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    GPU switching a dead concept?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by zazzo, Feb 11, 2010.

  1. zazzo

    zazzo Newbie

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    I am looking for a new laptop and the corei5 Sony Vaio F series (Sony Vaio VPC-F11M1E-sold in europe) caught my eye. As I understand it, the Corei5 has an intergrated Graphic processor and combining that with Vaios dedicated GT330m GPU I figured you could get a good graphics/idletime combo.
    But there is no info on GPU switching at all and a question to sony told me that they do not aknowledge a second GPU in the laptop.
    Even reviews as on the Dell 1558 ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Studio-1558-HD4570-Notebook.25411.0.html) doesnt mention a switching option.

    Have I got something wrong or is the concept dead?
     
    zazzo, Feb 11, 2010
    #1
  2. namaiki

    namaiki "basically rocks" Super Moderator

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    namaiki, Feb 11, 2010
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  3. DEagleson

    DEagleson Gamer extraordinaire

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    It all depends on Nvidia's Optimus is driver dependent or hardware dependent.
    Hope its only a driver issue as seamless gpu switching sounds sweet.
     
    DEagleson, Feb 11, 2010
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  4. namaiki

    namaiki "basically rocks" Super Moderator

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    Hardware dependant.
     
    namaiki, Feb 11, 2010
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  5. jasperjones

    jasperjones Notebook Evangelist

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    You cannot run Optimus on unsupported hardware. In principle, all of the current G200M and G300M 40nm cards have the required hardware (the only hardware piece necessary is called the "copy engine"). For the most part, Optimus is implemented in software/drivers. Nevertheless, it's doubtful in my mind that NVIDIA will provide support for laptops released in the past.

    Apparently, though, up to 50 upcoming laptops will support optimus. So no, GPU switching is alive and well.
     
    jasperjones, Feb 11, 2010
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  6. Judicator

    Judicator Judged and found wanting.

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    There's a support issue as well, if you're dealing with the integrated Arrandale GPU. The originally released chipset (PM55) apparently does not support the use of the integrated Arrandale GPU at all. You need the newer 57 series chipsets to do that, and those are still pretty new, and I'm not sure anything on the market yet has them. I think the current Arrandale offerings are mostly just the Arrandale chips dropped into existing PM55 chipsets.
     
    Judicator, Feb 11, 2010
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