Anandtech has posted a review of the Apple 15-inch Core i5 MacBook Pro. One of the interesting bits of technology that is incorporated into the new MacBook Pro line is the ability to switch from Intel’s graphics chips (which are low power and thus are good for long battery life) to Nvidia’s GeForce GT 330M. The Nvidia chip uses more power, which cuts down on battery life, but it is also more powerful in terms of graphics capability.
With the new MacBook Pro, Apple implements an automated switching system similar to NVIDIA’s Optimus technology. Instead of relying on application profiles, OS X looks at the functions called by any running application and determines whether the Intel HD Graphics is sufficient or the GeForce GT 330M is needed. Applications like video playback are low key enough to run exclusively on the Intel HD Graphics, while 3D games and applications that take advantage of GPU acceleration appear to wake up the GT 330M.
The switching process is seamless and there’s no indication of what GPU is being used at any given moment. That’s both good and bad. You don’t have to muck with any software switches, but you also rely on Apple to make the right decision based on your current workload. Without a way of telling what is making the discrete GPU wake up, there’s no way to know whether something as simple as leaving an application open is causing you to have lower-than-ideal battery life.
There is more in the article on the GPU switching technology, so I heartily recommend that you read it.
