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Switching video cards can be a chore with the new MacBook ProIf you are trying to decide whether to get a MacBook or a MacBook Pro based on the video card, you might want to take a look at this video below. At the moment, you cannot switch from the energy saving integrated chipset to the high performance chipset without logging out and back in again... That sounds like a real drag for people like me who would want the energy effeciency on the road, but then be able to plug into my large screen monitor at home and crank up the video power. Closing all of your apps, logging out and then back in is a drag. I only do that kind of stuff when there are software updates... Likely, this is due to the fact that this video card is just out of the gate with Apple and the software drivers and firmware aren't on the same page. Expect updates to one or both of them in the near future that will fix them and return them to reasonable behavior. Until then, read Apple's KB Article on it. ( Filed Under: )
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Comments
So?
I agree - that interface could be improved. Evidently, OS X wasn't designed for switching video chipsets on the fly. But it is clearly an OS-layer issue.
Then again, with my Dell, to switch to a second chipset I have switch notebooks.
At least you don't have to
At least you don't have to reboot. Snow leopard might have a better way of doing it. But watching that, it didn't appear to be that bad. At least it doesn't kick you to the password screen.
2 Video chipsets is quite amazing. So if all you get a 5-10sec delay for switching chipsets, then it's worth it to me.
I'll bet it would make you
I'll bet it would make you reenter your password, if there were one.
Seth, I feel like we're all
Seth,
I feel like we're all missing something here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it *always* default to high graphics when plugged in and then automatically shift into better battery life when unplugged?
The computer in the video isn't plugged in (look on the left side, there's no magsafe plugged in)
The setting, if I understand correctly, for high performance forces the computer to always stay in high graphics mode regardless of power source. So if you're on the road and in better battery mode and want to start drawing more power and shift into high graphics mode, only then would you have to log out, right?
maybe you should watch the
maybe you should watch the video and listen to the video instead of looking at the MagSafe.
I thought you can run both
I thought you can run both the 9400m and the 9600m GT (like Sli), if its plugged into a power outlet.
O well, I bought my Macbook Pro this evening. got the higher end one, but stuck with the 2.53GHz. the 2.8 was too much money for me. This is my graduation present. Good things do come to those who wait. Now Just need EA to fix Spore and boot camp XP for Steam and Crysis!
Bootcamp Graphics driver
Hint: Get your Bootcamp XP a nice driver for the videocard. Since it seems not to be supported by nvidia (or apple) i went to www.laptopvideo2go.com and downloaded the modded driver for my 8600M gt to work under xp.
Since i have the lowend November 2007 macbook with 128mb videoram i probably wouldnt try crysis (since the witcher already roasts my desk), but the performance is far greater than not using a driver at all (or using the bootcamp drivers...)
Oh yeah man... that seems
Oh yeah man... that seems like such a chore. Whoa. I don't know if I could handle doing that all the time.... I might get carpal tunnel from all the mouse clicking....For goodness sakes, its brand new of course they'll come up with a better way. Someones always got something to complain about.
zomg
the new MBP is like the hottest chick you can imagine who wants to have sex with you, her only condition is that you walk outside and then walk back in first ..but after that...... was it worth it? ohhhhh yeahhhhh baby
It's interesting to me how
It's interesting to me how many posts (on this forum and others) I have seen lately that equate Apple products with "the hottest chick who wants to have sex with you" but with some caveat.
I am wondering if hardcore Apple users all need to compensate for something. Like the fact that they are pathetic, ugly nerds?
Ooh, burn.
Noob (maybe it should be knob?) - Yeah, that's a good one. But the only thing that is more pathetic is someone who needs to feel better about themselves by putting down other people. Do us a favor and talk to your therapist and don't post here.
maybe it's because women
maybe it's because women prefer macs:
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/12/study-shows-43-of-college-women-prefer-macs/
Well, wait a minute...
What if you had a lot of apps open and documents up. Does logging out close them all first? That would add some hassle to the experience. Then again, I doubt there will be so many times that a person wants to manually switch up their graphics. However, I hope Apple will build some sort of smooth switching into 10.6.
Due to the switching issue, I'm guessing SLI isn't functional for Mac OS X at the moment.
This is a great option to
This is a great option to switch between processors and it hardly takes 10-15 seconds to logout and login so I dont see an issue considering the flexibility offered!
This is a great option to
This is a great option to switch between processors and it hardly takes 10-15 seconds to logout and login so I dont see an issue considering the flexibility offered!
log out/in is good
a reboot or log out / in is a healthy reset for your system, and it is a very simple, easy and quick thing to do.
Sent from my iPhone.
LOL I bet two years ago you
LOL
I bet two years ago you were one of the people who switched because "of all the reboots that windows requires".
Decoupling the current state of the windowing system from the video driver would probably be a good thing. Plug-and-play requirements generally lead to better designs.
But, alas, it takes time to do it right and have it be efficient. My guess is this will be resolved in Snow Leopard and that we can expect much more of this "multi-gpu" business from Apple.
Need 3rd craphic chip
Maybe next gen PRO will include even worse performing chip with 5% less power consumption that cant run in parallel mode with any other graphic chip. And maybe it could just control 1/2 of the screen for even less power consumption! Ahaha.
ddr3 baby! Memory bandwidth
ddr3 baby! Memory bandwidth is everything these days.
The low-power video in the mbp is only there because it came for free with the nvidia chipset.
if you dont like this you can
if you dont like this you can take a hammer and a nail, aim for the card and shut it down manually you fucking idiot!
dual SLI
Apple should of provided a dual SLI graphics set-up where by both GPU are from the same design such as dual 9600 GPU. The reason for this is it would benefit artists and gamers more instead of the current design where by the user either uses the slower lower end GPU or the higher one but cannot use both at the same time since each GPU is different.
Am I missing something here?
OK... the obvious thing to say about this is "At least you have a choice!!!" As I recall, this hasn't been an option in the past... So what if you have to do the log out/in thing? It's a possibility that was never avaliable to us before...
Performance and technological progress.
The only logical reason of having 2 graphics chips that can drive one display is if they can do it in parallel (SLI), thus making it all faster.
The idea of having 2 actualy great and powerfull processors in a notebook, knowing that actualy one of them is dead when the other is working is, at least to me, wrong.
Performance and technological progress.
The only logical reason of having 2 graphics chips that can drive one display is if they can do it in parallel (SLI), thus making it all faster.
The idea of having 2 actualy great and powerfull processors in a notebook, knowing that actualy one of them is dead when the other is working is, at least to me, wrong.