NVIDIA GRAPHICS CARD FOR MACBOOK PRO PRO
NVIDIA GRAPHICS CARD FOR MACBOOK PRO PASSWORD

(And thanks to Reddit user Freneboom, who gave me just enough information in this Reddit thread to figure all this out.FAQ Q: Can You Use an External GPU With a MacBook Pro?Īny MacBook Pro with an Intel processor and Thunderbolt 3 ports can use an external GPU. The Graphics Card setting near the bottom of the window will tell you which card is operating. # Automatically switch between discrete and integrated graphics card (this is your laptop's default setting)Īnd now you have finer control over your laptop’s power settings! If you want to make sure this is working, you can open Activity Monitor and view the Energy pane. # Always use the integrated graphics card # Switch between discrete and integrated graphics cards automatically while running on battery powerĪnd if you want to control this setting globally, whether your laptop is plugged in or not, you just need to change pmset -b to pmset -c. # Always use the discrete graphics card while running on battery power If you want to make these changes for situations when you’re running on battery power, any of the following will work (note we’ve just swapped pmset -c with pmset -b): # Always use the integrated graphics card while running on battery power You can modify any of these settings for different battery status situations. You can also run sudo pmset -c gpuswitch 0 if you want to always use the integrated graphics card while you’re plugged in. Gpuswitch 2 tells the machine to automatically switch between discrete and integrated graphics. To reset this, you just need to type the following: sudo pmset -c gpuswitch 2 Then, it tells the computer to always use the discrete GPU while charging (that’s what gpuswitch 1 does). The above command began with pmset c, which tells the machine you want to adjust power management settings for situations when you’re charging. You can adjust the power management settings while you’re on battery ( pmset b), while you’re charging ( pmset c), and all at once ( pmset a). This command adjusts the power management settings for the laptop’s chipset using something called pmset.

NVIDIA GRAPHICS CARD FOR MACBOOK PRO PASSWORD

You’ll be asked for your password ( sudo tells the machine you’re the administrator), and then you’re done.įor people who are new to the command line, here’s an explainer of how this works. Here’s what you want to type in the command line (in the Terminal app): sudo pmset -c gpuswitch 1 a 15” or 16” MacBook Pro), then you need to use the command line. If you want better laptop performance while plugged in, and your laptop has a discrete GPU (i.e. That being said, there is no setting to change this in System Preferences. It makes the machine run much more smoothly, and removes any scrolling or keyboard or lag I experience in regular use. When I’m on the go, I want to optimize for long-lasting battery above almost all else.īut when I’m plugged in and charging the laptop, I always want to use the discrete graphics card. The solution is to use the machine’s discrete graphics card instead.īecause the discrete GPU uses more energy, I don’t want to use it when I’m on battery power. You may experience similar issues with your machine it’s not uncommon.

It’s much faster, runs hotter, and uses way more power.Īfter some googling, I figured out that my lag problem is related to the laptop’s integrated graphics card. The discrete graphics card is the machine’s isolated GPU it runs separately from the onboard CPU. One is the integrated card, which is part of your machine’s regular CPU. Many people who read this will likely already know, but 15” and 16” MacBook Pros have two graphics cards. It’s not just the terrible keyboard (although that’s a big part of it), it’s also the consistent feeling of lag I experience whenever I’m using the device. Now that I’m used to the consistently excellent performance of my iMac Pro, using my MacBook Pro is an exercise in frustration. This includes modern 15” and 16” MacBook Pros. Note: This is only relevant if you are using a MacBook with a discrete graphics card.

Nvidia graphics card for macbook pro