Apple Graphics Switching Question

[Joey2250]

I remember that Nvidia Optimus had an issue with Web Browsing & Flash. That is, if you had a web page with a flash app such as youtube open in one of your tabs Optimus would switch to the discrete graphics. However if you left a youtube tab open and not playing, Optimus would not kick back to the integrated graphics. You would be stuck using your discrete card and worse off battery life. As far as I know this happens with any flash content on a web page. So if you happen to be on a flash enhanced web page and go multiple tabbing you might be stuck with the discrete graphics on.

The question I have is, Does the new Apple Graphics Switching suffer from this same drawback?

I'm not here to debate the various work-around's or the validity of this being an issue. I just wanted to know since Apple is not using Optimus if it has the same issue.

EDIT:This may have been answered in another thread but my quick look about didn't yield a result. If it was answered I apologize for the double post and could you please link the other thread.

 

[BaronStein]

Just checked, when I open a flash video, the GPU stays at Intel HD, not even switching to discrete one. However, battery life goes down drastically. Without playing flash video, it is around 4 hours(%60), when I open a flash video it becomes 2.30-3.00.

 

[iLog.Genius]

Apple's switching technology has a similar problem. For example, if you load up any Adobe CS application, the discrete GPU will turn on and will be remain on until the application is completely closed. So if you leave it in the background, the discrete GPU will still be active.

 

[hockey9999]

I posted this over on this thread too...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/901521/

Really strange observation...

Launching Tweetie, even when it is the only application open, makes the computer use the 330M. As soon as I quit it, it switches back to the Intel unless of course Aperture or something like that is open..

Right now with Firefox and a few tabs, Mail, Adium, Terminal, Calendar, Address Book, Word, Power Point, Excel and system profiler open (Just started launching random stuff to test), I am on the Intel. The second I launch Tweetie - 330M.

Tweetie isn't even an Adobe Air application (I had to double check to be sure), but TweetDeck is and it doesnt happen with it. Even with the aforementioned applications running with TweetDeck open, the 330M doesnt come on. Must be an issue with Tweetie.

I wonder why?

 

[andrewfee]

Apple is not providing Adobe with the APIs to enable hardware acceleration for Flash video, so this is not going to be an issue as it is all being decoded on the CPU. That said, it's wasteful doing the decoding on the CPU and probably kills battery life much quicker doing this - you have Apple to thank for it.

 

[Joey2250]

Just checked, when I open a flash video, the GPU stays at Intel HD, not even switching to discrete one. However, battery life goes down drastically. Without playing flash video, it is around 4 hours(%60), when I open a flash video it becomes 2.30-3.00.

This seems consistent with the poster with the link to "The Flash Blog" Apple does not use hardware acceleration for flash at all.

 

[Joey2250]

Gracias

Thanks all for checking this out for me! Appreciate it!

 

[Joey2250]

I posted this over on this thread too...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/901521/

Really strange observation...

Launching Tweetie, even when it is the only application open, makes the computer use the 330M. As soon as I quit it, it switches back to the Intel unless of course Aperture or something like that is open..

Right now with Firefox and a few tabs, Mail, Adium, Terminal, Calendar, Address Book, Word, Power Point, Excel and system profiler open (Just started launching random stuff to test), I am on the Intel. The second I launch Tweetie - 330M.

Tweetie isn't even an Adobe Air application (I had to double check to be sure), but TweetDeck is and it doesnt happen with it. Even with the aforementioned applications running with TweetDeck open, the 330M doesnt come on. Must be an issue with Tweetie.

I wonder why?

Does the Apple Switching Tech. have a control panel where you can select particular applications to trigger the switch over? It might be enabled for Tweetie if it does.

 

[diamond.g]

Does the Apple Switching Tech. have a control panel where you can select particular applications to trigger the switch over? It might be enabled for Tweetie if it does.

Not at the moment. Your only choice currently is auto switch or discrete always on via the energy saver prefs.