They've got hardware accelerated CSS3 working right in the latest versions, but VP8/VP9 won't work. The explanation is that Safari doesn't support VP8/VP9, so a fallback to h264 happens and the hardware accelerates that properly.
I've noticed hardware accelerated CSS3, much to my despair, as it triggers the discrete gpu. It makes everything freeze for a split second, draw the page, then switch back to the integrated gpu, again with a slight freeze. And if I'm really lucky, the whole process of switching gpus will just crash resulting in a forced reboot.
But I can't really blame Chrome for something that is out of their control. I recommend checking out gfx.io, that way you know what gpu is active. You can also lock it to internal only if you don't use external displays or anything that really requires the discrete gpu.
But I can't really blame Chrome for something that is out of their control. I recommend checking out gfx.io, that way you know what gpu is active. You can also lock it to internal only if you don't use external displays or anything that really requires the discrete gpu.