Alienware M18x with hybrid graphics @ news.cnet.com

Many of the Linux hybrid graphics team members are using Alienware laptops, which are well supported by acpi_call and bumblebee. The Alienware M18x should be no different:

Nvidia GTX 580M top-end laptop graphics unveiled; already showing up in Origin and Alienware systems

Today Nvidia unveiled its latest high-end laptop GPUs, the GTX 570M and 580M. That's not a huge surprise: the new GTX cards round out the "500 series" of GT and GTX graphics that have been available throughout the year. One feature Nvidia's particularly touting is the GTX 580's Optimus automatic switching, which should offer up "5 hours of battery life in Facebook," in case you measure your juice through social networking.

Nvidia promises that the GTX 580M is the fastest laptop graphics card anywhere, ever--the benchmark comparisons were leveled against the AMD Radeon 6970M. That bears watching, but at least know for now that the GTX 580M will be available on the Alienware M18x in single- or dual-card configurations and soon on the Alienware M17x, as well as on Origin's EON laptops, the Clevo P170HM3 and P270WM. MSI's GT780R gaming laptop will feature the slightly stepped-down GTX 570M.

We'll report more when we have a GTX 580M laptop to test, but here's one question that bears answering: who's gaming with top-end graphics

Alienware M18x: upgraded with the GeForce GTX 580M.

(Credit: Dell)

 

 

Acer 5742G hybryid graphics

One of the team members reported on the Acer 7542G DSDT method for hybrid graphics:

Used "\_SB.PCI0.P0P2.VGA.PX02". Power went down by 5mW & battery life increased by about an hour.

We will add method to the main acpi_call branch soon.

Asus U36 with nvidia optimus @ www.engadget.com

Remember to check-out http://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux for Linux nvidia optimus support.

ASUS U36 ultraportable laptop now available in UK, £699 for 'world's thinnest standard voltage i5'

The nanometer-coated ASUS U36 is the world's thinnest notebook with standard voltage Intel Core i5 processor

The U36 notebook is the world's thinnest laptop to harness the power of a standard voltage Intel® Core™ i5 processor, giving you the freedom to stay light and connected on the move without compromising on mobile performance.

ASUS Super Hybrid Engine (with the ability to switch off USB 3.0 functionality) combined with NVIDIA graphics and Optimus technology saves power for when it's needed most to deliver an incredible 11.5 hours battery life*.

With an ultra-thin chassis (only 19mm thick) made from lightweight magnesium alloy with nanometer coating, the U36 is not only practical by repelling dirt, water and fingerprint marks, but is a head-turning accessory for even the most fashion-conscious users, both at home and on the go.

Two videos, including a hands-on demonstration of its key features, are available at http://techinstyle.tv/products/the-stunning-u36-ultra-portable-notebook-launches-in-the-uk.

The U36 is priced at £699 inc VAT and is available now in-store and online from Micro Anvika (www.anvika.com/product/asus-u36jc-rx197x-13-3-w7p-4gb-500gb/asu14503) and before the end of June from Comet www.comet.co.uk

Key Features:

* Standard voltage Intel® Core™ i5 processor

* Ultra-thin chassis only 19mm thick and weighing 1.44kg

* Up to 11.5 hours battery life*

* ASUS Super Hybrid Engine with USB 3.0 toggle

* NVIDIA Graphics with Optimus technology

* Magnesium alloy finish with nanometer coating

* 13.3" HD TFT display (1366 x 768)

* 500GB storage

* 802.11 b/g/n wireless

* 5 in 1 card reader

Enjoy maximum power without the burden:

Unlike other ultra-thin notebooks (which use low voltage CPUs to gain cooling and power consumption benefits) the U36 has broken the mould in design innovation by unleashing the superior performance of a standard voltage Intel® Core™ i5 processor from within a delightfully sleek 19mm chassis.

This bold step forward is owed to ASUS's dual heat pipe design, which effectively dissipates heat from the processor without adding any extra bulk – keeping the notebook cool and your bag even lighter.

Up to 11.5 hours battery life for all-day computing:

The U36 notebook integrates ASUS's Super Hybrid Engine technology which intelligently manages energy consumption based on whether you're simply checking emails and browsing the net, or using more power-hungry applications such as video editing or playing games.

The NVIDIA graphics card ensures movies and games are blasted out in crystal clear quality for a smooth, uninterrupted experience, whilst Optimus technology cleverly switches between onboard or discrete graphics without any user intervention, so it won't waste power where it's not needed.

With up to 10 hours battery life* as standard, the U36 also offers the ability to switch off USB 3.0 functionality in order to squeeze an extra 1.5 hours on top for a whopping overall 11.5 hours* battery life and the reassurance that you won't be left in the dark away from home.

