# Optimus (nvidia switchable graphics) question.

## Nicias

I'm looking at getting a new laptop, and I keep seeing things like this:

Asus U30-Jc

which says this for graphics chipset:

```
NVIDIA® GeForce® G 310M, with 512MB & Intel GMA HD (Support NVIDIA Optimus Technology) VRAM 

```

Now I looked around, and this Optimus thing is an autoswitching graphics chipset. AFAICT "Optimus" only works in windows. Fine, but can I still use the G310M ?  (with all its VDPAU goodness!)

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## gcasillo

This is a concern of my regarding future laptop/netbook purchases. While my current Asus Eee 1000HE is okay for a variety of things, it lacks the punch to playback video adequately or allow for graphics-intensive gaming. The integrated graphics controller (Intel GMA 950) just isn't up to it. So, I'm looking for a new lappy or netbook with a dedicated GPU that can overcome this weakness.

I have read that nVidia will not support their new Optimus technology on Linux. Fine. Does switching the GPU in the bios before booting work? Or is this simply a no-go?

Also, would a i5 or i7 processor be powerful enough to drive HD video and modest gaming without a dedicated GPU?

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## Gusar

If you can switch to nvidia in the bios, it probably works. But on many Optimus laptops, you can't. There's no bios setting, no anything. And in this case using the nvidia card is not possible.

The graphics chip on Clarkdale and Arrandale CPUs (i3 and some i5) can do hardware video decode of h264 via VAAPI, so you got that covered (the hardware is capable of VC-1 decoding too, but not in Linux currently). But it's not strong enough for even modest gaming. Well, I'm not an avid gamer, but the one modern thing I did try - Duke Nukem 3D polymer - worked correctly only in Windows and was too slow to be playable.

Try to get a not-Optimus laptop with nvidia graphics.

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