gfxCardStatus

gfxCardStatus is a menu bar application for OS X that allows users of late 2008 — 2011 MacBook Pros (15" and 17") to view which GPU is in use at a glance, and switch between them on-demand.

free and open source.

Download gfxCardStatus v2.1

release notes, source code

Gfxcardstatus-screenshot

Features

Simple, clean user interface.

gfxCardStatus is super simple. Unobtrusive i and d icons denote whether your MacBook Pro is using its integrated or discrete GPU.

Real-time notifications.

gfxCardStatus notifies you via Growl when your active GPU changes, so you're always in the know.

Manually switch GPUs.

Want to save some battery life and decrease heat? Switch over to your integrated GPU. Need more power? Switch to the discrete GPU.

Localized in 15+ languages.

See a list of them here.

See what's causing your discrete GPU to kick on.

Just pop open the gfxCardStatus menu and take a glance at the "Dependencies" list.

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