ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-27T18:00:07Z

Carewolf: /* Improving Battery-life with Optimus */

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

See which GPU is currently active (look for '+'), and which ones are powered (look for 'pwr'):
{{cmdroot|cat /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the internal graphics write:
{{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the discrete GPU:
{{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run:
{{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

This will greatly improve to your average battery-life on ThinkPads T420 if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}, {{W520}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:56:01Z

Carewolf: /* Improving Battery-life with Optimus */

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

See which GPU is currently active (look for '+'), and which ones are powered (look for 'pwr'):
{{cmdroot|cat /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the internal graphics write:
{{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the discrete GPU:
{{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run:
{{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

This will greatly improve to your average battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420 if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}, {{W520}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:55:03Z

Carewolf: /* Improving Battery-life with Optimus */ Scale down estimate of battery life improvement to one including medium CPU and network use.

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

See which GPU is currently active (look for '+'), and which ones are powered (look for 'pwr'):
{{cmdroot|cat /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the internal graphics write:
{{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the discrete GPU:
{{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run:
{{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

This will greatly improve to your average battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420 if you only use intel Xorg drivers. On average I see an improvement from 1½->2 hours, to 2½->3½ hours.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}, {{W520}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:38:02Z

Carewolf: /* Improving Battery-life with Optimus */ usr -> sys typo

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

See which GPU is currently active (look for '+'), and which ones are powered (look for 'pwr'):
{{cmdroot|cat /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the internal graphics write:
{{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the discrete GPU:
{{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run:
{{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

This should double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420, if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}, {{W520}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:34:16Z

Carewolf: /* Improving Battery-life with Optimus */ More details, better command style.

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

See which GPU is currently active (look for '+'), and which ones are powered (look for 'pwr'):
{{cmdroot|cat /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the internal graphics write:
{{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

To force it to use the discrete GPU:
{{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run:
{{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}

This should double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420, if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}, {{W520}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:31:09Z

Carewolf: Removing dead link.

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the internal graphics write: {{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the discrete GPU: {{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run: {{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

This should double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420, if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}, {{W520}}

Category:W520

2012-08-23T13:30:18Z

Carewolf: /* Standard Features */

__NOTOC__
{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; align:right;">
=== ThinkPad W520 ===

This page gives an overview of the ThinkPad W520.

==== Standard Features ====

* One of the following processors:
** Intel Quad Core i7-2920XM (2.50GHz, 8MB L3, 1600MHz FSB, 55W)
** Intel Quad Core i7-2820QM (2.30GHz, 8MB L3, 1600MHz FSB, 45W)
** Intel Quad Core i7-2720QM (2.20GHz, 6MB L3, 1600MHz FSB, 45W)
** Intel Dual Core i7-2620M (2.70GHz, 4MB L3, 1333MHz FSB, 35W)
** Intel Dual Core i5-2540M (2.60GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB, 35W)
** Intel Dual Core i5-2520M (2.50GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB, 35W)
* One of the following discrete graphics cards:
** [[NVIDIA Quadro 1000M]] with 2GB DDR3 and 96 CUDA cores, and with [[Switchable Graphics|Optimus™ Technology]]
** [[NVIDIA Quadro 2000M]] with 2GB DDR3 and 192 CUDA cores, and with [[Switchable Graphics|Optimus™ Technology]]
* One of the following [[TFT display|TFT displays]]:
** 15.6" TFT display with 1366x768 (HD) resolution with LED backlight
** 15.6" TFT display with 1600x900 (HD+) resolution with LED backlight
** 15.6" TFT display with 1920x1080 (FHD) resolution with LED backlight
* 2GB, 4GB or 8GB DIMMS [[PC3-10600]] memory standard
** 2 DIMM slots on dual-core models (up to 16GB)
** 4 DIMM slots on quad-core models (up to 32GB)
** Samsung M471B5273DH0-CH9 4 GB DDR3-1333 SDRAM (8-8-8-22 @ 609 MHz) (7-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-17 @ 457 MHz) (5-5-5-14 @ 380 MHz)
*One of the following storage options:
** 320GB 7200rpm 2.5" SATA HDD
** 500GB 7200rpm 2.5" SATA HDD
** 128GB Samsung SATA SSD
** 160GB Intel SATA SSD
* [[Intel 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection]]
* Intel HD Audio with a [[CX20585]] codec
* [[ThinkPad Modem (MDC-3.0, 56kbps HDA)]]
* [[Ultrabay|Ultrabay Enhanced]] with one of the following:
** [[Serial UltraBay Enhanced DVD Burner II]]
* [[MiniPCI Express slot]] 1 with one of the following:
** Thinkpad b/g/n
** [[Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205]] (2x2 AGN)
** [[Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300]] (3x3 AGN)
** [[Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250]]
* [[MiniPCI Express slot]] 2 with one of the following:
** None (empty)
** [[Sierra Wireless MC8355]] Gobi 3000 WWAN
** Ericsson F5521gw WWAN
** LeadCore LC5730D WWAN
** Huawei EM660 WWAN
** Intel 310 mSATA SSD
* [[ExpressCard slot|ExpressCard/34 slot]]
* [[Lenovo Integrated Smart Card Reader]] (Optional)
* [[Ricoh 5-in-1 MultiCard Reader|5-in-1 MultiCard Reader]]
* 720p [[Integrated camera]] on select models
* [[Huey PRO Colorimeter]] by X-Rite on select models
* [[Embedded Security Subsystem|Trusted Computing Group TPM 1.2]]
* [[Active Protection System]]
* [[Integrated Fingerprint Reader]] on select models
* [[Bluetooth 3.0|ThinkPad Bluetooth with Enhanced Data Rate (BDC-3.0)]] on select models
* [[UltraNav]] (TrackPoint / Touchpad combo)
* [[Firewire Port|Firewire 400]] (IEEE1394a)
* [[DisplayPort]]
* [[USB Port|USB 3.0]]
* [[ESATA Port|eSATA Port]]
* [[Intel Active Management Technology (AMT)]] on select models

