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Turn off GPU (macbook pro 16)

nlr

nlr

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 27, 2010
457
1
London
Hello,

how does one turn off the dedicated gpu on the macbook pro 16? most of my work is done on a browser and metatrader 4 which should be fine on the intel gpu

I want to do this so I get more battery life. is this possible and would it result in more battery life?

I would appreciate any assistance

thanks
 
nlr said:
Hello,

how does one turn off the dedicated gpu on the macbook pro 16? most of my work is done on a browser and metatrader 4 which should be fine on the intel gpu

I want to do this so I get more battery life. is this possible and would it result in more battery life?

I would appreciate any assistance

thanks
Click to expand...
I think the setting only works the opposite way, where you can choose to use the GPU over the Intel one all the time otherwise it is going to dynamically switch between them depending on load. Unless if there is some way to toggle this in a plist or something.
 
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I’ve always used the free little app gfxcardstatus. Don’t know if it works on Catalina, but it’s exactly what you’re looking for.https://roaringapps.com/app/gfxcardstatus
 
Flabasha said:
I’ve always used the free little app gfxcardstatus. Don’t know if it works on Catalina, but it’s exactly what you’re looking for.https://roaringapps.com/app/gfxcardstatus
Click to expand...

There are various GPU switchers like this, but I don't think they support the 16" yet, though probably soon.

But in any case, if the OP doesn't use GPU intense tasks, the system should automatically stay on the iGPU anyway.
 
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casperes1996 said:
There are various GPU switchers like this, but I don't think they support the 16" yet, though probably soon.

But in any case, if the OP doesn't use GPU intense tasks, the system should automatically stay on the iGPU anyway.
Click to expand...
There is no way to disable dGPU if I am using an external monitor, correct?
 
Appledoesnotlisten said:
There is no way to disable dGPU if I am using an external monitor, correct?
Click to expand...

Don't think so no. You might be able to force the actual rendering to happen on the iGPU, but if I'm not mistaken the output has to go through the dGPU anyway due to the way the connection is physically wired up, meaning you wouldn't be able to power-gate the dGPU anyway.
See, the video ports on the motherboard (the USB-C video alt modes in this case) are wired to the dGPU so only it can output a signal to them.
 
I have had gfxcardstatus installed on my 2016, but never used it as the automatic switching works well. The only interesting use case for me is to see if some unused app is keeping the dgpu active when on battery. But there are more ways to do that.
 
So ... can you disable the dGPU on battery or keep certain apps from using the dGPU on a 16"? My use case it just saving battery when I choose to by not letting my browser (Brave) use it when I don't want it to.

From looking into the issue, it's a bug in Brave where it doesn't disable the dGPU once it's engaged. You have to quit / restart the app.

Downloaded gfxcardstatus and on my 16, it's either dynamic switching or dGPU only. Selecting integrated only doesn't work because it activates the Radeon. It does the opposite of what it's supposed to.
 
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You can force iGPU only using terminal. You can select it to be effective only on battery if you want. Don’t remember the command - search on this forum or google it.
[automerge]1577647841[/automerge]
Found it - look here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/battery-life-on-macbook-pro-16.2212813/post-28055695

In your case use: sudo pmset -b gpuswitch 0
this will force iGPU when on battery (dGPU remains disabled even with apps forcing/using it)
 
sat24 said:
github.com

GitHub - CodySchrank/gSwitch: macOS menu bar app that allows control over the gpu on dual gpu macbooks

macOS menu bar app that allows control over the gpu on dual gpu macbooks - CodySchrank/gSwitch
github.com github.com

This is what I use and it works well. Gives me hours and hours more battery even when I use apps that are graphics hogs.
Click to expand...
There is a catch:

gSwitch cannot prevent your discrete gpu from being accessed. gSwitch just tries to switch back to the integrated gpu as fast as possible.
 
robvas said:
There is a catch:

gSwitch cannot prevent your discrete gpu from being accessed. gSwitch just tries to switch back to the integrated gpu as fast as possible.
Click to expand...
I believe that's for the cases like when an external display is connected, during which the dGPU is always used. Neither the gSwitch or the terminal CMD will help in this case.
 
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The system auto switches. If the dGPU isn't needed, it won't use it. Start "Activity Monitor", click "Energy" tab. If there isn't a "Yes" in "Grahpics Card" column, it will use the iGPU.

Screenshot 2019-12-29 at 22.29.30.png
 
Thanks, but I don't know how to open this. (Don't know Swift or how to compile it.)

Is there a command that outright disables the discreet GPU?
 
Policar said:
Thanks, but I don't know how to open this. (Don't know Swift or how to compile it.)

Is there a command that outright disables the discreet GPU?
Click to expand...

Yes. Open up terminal and simply type sudo pmset -b gpuswitch 0, type in your password and hit enter.

From that point forward, anytime you're on battery the dGPU will be disabled. Even plugging in an external monitor while on battery won't enable the dGPU, but that also means that the monitor won't work either.

If you want to re-enable the dGPU on battery, simply enter sudo pmset -b gpuswitch 2, which turns auto-select back on.
 
Thanks. What if I'm on an LG monitor that's also charging the laptop and I want to use the monitor but also disable the GPU? Like disable the discreet GPU completely (but temporarily).

If it comes to it I'll just do as much work as possible with the monitor unplugged.
 
Policar said:
Thanks. What if I'm on an LG monitor that's also charging the laptop and I want to use the monitor but also disable the GPU? Like disable the discreet GPU completely (but temporarily).

If it comes to it I'll just do as much work as possible with the monitor unplugged.
Click to expand...

You can't. If you want to use an external display, you have to use the dGPU. The 15/16" Macbooks are wired in such a way that an external display has to be powered by the dGPU. No way around it.
 
Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm getting render glitches in Adobe Suite whenever I render with GPU and preview errors in the viewport whether I do or not. They're intermittent, and I suppose I can run on battery power if ever they become a problem.

But does this sound like a software or hardware issue? Thanks.
 
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