Here’s another microtip for you. If you have a recent Mac that supports automatic GPU switching, you might have decided that OS/X isn’t smart enough about when it decides to switch. Maybe you run 1Password or The Hit List and can’t fathom why they need the high-powered GPU. So, when you head out on the road, you use gfxCardStatus to “pin” the operating system on the low-powered Intel GPU and give your battery a break.

The problem comes when you go to project a presentation. Suddenly, reliable OS/X won’t do it. Try as hard as you can, click Detect Displays as often as you like – no projection, no secondary display.

Why? Because OS/X requires the high-powered GPU to connect a secondary display like a projector. But there’s no visible error messages or feedback. The connection simply won’t work. To solve the problem just switch gfxCardStatus back to automatic mode.