</div>
|style="vertical-align:top" |
[[Image:ThinkPadW510.jpg|ThinkPad W520|300px]]
|}

[[Hardware W520-4284-49G]]

==== Resources ====

* [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-76854.html Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM)]
* [http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/research/hints-or-tips/detail.page?&LegacyDocID=MIGR-77167 W520 Drivers and Software]
* [http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/w520_datasheet.pdf Worldwide_datasheet ThinkPad W520 notebooks - 1 Feb 2011 (PDF 2450382 Bytes)]

==== Reviews ====

* [http://www.storagereview.com/lenovo_thinkpad_t520_review StorageReview.com], 2011-04-11
* [http://blogs.technet.com/b/keithcombs/archive/2011/03/28/lenovo-thinkpad-w520-mini-review.aspx Keith Combs' Blahg], 2011-03-28

==== Linux Installation ====

* {{Install|Fedora| 14|W520}}
* {{Install|Fedora| 15|W520}}
* {{Install|Debian| Squeeze|W520}}
* {{Install|Debian| Wheezy|W520}}
* {{Install|Slackware| 13.37|W520}} updated 7/21/2011
* {{Install|OpenSuse|11.4|W520}}
* {{Install|Ubuntu| 11.04|W520}}

=== Power Adapter ===

The W520 comes with a special [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-76762.html 170W AC adapter (P/N 0A36227)] that is currently not shipped with any other Thinkpad. Note that it is different from the W700 [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-70684 170W AC adapter (P/N 41R4421)]. The W520 AC adapter is larger but lighter than the W510 135W AC adapter.

Most newer (20V) Thinkpad AC adapters have a compatible plug with the W520, but not all of them will work due to power constraints. The following table shows which AC adapters can be used to run the W520:

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
! Marketing P/N
! Rated power
! Works on W520
! Charge while off
! Comment
|-
| [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-76762.html 0A36227]
| 170W
| {{Cyes}}
| {{Cyes}}
| Official AC adapter for W520
|-
| [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-70684 41R4421]
| 170W
| {{Cno}}
| {{Cno}}
| Official AC adapter for W700, different plug diameter
|-
| [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-74503 55Y9317]
| 135W
| {{Cyes}}
| {{Cyes}}
| Official AC adapter for W510.
|-
| Various
| 90W
| {{Cno}}
| {{Cyes}}
| Battery continues to drain, does not work
|-
| Various
| 65W
| {{Cno}}
| {{Cyes}}
| Battery continues to drain, does not work
|}

The 135W adapter is sufficient to run the W520 without throttling. The 65W and 90W adapters can only be used to charge the battery while the W520 is not running, that is, powered off, hibernated, or suspended.

[[Category:W Series]]

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:28:33Z

Carewolf: /* ThinkPad models which may have this feature */ Sorry W520.

