Graphics Card Curiosity - T420i

[snwidget]

I've just got myself a new Thinkpad (after putting my 6 year old Dell to bed), and I chose the i5 option with the NVIDIA graphics card. When I check the information about what display device my laptop is using, it shows two options: the Intel HD Graphics Family, and the NVIDIA NVS 4200M.

My question is this: which one is running right now? Are they both working simultaneously, or do they swap off? I've never had a machine with two display options, so I'm not sure how they work together.

For example - when I'm in Firefox, and I go to about:support, it shows that the Intel HD Graphics Family is the display adapter that it recognizes. When I run a game like Minecraft, though, is it switching over to my NVIDIA? Or is it still running on the Intel Graphics chip? Is there a way to make it choose one or the other?

I've looked around in the BIOS a bit, but I can't seem to find the option(s) I need to make this work.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[snwidget]

In my haste to post, I neglected to mention that I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) with Service Pack 1.

[Ryant420]

In the nvidia control panel, open the Desktop menu. There is a check box for display GPU activity icon in the tray, this will show you what the nvidia GPU is used for in real time.

[redhook]

Your laptop has Nvidia Optimus graphics, it will switch from the integrated to the Nvidia when more power is needed. This happens in well under a second and you will not notice it at all. Click the link below to learn more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEjZDuc44vs

[blackomegax]

that was painful to watch. lol

[redhook]

that was painful to watch. lol

Try this one, it's better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdb2VrUdT4k

[blackomegax]

Indeed.

I'd honestly say i'd rather have Switchable graphics instead of optimus.

Optimus has too many weird glitches and issues. (more so if you only use lenovo sourced drivers instead of nvidia's verde package, which was the only way i could make it function acceptably(by not using lenovos))

[redhook]

Indeed.

I'd honestly say i'd rather have Switchable graphics instead of optimus.

Optimus has too many weird glitches and issues. (more so if you only use lenovo sourced drivers instead of nvidia's verde package, which was the only way i could make it function acceptably(by not using lenovos))

Such as? I have yet to run into any Optimus glitches in the 4 months I've had my T510.

[Colonel O'Neill]

Such as? I have yet to run into any Optimus glitches in the 4 months I've had my T510.

Personally, it's more of an inability to force it to run always on integrated or always on discrete without setting rules for every program you encounter.

[antskip]

The Intel runs all the time, even when the Nvidia is active. Nvidia has a good pdf describing how Optimus works, and how it is different from "switchable graphics" - http://www.nvidia.com/object/LO_optimus ... apers.html.

[Colonel O'Neill]

I like how that PDF reads like marketing-speak. Completely doesn't handwave away the whole "recognition" aspect.

"However, if the user is streaming Flash video using a website like YouTube or Hulu, Optimus will recognize the performance and quality benefits the GPU provides to Adobe Flash 10.1 (especially HD and high quality content) and will enable the discrete GPU."
This is good how? Pretty much exactly the situation I'd like to not see happen with Optimus.

[Corelianer]

I'd like to install a Mac OS on the thinkpad, beside my normal Windows 7. My current T61 has a Nvidia Graphicscard and there are no kext drivers for a so called "Hackint0sh".

But there are drivers for the Intel HD Graphicscard available.

I'm a bit curious if it will work. Can I disable the Nvidia Card in the BIOS so that only the Intel HD Graphics Card if the MAC OS gets confused by the
Nvidia Card?

Thanks!

[blackomegax]

I'd like to install a Mac OS on the thinkpad, beside my normal Windows 7. My current T61 has a Nvidia Graphicscard and there are no kext drivers for a so called "Hackint0sh".

But there are drivers for the Intel HD Graphicscard available.

I'm a bit curious if it will work. Can I disable the Nvidia Card in the BIOS so that only the Intel HD Graphics Card if the MAC OS gets confused by the
Nvidia Card?

Thanks!

Yes, not only that, the bios is, by default, set to "OS detect" for optimus, meaning, it disables it when anything except windows 7 boots up.
Which, i THINK defaults to the intel.