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engadget story on 15/17 battery and gpu switch

I smell a firmware update coming soon. (I hope). My battery life as been disappointing.
 
that was my concern too. this auto-switch nonsense.

let me choose which GPU i want to use !
same reason i would never buy auto-transmission car.

is there utility to override the auto and switch to manual choice ?


i've the fastest 2.93 15" with Express Car slot and i'm reluctant to "upgrade" to SD card and this VGA mess.
 
joecool99 said:
that was my concern too. this auto-switch nonsense.

let me choose which GPU i want to use !
same reason i would never buy auto-transmission car.

is there utility to override the auto and switch to manual choice ?


i've the fastest 2.93 15" with Express Car slot and i'm reluctant to "upgrade" to SD card and this VGA mess.
Click to expand...

i'd stay with your 2.93.. it'll take them at least until the next revision or close to that to solve this thing..

i'm thinking they will come up with a manual switch override.. but that defeats the purpose of the seemless switching.. and like another user said.. most of the time you'll have worse than 9400m graphics using the intel .. and when you switch over to the 330m you're draining battery.. unless you like to switch your graphics manually all day long.. i'd avoid this load of mess
 
This problem was one of my concerns and I've voiced it the day of the release. Unfortunately, Apple's switching technology isn't that intuitive and at the end, requires some user interaction, something Apple didn't want to happen.

Hopefully Apple updates this sooner rather than later.
 
Just recieved my 15" i7 and battery life is horrendous. Simple Google voice and video chat (flash based), kicks in the 330m and has 2 hour battery life from 100 to 0%. That's so bad imo.
 
would that be too much trouble for apple to add an icon into the top bar:

• auto switch
• intel GPU (battery life)
• nvidia (performance)


with single click manage power without login out/in as previous generation ?
 
Like any new technology there are bound to be problems for the early adopters to deal with. It sounds to me like it's most likely a software issue that could be fixed in the next OS X 10.6.x update or with a patch of some kind. What they also need to do is give the user one more level of control and make it so that the 330M GT can be disabled altogether. That would be perfect for many users who spend the most time watching videos and browsing the web, where the Nvidia GPU is superfluous.
 
below is my reply from the other thread.. intel's gpu does not support functions that snow leopard uses such as open cl

well this problem really sucks.. apple is not likely to have a software solution soon that will make the auto switching better because it calls on the OS level core functions and is not something that can be changed overnight.. it will involve major graphics driver reprogramming.

however i do think they will come out with a manual override firmware update that allows for manual software control of which gpu is being used.. this is the less than ideal solution but anything is better than what it is right now..

the reason manual switching is terrible is because lets say you use intel gpu 90% of time to save battery.. you're using a gpu that's worse than last generation's 9400m graphics.. think about that..

the other 10% you're using 330m for the power.. but you're draining battery because it's always on!!

lose lose situation for manual switching..

ideally.. the gpu should switch over on load measurements of the intel gpu and switch back as soon as load drops such as when you minimize photoshop.. NOT when a OS level core function is called.. that's just stupid implementation..

good luck early adopters .. always get shafted
 
Bill Gates said:
Like any new technology there are bound to be problems for the early adopters to deal with. It sounds to me like it's most likely a software issue that could be fixed in the next OS X 10.6.x update or with a patch of some kind. What they also need to do is give the user one more level of control and make it so that the 330M GT can be disabled altogether. That would be perfect for many users who spend the most time watching videos and browsing the web, where the Nvidia GPU is superfluous.
Click to expand...

problem is manual control would be great for battery life but is NOT the ideal solutions.. you're using intel's gpu which is horrible.. even worse than last gen 9400m.. why? so you can save battery.. should you have to do this?? NO .. if apple implemented the auto switch properly say based on intel gpu load level.. then you wouldn't need the manual control..

manual control is a short term work around that cripples your laptop to save battery..
 
silversx said:
problem is manual control would be great for battery life but is NOT the ideal solutions.. you're using intel's gpu which is horrible.. even worse than last gen 9400m.. why? so you can save battery.. should you have to do this?? NO .. if apple implemented the auto switch properly say based on intel gpu load level.. then you wouldn't need the manual control..

manual control is a short term work around that cripples your laptop to save battery..
Click to expand...
Of course more intelligent control of the GPU switching is needed. However, a manual switch would also be nice, especially under conditions that still trigger the Nvidia GPU but that could also work satisfactorily with the Intel GPU. Do take note that even the Intel GPU is more than sufficient for the most basic tasks, like web browsing, document creation, and movie watching. There are always going to be cases where the automatic switching decides contrary to the user, where a manual override would be very handy.
 
That's a little disappointing, I was about to order one but think perhaps I'm best for now to stick with my mid '09 MBP 15".

Surely this could be fixed with a software update, right? Apple is getting bad press on this so hopefully it's their priority to solve it right away.
 
entatlrg said:
That's a little disappointing, I was about to order one but think perhaps I'm best for now to stick with my mid '09 MBP 15".

Surely this could be fixed with a software update, right? Apple is getting bad press on this so hopefully it's their priority to solve it right away.
Click to expand...
There's nothing preventing Apple from addressing this with a software update. It just remains to be seen how quickly Apple will address the problem. I don't think it's severe enough to stop anyone from buying a new MBP who is in the market for one.
 
