One other thing to note is that I tried the suggested gfxCardStatus app but it doesnt. gfxCardStatus provides a lot of control over which card is in use at any given time, and can also just notify you when the system decides that you should be using a different graphics card, and shows you why exactly the switch was made (under "dependencies"). If I right click on the icon on the dock I see Application Not. Other Match users have had success with gfxcardstatus app, which allows you to switch. gfxCardStatus is a free menu bar application that keeps track of which graphics card your MacBook Pro is using at any given time. Maybe variances in what apps are installed are also factors. PWAs can also be installed just like native apps on many devices. I have the AMD Radeon 6490 M/Intel HD 3000 on El Capitan. For example, Google Chrome and Skype, among many others. Maybe gfxCardStatus set in integrated only is in conflict when the Energy Prefs setting is set to High Performance, which forces it to switch to discrete graphics whenever a graphics intensive app is launched. Also, in the discrete mode, the application can display up to 16 active monitors, whereas in the integrated-only mode only the monitor list is displayed. But it's not perfect, and a lot of apps will inadvertently force the system to use the better graphics card. the OS will switch to the better graphics card, and when you're done, it will switch back to save power. When you connect an external display, load something up in Flash, start a game, etc. Theres always been automatic switching on Macs with dedicated GPUs that also have onboard graphics. Mac OS X automatically switches between the available graphics cards. Most 15"/17" MacBook Pros sold since 2009, if I remember correctly, have 2 graphics cards - one discrete card that is very powerful, but somewhat power-hungry, and an integrated one that is much less powerful but draws less power. well, now that you mention it, I guess it's only been about 2 years :) ![]() How many people have multiple graphics cards?Haha. So they are reluctant to accept taking on to replace the GPU on my machine. GfxCardStatus is a free download from creator Cody Krieger's website. Service people who work on replacing the GPU on MBP 17 motherboards says that if the graphics look OK on an external monitor then its not the GPU. I simply didn't have the stamina to test that claim, but I did make one nine-hour run with OS X reporting a nine percent remaining battery capacity. Turning down screen brightness to just two "dots," a technique I often use to maximize battery life when using a MacBook Air during conferences, caused OS X to report potential battery life as high as 10 hours. I was consistently able to get between 8 and 8.5 hours of continuous use from the Retina MacBook Pro when running integrated graphics only. gfxCardStatus is a menu bar application for OS X that allows MacBook Pro owners to view which GPU is in use at a glance, and switch between them on-demand.Īrs Technica has much more, including the fact that the Retina MacBook Pro can be pushed to nearly 10 hours of battery life with some minor battery saving techniques: Hold down the Shift+Control+Option+Power button at the same time for a few seconds, then release all keys concurrently Boot the Mac as usual For other hardware, you can learn how to reset SMC on Macs here. By more precisely controlling when each graphics card is enabled, users can improve system performance or battery life. I'll likely be running Windows 7 (or XP if it proves a better option for extending the battery) and Linux running in WMware.GfxCardStatus allows users to control which graphics card is enabled - integrated or discrete - on MacBook Pro models with multiple graphics cards. gfxCardStatus is a free menu bar application Mac Free DownloadLatest Version Free DownloadCurrent Version 6. Ideally, it should be very thin (no optical drive), screen size does not matter but the smaller the better, a respectable battery life, and the most important attribute, low heat generation meaning no quad core/dedicated gpu setup. ![]() With my fears of excessive heat build-up having been confirmed, I'm now in the market for an expendable netbook that can do the job but without cooking itself while operating inside a backpack (or at least minimize the possibility). Fortunately, I was provided with a replacement system courtesy of Applecare warranty. ![]() I've taken up an interest in war walking (I don't own a vehicle) and in an effort to stay stealthy, I've opted to go the "laptop in a backpack" route.Īs an experiment, I warwalked with an Alfa AWUS036H attached to a Macbook Pro operating in a backpack (running snow leopard with linux in wmware fusion) and while the tests were highly successful, my Macbook Pro soon became a casualty of excessive heat despite assigning 1 core to the Linux virtual machine and a forced integrated gpu setting via the gfxCardStatus app.
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