MacBook Pro 2010 update: The magic of the graphics
One of the new and exciting things about Apple’s latest series of MacBook Pro laptops was the introduction of the so called automatic graphics switching technology. This feature toggles between the onboard graphics chip, from Intel, and the more powerful Nvidia board, depending on the applications that are running, saving valuable battery life in the process.
We’ve seen similar technologies before, and everyone was excpecting that Apple used the Optimus switcher, created but Nvidia. The guys at Ars Technica found out that it’s not Nvidia’s hardware, it’s an entirely new thing. Apple hasn’t used Optimus for a couple of reasons, the most important being that the technology is a Windows only solution, and all apps had to be registered with Nvidia in the first place. So instead of reverting to a manual switching solution, like Apple used before in previous models, they decided to develop something new.
Their solution lets Mac OS X to handle the transition automatically, so that applications that use powerful graphics, like games or graphic editing software will trigger the GeForce GT330M, and other apps, like Mail or Excel will be handled by the Intel graphics. Users who don’t want this feature can simply deactivate it with a few clicks in the right place. Another improvement in Apple’s video switching tech is that when the more powerful video card is used, the onboard graphic chip is turned completely off, saving a lot of energy. Other similar technologies keep both chips running.
Other interesting facts are that the users can force the laptop to keep the more powerful NVidia always on, but cannot stop it from initializing in case they want to save the maximum amount of energy and use only the integrated Intel chip.
Even if we’re talking about an evolution in this graphics switching tech, there are many areas that can be perfected. For example even if the new MacBooks are connected directly to a wall power socket, the laptop does not automatically detect the change and turns on the more powerful graphics chip. This only happens if the MacBook Pro is connected to an external display.
Even with its minor flaws, Apple’s new technology is pushing things forward, and the impressive battery life of the new series of MacBook Pro’s is the most eloquent proof.
