Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

17"MBP - Always using discrete graphics?

B

blackbinary

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 2, 2011
93
0
Hi All,

I've installed gfxCardStatus, which lets you see what card is currently in use: the hd3000 or the 6750m.

I've noticed no matter what I do, the 6750m is always in use. Even just browsing the web in firefox while on battery power. If i manually switch to the hd3000 (force integrated only mode), i notice scrolling is choppy on firefox.

Does this mean the hd3000 is not suitable to drive the 17" version of the MBP at all?

If other people with 17" MBPs want to test what I'm talking about;

in gfxCardStatus, select 'integrated only', then once it switches select 'dynamic switching'. In my case no matter what I am doing, the dynamic switching (aka OSX's normal behaviour) switches to the discrete.

Any ideas on whether this is a solvable problem or a fact of life? I'd like to get some extra battery if possible.

I'm a new mac convert by the way. Is there something like Aero on windows which uses more graphical horsepower that I could turn off to prolong battery and give the integrated graphics an easier time?

Thanks.
 
I'm curious as well. I get the beachball on my 15" MBP especially with videos playing like youtube. I'm only using 10% CPU power and I have 8GB installed so I know that's not either. Noticed youtube videos are screwed up sometimes too as the video will be upside down or I can't see the video controls.

GFXCardStatus v2.0.1 is what I'm using and I suspect it's this app that's causing my similar issues.
 
OrangeSVTguy said:
I'm curious as well. I get the beachball on my 15" MBP especially with videos playing like youtube. I'm only using 10% CPU power and I have 8GB installed so I know that's not either. Noticed youtube videos are screwed up sometimes too as the video will be upside down or I can't see the video controls.

GFXCardStatus v2.0.1 is what I'm using and I suspect it's this app that's causing my similar issues.
Click to expand...

Your issues don't sound anything like mine.
I don't have any beachballs, and youtube works like a charm.
My only question is why the MBP will not use integrated graphics.

If you think gfxCardStatus (i use 2.0.1 too) is to blame for screwed up youtube videos, I don't think thats possible.
 
no idea, but i wish the 2011 mbp was like the 2009/2010 version where you could pick the graphics card without having to install software
 
Well I just got rid of that software as it made my system way to buggy. Now I just go to system prefs and to Energy tab and select what GPU I want to use and just logout and back in.

I think that app was kinda buggy and messing with my system as I have no issues now.

OP, can you select your integrated GPU that way?
 
Sure, and I had done that before.

But it the integrated graphics do not perform well.

I am wondering if perhaps its the inertial scrolling I have enabled. I will try disabling it tomorrow and see if that stops the choppy scrolling when integrated.
 
If you click on the gfxcardstatus tray icon, it should give you a list of Dependencies. These are whats causing it to switch to discrete graphics.

Once you close the programs listed as dependancies, it should switch back to integrated graphics if you have have it set to dynamic switching.
 
ah i didnt see the dependency list.

looks like its firefox, its 'plugin container' for flash (even though thats not even running), and plex media server.

In other words, things that really dont need discrete graphics. So i suppose I can manually switch for now.
 
On my MBP gfxcardstatus works great. By default, I've enabled the HD3000. I never use dynamic switching, because then it switches all the time, when I open Chrome, FireFox etc.
I found out that apps like hyperdock enable the 6750m by default when dynamic switching is enabled. And then no matter what apps are running, the 6750m is in use, 'cause hyperdocks is launched at startup.
I always switch the gfx manually
 
I wish you could control what applications had the right to change graphics cards.

That way you could give permission to high-end games and vlc etc, but not firefox for example.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back