Stay on trend with the sleek and soft magnesium alloy finish:

The U36's slender chassis is just 19mm at the thickest point, and is designed using ultra-light magnesium alloy for a truly chic finish that is incredibly lightweight (1.44kg).

What's more, with a soft-touch nanometer coating the U36 is repellent of dirt, fingerprints and even water (no more panic when it starts to drizzle), whilst the seamless chiclet keyboard is easier to clean and prevents the build-up of dust. This thoughtful design helps to keep the laptop looking beautiful even after hours of exposure to every kind of environment from the home to trains or when stowed in hand luggage.

With metallic choices in silver or black, the U36 is bang on-trend this season and the ideal choice for a tech chic style both at home and away.

Pricing and Availability:

The U36 is priced at £699 inc VAT and is available now in-store and online from Micro Anvika (www.anvika.com/product/asus-u36jc-rx197x-13-3-w7p-4gb-500gb/asu14503) and before the end of June from Comet www.comet.co.uk

Powerful Asus U41JF with nvidia optimus in a thin and light design @ www.asus.com

Here are the specs for the Asus U41JF model, another powerful hybrid-graphics laptop from ASUS:

U41JF

Intel® Core™ i5 Processor

ASUS U41 Series brings power in a thin and light design

 

• Powered by a Super Hybrid Engine-boosted standard voltage Intel® Core™ i3 or i5 processor
• Super Hybrid Engine extends battery life to 10 hours for all-day, on-the-go computing
• Elegant design that comes in under an inch thick for maximum portability.

 Add To Compare List Print

Fujitsu LifeBook T901 with nvidia optimus @ akihabaranews.com

For those into tablet PCs, here is a new model with nvidia optimus from Fujitsu:

Fujitsu’s LifeBook T901 tablet PC available now

If you loved the Fujitsu LifeBook T900 convertible tablet PC, then you’ll love the newest tablet PC available from Fujitsu, the LifeBook T901, which is now available to the US market.

This follow-up to the T900 features a 13.3-inch 1280 x 768 resolution LCD that supports NVIDIA Optimus graphics, Windows 7 Professional 32-bit, has five-finger gesture support for $100 extra, and other upgrades include a 2nd gen Intel Core processor with options up to the i7-2620M (2.70 GHz, 4 MB L3 cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz, HDMI, an integrated fingerprint sensor, the onboard drive is now SATA II, formerly SATA, with storage up to 500GB 7200 rpm HDD or 256GB SSD and a modular bay allows a Blu-Ray writer option or you can use it for a second battery or hard drive.

The T900 comes with Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics as the base option, but an upgrade to NVIDIA NVS 4200M GPU (1 GB Video RAM) with Optimus technology is also available, although the added graphics adds a wait until June for this tablet PC.

Sound like a great deal? Get it now starting at $1,899.

Blingtastic Toshiba Qosmio X770 with nvidia optimus @ www.engadget.com

Now that acpi_call, byo-switcheroo and bumblebee are making life a bit easier for hybrid-graphics linux users, we can afford to have a look at what other laptops are popping up out there. Here is the blingtastic Toshiba Qosmio X770 model:

Toshiba outs blingtastic Qosmio X770 for the US market, new P, C, and L series laptops

By Dana Wollman posted Jun 14th 2011 3:00AM

See that refined beast? You're looking at the Toshiba Qosmio X770 -- that European gaming behemoth we ogled from afar last month -- and in a matter of weeks, it'll continue its world tour to land on US shores. To recap, the company shrunk the screen from 18.4 inches to a more manageable 17.3, gave it a paint job that ever-so-subtly fades from red to gunmetal gray, and added a matching red backlit keyboard. This beefy guy comes in $1,199 and $1,899 configurations, with the higher-end model packing a 3D display, quad-core Core i7 CPU, and a 1.25TB hybrid hard drive, and the lower end offering a dual-core Core i5 CPU and a 750GB HDD. Either way, though, you'll get NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics, 1.5GB of video memory, and MaxxAudio3 sound enhancement software.

Meanwhile, Toshiba streamlined its consumer laptops for those non-gamers in the back-to-school crowd, axing the A and M lines, and leaving just the P series, for "premium." It'll include 14-, 15.6-, and 17.3-inch models, all decked out in a textured, two-tone Fuxion X2 finish and featuring USB sleep-and-charge ports, HDMI-out, Harman Kardon speakers, and that same MaxxAudio 3 utility. Depending on the configuration, you can also score NVIDIA GeForce GT540M graphics, Intel Wireless Display, a 4G radio, a Blu-ray drive, and a 3D screen (only on the 15-incher). On the inside, you've got your choice of Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs or a spankin' new A6-3400M accelerated processing unit from AMD. Look for the 14-inch P745 with a starting price of $699, and 15-inch P755 and the 17-inch P775 for $629 and up.