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

Lenovo has published a [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-70495 Switchable Graphics FAQ] you may want to review.

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the internal graphics write: {{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the discrete GPU: {{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run: {{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

This should double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420, if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}, {{W520}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:28:06Z

Carewolf: /* ThinkPad models which may have this feature */ My W420 has it as well.

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

Lenovo has published a [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-70495 Switchable Graphics FAQ] you may want to review.

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the internal graphics write: {{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the discrete GPU: {{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run: {{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

This should double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420, if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}, {{W420}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:27:03Z

Carewolf: /* Improving Battery-life with Optimus */ Path semantic tag.

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

Lenovo has published a [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-70495 Switchable Graphics FAQ] you may want to review.

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to {{path|/etc/fstab}}:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the internal graphics write: {{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the discrete GPU: {{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run: {{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

This should double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420, if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}

Category:T420

2012-08-23T13:25:04Z

Carewolf: Mention battery issue, and link.

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:22:21Z

Carewolf: /* Improving Battery-life with Optimus */ Fix typo

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

Lenovo has published a [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-70495 Switchable Graphics FAQ] you may want to review.

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to fstab:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the internal graphics write: {{cmdroot|echo 'IGD' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the discrete GPU: {{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run: {{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

This should double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420, if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:21:48Z

Carewolf: /* Improving Battery-life with Optimus */ Style

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

Lenovo has published a [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-70495 Switchable Graphics FAQ] you may want to review.

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to fstab:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the internal graphics write: {{cmdroot|echo 'IDG' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

To force it to use the discrete GPU: {{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run: {{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

This should double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420, if you only use intel Xorg drivers.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}

Switchable Graphics

2012-08-23T13:20:02Z

Carewolf: Huge power saving tip.

Select ThinkPads feature switchable graphics, where a low power consumption integrated GPU and high performance dedicated GPU is combined and you have the ability to switch between them, sacrificing either performance or battery life.

In Windows XP this switching requires a logout/login, while in Vista and Windows 7 there is support for runtime switching.

Under Linux, the switching so far had to be done by entering BIOS setup and changing between "Internal" (low power, integrated), "External" (high performance, discrete) or "Switchable" (OS selectable) options.

Depending on which Linux version you use, you could have the following effects
* On Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) BIOS setting has to be either on Internal or External, not Switchable.
* On Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) the Integrated Intel card works with both Integrated or Switchable set

Lenovo has published a [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-70495 Switchable Graphics FAQ] you may want to review.

== Switchable Graphics and Docks ==

ThinkPads with switchable graphics can only drive DVI or DisplayPort outputs on Docks by using the high-performance discrete graphics card, the integrated GPU is just not attached to the DVI or DisplayPort outputs (though VGA output through the dock is possible).

== Improving Battery-life with Optimus ==
ThinkPads with NVidia Optimus graphics, have been well known to have significantly better battery-life in Windows than in Linux, even when Linux only uses the internal graphics. The reason is that the NVidia GPU is not automatically powered off when it is not used. So to get optimal battery-life in Linux on ThinkPad with Optimus, you need to switch it off manually (or by a script).

First you need to enable access to vga-switcheroo settings, for that you need to mount the debugfs. You can do that by adding the following line to fstab:
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0

After mounting that you can now access {{path|/usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.
To force it to use the internal graphics write: {{cmdroot|echo 'IDG' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.
To force it to use the discrete GPUÆ {{cmdroot|echo 'DES' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}.

Most importantly, to poweroff the currently unused GPU, run: {{cmdroot|echo 'OFF' > /usr/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch}}. This will double your battery-life on ThinkPads T420 and ThinkPad W420.

== Development status ==
David Arlie has been working on switching between GPUs without having to reboot, and changing BIOS settings. An initial version of a new driver (vga_switcheroo) has been merged in the 2.6.34 kernel. This driver allows switching between graphics cards, but requires that the Xserver is restarted. Full seamless runtime switching support will require significant Xserver work.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=ODAyMg

A script to switch between ATI discrete graphics with the fglrx driver and Intel integrated graphics with xorg driver through rebooting and selection in the bios is posted here. The user must reboot, but no further configuration is needed as the script detects the card used and copies the correct libraries and configuration file.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Auto_detect_drivers_for_switchable_graphics

It has been discovered that on a W500 running Windows 7 64-bit that the switch can be invoked using one of the two following commands (depending on which chipset is currently in use)

