NVidia Optimus Refresh on R2 yet?

NVIDIA's refreshed Optimus interface sheds more light on what your GPU is doing -- Engadget

Is this feature on the R2? Looks pretty impressive!

 

No. Not that I know of.

 

We have had this feature with the modded 258.96 drivers for a couple weeks now, right click on your desktop, click nvidia control panel, on the top bar click view, and check "Display GPU Activity Icon in Notification Area". I'm almost certain that the most recent official driver release also has this feature.

 

I'm using the latest drivers from dell and I do not have that option I still have to use the optimus state viewer just to see when/if my 335 is shutting off.

 

Not to go off topic, but this is my take on NVidia Optimus. :> Just for fun.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o293/ebondefender/My%20Photoshopped%20Junk/Deceptimus-Prime.jpg

 

Nvidia 258.96 drivers have this feature, but require a modded inf file to install with the m11xR2.

The Dell drivers do not have this feature yet, but they are still a couple of driver releases behind the Nvidia releases, so the Dell Drivers will get there eventually.

 

I don't have any of that on an Out of the box R2, I'll look into installing those new drivers but I'm very uncomfortable using unsigned drivers, just a few months ago Nvidia almost fried some video cards with a bad driver update...

 

even signed drivers could burn cards. i remember a few months back a signed drivers posted by Nvidia actually fry ppl's card and was remove shortly after being posted while reverting back to their previous WHQL. so signed or not sign dont matter. so if one gonna have such perception best bet is to stick to the stock drivers forever and dont even bother updating even if Dell provides an update. Remember Dell dont write those drivers, Nvidia did.

by the way one thing to note is also that 258.96 is WHQL signed. the only reason during installation being shown as unsigned only all because of the modded inf which breaks the signing as there's a change in crc on the inf file. so be it that it prompt you the drivers are unsigned but you are actually installing signed drivers. bear in mine the drivers does fully support R2 from the GPU to "feature" Optimus. Only reason why it doesnt install without modding is only due to missing hardware id in file.

Ï am posting this only to make things clearer to other owners out here. As your point can be very misleading and could create paranoids to others.

Thanks and have a good day.

 

Question about all this...

Is the manual graphics switching on the R1 a hardware or software switch? If it's software, will we ever get the option for manual switching?

 

^There is no reason I can see for Optimus drivers not to come with a manual toggle. Think about it. As it is now, they have it set to (1) detect when certain programs run, then (2) activate the 335m. Toggling it manually would require just #2; it's the same process minus detecting when programs run--so from scratch it's even easier to code, and it doesn't require anything fundamentally new to add the option to what already exists.

So why doesn't it have one? If I had to guess, it's because Nvidia thinks adding a manual switch would make people/companies think Optimus isn't good enough to replace manual switching. Its whole selling point is that it does not require user intervention, and including a manual toggle directly contradicts that.

 

I am so confused when people say Optimus doesn't have a manual switch, if you can whitelist programs. Whitelist explorer.exe, 335m is on, unwhitelist explorer.exe, boom, it's off. I don't understand how that is not a manual switch.

 

^^ word. I hate when people complain. Then get the R1 cry babies..

 

Stop with the complaining already.

 

lol I installed SC2 & a couple off steam, i didnt add them to the list but Optimus worked good.
I still cant add alot of my games to the list but when i launch them they work, except LFD2 it still says im using the IGP.

 

I have connected my M11x to a 120hz monitor and have found that the refresh rate won't go higher than 60hz. Is there any way to change this?

Cheers for any help.

 

@Ebon - dude that is hilarious! I agree. I hope optimess goes away. Now.. if they use the built in intel chipset as a sort of pseudo sli then maybe we have something here... hmmm....

BW, StevenX

 

post removed because someone merged the thread.

 

Ahh... Why did somebody merge my thread with this? They are completely different topics.

 

I personally think that Optimus is too young to give the opinion that it should just go away. Sure its been a pain so far but comon its brand new you have to expect that. I am sure with some time with some mature drivers Optimus will be alot smoother the way im sure Nvidia intended.
I do agree though that they should have still put in a manual switch reguardless if Optimus worked or not.

 

I posted a pic to help with the 60hz deal and now it's gone???

StevenX

 

Optimus is very promising, I believe any regular customer DOESNT care about whether their GPU is on or off. For me, starting with the R2, I wouldnt like manual switching.

If they work out the kinks it should be great. I dont want to worry about leaving my GPU on and losing all my battery. Like worrying about leaving the stove on.

 

sidetrack warning - "What" says that you are still using he IGP?

 

go read the concept behind the technology to understand why it is not possible for a normal switch. you dont understand how optimus work in the first place. so i think its fair to do more read up and understand before commenting. and same to most ppl just assume they do. it work completely different from the teh hybrid technology.

in optimus there is actually no switch. your intel is always on. basically when nvidia card is require, it will come on but only work on the necessary like 3d calculation. video acceleration and etcs and all these information after that will be copied over to intel for final output on the screen. bear in mind nvidia card in optimus DOES NOT DO DISPLAY! just one example, 3DFX in the past only do calculation but still the final output will be done by your primary display. take the 3DFX portion and modified a little on the software level and its optimus. get it?!

for those who dont understand please spend some time to read up the technology white paper from nvidia for the design and concept behind optimus. it show u a very straight forward layout on the technology and the explanation is very clear. if you come from the age of 3DFX you will better understand the optimus concept.

