MacBook Pros with NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics get (unofficial) discrete switching utility
By Chris Ziegler 
posted May 8th 2010 12:16PM
posted May 8th 2010 12:16PM
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted May 8th 2010 12:16PM
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@onlymyrailgun Code is speech. If they block non-malicious code that simply "goes against their interests," it is censorship.
@summerboy18 Really?
This is my sys info after updating
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6008/screenshot20100508at174.png
@summerboy18 Don't blame engadget. You knew it was beta and glitchy. You chose to try it out. Reinstall Mac OS, that should fix it.
I have a MBP and before that a PowerBook G4, and for years I've had to use a special third-party program just to be able to close the freakin screen without making the machine go to sleep. The 3-4 windows laptops I used before the PowerBook always had an option to keep the machine running with the lid closed.
@Agent007 Give'em time, they will come around.
@Agent007
Erm just click the mouse or tap a key to wake it up when closed.. how hard is that?
I run my MBP closed like this all the time.
@inutopia Erm, dumb question, but how do you press a key or the touchpad when the laptop's closed?
@r3loaded He probably was referencing awesome telekinesis powers.
@Agent007
Or you could close the screen to get it to sleep, then open and close it quickly. Sometimes it makes the computer remain awake, which was not my intention, lol. I just tried it out with my MacBook.
@Agent007
Since you *presumably* have some manner of providing input to the computer when closed yet running, use that. Also, any USB device will wake it up when closed, so as long as a display is connected, just plug in a USB key (or, you know, the mouse and keyboard that others suggested).
Talk about a problem solved a decade ago...
@diamondsw yeah but what if you want to have it running while closed and you don't use any peripherals? for example i sometimes use my dell xps m1330 in bed and if i have to copy some files till morning, i just close it, let it continue its work and go to sleep. (i have it set to dont go into standby if you close it while its connected to the charger)
i'm really baffled that macbooks seem to be unable to do that without additional software.
@Xstream
I tried closing my MacBook while transferring some files. The process didn't get interrupted at all.
@summerboy18 Don't blame Engadget 'cause your ass is too stupid to understand the risks of beta software
@summerboy18
Pffft, you just need to feed the unicorns in it. Standard low grain magical hay only.
Integrated graphics. So quaint. So 1994. LoL at mac users.
@A25i
So I assume you won't be buying any new Intel processors, since it's on the CPU die?
This ended up being a good move, as we get power savings most of the time, and full-on dedicated graphics when it's needed - no configuration or switches required. The only problem with Apple's solution is you have have false positives and lose a smidgen of battery life - and in my experience owning one, these are very rare indeed.
@A25i
Again, the ignorant speak out.
@onlymyrailgun
You do* have quite a bit to say.
Apple sucks. onlymyrailgun sucks more.
@A25i
I apologize for not being as awesome as Apple.
is it just my imagination or Apple "just works" less and less. I mean com on, they havent relase any product in the last 2-3 years that didnt have any problems...I guess we should just stick to those plastic cheap laptops (Im not talking about MacBooks)
@nk
Really, I'm sorry that you have to experience their failure. Is your MBP malfunctioning on you right now?
@nk
Nah, its just that every little problem is exaggerated by 100x. I have yet to find any of the problems being reported about the new macbook pro's being an actual problem.
@sshating
Actually, 99% of the time, it DOES just work. (I'm basing that on actually owning and using one for daily work, rather than spouting uninformed opinion). The only thing that activates it needlessly for me is Rosetta/PPC software, and I'm assuming that's just because it can't determine if it's needed on the fly in such an environment.
As for the much maligned Tweetie, perhaps the devs should fix their client so they aren't calling advanced graphics APIs for a damn twitter program?
@summerboy18
PEBKAC - Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair.
Works fine here, and as others have said, you don't seem to understand what beta software is (thanks, Google, for muddying those waters). Perhaps you should avoid it in the future.
@summerboy18
Hahahah noob. Cant even install crap on your (cr)apple properly. Ruined your weekend? Were you going to be gaming? Oh wait, you cant do that. Watch some videos online? Oh wait, cant do that either. Ha!