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /HighPerformanceGpu |}}

{{cmd|C:\PROGRA~2\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMUIAux.exe /EnergySavingGpu |}}

== ThinkPad models which may have this feature ==
* {{R400}}
* {{T400}}, {{T500}}, {{T510i}}, {{T420}}, {{T420s}}, {{T520}}
* {{W500}}

Problem with video output switching

2008-02-07T15:57:10Z

Carewolf:

==Affected Models==
*ThinkPad {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}}, {{T60}}, {{T61}}
*ThinkPad {{R61}}
*ThinkPad {{X22}}, {{X23}}, {{X31}}, {{X41}}, {{X60}}, {{X60s}}

==Problem Description==
External video output is not working, or it is not possible, using the FN-F7 key, to switch between the LCD and the external monitor in the following way:
LCD --> external Monitor--> both -->LCD
However ''cloning'' is possible for the Intel chipsets, see below.

=== At least as of Fedora 8 with intel chipset the following works: [[Sample Fn-F7 script]] ===

===Problems with Intel chipsets===
Disabling the internal LCD (e.g. when using an external Monitor) doesn't seem to work reliably.

* For Xorg 7.022 one can clone the LCD display to an external monitor, adding the following lines to the Device section in the xorg.conf file:
Section "Device"
Identifier "Generic Video Card"
Driver "i810"
Option "Clone" "true"
Option "MonitorLayout" "CRT,LFP"
however you can not switch between these screens as described above, once you use FN-F7 the cloned display is lost.

* i810switch doesn't have any effect. After disabling the LCD it is still on (but the status display of i810switch claims that is is switched off).

* The following works with Fedora Core 6 on an {{X60s}} and CentOS 5 on {{X60}}: i810switch 0.6.5 with the patch found on http://thpinfo.com/2006/patches/i810switch_macbook_support.patch can switch between LCD and CRT (and initially CRT is off) (NOTE: The first hunk of this patch does not apply to the source, just remove it, it is unnecessary). This patch makes i810switch recognize the i915 chipset. It should thus be doable to use this with an ACPI event/action to do {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}} switching. After installing i810switch and its i810rotate script and the missing [[ibm-acpi]] kernel module I did the following to achieve just that:

In /etc/rc.local:
modprobe ibm_acpi
echo enable,0x084c > /proc/acpi/ibm/hotkey

in /etc/acpi/events/videoswitch.conf:
event=ibm/hotkey HKEY 00000080 00001007
action=/etc/acpi/actions/video-rotate.sh

Make sure the event code is correct. If acpid doesn't seem to recognise the event, try to recopy it from acpi log.

in /etc/acpi/actions/video-rotate.sh
#!/bin/bash
exec /usr/sbin/i810rotate

* i855crt works see: http://stefan.desire.ch/howto/x41debian/#graphics for details.

* With [[ibm-acpi]], {{cmdroot|echo lcd_disable >/proc/acpi/ibm/video}} works, but {{cmdroot|echo lcd_enable >/proc/acpi/ibm/video}} doesn't work - so one can't enable it anymore after disabling it. (the strange thing is that when switching to a console with {{key|ctrl}}{{key|alt}}{{key|F1}} the LCD display is used for it, so there must be some way to enable it but I can't find out how to control this in X). I've tried this with version 0.8 and version 0.11 of [[ibm-acpi]].
** {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}} lets me enable the internal LCD after I disabled it with {{cmdroot|echo lcd_disable >/proc/acpi/ibm/video}} on my X41 but it corrupts the crt out

===Problems with ATI chipsets===
*It is a [http://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2000 known issue] of xorgs radeon driver that {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}} doesn't work.

The {{cmdroot|radeontool light off}} and {{cmdroot|radeontool dac off}} commands will disable the LCD and CRT if they're been enabled before in the X server, but the corresponding {{cmdroot|radeontool light on}} and {{cmdroot|radeontool dac on}} will not work if the displays have were not enabled when the X server started. Also note that turing off the CRT using this command will not reduce power consumption, nor allow [[fglrx]] to enable power saving modes.

You might try the following: Hit Ctrl+Alt+F1 to switch to a console, hit Fn+F7 to switch video, hit Alt+F7 to switch back to X.

