Karel, I'm the development manager for Altair HyperView, a CAE post processing tool. We run into some of these same issues. On the Windows side, NVidia provided us with a method that allows our application to signal that the NVidia graphics should be used on an Optimus laptop, not the Intel graphics. The heuristics that the Optimus driver uses to switch between Intel and NVidia wasn't able to reliably switch to NVidia for our OpenGL app on its own.
How are you connecting your laptop to the display? Analog VGA connector? DVI? Displayport? If you have different options, you may want to try switching to see if it improves the output. One of the guys here noticed a big difference when switching between one connector and the other. My understanding is that the switching between Intel and NVidia or AMD graphics is driven by the need to reduce power consumption and increase battery life. The integrated Intel graphics consumes less power than the AMD or NVidia chipsets. If you've ever worked with some of the older "mobile workstation" type laptops, those things would get hot sitting in your lap due to all the heat they generated. On Thu, Dec 18, 2014 at 6:30 AM, Karel Lang AFD <l...@afd.cz> wrote: > > On 12/17/2014 10:35 PM, Steven Haigh wrote: > >> I have to chime in here... Windows support for Optimus and ATI Hybrid >> Graphics seem to work quiet well. I have a Dell Inspiron with onboard >> Intel & an ATI card. I haven't been able to fault it. >> > > I don't use Optimus myself, so i can not say from my own experience - but > if you just use a search engine and look for 'windows optimus > troubleshooting' you'll see a good handful of hits. > > Most of the time when I'm running desktop apps, the Intel on-cpu >> graphics does everything needed - but when firing up OpenGL or DirectX >> stuff, the ATI card takes over the panel seemlessly. This is running on >> Windows 7 - I hear Windows 8 does this even better - but its Windows 8 :\ >> > > I work for Car design company (meaning CAD apps), we work for all big > brands - VW group (Skoda, Volkswagen, Seat ..) Mercedes Benz, BMW - so i'm > used to 'see' good VGA cards in work every day. > If i take a computer screen that was connected previously to HP > workstation with Nvidia Quadro VGA and connect it to laptop with Intel VGA > - the difference is *huge* in colors, contrast etc. > So for me, Intel VGA is simply no-go, because i know how much better it > can be. > > I don't know where you get this 'bad pictures' part. It'll throw pixels >> at the screen just as quick as the ATI card for general desktop use. The >> only real difference is in OpenGL / DirectX where the discrete card >> kicks in. >> > > I don't know where the difference is, but as i said above, it just can not > be that simple as "throw pixel at screen" the difference in picture > stunning. > If i open linux terminal with my favorite 'green on black' and i have it > on my laptop with Nvidia Quadro VGA, the picture is sharp, 'eye pleasing' > (:D) while on Intel VGA the text conture is more blurry .. etc. It simply > is not same. > > The problem is, Linux support for this is just awful. We can throw blame >> games all you like, but yeah - it just doesn't work properly. I tried >> everything from Fedora to Arch to EL6 and nothing was happy to do >> switching as it should. >> >> It isn't the fault of the technology - but the software implementation >> to use it. >> > > It might be, but as said, Intel doesn't cut it for me even on windows, it > still is horrible. AMD Radeons are better in 2D. > > I'm still not sure why you think Intel graphics are ugly. As I said, >> it'll throw 1920x1080 to a laptop screen all day and hardly be noticed. >> The only bad part is the linux implementation of switching between cards. >> > > Oh, it is noticed - why should i buy laptop with subpar Intel VGA, if > there is better VGA vendors. > Particularly, why should i buy Optimus and then use 95% time Intel .. > blargh! :D :D > > br, :] > > -- > *Karel Lang* > *Unix/Linux Administration* > l...@afd.cz | +420 731 13 40 40 > AUFEER DESIGN, s.r.o. | www.aufeerdesign.cz >
