[clug] Avoiding NVIDIA Optimus ?

[Michael Manning]

Just confirming that we have all 5 machines with the Optimus video cards
running with various versions of Linux...they will run with the Optimus
turned on, but we have never been able to "see" the NVIDIA card, just the
slower on board one. With Optimus disabled in the BIOS Linux sees the NVIDIA
card and will run perfectly well with the Nouvea and NVIDIA proprietary
drivers.

Please post any further findings as it is something to be aware of for us
all :-)

Michael Manning
@mmanningau
http://www.google.com/profiles/mmanning.au


On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 11:35 AM, Warren Gardner
<warrenjgardner at gmail.com>wrote:

> I put an Acer Aspire AS5750G-2414G75Bnkk on hold at Dick Smith at the
> sale price of $769.
>
> My main concern was the 'floating key' keyboard until I got home and
> googled NVIDIA Optimus.
>
> From what I gather:
> NVIDIA do not provide (much) support for linux. If I have a laptop
> with Optimus not only will I not be able to utilise the graphics card,
> I will be lucky to boot the computer.  To boot it would depend on the
> options in BIOS, and even then the unusable graphics card will chew
> battery and cook the computer. Though Micheal Manning has not had this
> problem http://lists.samba.org/archive/linux/2011-May/029981.htm.
>
> Is this correct?  My research on graphics cards and compatible drivers
> has not cleared things up for me.  I'm gathering most new computers
> have switchable graphics but linux cannot access the required drivers.
>
> Will dual booting help? Would that make the required drivers available to
> Linux?
>
> Anyway if anyone can help I would like to know if I should still get
> this laptop?   I told Dick Smith I will come back on Friday.
>
>
>
> Thank you for reading,  here are some specs:
>
> NVIDIA GeForce GT 540 with up to 4096 MB of TurboCache
> Switchable graphics
> (NVIDIA Optimus sticker is on computer)
> Intel Core i5-2410M   2.3G/3MB/1333FSB/64-bit
> RAM 1 x 4GB
> 750GB HD
> BlueRay/DVD Super Multi
> 802.11b/g/Draft-N
> 2 x USB2.0   1x USB3.0
> HDMI
> Battery 6-Cell 2.2
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>