Nice status symbol you got there. You can bring it with you to the coffee shops and be UBER conscious. You can look at all the other douches of questionable sexuality around you sipping lattes and mocha loserchinies using their Apple products... and you can be the one saving the world by NOT using it.
I hope computer architectures change soon to finally dump all this stupid CPU vs GPU madness. Prolly won't happen until the work is being done in the cloud and it doesn't matter.
there is a rumor around that if you throw a peeled, raw onion into a cage of ihaters, they will begin to ... well you know... !
@shizzledmg
Where's the youtube video?
A25: "lol"? Really? Do you still have an AOL email address?
I can't say I'm surprised Apple chose not to jump to the whims of the same tech geeks that said the iPad wouldn't sell because it lacks Flash and USB ports. I mean, if you're looking for appropriate business direction, you need look no further than under-educated, under-employed blog readers who eat cocoa puffs and work at Verizon.
@Perspective
A "?" really? Do you still have your loaves sent whole?
And to top it off, you failed at commenting too... epic. Loser.
@sshating hum Apple's implementation DOES work if you follow the API. Chrome is still a beta and it is normal not to work very well. Plus if the Chrome developers really cared to read the developer documentation they would know that the close button is on the wrong side on a mac but I guess that's what happens when you use cross platform code and try to rewrite as little code as possible.
Dropbox should really make the default menu icon the black one. Don't let people install that garish box on their menu bar unless they really want to!
@sshating
Your name suits you.
Still, a valid point... You could have said in a non asshat type way.
This hasn't really been a problem for me, i don't use any of the strange applications that turn the GPU on un-needingly, and the battery life has been brilliant - better than any other laptop i have owned.
However, this is a nice application and have installed it just because it is nice to see what turns it on and despite some odd strange times here and there that are being reported, i seem to find it using it in all the places you expect and turning it off even within applications that use it when it isn't actually being used. Like Photoshop - turn on GPU acceleration and it will won't come into play when you actually need it within the application.
OK -- this is awesome, step in the right direction.
What about a switchable graphics solution for running bootcamp'd Win 7 on here? Last time I checked there's no way to turn in the Intel graphics if you're running Windows on these new MBP's...the Nvidia one is just always on, and the battery life is terrible because of this.
twitter is gaaaaaay
@summerboy18
Hahahah noob. Cant even install crap on your (cr)apple properly. Ruined your weekend? Were you going to be gaming? Oh wait, you cant do that. Watch some videos online? Oh wait, cant do that either. Ha!
Nice status symbol you got there. You can bring it with you to the coffee shops and be UBER conscious. You can look at all the other douches of questionable sexuality around you sipping lattes and mocha loserchinies using their Apple products... and you can be the one saving the world by NOT using it.
@sshating Well, to be honest, there is no real way for an OS to know how much the GPU is being stressed aside from what is being reported from the GPU itself... And since it's the Intel integrated GPU that we are talking about here, it is just not advanced enough to report back to the OS that it's being murdered. The end result is a manual switch.
So what you as a user may think is possible might actually not be possible at all in a real life situation and only the developers would know about it. But one thing is for sure... if it was as simple as asking the IGP whether it is being hammered or not, nVidia Optimus and Apple's solution would not have to have a blacklist and whitelist. Heck, nVidia Optimus doesn't even switch automatically if the application is not on the list.
Last but not least, this is precisely why Apple wanted to steer clear of Intel integrated solutions. They just suck so much... feature-wise. In terms of being a PR item, they have the capabilities, but in terms of being a capable harfware to develop for, they are a nightmare. If they were so developer-friendly, Apple would not have switched over to nVidia.
There is no point in switching graphics
@coolduder1 there is if you can't have a spare battery on hand because apple in it's infinite wisdom made it NON REMOVABLE!
the switching is pretty interesting. it seems that in case of some animation running the nvidia even helps saving energy, since the cpu has less work...
DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A VERSION FOR THE PC?
Like a similar utility? I have a laptop with an ATi 5870M and a i7 620M and it would be awesome if I could just use the Intel HD Graphics!