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This Sony Vaio PCG-41217N has a toggle switch between 'stamina' and 'speed', but I do not notice any difference in Ubuntu 16.04. How do I get it working?

There is a Windows 7 sticker on this device, so I wonder if it is somehow designed for Windows 7.

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Sony's Stamina / Speed Modes

Sony is renaming something already known to most as nVidia Optimus Technology. From Sony's documentation:

  1. Stamina Mode uses the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator for lower power consumption. It disables some hardware devices on your computer to conserve battery power.
  2. Speed Mode uses the NVIDIA Video Controller for improved and faster performance.

Within Linux nVidia uses prime-select intel or prime-select nvidia to switch modes.

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  • Are those commands to be executed in Terminal instead of using the manual switch on this laptop? Is there a way to map the manual switch to these commands' execution? Or, because it's apparently about video drivers, is the switch already working fine and there's just no difference to my battery because I'm not asking the computer to do anything particularly graphics-heavy?
    – DBinJP
    Jan 30, 2018 at 12:28
  • Yes on Linux you must enter the command in the terminal and reboot. In Windows the switch will work "on the fly" and no reboot is necessary. To see which driver is being used run prime-select query. I've had so many problems using nvidia that I always run intel all the time. When it's time for gaming (a few times a year) I simply reboot into windows and open a WSL window for Ubuntu stuff.
    – WinEunuuchs2Unix
    Jan 30, 2018 at 12:49

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