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167883
April 15th, 2011 06:00
Where are the Optimus BIOS settings?
I just got an L502x and was floored to see that the BIOS doesn't allow you to turn off the discrete graphics. I know many other laptops with Optimus (Lenovos, Samsungs, etc) allow you to do this.
This is really important to actually having the laptop be usable in Linux, since nVidia's stance is that they're not going to support Optimus in Linux anytime soon/ever.
What gives, Dell? I don't really want to return this laptop but Linux will be my primary platform.
(Another gripe: it's EFI but doesn't support GPT? Why am I still stuck with four partitions?)
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jefferai
4 Posts
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April 19th, 2011 16:00
Really? Nobody from Dell is going to chime in and tell us when we can expect this?
DELL-Terry B
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April 20th, 2011 11:00
Jefferai
I am sorry, but I would be very suprized if this feature will ever be available in any BIOS revision for the L502x. Unless Nvidia decides to support Linux, your are going to have problems trying to set up Linux on the XPS 15. If you have to have Linux on your notebook, my suggestion is to return the system before your 21 day trial period has expired.
TB
jefferai
4 Posts
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April 20th, 2011 18:00
Why? Lenovo and other manufacturers do it. There's nothing technically impossible about it.
Setting up Linux on the XPS 15 was extremely easy. It's turning the discrete card off for power savings that is difficult, because the best way to do it is via a BIOS setting. People do it, but most of the ways that exist to turn it off within Linux simply send the same low-level commands to the card to shut it off that people have figured out from other manufacturers' BIOSes. Much easier to have an actual setting, and it shouldn't be difficult.
Bingo Tailspin
2 Posts
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April 22nd, 2011 07:00
Why not just add a flag to a BIOS update? Are you trying to alienate Linux users?
Why do we buy these computers from Dell with Windows on them? That is a valid question. Because the Windows computer is always cheaper than the Linux computer. There is no good reason for this but it's the fact. Dell plus Nvidia has always been a safe bet for Linux users (and still is if you can switch to the Nvidia card).
Dell could really kill their repeat business by not adding this simple flag. I've been to the Linux sites where users are trying to work around this issue and Dell computers are being mentioned a lot. These are power users who influence buying decisions in IT departments and among friends. You should reconsider this decision. Vostro 3500 user, likely buying my last Dell.
Ondrejicek
8 Posts
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April 26th, 2011 05:00
BIOS option to disable hybrid feature would be great. I don't think it would be hard to implement. Is there any specific reason not to do it? By the way, the option is in official documentation:
<ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>
I tried to downgrade BIOS, but didn't find the settings in any version.
Dell, please consider this option. It would make a lot of your users happier.
jefferai
4 Posts
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April 26th, 2011 06:00
That is for the Dell Vostro 3500 BIOS, so it's a different system, but the point remains that it both can be done and that Dell has done it before.
FWIW, in the interim I've had luck with https://github.com/mkottman/acpi_call -- the test_off.sh script now has explicit support for the L502x. When I ran it I saw my battery usage literally halve.