How to make ATI graphic card switching work better?

I recently purchased the HP Envy 14 laptop and was dissapointed to find that its graphic switching was less than what I expected. For example, applications like Photoshop don't detect I have a graphic card, and other applications like the game Minecraft (under Java) refuse to run.

Is there something I can do about this?

Solution 1:

As a fellow user of an HP laptop with the new Intel-AMD graphics card switching, I feel your pain. The switching technology they're using at the moment only works for DirectX, not OpenGL. Minecraft and Photoshop use OpenGL, so they don't get the automatic switching to trigger.

You have a few options:

1. Update the Intel Drivers to gain OpenGL support

Go to the HP website, and download the latest graphics card drivers for your laptop. The new Intel drivers include OpenGL support, so that Minecraft and Photoshop can use OpenGL. Its not as fast as using the AMD card, but it works.

2. Update BIOS and use Fixed Switching

Go to the HP website, and download the latest BIOS revision for your laptop (in my case its F.1A) Install the BIOS update (this will require at least one restart, and don't panic if the screen goes blank and your laptop sits there for a while, it happened to me too) Go into the BIOS settings, and change the graphics switching mode from dynamic to fixed.

Now instead of automatic switching, you will be able to manually switch between the Intel and AMD graphics options, so that Photoshop and Minecraft will use the AMD card.

You do lose the ability to switch graphics cards on the fly automtically (its now manual or based on power source), but you gain OpenGL on the AMD card.