Do I need the discrete graphics card?

I'm buying a 15" macbook pro in the next couple of weeks. I do lots of work on Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Do I need to get the top model with the discrete graphics card or is it not worth the money?

No, it's certainly not geared for gaming! If you do a lot of Photoshop work with 3D renderings, actions, etc., a discrete GPU can be great - particularly one with 2GB of Video RAM. If I were in the market for a new machine, I would certainly purchase the unit that has the discrete GPU.
Clinton

Similar Messages

Efilogin-helper requires for the discrete graphic card

After updating to the latest version of osx on my 2014 macbook pro 15.
There is a process named efilogin-helper always requesting for the discrete graphic card and taking the energy and CPU..
Is there any solution to fix this problem??

I have to use a software to change the graphic card to integrated one only..

Computer freezes when switching to discrete Graphics Card.

Hi! I have a W530 with the K1000M graphics card, along with the Nvidea Optimus program. Whenever I run a program that uses my discrete graphics card, I get the error "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered." I've used my discrete graphics card before with no problems, although my computer has had two major changes since the last time I've used it (see notes below).
Solutions I've tried: Updating with the correct drivers through Windows Update (update failed), updating driver through Lenovo website (broke display), updating drivers through Nvidea website (driver installed, didn't fix problem). Nothing works, and the Lenovo driver basically disabled my display. It took me hours to fix just that-- for some reason, whenever I crash, my computer looks at drive X instead of C. Had to screw around for a while just to let me do a system restore.
I'm rather upset about the whole thing because I really like my laptop. Right now, I've just set Optimus to never use the discrete graphics card...
Thanks for reading!
*Note 1: I have some aftermarket parts: Crucial RAM and a mSATA SSD. I've had these parts in for over a year with no problems.
*Note 2: The motherboard in my laptop blew a transistor or something a few weeks ago. My university's computer shop replaced it under warranty.
*Note 2.1: I'm not sure if the new motherboard is causing the problems or Windows 8.1, or something else entirely. I haven't used my discrete graphics card since before both the 8.1 update and my motherboard being fixed.

This happened to me whenever I was trying to run 3dsMax Design 2013 in Optimus mode, everytime I attempted to open that program it would simply refuse and say the nvidia driver had just crashed.
It was solved with nvidia 305.93 I think (I currently run 331.82 which is the latest) look for the most up to date driver at the nvidia drivers download page.
That is really an nvidia driver related problem but you should also update your Intel video card driver too as previously suggested. (and if the program that is crashing is an Autodesk product be sure to be up to date too (with all the nuances that it implies), I'm currently running 3dsmax 13 PU6 and it works)
So what you need to do is to uninstall your nvidia driver completely, reboot, install the most up to date from nvidia. reboot, via windows update install the lates Intel video driver (if something appears) (don't install it from the intel web site). In device manager my intel driver appears to be 9.17.10.2843
(Maybe it didn't work the last time for you because maybe you didn't perform a clean installation)

Discrete graphics card not switching off - kernel 3.18

Hi there,
I'm currently running Archlinux on an Acer 4820TG laptop with two graphics card: Intel (onboard) and AMD Radeon HD 6550M.
After upgrade to kernel version 3.18.2-2-ARCH, the command echo OFF > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch that I've been using doesn't switch the discrete graphics card off.
This way battery drains rather rapidly
Additional info:
Intel driver: xf86-video-intel 2.99.917-1
Radeon driver: xf86-video-ati 1:7.5.0-1
Help would be appreciated. Thanks!

This happened to me whenever I was trying to run 3dsMax Design 2013 in Optimus mode, everytime I attempted to open that program it would simply refuse and say the nvidia driver had just crashed.
It was solved with nvidia 305.93 I think (I currently run 331.82 which is the latest) look for the most up to date driver at the nvidia drivers download page.
That is really an nvidia driver related problem but you should also update your Intel video card driver too as previously suggested. (and if the program that is crashing is an Autodesk product be sure to be up to date too (with all the nuances that it implies), I'm currently running 3dsmax 13 PU6 and it works)
So what you need to do is to uninstall your nvidia driver completely, reboot, install the most up to date from nvidia. reboot, via windows update install the lates Intel video driver (if something appears) (don't install it from the intel web site). In device manager my intel driver appears to be 9.17.10.2843
(Maybe it didn't work the last time for you because maybe you didn't perform a clean installation)

