GPU Not Switching Automatically?

[aajad]

I decided to try gfxCardStatus from a previous post to get a handle on which card is in use because I really feel like my battery usage is lacking, maybe 3 hours of continuous blogging and word processing. Nothing intensive like video. It showed the dedicated NVidia card. I switched to the Intel and no matter what I tried, I couldn't trigger the GT 330M. Video, every app, many windows... nothing. Appears to be a bug to me. Anyone?

 

[Hadron]

I find mine sticks to the intel graphics most of the time - the only thing that I've found push it onto nVidia so far is attaching an external monitor.

Not run Steam yet though

 

[Hadron]

Update: yup, Steam kicks it into nVidia as expected

 

[aajad]

I decided to try gfxCardStatus from a previous post to get a handle on which card is in use because I really feel like my battery usage is lacking, maybe 3 hours of continuous blogging and word processing. Nothing intensive like video. It showed the dedicated NVidia card. I switched to the Intel and no matter what I tried, I couldn't trigger the GT 330M. Video, every app, many windows... nothing. Appears to be a bug to me. Anyone?

Just got off the phone with AppleCare. They kicked it up from the second level specialist to engineering. Hopefully this means that a firmware update is coming. I'm using gfxCardStatus to switch from Intel if I have to because it boots into Intel and then immediately switches to NVidia. If I use gfxCardStatus to switch to Intel, it stays there no matter what I do, at least so far.

 

[aajad]

Drive Genius is the culprit

I decided to try gfxCardStatus from a previous post to get a handle on which card is in use because I really feel like my battery usage is lacking, maybe 3 hours of continuous blogging and word processing. Nothing intensive like video. It showed the dedicated NVidia card. I switched to the Intel and no matter what I tried, I couldn't trigger the GT 330M. Video, every app, many windows... nothing. Appears to be a bug to me. Anyone?

The culprit for me, so far, appears to be Drive Genius. It uses the discrete card which makes sense but it was not reverting to the Intel after quitting because of the DrivePulse monitor. They already issued a new beta which recognized this issue. See below:

Version 3.0.1

* DrivePulse™should no longer trigger the use of the discrete GPU in the 15" and 17" 2010 MacBook Pros.

 

[djasterix]

Mine stays on nVidia from boot, and never switches to intel, waiting for an update to solve this...

 

[silencer88]

If your 330m is running upon boot, you must have a startup process or service that is triggering it (or an external monitor). The gfxcardstatus menu shows what program is engaging the card, so you should be able to find the culprit.

 

[bitninja]

If your 330m is running upon boot, you must have a startup process or service that is triggering it (or an external monitor). The gfxcardstatus menu shows what program is engaging the card, so you should be able to find the culprit.

Also, don't forget to check System Preferences > Energy Saver and make sure dynamic switching is turned on there...sounds obvious but I've seen too many people stumped when this was the culprit.

+1 to the gfxCardStatus suggestion.