Peace out!

 

Wow, so the intel graphics card is never actually turned off? That's very interesting.

I'm not gonna read on the technology because I'm just an end user, but that's cool.

 

Correct. See here for some great information about Optimus and a bit of a comparison to Hybrid Graphics (aka. Switchable Graphics).

Hybrid Graphics


Optimus

NOTE: dGPU = Nvidia GPU & CPU,GPU MCH = Intel GPU
As you can see in those images Hybrid Graphics is a lot more complex from a hardware standpoint than Optimus.

A simpler image is

NOTE: IGP = Intel GPU, GPU = Nvidia GPU
Hope this helps.

-

As for the refresh, it is part of the 258.96 drivers that require a modified INF that was posted here.

 

Sorry but you have no idea what we're talking about.

First, I *have* read the whitepaper and other articles on Optimus. In fact, I've re-read it a couple times. It does not explain why a manual switch is impossible. The fact that it always goes through the IGP has *nothing* to do with the ability to have a manual switch.

The argument is not to have a manual switch between one or the other completely, as you seem to think. The argument is whether it is possible to manual switch it to have the 335m or IGP render the frames, which, again, has no relation to what you're talking about. Notice how I never said anything about turning the IGP off. Instead, I was talking about turning the 335m on and off--manually.

Now, given that the argument is whether it is possible to have a manual switch between which is doing the rendering, let me reiterate that there is *no reason* for there not to be a manual switch to choose which is doing all the rendering. Again, it should be easier than what it does now.

 

read the post again "bear in mind nvidia card in optimus DOES NOT DO DISPLAY!" this line already tell you the answer. all display is done via Intel. Nvidia does not do any of the display portion and thus manual switch over to allow Nvidia to completely take over in optimus is not possible. dont quote me just on one line please. read the whole thing. I know i mention more than just Intel does not turn off. again if you still dont understand. then go look up for the old 3DFX technology and read up on that. it probably help you better understand why its not possible!

 

lol please read my posts again, since not only did I never say that in my first one, but in the second I answered that directly. I totally understand what you're saying, but what you're saying is irrelevant. I will say it again as simple as possible:

--We are *NOT* talking about a manual switch exactly like the R1 has. We are *NOT* talking about making the Nvidia GPU take over completely. This is where you are misunderstanding.
--We are *NOT* talking about making one or the other do both the display and rendering. We *are* talking about a manual switch between which GPU does *only the rendering* (*NOT* both the displaying and rendering, like the R1 has).
--There is no reason Optimus can't have a manual switch to determine which GPU does the rendering.

edit: Perhaps this is even more clear: When we say "manual switch" we're talking about a switch between which GPU does the rendering, not turning one entirely off in the favor of the other.

 

I just read the first couple of pages and that's a very good article, thanks for linking it.

After reading it, I hope Nvidia is really commited to Optimus, the idea is clearly better than Hybrid grafx, but there's definitely a lot of kinks in the drivers yet.

 

Nvidia has already spent a ton of resources (at least I would suppose) and I have high doubts that they would out right abandon it. Especially when quite a few laptops are already using Optimus.

 

this is not hard to support. as i have mentioned before. this is basically a modification of the 3DFX concept in the past and merge it into current technology with software improvements. they definitely have the resource to support this. just remember they bought over 3DFX. They took SLi technology to where it is today. I dont see why they cant bring optimus further

 

i seriously dont know what you want. take it as i misinterplete your "manual switch" fine...

now take it as you are not asking for function like R1.

This is what you said - --We are *NOT* talking about making one or the other do both the display and rendering. We *are* talking about a manual switch between which GPU does *only the rendering* (*NOT* both the displaying and rendering, like the R1 has).

ok so base on this quote " a manual switch between which GPU does *only the rendering* (*NOT* both the displaying and rendering, like the R1 has)" this function has been there since day one. you are allow to manually launch an app to tell the system manually which card is suppose to do the rendering. And it only apply to that instance. If you just run it regularly it will base on the settings within the whitelist. So if you are not asking Nvidia to do the final output but just an manual switch of the rendering hardware, it has been there since day one!

 

ok, looks like we're on the same page, except by manual toggle I mean the ability to choose which GPU does the rendering no matter which programs are running. The reason I want a manual switch is because sometimes I want programs to run on the nVidia card that other times I want the same program to run only on IGP, and vice versa.

For example, if I am plugged in and not using the battery, why would I want to ever use IGP for rendering? I might as well use the nVidia card because I am not trying to save on battery.

And on the other side, there are times when I am using battery (not plugged in) when battery life is my only concern, and I'd like to be able to force the nVidia card not to do any rendering ever, no matter which programs run.

And I suspect I'm not the only one who wants this type of manual toggle because it has been brought up a bunch of times by different people now.

Is it necessary? No. But would it be handy sometimes? Yes!