Dual GPU Support

Some desktops and laptops have two GPUs, an integrated and a discrete one, with different power consumption and "pixel-pushing" characteristics. We should be able to make the OS use as little power as possible, using the integrated card, when a more powerful one is not necessary.

Goals

• Always starting the machine and the desktop interface using the integrated GPU
• Allow forcing an application to use the discrete GPU for rendering
• Allow applications telling the OS that they would prefer using the discreet GPU
• Making both outputs connected to the integrated GPU and outputs connected to the discrete GPU available for the GNOME session
• No new configuration UI necessary for users

Non-goals

• Supporting dual-GPU setups of similar capabilities on desktops (NVidia's SLI, AMD's CrossFireX)

• Supporting external/hot-plugged GPUs beyond making their outputs available for the GNOME session

• Forcing using the discrete GPU when it has support for higher resolutions than the integrated one
• Forcing running the whole session on the discrete GPU

Discussion

• GNOME Bugzilla

Relevant Art

MacOS X

• Inside Apple’s automatic graphics switching

• Supporting Multiple GPUs on Mac OS X

• Allowing OpenGL applications to utilize the integrated GPU

Linux

Bumblebee

NVidia-prime

Tentative Design

• TODO

Comments

See Also

• GPU switching for 2010 Macbook Pros for Linux

• GPU switching status icon for MacOS X

• Support dual-gpu systems

• vga_switcheroo documentation