Windows 8.1 freezes while booting up with discrete graphic card T520

Hi all,
Hoping someone can help me here. If I use my discrete video card (nvs 42000m) to boot into windows, it will freeze on the sign in page or sometimes on the metro page however when Optimus is enabled it works just fine.
So I thought it was a driver issue. I went to Nvidia and downloaded their latest video card driver for windows 8.1. No help
Uninstalled that, went to Lenovo's support site and installed their recommended driver and all other windows 8 drivers. Again it would freeze
Booted into safe mode uninstalled that, turned optimus back on, and this time used Windows update to install my video drivers (intel and Nvidia both this time).
Didn't work. So I spent maybe another hour or so fiddling and after many restarts i finally found the culprit. It was the Lenovo monitor driver. As soon as I uninstalled that, everything worked fine and I could finally use my laptop with optimus disabled and discrete video card enabled.
Windows update keeps recommending me to update the monitor driver but if I do, then it freezes again so I'm just leaving it as the default generic monitor.
The reason why I made this thread is to inform and save potential users in the future who have a similar laptop to mine (t520 with hd 3000 and nvidia 42000m) with Windows 8 installed and they happen to choose to solely run their laptop with the discrete graphics card, remember to uninstall your monitor driver.
I am open to recommendations and other alternatives.

drenched wrote:
Hi all,
Hoping someone can help me here. If I use my discrete video card (nvs 42000m) to boot into windows, it will freeze on the sign in page or sometimes on the metro page however when Optimus is enabled it works just fine.
So I thought it was a driver issue. I went to Nvidia and downloaded their latest video card driver for windows 8.1. No help
Uninstalled that, went to Lenovo's support site and installed their recommended driver and all other windows 8 drivers. Again it would freeze
Booted into safe mode uninstalled that, turned optimus back on, and this time used Windows update to install my video drivers (intel and Nvidia both this time).
Didn't work. So I spent maybe another hour or so fiddling and after many restarts i finally found the culprit. It was the Lenovo monitor driver. As soon as I uninstalled that, everything worked fine and I could finally use my laptop with optimus disabled and discrete video card enabled.
Windows update keeps recommending me to update the monitor driver but if I do, then it freezes again so I'm just leaving it as the default generic monitor.
The reason why I made this thread is to inform and save potential users in the future who have a similar laptop to mine (t520 with hd 3000 and nvidia 42000m) with Windows 8 installed and they happen to choose to solely run their laptop with the discrete graphics card, remember to uninstall your monitor driver.
I am open to recommendations and other alternatives.

How can I test my discrete graphics card in an MBP Retina?

How can I test the hardware on the discrete Nvidia grpahics card in my late 2012 MBP Retina?
I've had a *lot* of problems with it which I won't repeat here but the latest fun thing it's doing is crashing and requiring a hard reset any time *anything* attempts to access the discrete graphics card. This includes but is not limited to:
*Opening system profiler and clicking on Graphics (it displays a blank screen)
*Running a 3D graphics benchmark
*Running intensive mathematical calculations on the GPU
*Connecting to an external monitor with the thunderbolt port and using the computer for a short period of
None of these things actually work and after unsuccessfully attempting any of them the computer becomes very unstable shortly there after and usually crashes and requires hard reset. One time I got a crash report that said something about GPU panic.
Any recommendations? I get the sense that the apple hardware test is not doing a thoroough test of the GPU if at all.
Thanks.

If they add OSX support for this product and it comes in at a reasonable price point, it could be an attractive solution.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5352/msis-gus-ii-external-gpu-via-thunderbolt
Also, there are products from other companies that allow connection to PCIe cards through thunderbolt. These two are geared more towards professional use (Audio/Video I/O cards).
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echoexpresschassis.html
http://www.magma.com/thunderbolt.asp

How to disable discrete graphics card on dv7?

My dv7 6000 CTO (XW899AV) has been having graphics card issues for quite a while now (frequent screen flashes followed by error notifications), but lately it's gotten a lot worse. Now I get a black screen after just a few minutes of use.
I'm nearly positive the problem lies with the discrete graphics card (ATI 6770M). I'd like to disable the discrete card and only use the integrated Intel HD 3000. Unfortunately the BIOS seems to hide the option to do this. I tried disabling the ATI card in the device manager, but when I rebooted the card was enabled again. Is there a way to disable the discrete card, even though HP seems hell bent on preventing me from doing so? If I can't, the laptop is basically a brick.

