
Unfortunately it is still limited further by requiring restarting X11 (achieved by logout and login) for the change to take effect. However, now with Ubuntu 14.04, nvidia-prime and the nvidia-331 driver, one can choose between the Intel or Nvidia card easily. It's been a very long wait for Nvidia to release Linux driver support for Optimus, and we still don't have the actual support for discrete switching. If you hadn't used ppa-purge or run " dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg" before, then I can assure you that tinkering with Bumblebee taught them to you pretty quickly. I used the phrase "if configured correctly" because actually getting it working more often than not just broke your Xorg configuration on first few attempts. optirun vlc), but getting things like HDMI to work was a different story. It was actually possible if configured correctly to utilise the Nvidia card for a desired application via CLI (i.e. The Bumblebee project was until recently as good as it gets in terms of Linux support for hybrid graphics. If you're reading this, are experienced with Linux systems and have purchased a notebook in the past for years, you might be familiar with this pain also. This was a first for me - my device came equipped with an Nvidia ION2 graphics card.Īt the time Nvidia's Optimus hybrid GPU hardware was a relatively new thing, and I did not foresee the limitations I encountered running Linux on this machine.

Even if a driver didn't work straight out of the box, I could always get it working one way or another whether installing a proprietary module or using backports. That is if you are using Windows.Ī couple of years ago I purchased a netbook (Asus VX6), and made the stupid mistake of not checking for Linux driver compatibility because it had never really been an issue before - especially for a netbook sized device. The benefits are obvious, allowing say 8 hours of battery life if simply typing in a word processor, or 3 hours if watching HD videos. Its purpose is to prolong battery life in notebooks, allowing the Nvidia GPU to switch off when there is no need for it. To those who aren't aware of Nvidia Optimus, it essentially alternates between using the onboard Intel graphics chipset and the more powerful NVIDIA card on demand using a process referred to as "GPU switching". For the seasoned destroyer of Xorg configuration, you can quickly jump to the installation section below. This article will guide you through the installation process after quick background of Nvidia Optimus for the unfamiliar readers. After years of wait, Ubuntu 14.04 with its shiny new kernel finally shipped with proprietary driver compatibility that can be installed easily. Nvidia Optimus is a hybrid GPU system which utilises what is known as discrete switching and has been long associated with headaches and limitations on Linux systems. How to install and configure Nvidia Optimus driver on Ubuntu
