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Found way to know what GPU is in use!

Arie said:
Instead of the letters I and N Cody, I believe it looks better if you would use the Intel and nVidia logos. Is this possible for you to change?
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Personally, I prefer the letters, in black (I don't do colours in the menubar), so it you are adding icons, please leave the letters as an option!
 
what about user changeable logos?
so you could provide some "standard icons", but every user can switch to their own icons...
 
tufty said:
Personally, I prefer the letters, in black (I don't do colours in the menubar), so it you are adding icons, please leave the letters as an option!
Click to expand...

+1

One of the great things about OS X is that these little icons up there are in black, so they don't distract. Leave the colour for the dock!
 
yonajon said:
Bitninja - again, thanks for the awesome app. I travel all the time, and this is completely saving my day since I know immediately when something kicks the power guzzling GPU into gear and can kill it without a second thought.

There is a weird little quirk though: whenever I am watching a video in QuickTime and go into fullscreen, I get the Growl notification that the GPU has changed, but the GPU hasn't. Same when I leave fullscreen. Same when I come back from screensaver. The message in Growl is that the GPU has changed to the Intel - but it was already on Intel :) In short, the text is right, the event just didn't happen. Not a big deal at all, just makes my heart skip a beat when I think this evil GPU is going to kill my battery and then I realize it's still on the friendly Intel.
Click to expand...

Ah...interesting. Makes sense. The notification that gfxCardStatus listens for is related to when the display configuration changes. If an application going fullscreen counts as a display configuration change, it would hit that notification and call the update logic. I can probably just make it so that it doesn't growl unless the GPU actually changes.

In regards to the color of the icon, I agree with everyone that's on the 'black' bandwagon - it looks natural and blends in with the rest of 99% of menu bar icons. If I add colors at all, it will be a preference that will be turned off by default, and the colors will probably be just emerald green and blue depending on the GPU.

Benni-chan said:
what about user changeable logos?
so you could provide some "standard icons", but every user can switch to their own icons...
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that this is necessarily something gfxCardStatus needs...I want to try and stay as true to the 'no more functionality than necessary' philosophy, simply because that's less code to debug if something goes wrong and it's less bloat. If you use Windows at all you know what bloat is like...that's why we all use OS X. :)
 
I found the culprit! Apple was going to exchange my machine because of a dud Intel processor, but the Intel processor works fine. There was an Apple Power PC system process calling the NVidia GPU that wasn't showing in the Terminal list.

OK - quiet drum roll please - and the winner for the best stealth process in the biggest overheads appetite category for 2010 is, dadum dadum...

qmasterd

Guest appearances include a significant cameo in: "Why I can't have my cake and eat it too", a major role in "Another nail in the PPC-code coffin" and a supporting role in the romantic Latin tragedy: "Ah Rosetta".

Looks like it's the final cut for Final Cut - PPC version at least - on this machine.
 
According to gfxCardStatus, my graphics are switching back to intel more often. Specifically while chrome is still open. When I navigate away from a page, or close the window, it swaps back to intel. Has anyone else noticed this?
 
I just got my MBP today and have noticed that it doesn't get stuck on the nvidia card like I've been reading about for the past week. I haven't been using it that much though. We'll see.
 
Im probably the only person to ask this but is there anyway to make the GeForce 330 be on all the time? I dont want to use the Intel GFX ever.

My MBP is plugged in about 95% of the Day, and only use about 30 min on battery if that.
 
iBunny said:
Im probably the only person to ask this but is there anyway to make the GeForce 330 be on all the time? I dont want to use the Intel GFX ever.

My MBP is plugged in about 95% of the Day, and only use about 30 min on battery if that.
Click to expand...

System preferences-->Energy saver-->Disable "Automatic graphic switching"

That should leave the 330 on all the time, I don't believe you can only use the intel graphics. Hope that helps.
Regards
 
ksmith173 said:
According to gfxCardStatus, my graphics are switching back to intel more often. Specifically while chrome is still open. When I navigate away from a page, or close the window, it swaps back to intel. Has anyone else noticed this?
Click to expand...

Hm...interesting. I never have any less than 10 tabs open, so it's always on the 330M for me when I have it running. Maybe I should try using it with less tabs open...haha.
 
Hey, is there a task manager utility to see what's running?

My discrete gfx is constantly on and I don't know what's causing it!
 
jmdMac said:
System preferences-->Energy saver-->Disable "Automatic graphic switching"

That should leave the 330 on all the time, I don't believe you can only use the intel graphics. Hope that helps.
Regards
Click to expand...