Hi zeblonite,
Welcome to the HP Support Forums, I hope you enjoy your experience! To help you get the most out of the HP Forums I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.
I see that you are looking to disable your discrete graphics card. As you have seen that isn't going to work as the notebook is designed to work with both graphics card. What are the error notifications are you getting? If you can give me that exact error message we might be able to fix the cause of the problem. What operating system are you using?
Thank you,
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue.
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!
Thank you,
BHK6
I work on behalf of HP

T510 w/ NVIDIA NVS 3100M -- Window 7 not recognizing discrete graphics card

Hi --
I just got a T510 w/ discrete graphics card, ie, the NVIDIA NVS 3100M w/ 512mb of dedicated video memory.
However, when I look in "Performance Information and Tools" under the "View and print detailed performance and system information", I see the graphics as "Intel(R) HD Graphics". Under the "Graphics" section I see this:
Graphics
Display adapter type
NVIDIA NVS 3100M
Total available graphics memory
1696 MB
      Dedicated graphics memory
64 MB
      Dedicated system memory
0 MB
      Shared system memory
1632 MB
Display adapter driver version
8.17.12.5738
Primary monitor resolution
1920x1080
DirectX version
DirectX 10
This is a bit confusing, because now it says the adapter is NVIDIA, but the dedicated memory is only 64 MB. Seems odd as I should have 512MB?
Thanks

I'm fairly certain you can force Optimus to be discrete only or integrated onlyin the BIOS or in some of the Power Manager settings. Otherwise, you can try loading DirectX and seeing what dxdiag tells you about your graphics card.
In addition, Lenovo's implementaiton of Optimus seems to allow you to run certain programs on the IGP and other programs on the discrete chip simultaneously, so it may simply be allocating the Windows benchmark thread to the IGP instead of the NV chip, thereby causing the flawed readings. Don't know exactly how one forces a process to run using the discrete GPU though.
W520: i7-2720QM, Q2000M at 1080/688/1376, 21GB RAM, 500GB + 750GB HDD, FHD screen
X61T: L7500, 3GB RAM, 500GB HDD, XGA screen, Ultrabase
Y3P: 5Y70, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, QHD+ screen

What is the best Graphic Card Option for me?

I have a first generation Quad Core Mac Pro with a Radeon X1900XT with dual DVI Connections for my two older Apple 24" LCD Displays. I want the best card to run Adobe CS5 and support dual DVI for my 2 monitors. I was told maybe the ATI 4870 or 5770. What would be the best card for CS5 and Final Cut Studio?

300 dollars.. 250 for the backplane board(661-5706), and for the single processor tray(661-5707) - your price may vary.. I got mine for 50 dollars.
so, for 300 dollars.. you can make your 2009 mac pro into a 2010.. and yes, you can use the same existing processors.. the good news is that 1333 mhz memory works with the following processors in the new board: W3570, W3580(High end 3.33 2009 mac pro quad which was 1400.00 extra as a configure to order on apple's store from a 2.66 quad-core at 2499.99), and finally the W3680.
I am running still my w3580 with now 8GB of DDR3 1333 mhz memory.. it was 1066, but i got 1333 for a great price..
If you want to know more information about this, please send me a private email.
I can help you if you want..
Please note: if you have the 4870 HD Apple version, and not pc flashed, the sensor reading is too high for the 2010's firmware... you will need the GT120 or the 5770 graphics card.. 5870 is not going to be available for sometime and there is rumor from AMD themselves stating the card might be EOL..

3.86GB usable with discrete graphic card????

the system tells me
memory: 4.00GB ( 3.86GB usable )
i have a discrete graphic card on my t510
and my system is 64 bits
how can this be happened?

Yeah same here with my G555. In both XP and Win7 it says 3g with 2.7g usable. But I'm not sure if my GPU is dedicated or not? In XP it only shows 700mb. In Win7 it shows 256mb dedicated and can share up to 1.1g for a total of 1.4g. Weird to me. But I'm loving Crysis on high though.
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Problem with discrete graphic card and DirectX 11

If I try any application to launch with discrete graphic card (nvidia geforce 740m) that using directx 11 it always crashes.
There no problems with directx 9 on on this graphic card.
There are no problems with integrated graphic card whether application using directx 9 or 11. Problem occurs only with discrete graphic card and directx 11.
The things that i did:
- Reinstall Windows
- Install latest driver updates (I also tried to uninstall latest and install recomended driver downloaded from the oficial HP support 'driver download' web page)
- different options on nvidia control panel 3d settings page
I also tried microsoft 'Direct3D Tutorial Win32 Sample' source code to build and debug. It is failed in function IDXGISwapChain:resent with code DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED and ID3D10Device::GetDeviceRemovedReason returns DXGI_ERROR_DRIVER INTERNAL_ERROR.
Is there any chance that is not hardware malfunction?
Model Envy 15-j175er
OS Windows 8.1 64

