Graphics Switching in Windows 7 - Macbook Pro 2011

Can you tell me the name of the software that force 9600 GT to low setting please? In your experience is it stable? thank you very much

Same here.

@benzmac16v Are you saying that there's an app in OSX that will disable the discrete GPU when you reboot into Windows? If there is, I haven't heard of it. Also, I would disagree with the assertion that "they have proper drivers written that can handle graphics switching." If so, where are those drivers? The issue isn't even necessarily drivers, it's that the integrated GPU is disabled at the EFI level.

The same thing is true for AHCI. It's enabled for OSX, but disabled for Boot Camp, all in EFI and not accessible to end users.

AHCI has always been an issue and people have worked on finding drivers, regedit hacks, anything.

A microkernel can patch BIOS or firmware. A bug in firmware is dealt with in that manner. Drivers can add features.

Obviously unlike a PC you can't boot into UEFI and make changes and set the SATA ports from IDE to RAID or AHCI like you do on any PC.

Getting AHCI mode in Windows though should be a "given" or it really isn't 100% the same and fully supported is it?

And check out Intel Download Center for a driver for the 4000, someone said there is one for Windows 8 and possible other versions.

Totally agree. I was able to get AHCI working in Windows (both 7 and 8 RP), but at the expense of the Boot Camp control panel and sleep mode in Windows. The control panel isn't that big of a deal, but not having sleep mode is annoying. Getting it enabled isn't a trivial thing, either.

I really think Apple should just go ahead and fully support Windows. Quite a few people that might have otherwise bought Macs aren't buying them because they don't support Windows fully. Moreover, quite a few people who have bought Macs may reconsider upgrading them because of the issues with Windows support.

Thanks for tip on the 4000 driver. I'll check it out.

Hi I used a program called Riva Tuner to make the throttling as it should work for the 9600M GT. It runs stable but once in a blue moon a crash though I think its a driver issue, I have had simliar crashes on other laptops with Nvidia and Windows 7. I use another program called Aero Glass so I can have Balance while plugged and Power Saver when I am on battery.

No, I was not saying there is a program to reboot with integrated graphics. I said, pretty clearly I think, that while booted in macos you can force integrated or discrete WHILE IN MAC OS. The program is here: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/33905/gfxcardstatus . Changes do NOT carry over to windows.

nvidia has had graphics switching on PC laptops in windows for some time, so it is frustrating that Apple refuses to throw us a bone. It is getting rediculous how much they are locking down their laptops. Want a retina display? Have fun never upgrading the RAM! And buying custom SSDs! Same BS that they have been pulling with the Air for some time. Not to mention how much of a joke the "new" Mac Pro is. They have the best software around, but my workstation is now a PC because their hardware is such a joke (either ancient or locked down). I hope that retina display's find their way down to the normal MBP before my current laptop is up for renewal... Then again, by that time there will probably be PC laptops with "retina" displays. Apple will be hard pressed to keep me if this crap keeps up.

Jim

Clearly Apple products are not for you.

Sorry for my confusion then. The thread is about graphics switching in Windows, so I thought you must have been talking about Windows.

I'm running gfxcardstatus in OSX, but, as you stated, that doesn't do anything for the Windows side of things.

I totally agree with you that this is a very frustrating situation, and also don't like the direction Apple is headed in terms of making it impossible to upgrade or alter their hardware. Despite that, I really like Apple's hardware. The build quality is always top-notch and the design is great. I think they make the best consumer computers anywhere.

My issue is the half-hearted support for anything but OSX. With a very small amount of effort, Apple could support Windows as well as OSX from a hardware standpoint (graphics switching, AHCI, etc.) and put themselves in a position to keep customers that are frustrated with this situation or gain customers who have held off on switching to Macs becuase of this situation. Like you, if I'm not able to run the OS I want on the machine I bought (without loads of limitations), I may ultimately be forced to get a lower-quality laptop or all-in-one just so that I can get the performance out of the hardware that it was intended to produce.

ha! Because I have actual uses for my computers? Might need to upgrade them at some point? Would like it if I could use Windows only engineering programs on fully supported hardware?

By the sound of it, you could easily replace your computer with an iPad. I cannot. If I am going to spend $3,000 on a computer I would expect it to be upgradable and fully supported. Honestly, I don't think thats too much to ask for.

This is off topic, so Ill stop talking about it. Just frustrated with Apple's choices to put profit over usability.

Jim

I was simply pointing out to someone earlier that this is an acceptable way to switch graphics. He had the idea that Apple would have to supply a list of all windows applications and what graphics card they would need to activate.

Jim

Hi,

To enable the Intel GPU in BIOS mode, you can try the following :

1. Under Windows, download and extract grub24dos in c:\grub

2. Run c:\grub\install\grub24dos.exe and click "OK"

3. Edit the file c:\grub\grub.cfg and add after the line

menuentry "Windows"

(and before the line "chainloader") the following lines :

echo Activating Intel GPU

setpci -s 00:00.0 54.B=0b

echo Switch select

outb 0x728 1

echo Switch display

outb 0x710 2

echo Switch DDC

outb 0x740 2

echo Power down discrete graphics

outb 0x750 0

4. Reboot Windows,

5. At the Windows boot picker, choose "Grub 2 for Dos"

6. At the grub picker, choose "Windows".

7. At the Windows boot picker (again), choose "Microsoft Windows 7"

Note : this procedure should work for any MacBook Pro with Core i5/i7 integrated GPU, ie MBP from 2010 and later.

Tell us whether this works !

metatech

Maybe that works with Win7. It didn't with my early 2011 MBP dual booting ML and Win8 x64. Maybe the setpci command needs to be modified. It took multiple attempts to get grub to work. Once grub did work selecting "Windows" caused no output to the screen. I recommend that people make a copy of that Windows grub entry. It may be needed to boot windows withtout these options.

I also had to reset the PRAM to get my MBP to boot back into ML. The above is not for the average user.

Thanks for the suggestion, did all as you mention, was able to boot into grub and back into windows with no problem, on the driver side still he the same nVidia and no Intel HD 4000, I'm running a retina mbp, any other suggestions? I'm happy to try lol, just want to get decent battery life

DimaSD wrote:

on the driver side still he the same nVidia and no Intel HD 4000, I'm running a retina mbp, any other suggestions? I'm happy to try lol, just want to get decent battery life

Hi DimaSD,

Type "lspci" and take the PCI ID of the first entry, a "Host Bridge", for instance 8086:0044

FYI, it is a "DRAM Controller", as shown in the output under a Linux terminal :

00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Core Processor DRAM Controller [8086:0044] (rev 02)

Adapt and type the following command :

setpci -d 8086:0044 54.b=0b

Type "lspci" again and you should now have 2 "VGA Controller" entries.

metatech

I also had to reset the PRAM to get my MBP to boot back into ML. The above is not for the average user.

Hi ricky_tang,

That is strange, I would have thought that a cold reboot was enough to reset thoses values (PCI config + IO ports) : shutdown the machine, wait 10-20 secondes, start the machine, then choose directly "Windows" instead of "Grub 2 For Dos".

Did you wait a bit ?

metatech