Great. Thanks for the help. :D
 
Found out what it was. Installed a HP printer utility, that didn't work in the end anyways, and it was still running in the background. Quit the process, and voila, intel HD!
 
bitninja said:
Hm...interesting. I never have any less than 10 tabs open, so it's always on the 330M for me when I have it running. Maybe I should try using it with less tabs open...haha.
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This seemed to start happening after I installed the Flash Gala preview release. Not sure if that has anything to do with it, or if it was just coincidence.
 
ksmith173 said:
This seemed to start happening after I installed the Flash Gala preview release. Not sure if that has anything to do with it, or if it was just coincidence.
Click to expand...
Flash Gala uses the videocard for H.264 acceleration. The Intel card does not have this feature but the 330M does. That's why it uses the 330M.
 
dyn said:
Flash Gala uses the videocard for H.264 acceleration. The Intel card does not have this feature but the 330M does. That's why it uses the 330M.
Click to expand...

Interesting, yeah that's what I was thinking. I wonder which is better for battery life? Running the dedicated GPU to offset the load from the CPU or just having the CPU do it like it older Flash versions.
 
dyn said:
Flash Gala uses the videocard for H.264 acceleration. The Intel card does not have this feature but the 330M does. That's why it uses the 330M.
Click to expand...

MBHockey said:
Interesting, yeah that's what I was thinking. I wonder which is better for battery life? Running the dedicated GPU to offset the load from the CPU or just having the CPU do it like it older Flash versions.
Click to expand...

Ironically the Intel HD could accelerate h.264 (it can fully decode Bluray). Apple has chosen not use the Intel GPU for the task (which would save battery life). Some have speculated it is due to Apple having incomplete drivers for the GPU, which I would find suspect since it operates just fine in Windows.
 
diamond.g said:
Ironically the Intel HD could accelerate h.264 (it can fully decode Bluray). Apple has chosen not use the Intel GPU for the task (which would save battery life). Some have speculated it is due to Apple having incomplete drivers for the GPU, which I would find suspect since it operates just fine in Windows.
Click to expand...
I read that some where as well. Any idea what Intel HD is being used exactly? I can't seem to find it, well I can on monday when UPS delivers my MBP but I'm too curious to wait for that :p
 
jmdMac said:
So of the two apps that display which gpu is in use, what are the differences?

There is Bitninja's:
http://codykrieger.com/gfxCardStatus/

And Tegeril's:
http://gpuinfomenu.dotstrosity.net/

Who is using which, and why(focus on differences)?
Click to expand...

gfxCardStatus has the following differences that I believe are advantages:
- it has Growl support (can be turned off)
- has the option to turn off console logging if you don't want to see debug info (I don't know if GPUInfoMenu logs anything to the console or not, but I still see this as a feature for gfxCardStatus)
- has simple, clean indicators that blend with the rest of the menu bar icons and are consistent with the rest of the OS X/Apple aesthetic
- doesn't use copyrighted/trademarked graphics or logos (especially the Intel one with the pixelated edges)
- has an update that's almost ready that will show you a list of processes currently using the 330M, if the 330M is in use

The why, for me, is pretty obvious...I made it. :D

Just my two cents. Feel free to chime in with other thoughts!
 
Hi, I love gfxCardStatus (thats the only one I have tried and I don't see a point in changing). I Love the I/N letters and the growl display. Minimal is good.

However could I ask for a another feature I bet I'm gonna get flammed as I should already know how to do this being a mac user. But I want gfxCardStatus to start up when the mac does, but I don't want the 'G' to be in the dock.

I bet theres a way of doing this in the app, but I bet you can do it somehow with OSX.

Any help/solution (finger pointing at the noob) would be greatly appreciated.
:apple:
 
lloydhooson said:
Hi, I love gfxCardStatus (thats the only one I have tried and I don't see a point in changing). I Love the I/N letters and the growl display. Minimal is good.

However could I ask for a another feature I bet I'm gonna get flammed as I should already know how to do this being a mac user. But I want gfxCardStatus to start up when the mac does, but I don't want the 'G' to be in the dock.

I bet theres a way of doing this in the app, but I bet you can do it somehow with OSX.

Any help/solution (finger pointing at the noob) would be greatly appreciated.
:apple:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the praise! It's showing in the dock for you? Which version are you using? It shouldn't be doing that. Try updating to v1.4 if you have an earlier version and let me know if that fixes things.

Anyway, to make something start up when OS X starts:

System Preferences > Accounts > [your account in the sidebar] > Login Items tab > hit the plus button and pick gfxCardStatus.app

Cody
 
dyn said:
I read that some where as well. Any idea what Intel HD is being used exactly? I can't seem to find it, well I can on monday when UPS delivers my MBP but I'm too curious to wait for that :p
Click to expand...

According to Wiki there is only Intel HD (no distinction). It is apart of the GMA family still, but has full H.264 acceleration.
 
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