Bill Gates said:
There's nothing preventing Apple from addressing this with a software update. It just remains to be seen how quickly Apple will address the problem. I don't think it's severe enough to stop anyone from buying a new MBP who is in the market for one.
Click to expand...

Shoot the first step is to get Apple to acknowledge there is a problem to fix, then maybe we will be able to get somewhere. I also agree, this shouldn't be a show stopper for getting a new i5/i7 MBP.
 
Bill Gates said:
There's nothing preventing Apple from addressing this with a software update. It just remains to be seen how quickly Apple will address the problem. I don't think it's severe enough to stop anyone from buying a new MBP who is in the market for one.
Click to expand...

coming from bill gates.. this is huge.. apple will surely address this by 2011

in the mean time.. power plugs are everywhere.. no big deal i think
 
Bill Gates said:
Of course more intelligent control of the GPU switching is needed. However, a manual switch would also be nice, especially under conditions that still trigger the Nvidia GPU but that could also work satisfactorily with the Intel GPU. Do take note that even the Intel GPU is more than sufficient for the most basic tasks, like web browsing, document creation, and movie watching. There are always going to be cases where the automatic switching decides contrary to the user, where a manual override would be very handy.
Click to expand...

correct.. but again.. manual switch is basically crippling the laptop to save battery life..

ideal solution is switching based on intel gpu.. say intel gpu reaches 80% load.. 330m kicks in.. minimize photoshop.. load drops.. 330m shuts off..

but what do i know.. maybe that kind of implementation can not be done.. surely someone at apple thought about this
 
Based on your comments, silversx, I'd say it's pretty apparent the new MacBook Pros are not going to satisfy your needs. Perhaps you should look into purchasing a Dell instead.
 
Bill Gates said:
Of course more intelligent control of the GPU switching is needed. However, a manual switch would also be nice, especially under conditions that still trigger the Nvidia GPU but that could also work satisfactorily with the Intel GPU. Do take note that even the Intel GPU is more than sufficient for the most basic tasks, like web browsing, document creation, and movie watching. There are always going to be cases where the automatic switching decides contrary to the user, where a manual override would be very handy.
Click to expand...

well, what about playing hi-res 1920x1080p mvk video ? does the Intel GPU handle that ?

Also the switching seems to be based on an application list rather then a real demand from the system.
For example Adobe LR 3 beta doesn't initiate the switch to the 330M although it's a heavy photo application.

man, i just would love a manual switch.... i don't care about the battery life.
 
Bill Gates said:
There's nothing preventing Apple from addressing this with a software update. It just remains to be seen how quickly Apple will address the problem. I don't think it's severe enough to stop anyone from buying a new MBP who is in the market for one.
Click to expand...

Us 9400M/9600GT users were also promised by the press that Apple would be allowing seamless switching between the two without needing a log out. Of course we all know how that one never got fixed.... WE pretty much can lay all the blame on DUMBA$$ Intel for not allowing Nvidia to make a i5/i7 south bridge with a superior 320m integrated solution + 330m discrete. But NO.... Intel just had to get greedy and get their panties in a bunch and force Apple to use the crappy Intel non-HD integrated video...
 
magbarn said:
Us 9400M/9600GT users were also promised by the press that Apple would be allowing seamless switching between the two without needing a log out. Of course we all know how that one never got fixed.... WE pretty much can lay all the blame on DUMBA$$ Intel for not allowing Nvidia to make a i5/i7 south bridge with a superior 320m integrated solution + 330m discrete. But NO.... Intel just had to get greedy and get their panties in a bunch and force Apple to use the crappy Intel non-HD integrated video...
Click to expand...

agree... well, is there a chance with fall update that will change this GPU combo mess ?

ps: OR, just give me a tool for manual control that's all i care about. i cannot be that difficult to get a 3rd party utility to override the auto-switch ???
 
magbarn said:
Us 9400M/9600GT users were also promised by the press that Apple would be allowing seamless switching between the two without needing a log out. Of course we all know how that one never got fixed.... WE pretty much can lay all the blame on DUMBA$$ Intel for not allowing Nvidia to make a i5/i7 south bridge with a superior 320m integrated solution + 330m discrete. But NO.... Intel just had to get greedy and get their panties in a bunch and force Apple to use the crappy Intel non-HD integrated video...
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's pretty stupid. The 9400m is an excellent little card...strikes a nice balance between capability and battery life. This is one thing that gives me pause and makes me want to wait a bit before I chunk any cash into a new MBP.
 
It will interesting to know if you kick the that box out... What'll happen???

Thanks
 

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joecool99 said:
that was my concern too. this auto-switch nonsense.

let me choose which GPU i want to use !
same reason i would never buy auto-transmission car.

is there utility to override the auto and switch to manual choice ?


i've the fastest 2.93 15" with Express Car slot and i'm reluctant to "upgrade" to SD card and this VGA mess.
Click to expand...

My alienware m11x has manual switching and it is a PITA.
 
henry72 said:
It will interesting to know if you kick the that box out... What'll happen???

Thanks
Click to expand...

I think there is a bug with the control panel. Please check Automatic Switching under Battery. Then uncheck Automatic Switching under Power Adapter. If you go back to Battery, you will find that Automatic switching is unchecked automatically. I think that the option for Automatic Switching under Battery and Power Adapter should be independent.
 
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