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by kitsunesoba 1181 days ago
Yeah, my experience with iGPU+dGPU setups outside of MacBooks has been messy. Part of the problem perhaps is the various different ways it can be set up, e.g. with/without mux switch, and last I knew AMD and Nvidia handle iGPU ↔ dGPU handoffs differently rather than agreeing on a standard.

With that in mind I'd also prefer that there be a way to flip off the dGPU in BIOS to guarantee that it can't unexpectedly become a power vampire.
2 comments
9935c101ab17a66 1180 days ago
I don’t think apple gets enough credit for how good their automatic graphics switching implementation was. I’d argue that most users who benefitted from it didn’t even know it was happening. It’s such a useful feature too, because dGPUs generally kill notebook batteries, and even at idle, they probably generate an impactful amount of heat.

Is there truly no equivalent to apples automatic graphic switching for PC laptops? If so that’s WILD.

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sudosysgen 1181 days ago
AMD and NVidia now use the same standard, which is PRIME for handoff and automatic shutdown using Runtime PM, and if needed muxes are handled by the vga-switcheroo.

On the latest NVidia/AMD hardware, no configuration should be required, unless you try to use Wayland on NVidia.

Unfortunately on NVidia you really need the latest hardware, both on the GPU and CPU side. If you do, it should generally "just work". Of course Linux is Linux and it might not.

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