733 (2022) are all laptops under the ROG Strix series that feature a MUX switch.
Asus has stated that all their gaming laptop releases in 2022 will feature a MUX switch.

Does The Asus M16 Have A MUX Switch?

The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 GU603 (2022) features a MUX switch. This allows you to switch between the IGPU and the DGPU as you desire on this laptop. However, older versions do not feature a MUX switch. The older versions automatically switch between Intel UHD and the GeForce RTX 3070Ti according to the demand.

Does The Aorus 15P Have A MUX Switch?

No. The Gigabyte Aorus 15p doesn’t feature a MUX switch. This means you won’t be able to switch off Optimus. However, the Gigabyte Aorus 15G is a laptop under the Aorus series that features a MUX switch.

Does The MSI GE76 Raider Have A MUX Switch?

Yes. The MSI GE76 Raider features a MUX switch. Because of this feature, you’ll be able to optimize your dGPU and get the best frame rates out of your laptop.

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