You can select from multiple options on the software menu to display the different cards that are running, such as integrated-only mode, desktop mode, or discrete mode. In particular, I upgraded the RAM on the machine from 8 GB to 16 GB, installed a 512 GB SSD (which was supposed to be more energy efficient), and also removed the CD / DVD Drive (did not install anything in its place). The setup is quite simple: just download the gfxcardstatus, install it and then let it run to identify which graphics card is running. so what the hell?Īm I right in believing that the battery life issues are related to the way that Mac OS X 10.8 handles the graphics card switch? Another culprit could be that I replaced a few of my MBP parts myself a few months ago. but VLC already runs smoothly on computers with only integrated graphics cards. I hear this is to make sure that apps which use OpenGL run smoothly. This is frustrating since the discrete graphics card turns on automatically whenever I run an app like VLC which uses OpenG. gfxCardStatus is an unobtrusive menu bar app for OS X that allows MacBook Pro users to see which apps are affecting their battery life by using the more power-hungry graphics. Unfortunately, however, it does not work in 10.8. Is there a way to permanently turn off the discrete graphics card in Mac OS X 10.8.2? I used to be able to do this using the gfxCardStatus app in Mac OS X 10.6 and 10.8. gfxCardStatus allows users to control which graphics card is enabled - integrated or discrete - on MacBook Pro models with multiple graphics cards. Discrete Only: Forces the more power-hungry graphics on and disallows automatic switching. Integrated Only: Forces the more battery-friendly graphics on and disallows automatic switching. I believe that the remaining decrease in performance is just linked to software changes in Mac OS X 10.8 that automatically turn on the discrete graphics card.Īny advice that can improve my battery life would be very much appreciated. gfxCardStatus has three modes of operation: Dynamic Switching: An alias for the built-in automatic graphics switching feature in OS X. That said, the Battery Health app says that my battery should still be able to carry up to 85% of it's capacity, so I would expect around 6 hours of usage at least. Some info about the issue: NSApplicationDidChangeScreenParametersNotification is still fired when apps open that should cause a switch. Some of this is due to the fact that my battery is 2 years old and has been through 475 charge cycles. When the discrete graphics are in use, gfxCardStatus’s menubar app will tell you what apps are currently requiring it under Dependencies. Using the same settings today, I can scrape at most 3.5 hours of battery life. I am posting because I currently have a 15'' Macbook Pro (Early 2011 edition) and have suffered from poor battery life since upgrading from Mac OS X 10.7 to 10.8.īefore the upgrade, I could use my MBP for around 7 hours when I turned off the discrete graphics card (using gfxCardStatus), dimmed the brightness and switched off the WiFi / bluetooth adapters.
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