HP EliteBook 8560w 15.6" and Nvidia Optimus

[Teho]

Specs: http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/q.../13995_na.html

I'm thinking of buying one, but the Linux support is still a bit of mystery for me. The one I'm buying has Nvidia Quadro 1000M grahics card which is offically supported on linux, howerver it uses Optimus technology. At the same time the laptop is also SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 Certified so I would expect it to work which Linux right? Does this mean that the bios supports turning off the integrated graphics card or something? I couldn't find much information on the SLED certification either (what does that even mean?).

All information on the subject is appreciated.

[chithanh]

You will be able to use the Laptop with the integrated graphics. And I guess that is what was used for certification.

Regarding Optimus, you will encounter one of several possibilities:

• Discrete Graphics will consume battery power with no way to access them or switch them off (worst case)
• Discrete Graphics can be disabled with vga_switcheroo, and/or accessed for individual applications with the Optimus hack which Phoronix reported about some time ago.
• A BIOS switch exists which can enable/disable and re-route the display outputs to the discrete graphics (best case).

[Teho]

Thanks.

I asked HP and unfortunately there's no such BIOS switch.

[lbukata]

I have EliteBook 8560w.

BIOS switch isn't needed, NVIDIA proprietary drivers work great. (or nouveau)
(Quadro 2000M)

[Teho]

Thanks. For some odd reason it didn't occur to me that HP might have disabled Optimus entirely and they did. It's actually metioned in preview video and there's no word about Optimus in any of their datasheets. It should have been obvious.