Optimus support for Linux

[artem]

Alfie7777:

I bet CUDA will work if you manage to enable your GPU but again as it's been iterated countless times you can only enable your GPU if your laptop has a hardware switch for that.

[LLStarks]

I guess that would explain why the N53SV works and the XPS 17 doesn't despite both being current-gen optimus.

[Alfie7777]

artem, currently what I have is a Dell XPS15. I am thinking of selling it to a Windows user who likes it and use the money to buy a computer from a producer that allows me to compile and run CUDA. Sorry if I was confusing. If any of the computers in that list by LLStarks is useful and not superexpensive, it could happen that I will buy one of those.

Right now, I am looking for computers with Geforce 5XXM graphics cards that can run CUDA in Linux.

[Alfie7777]

And so it turns out that Lenovo has got BIOS settings that disallow the integrated graphics card (http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...cid=MIGR-76476). Their computers seem a bit expensive though.

I am picking a safe option: I will opt for an i7 Quad, the old kind without Optimus .

[DanielSBuus]

Originally Posted by Alfie7777

And so it turns out that Lenovo has got BIOS settings that disallow the integrated graphics card (http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...cid=MIGR-76476). Their computers seem a bit expensive though.

That's good news! I'm actually looking at getting the T420s - I'll have to find out if that one's also available with this option.

Originally Posted by Alfie7777

I am picking a safe option: I will opt for an i7 Quad, the old kind without Optimus .

Do remember that old i7 Q does not necessarily equal no optimus

[Alfie7777]

Originally Posted by DanielSBuus

That's good news! I'm actually looking at getting the T420s - I'll have to find out if that one's also available with this option.

Good luck! I hope that you will find your holy grail.

Originally Posted by DanielSBuus

Do remember that old i7 Q does not necessarily equal no optimus

I hope that my current preference shows that you are wrong: http://www.sony.co.uk/product/vn-f-series/vpcf13m8e-b. Strangely enough, there is no Optimus ad anywhere wherever I find this model. That must mean that there is no Optimus even though I cannot prove it technically - yet.

In truth, I would rather like the Asus N53SV (http://uk.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=Gjsm3Kp4pjz9iJM1). But I do not want to spend too much time trying out alpha drivers. I am not that kind of a computer scientist.

When do you people think that Optimus can be tamed somewhat reliably? There might be an option to use only Intel or only NVIDIA, even if you have to reboot. That would suffice to me.

May the force be with all of those testing alpha drivers.

[Alfie7777]

Check #60 here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/linu...s-linux-6.html

It says: "There was no BIOS business here.
I installed the latest nvidia dev drivers, but did not allow it to modify xorg.conf file.
This basically will load the required nvidia modules for you.
Post that install CUDA 3.0 Toolkit + GPU Computing SDK code samples based on the instructions and compile the sample code.
I have tried cuda 3.0 on Ubuntu 10.10 on my Sager 5130 which has 425M + Intel HD
So basically you can use your GPU with CUDA for comuting based tasks.
However,
Opengl based applications do not work, as 425m is not being used as the Display Card.
The reason is your LCD is connected to iGPU and not dGPU."

Has anyone tried that? I am gonna try it tonight. I am interested in computation, not graphics. That is why I have an NVIDIA graphics card.

If I do this, then my Dell XPS15 may work. That would mean: no obligation and fuss to get a new computer.

[DanielSBuus]

Originally Posted by Alfie7777

Good luck! I hope that you will find your holy grail.

Thanks! Though, if not, my other preference was the upcoming Asus U36SD, and since it's Asuses that this other dude hacked, that might be a good option, too.

Originally Posted by Alfie7777

I hope that my current preference shows that you are wrong:

What I mean is that lack of an in-cpu gpu such as Sandy Bridge has doesn't necessarily mean no Optimus - Optimuses before Sandy Bridge just switched between the Intel chipset gpu and the nvidia one, so one has to be extra careful when chosing

Originally Posted by Alfie7777

When do you people think that Optimus can be tamed somewhat reliably? There might be an option to use only Intel or only NVIDIA, even if you have to reboot. That would suffice to me.

Given that the open source version of the nvidia drivers were dropped, things aren't looking up unless nvidia get their act together and start delivering

[Licaon]

F7U12: http://guru3d.com/news/nvidia-synerg...d-at-computex/

[elLolo]

Originally Posted by Licaon

F7U12: http://guru3d.com/news/nvidia-synerg...d-at-computex/

It seems to be a dynamic switching system between an Intel Sandy Bridge iGPU and a Nvidia GPU, which sounds to be very nice. However it is a complex system and I am not so sure that Nvidia would like to implement it on Linux...

Actually, I would appreciate to use the Nvidia GPU on my system even if I have to turn off permanently the Sandy Bridge iGPU... Just that!

[LLStarks]

There's no way in hell that Synergy will prohibit a BIOS switch and I'll eat my hat if it does.

[Licaon]

Originally Posted by LLStarks

There's no way in hell that Synergy will prohibit a BIOS switch and I'll eat my hat if it does.

There's no way in hell that Optimus will prohibit a BIOS switch and I'll eat my hat if it does.... OH WAI....