Laptop persistently uses Intel GPU...

F

Femto

Member
My laptop currently has installed two graphics cards:

- Nvidia GTX 675m
- Intel HD graphics 4000

Now obviously the former is much more powerful than the latter and is thus supposed to be used to run video games at comfortable frame rates.

However, the currently problem I'm having is that my laptop - against its own will - keeps on reverting to my onboard GPU, the intel card I have installed. This is a problem because it's a significantly less powerful card than my other one and whenever I play a game it runs really badly (i.e. struggling to churn out 30fps on san andreas; not a demanding game at all graphically). I've tried going into the Nvidia control panel and force my games to use the Nvidia card but still my laptop resists. It's a problem that I'd like to fix, but I don't know how?

So yes, before you say, "Apply the Nvidia card in the control panel" well, I've already done that and nothing has changed. I've updated drivers, rolled them back - the whole shabang. Still nothing.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. I would just disable the intel card but I am worried about the repercussions of those actions. Plus, the intel card is probably used to display all of the non intensive stuff right? Like my current display? Yeah I'm not techno expert so things will have to be explained to me in leyman terms.
 
Pagey

Pagey

Bright Spark
Ok I'll throw something in...

It sounds like the GPU isn't being enabled at all. First check would be to see if it's running on "max power" in the battery/power options. If it's set to "UMA" mode, (I have it on my Optimus IV might probably be on yours too,) then the iGPU will always be used.

That'll be a good first test.
 
clancy2k

clancy2k

Bronze Level Poster
Right click the game icon on your desktop and u can select what GPU to run it on. Some games are set to default on the integrated card. This method doesn't work with all games though. Also, make sure your power setting is always set on "high performance" before gaming as this will prompt the Nvidia card to be used, but again this doesn't always work. I have a few games like you that refuse to play on my nvidia instead of integrated. Nvidia optimus is broken garbage technology. They need to get it fixed pronto!
 
Pagey

Pagey

Bright Spark
clancy2k said:
Right click the game icon on your desktop and u can select what GPU to run it on. Some games are set to default on the integrated card. This method doesn't work with all games though. Also, make sure your power setting is always set on "high performance" before gaming as this will prompt the Nvidia card to be used, but again this doesn't always work. I have a few games like you that refuse to play on my nvidia instead of integrated. Nvidia optimus is broken garbage technology. They need to get it fixed pronto!
Click to expand...

Actually on my Optimus IV, I've got it running pretty much flawlessly. If I know I'm going to be doing some heavy gaming I'll activate the "VGA" button and boom I'm set for high power, obviously the games that require some heavy grunt are set to run on the GPU anyway. Normally if I then set it back to UMA mode, I'm pretty sure it disables the GPU.

I did have an issue where if I added a game to the "use GPU" list it still wouldn't give me the option to enable it to run via the GPU, I realized that if I restarted the computer the option would be enabled to run via GPU.
 
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