* Similar problems exist with XFree86 4.3 and its radeon driver

You '''can''' switch the display off after switching to tty1 (STRG+ALT+F1) by
* pressing FN+F7 or
* executing ''echo crt_disable > /proc/acpi/ibm/video'' as root

You '''cannot''' do this under X11. The display is always on under X11. I tried
* ''echo auto_disable > /proc/acpi/ibm/video''
* ''echo crt_disable > /proc/acpi/ibm/video''
* ''echo lcd_disable > /proc/acpi/ibm/video''
* pressing FN+F7

but none of the above had any effect. If you switch the display off, then start X or switch to it, the display
will be activated automatically.

====With the radeon driver====
You can force the <tt>radeon</tt> driver to enable both CRT and LCD using <tt>Option "MonitorLayout" "LVDS,CRT"</tt> in the <tt>"Device"</tt> section of {{path|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}}.

With new versions of the [[radeon]] drivers that include [[Xorg RandR 1.2]] support, you can fully control all outputs using the <tt>xrandr</tt> utility.

====With the fglrx driver====
Output switching with the Closed-Source ati-driver works: Just use {{cmdroot|aticonfig --query-monitor}} and e.g. {{cmdroot |aticonfig --enable-monitor..."}}. You can use those two commands in a script, and bind them to {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}}. Or use <tt>Option "ForceMonitors" "lvds,crt1"</tt> in {{path|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}}.

----

Alternative solution: {{path|fglrx}} 8.28.8 will recognize {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}} directly, if the key is enabled. This obviates the need for scripts which call aticonfig. To enable the hotkey, issue the command {{cmdroot|echo enable,0xffff >/proc/acpi/ibm/hotkey}}. You'll want to have this run both at boot time, and after resume (on my T43, the hotkey mask is reset on resume). For Ubuntu, I've put a script with the command in both the {{path|/etc/acpi/resume.d}}, and {{path|/etc/acpi/start.d}} directories.

----

Using kubuntu 7.04 with xorg-driver-fglrx 7.1.0-8.34.8+2.6.20.5-16.29, fglrx failed to recognise {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}}. However the following scripts can be used with acpi. Tested on a T42p.

* /etc/acpi/events/ibmvideobtn
# /etc/acpi/events/ibmvideobtn
# This is called when the user presses the video button.
event=ibm/hotkey HKEY 00000080 00001007
action=/etc/acpi/ibm-video.sh

* /etc/acpi/ibm-video.sh
#!/bin/sh

# ACPI Scripts run as root, but the display will not allow access
# from other users.
# Lookup the X process for :0, find the -auth command line option,
# extract the name of the authority file and use this file
# to gain access to the DISPLAY
export XAUTHORITY=`ps -ef | grep /usr/bin/X | grep :0 | grep -v grep | \
awk -F' -' '{for (i=1; i<=NF; i++) if (substr($i, 0, 4)=="auth") print $i}' \
| awk '{print $2}'`

export DISPLAY=:0

# Query current monitor setup
# Expect output from aticonfig such as:
# Connected monitors: crt1, lvds
# Enabled monitors: crt1
#
current=`aticonfig --query-monitor | tail -1 | awk -F: '{print $2}' | cut -c2-`

# Cycle round to next monitor setup.
# We loop through these settings
# 1. CRT
# 2. LCD
# 3. CRT and LCD
echo Current video: $current

case $current in
crt1)
echo Switching to LCD
aticonfig --enable-monitor=lvds
;;
lvds)
echo Switching to both LCD and CRT
aticonfig --enable-monitor=crt1,lvds
;;
"crt1, lvds")
echo Switching to CRT
aticonfig --enable-monitor=crt1
;;
*)
# Unexpected current monitor, change to internal LCD
echo Unknown current mode, switching to LCD
aticonfig --enable-monitor=lvds
esac

====With the VESA driver====

I have fixed the problem on my T42 by switching to the generic VESA driver in xorg.conf, and rebooting, as mentioned on the xorg bug page above. None of the other solutions worked.

==Related Links==
*https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2000

==Solutions==

====BIOSHotKeys====

Try adding
Option "BiosHotKeys" "on"
to "Device" selection in /etc/xorg.conf. For some reason, this is not the default, and will cause xorg to ignore the BIOS's request to switch modes!
This fixes the problem for an X22, with xorg 6.9.0.

It fixed this problem for a X31 with xorg 7.1.1 too, but as the CRT is the primary display in some Thinkpads (like in the X31), you can not switch back to the LCD (or both) if xorg has started with the CRT only or both mode, because it sets the resolution and or refresrate to high for the LCD.