Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2012 15:15:58 -0700 (MST) From: Warren Block <wblock@wonkity.com> To: Kevin Oberman <kob6558@gmail.com> Cc: Eitan Adler <lists@eitanadler.com>, mobile@freebsd.org Subject: Re: IdeaPad Y580 Laptop - 59359513 - Dawn Gray Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.00.1212021506320.94914@wonkity.com> In-Reply-To: <CAN6yY1uNJZCacd3HOJwR%2BEOdAc0E-OhLDHQHi=EhrVu7Ht__Ew@mail.gmail.com> References: <CAF6rxg=_v8%2BqStd0vD-eyLOFZNSSV91F6PVW2rUH3uPT=DpojA@mail.gmail.com> <alpine.BSF.2.00.1212020803480.92600@wonkity.com> <CAF6rxgnVrHOzsVo1nyxez6-3nPRFMoYtPNV3zK8CWBMfjp-YaA@mail.gmail.com> <alpine.BSF.2.00.1212021228450.93770@wonkity.com> <CAF6rxgkX9yRrCh4kEnn30G%2BGymbaWbTxJ34ZHoMnufO5AevuJw@mail.gmail.com> <CAN6yY1uNJZCacd3HOJwR%2BEOdAc0E-OhLDHQHi=EhrVu7Ht__Ew@mail.gmail.com>
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On Sun, 2 Dec 2012, Kevin Oberman wrote: > On Sun, Dec 2, 2012 at 11:35 AM, Eitan Adler <lists@eitanadler.com> wrote: >> On 2 December 2012 14:31, Warren Block <wblock@wonkity.com> wrote: >>> X will only work if the dual-graphics mode can be disabled. >> >> And this is a BIOS feature which isn't guaranteed to exist? > > It is not, but as far as I know, it is available on all prior ThinkPads. Definitely the kind of thing a person wants to check before buying. > The problem is that the nVidia chip used is a supported one, but it > lacks a frame buffer. Instead it uses the frame buffer on the Intel > graphics part of the CPU. On Windows, it also only uses the nVidia GPU > for some operations and the Intel for more basic ones where its > integration into the CPU will result in optimum performance. The > result is no support on anything but Windows for the nVidia.You can > find more on this at: > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_Optimus/ > > The other big issue with the graphics is the lack of the ability to > switch back to console mode. Once X is started, you have no ability to > get a vty screen. This is especially annoying when something in the > graphics (probably the KMS) glitches and the display goes bad. the > only recovery is a re-boot. I keep hoping that console mode support > will be written at some point, but it has not happened to this point > and kib (who wrote the KMS code) has stated that he has no plans to > write it. I thought that was all that was left to be done to finish the Intel KMS support, and was part of the plan. > Lenovo does white-list wireless cards and the cards on it all have > Lenovo specific PCI IDs. I bought a standard Intel 2200/BGN card and > it would not work. I had to buy a Levovo branded card at four times > the price. (My T520 came with a RealTek card.) Some people have patched the BIOS, replacing one of the allowed card IDs with that of the new card. On the older Thinkpads with mini-PCI slots, it was possible to tape over one of the fingers, and the card would work but with some disadvantages (power management, AFAIR).
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