And, rounding out its portfolio, Toshiba refreshed its budget Satellite L700 series with Core 2011 processors and new AMD A4 and A6 APUs, while the entry-level Satellite C800 gets AMD Fusion C-50 and E-350 APU options. None of these laptops go on sale until later this month, so for now you can content yourself with those up-close-and-personal hands-on shots below.

Toshiba Qosmio X770

Toshiba Satellite P700 Series

Show full PR text

Hybrid graphics Linux on Samsung sf310-S03

One of the team members reported that acpi_call works with samsung sf310-S03:

acpi to turn on:

echo _ON $(acpi_call "\_SB.PCI0.P0P2.PEGP._ON")
echo _PS0 $(acpi_call "\_SB.PCI0.P0P2.PEGP._PS0")

acpi to turn off:

echo NVOP $(acpi_call "\_SB.PCI0.P0P2.PEGP._OFF")
echo _PS3 $(acpi_call "\_SB.PCI0.P0P2.PEGP._PS3")

PS0 & PS3 are power state values: PS0 is fully powered and PS3 is powered off.

vsync needs to be disabled or your tests with the intel card will be useless:
$ export vblank_mode=0

Thanks @alphac for your post!

Hybrid Graphics Linux @ launchpad.net reaches 700 active members!

It was on Feb 2010 that the Hybrid Graphics Linux Launchpad team was created, and since then the team members have been successful in bringing decent switchable graphics and GPU offloading capabilities to Linux with projects like vga_switcheroo, acpi_call or bumblebee:

• Bumblebee -- allows you to run specific programs on the discrete graphic card, inside of an X session using the integrated graphic card. Works on Nvidia Optimus cards -- by Martin Juhl
• asus_switcheroo -- a solution for Intel/Nvidia switching on ASUS and other laptops with a similar hardware mux -- by Alex Williamson
• byo_switcheroo -- a solution to build your own handler (like acpi_call) to switch between cards with vga_switcheroo -- by Alex Williamson
• vga_switcheroo -- the original GPU switching solution primarily for Intel/ATI notebooks -- by David Airlie
• acpi_call -- allows you to switch off discrete graphics card to improve battery life -- by Michal Kottman
• PRIME -- long-term Optimus solution in progress -- by David Airlie
• hybrid-windump -- dump window using Nvidia onto Intel display -- by Florian Berger and Joakim Gebart 

If you have a hybrid graphics laptop and use Linux, please join the team. If you are already subscribed and are annoyed by receiving too many emails, please don't deactivate your account, just add a filter to your email manager, all emails to the list contain this tag: 

[Hybrid-graphics-linux]

For more information:

https://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux

http://hybrid-graphics-linux.tuxfamily.org

Follow this blog for updates...

 

Samsung RF511 linux hybrid graphics optimus

One of the team members reported the L702X acpi_call script also works for the Samsung

RF511 and possibly for the RF711 model:

https://lists.launchpad.net/hybrid-graphics-linux/msg00677.html

Find the step-by-step instructions here:

http://linux-hybrid-graphics.blogspot.com/2011/06/dell-l702x-linux-hybrid-graphics-step.html

Dell L702X Linux hybrid graphics step-by-step

sudo apt-get install git

# type password

git clone http://github.com/mkottman/acpi_call.git

cd acpi_call

make

sudo insmod acpi_call.ko

# Download the script

wget http://lists.launchpad.net/hybrid-graphics-linux/sh3hFub0KkvH.sh

mv sh3hFub0KkvH.sh dellL702X.sh

chmod +x dellL702X.sh

# Try to switch the card off

./dellL702X.sh off

# Try to switch the card back on

./dellL702X.sh on

Aspire TimelineX AS3830TG with hybrid graphics @ www.engadget.com

Acer announces redesigned Aspire TimelineX Series laptops, prices start at $599

By Dana Wollman posted Jun 7th 2011 12:01AM

If Acer's current Aspire TimelineX notebooks look a little too dull for your tastes, have a peek at that industrial-looking number in the picture above. The company just redesigned its line of skinny laptops, and refreshed them with Sandy Bridge processors while it was at it. The 13.1-inch 3830T, 14-inch 4830T, and 15.6-inch 5830T all have that two-tone aluminum design (also available in black), along with USB 3.0, a choice of Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs, and Acer's clear.fi software for sharing media among DLNA devices. The 14- and 15.6-inch versions have onboard optical drives and number pads, and, on select models, you can choose a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT520M or GT540M card. However, the screen resolution is going to be 1366 x 768 regardless of which you pick. The 3830T, 4830T, and 5830T are available now, starting at $799, $699, and $599, respectively, and you can find specs for a handful of models after the break.

Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830T, 4830T, and 5830T

Acer Aspire TimelineX series hands-on

Acer Aspire TimelineX AS3830TG-6431 ($779.99)
_ 2nd Generation Intel Core i5-2410M Processor 2.30GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.90GHz
_ 13.3" HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LED-backlit display (1366x768 resolution, 16:90 aspect ratio)
_ Mobile Intel HM65 Express Chipset
_ 4096MB DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz Memory
_ NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M with 1GB DDR3 VRAM
_ 500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
_ 1.3 Megapixel HD Webcam
_ Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
_ 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
_ 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
_ Bluetooth 3.0+HS
_ Dolby Advanced Home Theater v4 Audio Enhancement
_ Two Built-in Acer 3DSonic Stereo Speakers
_ High Definition Audio Support
_ 2 - USB 2.0 Ports & 1 - USB 3.0 Port
_ 1 - HDMI Port with HDCP Support
_ VGA Port
_ Multi-Gesture Touchpad
_ Media Control Function Keys
_ 6-cell Li-ion Battery (6000 mAh)
_ Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
_ Microsoft® Office Starter 2010
_ 4.12 lbs. (system unit only)

Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4830T-6642 ($699.99)
_ 2nd Generation Intel Core i5-2410M Processor 2.30GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.90GHz
_ 14" HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LED-backlit display (1366x768 resolution, 16:90 aspect ratio)
_ Mobile Intel HM65 Express Chipset
_ 4096MB DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz Memory
_ Intel HD Graphics 3000
_ 640GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
_ 8X DVD-super multi double-layer drive
_ 1.3 Megapixel HD Webcam
_ Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
_ 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
_ 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
_ Bluetooth 3.0+HS
_ Dolby Advanced Home Theater® v4 Audio Enhancement
_ Two Built-in Acer 3DSonic Stereo Speakers
_ High Definition Audio Support
_ 2 USB 2.0 Ports & 1 - USB 3.0 Port
_ 1 HDMI Port with HDCP Support
_ VGA Port
_ Multi-Gesture Touchpad
_ Dedicated Numeric Keypad
_ Media Control Function Keys
_ 6-cell Li-ion Battery (6000 mAh)
_ Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
_ Microsoft Office Starter 2010
_ 4.88 lbs. (system unit only)

Acer Aspire TimelineX AS5830T-6862 ($599.99)
_ 2nd Generation Intel Core i3-2310M Processor 2.1GHz
_ 15.6" HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LED-backlit display (1366x768 resolution, 16:90 aspect ratio)
_ Mobile Intel HM65 Express Chipset
_ 4096MB DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz Memory
_ Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 128 dedicated system memory
_ 640GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
_ 8X DVD-super multi double-layer drive
_ 1.3 Megapixel HD Webcam
_ Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
_ Dolby Advanced Home Theater v4 Audio Enhancement
_ Two Built-in Acer 3DSonic Stereo Speakers
_ 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
_ 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
_ Bluetooth 3.0+HS
_ High Definition Audio Support
_ 3 USB 2.0 Ports & 1 - USB 3.0 Port
_ 1 HDMI Port with HDCP Support
_ VGA Port
_ Multi-Gesture Touchpad
_ Dedicated Numeric Keypad
_ Media Control Function Keys
_ 6-cell Li-ion Battery (6000 mAh)
_ Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
_ Microsoft Office Starter 2010
_ 5.6 lbs. (system unit only)

Lenovo T420 Linux hybrid graphics bumblebee and acpi_call

One of the team member found a way to switch on/off the card on the Lenovo T420 4180W1H model using this acpi_call script:

https://lists.launchpad.net/hybrid-graphics-linux/shmIj3d0AfAT.sh

This email has all the details:

https://lists.launchpad.net/hybrid-graphics-linux/msg01387.html

 

Dell XPS L702X Nvidia Optimus Linux bumblebee and acpi_call

One of our hybrid graphics team members has wriiten a dellL702X script to turn on/off the nvidia card from the Dell XPS L702X model using acpi_call.

Attachment: dellL702X.sh

For more info on acpi_call and its integration into bumblebee, check the launchpad website:

http://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux

Virtu Universal for Sandy Bridge chips in Windows @ www.engadget.com

LucidLogix brings GPU virtualization to AMD notebooks, all-in-ones, keeps sharing the graphics love

By Christopher Trout  posted Jun 1st 2011 9:38PM

Late last year, LucidLogix introduced us to Virtu, the GPU virtualization software that makes disparate GPUs play nice on Sandy Bridge PCs, and now its extending the love to AMDBulldozer and Brazos machines. The latest version of the software, dubbed Virtu Universal, also extends GPU virtualization to all-in-ones and notebooks (on both AMD and Intel), enabling simple switching between discrete graphics and the integrated ilk. What's more, the program ushers in the debut of Virtual Vsync, which claims to bring "maximum gaming frame rates and responsiveness, while eliminating distracting and image-distorting visual tearing."