Switchable graphics - ATI Radeon 6560m

[ljmudit]

Hi.

Recently I installed Linux Mint on my pc. Even my pc (HP Pavillion DV6) has switchable graphics. The card is ATI Radeon 6560m. In windows I'm able to switch to the onboard intel graphics when not using demanding applications however on Linux it seems my discrete graphics card is always on as I can see from the conitnuos whirring of my laptop fan, heat and the low battery life of just 90 min compared to 175 min on Win.

I tried to follow the solutions given above but being a newbie and having very little or no knowledge of how to use the commands mentioned in the solutions above I'm unable to solve the problem of switching the graphics to onboard intel ones to save my battery life and reduce the laptop heating.

Can anybody explain to how to go about this in simple steps? It is the only problem which is preventing me from enjoying my new Linux experience


Thank you very much!

[Oscar799]

Split from another thread by moderator

[ljmudit]

The graphics card is 6550m.
It is the renamed version of HD 5650.

Sorry for the mistake.

[AlbertP]

Please uninstall any existing graphics driver for the ATI card if you ever installed one. Then please install the latest graphics driver from http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/l ... linux.aspx
From Catalyst 12.1 on, Intel/ATI switchable graphics is supported on Linux as well (earlier releases only supported it on Windows), and you'll find the Switchable Graphics option in Catalyst Control Center when this driver is installed.

[ljmudit]

Hey mann!

Thanks a lot for your help. I installed the driver as you mentioned. Can you tell me where can I find the Catalyst Control Centre?


Thanks once again!

[AlbertP]

It should be in the menu after the driver is installed.