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Modern Mac OS X is a bit smarter about things, but I believe the original versions of Mac OS X that supported Optimus required you to restart the windowing syst
by thristian 13y ago
Modern Mac OS X is a bit smarter about things, but I believe the original versions of Mac OS X that supported Optimus required you to restart the windowing system when switching GPUs. That required quitting all your apps, logging out, and logging back in, which is effectively a reboot for people who stick to GUI interaction.
- _delirium 13y agoDoing a little searching, it seems it might be tied to the hardware as well, not just the OSX version (not sure if that's a real hardware limitation or a driver issue though). The dual-GPU MacBook Pros from mid-2010 onwards have "automatic graphics switching" that does it on the fly: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4110 http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4110 You're right that the 2008/09 models required logging out/in to switch manually; I hadn't realized that: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3207 http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3207
- fatrachet 13y agoThere is a OSX tool called gfxCardStatus that can switch GPUs without logging out on the 08 and 09 models, works great on my 09 MBP, so it only seems to be a driver issue not a hardware limitation.
- masklinn 13y ago> I believe the original versions of Mac OS X that supported Optimus OSX never supported Optimus, it's been a home-grown solution from the start.