How can I tell if Hybrid mode is actually working

[Zerogaku]

What is your question?
From what I understand, hybrid mode uses the integrated graphics first, then when an application becomes too resource intensive it switches to using the discrete graphics, but when running nvidia-smi I can't tell if it's working or not, is there a better way of telling?

[bayasdev]

Hybrid mode is the default behavior for drivers on Linux, Envycontrol only does a few tweaks for UX and RTD3 ;)

[Zerogaku]

Ah i see, so with or without envycontrol, if i have nvidia installed, a resource intensive application like for example blender would automatically use nvidia drivers right?

[murkl]

No, you have to run the app with prefix: https://github.com/bayasdev/envycontrol/wiki/Frequently-Asked-Questions#hybrid

[Zerogaku]

Ok i'm beginning to understand now, so in theory all i need nvidia and the prime-run package, but if i wanted more convenience like auto turning off the nvidia gpu when not in use without having to manually edit udev rules and nvidia module parameters to do so i would use envycontrol.

[MostFrabjous]

Or just run nvtop and see if both GPUs are shown.

[murkl]

I use nvidia-smi to check if process is runinng with nvidia

[klmcwhirter]

For future readers ... I found this video that explains Optimus mode ...

DenishiVideo - NVIDIA Optimus: A ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕗𝕪 Guide