David Airlie Announces "Reverse Optimus" Multi-GPU

[phoronix]

Phoronix: David Airlie Announces "Reverse Optimus" Multi-GPU

David Airlie has announced work on "Reverse Optimus", which is a new approach he's taking for poking laptops with multiple GPUs, namely the NVIDIA Optimus laptops with a discrete NVIDIA GPU and integrated Intel graphics...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTI2ODc

[Rexilion]

This isn't even remotely funny anymore... . Once I heard the first messages of two videocards in a laptop, I thought it was an april's fools joke. Turned out to be bitter truth.

Are there any dual video card laptop configuration that work without a hitch? I don't mind if it takes up an effort to setup up though...

[deanjo]

This isn't even remotely funny anymore... . Once I heard the first messages of two videocards in a laptop, I thought it was an april's fools joke. Turned out to be bitter truth.

There are even laptops that run Crossfire/SLi setups as well.

[entropy]

This isn't even remotely funny anymore... . Once I heard the first messages of two videocards in a laptop, I thought it was an april's fools joke. Turned out to be bitter truth.

Why? It makes perfectly sense for an IGP + dedicated GPU combination.

[GreatEmerald]

"Reverse optimus"? So it's "sumitpo"? Or, since anagrams are popular nowadays, how about "imp to us" or "imps out"!

[entropy]

"Reverse optimus"? So it's "sumitpo"? Or, since anagrams are popular nowadays, how about "imp to us" or "imps out"!

Or "positum". It's latin. But what does it exactly mean?

[crispy]

This isn't even remotely funny anymore... . Once I heard the first messages of two videocards in a laptop, I thought it was an april's fools joke. Turned out to be bitter truth.

Are there any dual video card laptop configuration that work without a hitch? I don't mind if it takes up an effort to setup up though...

Afaik optimus with bumblebee works faily smooth. Just set an env and run your application on the dedicated gpu.

[curaga]

Why? It makes perfectly sense for an IGP + dedicated GPU combination.

Only if the big GPU can't go low enough in idle/2d modes. This is constantly improving, so in a generation or two only the most high-end mobile GPUs should require an integrated one too to keep power in check.

[Rexilion]

Why? It makes perfectly sense for an IGP + dedicated GPU combination.

Erm, not in my world. I agree with what curaga is mentioning: it's a scaling issue.

But that is outright insane. 10 years ago, laptops carried 1 card. Right now, it's 2. In 10 years time, it will be 1 card again.

Huh?

[entropy]

Only if the big GPU can't go low enough in idle/2d modes. This is constantly improving, so in a generation or two only the most high-end mobile GPUs should require an integrated one too to keep power in check.

I couldn't find any recent numbers. It would be really interesting to see a comparison of the
power consumption of typical mobile IGPs and dedicated mobile GPUs running in 2d mode.
Even more interesting is the trend over the last say five years (for low- to high-end components).