Problems with W500 switchable graphics, solved

[gpvillamil]

I've had persistent problems with the graphics on my W500, since I got it.

I've only ever used it in discrete (ATI) graphics mode, but still had some weird stuff:

- When scrolling in a web browser using the center button, the area around the mouse cursor becomes a flickering black rectangle.

- When changing the volume or screen brightness up and down, the area behind the OSD becomes a flickering blue rectangle.

I've had issues with the display staying black when resuming from sleep, and occasional crashes with graphic intensive applications. In fact, a mission critical app for me, Max/MSP, throws up all sorts of OpenGL errors. It runs better on my X61 Tablet!

I found an extensive thread on the Lenovo forums, here:

http://forum.lenovo.com/lnv/board/messa ... 7763#M7763

...that describes a possible solution to the problem. I've tried it, and sure enough, many of glitches are gone. My graphics score on the Windows Experience Index went from 5.3 to 5.4.

However, my Max/MSP problems persist.

Has anyone else encountered problems like this?

Are there any downsides to using the updated ATI Radeon graphics vs the FireGL drivers?