@Enegue ,
Hello and thank you for posting on the HP support forum. In your situation I would consider keeping with Directx 9. The reason I say this is your notebook is not a performance gaming machine. It is designed to be fore general use.
Some cards will notice issues when upgrading to direct 11 from a lower level.
Not to mention with your notebook you will want to stick with the drivers only provided from the HP support site. They are proprietary for the notebook and could be the reason why the directx 11 is not working.
Here is the link to your systems supported drivers.
HP ENVY 15-j175er Notebook PC (ENERGY STAR)
Thank you again for posting and have a great day.
Please click the "Thumbs Up" on the bottom right of this post to say thank you if you appreciate the support I provide!
Also be sure to mark my post as “Accept as Solution" if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others who face the same challenge find the same solution.
D5GR
I work on behalf of HP

Is it possible to get a T61 with discrete Graphic card and NO OS?

Hi
Thank you for reading my post.
I am looking to know whether I can get aT61 with discrete Graphic card and NO OS?
I dont like to pay for the OS as I will install Ubuntu.
Thanks
Solved!
Go to Solution.

No you can't, unless you're a corporate customer ordering (at least) several hundred pieces.
Cheers,
George
In daily use: R60F, R500F, T61, T410
Collecting dust: T60
Enjoying retirement: A31p, T42p,
Non-ThinkPads: Panasonic CF-31 & CF-52, HP 8760W
Starting Thursday, 08/14/2014 I'll be away from the forums until further notice. Please do NOT send private messages since I won't be able to read them. Thank you.

Will I need a new graphics card?

Final Cut Studio 2 required specifications:
"An AGP or PCI Express Quartz Extreme graphics card (Final Cut Studio is not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors)
A display with 1024-by-768 resolution or higher"
I just bought an iMac with these graphics specs:
"ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro:
Chipset Model: ATI,RadeonHD2600
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x9583
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-B2250F-219
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.219
Displays:
iMac:
Display Type: LCD
Resolution: 1680 x 1050
Depth: 32-bit Color
Built-In: Yes
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Display Connector:
Status: No display connected"
Do I need a different graphics card to run final cut?

No need to worry. You'll be fine with the GPU in your iMac. I've been using a G5 iMac (w/ a second display) since August 2005, and I've had no problems.

Need suggestions for Graphics Cards

In perusing the posts on this site, I've not quite seen my needs addressed. I do need a recommendation for a graphics card or cards.
My concern in rendering in Final Cut Express and various effects and masks in Photoshop. MY 20 GIG RAM on my Mac Pro 667 MHz bus, dual quad core intel still renders video slowly. I currently have a NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT. Should (can?) I add memory to the card, add more cards, replace this card?
I could not care less about gaming or Boot Camp.
BTW, is this Mac Pro considered "first generation?"
Thanks,
Adam

1. Yes, your Mac Pro is refered to as "1st Generation".
2. No, you can't add memory to the card or upgrade the card in any way, you can only replace it (or buy a new card and keep the current one in a different slot for a 2nd monitor).
3. Currently the best graphics card option is the nVidia 8800GT Upgrade for the 1st Generation Mac Pro. There's still the ATI x1900xt available, but it's more expensive, slower, louder and has massive heat problems. nVidia Quadro is overkill.
4. The other question is, will the new card help? It will certainly affect some Final Cut operations, rendering of Video effects in Motion, but I doubt you'll see much difference in Photoshop, since that app doesn't make much use of the video card's processor.
Photoshop filters and final movie rendering are mostly affected by the Mac's CPU, so in some areas, depending on what you do, you might not see a difference at all.

Is anyone still having discrete graphics card problems after replacement

Is anyone still having discrete graphics card problems after replacement?
Macbook Pro eligible for replacement through Apple program.
Submitted my computer 2 days before program came into effect.
They replaced card or logic board with same original model: AMD Radeon HD 6770M 1024 MB
Issued me a refund check for my repair.
Seems to have some noticeable issues, fan running more than usual again, and temporary graphic lines,
but disappear too fast before a screen dump...
Is anyone who has participated in the replacement program received a different graphic card for
Model Macbook Pro 17" (late 2011)
Thank you for the reply.

Unfortunately I have yet to call AppleCare because I am on a project for 3 weeks and cannot be without my laptop during that period....
Until that time I am trying to figure out what I can do to protect the Palm Rest/Mouse Pad area of my Macbook once they either fix it or give me a new one. Has anyone had any experience with either of these products that can provide some input as to whether they are good or bad?
http://www.marware.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Marware.woa/6/wa/selectedCategory?cata logCatID=224&wosid=djXnz6k0JQiXbGEX7Stos0
http://www.powersupportusa.com/products/macbook-wrtp.php?category=mb

Do I need the discrete graphics card?

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