Understanding bbswitch and nvidia kernel module

Question

I have a laptop with a GTX 970M dGPU and an Intel GMA iGPU. I currently have the proprietary nvidia drivers installed (no nouveau) as well as bumblebee and bbswitch.

Basically, I want the laptop to use the iGPU by default, and be able to switch to the dGPU on the fly (either app-based or manual switch). Also, ideally I want to have the nvidia proprietary driver managing my dGPU.

It looks like bbswitch cannot work unless the nvidia kernel module is unloaded. To be honest, I'm still a Linux beginner, and I'm not 100% sure what the nvidia kernel module does, and how it relates to the nvidia driver.

So here are my questions:

• Do I want my system to unload the nvidia kernel module to use bbswitch?

• By unloading the nvidia kernel module, is it the same thing as not having the nvidia proprietary driver installed/running?

• (And ultimately) how do I get to my desired setup?

Answer 1

Remove the NVIDIA drivers and remove "bumblebee" as well.

Open a terminal and execute :

sudo apt-get purge nvidia* bumblebee  
sudo reboot

Install the latest official NVIDIA drivers 358 and "nvidia-prime".

Open a terminal and execute :

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nvidia-358 nvidia-prime
sudo reboot  

Use NVIDIA X Server Settings (Prime Profiles) to switch between the intel and NVIDIA GPU.