explain the GPU's

Ok, so im confused... is the GT555m only usable when the laptop is hooked to a external monitor? I thought I was using it to play my games, but EVE shows my GPU being used as the Intel HD one? I have set the 555m as default, and I choose run with graphics processor gt555m, but its still not using it. So i decided to disable the Intel one, and black screen, hooked my HDMI up to my 65", and it workes using the gt555m, but if i use the laptop monitor it runs the Intel HD card. What the heck? Is there a way to change this? seems pretty friggin retarded to me to have two cards to begin with, and thats lame advertising boasting how this lappy has the 555m, but what good is it if it can only be used with an external monitor.

 

The problem is that Eve isn't white listed, and it should be because usually only older games or really new games aren't white listed (I know there are a few that a newer and aren't, just in general).

The reason you lost your screen when you disabled your integrated graphics is because that's what your system uses when not playing games or GPU intensive apps. When you disabled it and went to your desktop it tried to switch to integrated and it wasn't there. The reason now it only works is with an external monitor is because it's turning your 555m back on to output to dual monitors.

Re-enable you integrated graphics and try white listing Eve. Out of curiosity what driver are you using?

 

How do you whitelist it? Im not familiar with that term.

 

Open the Nvidia control panel (Right click on the desktop or start menu) and go to "manage 3d settings" on the left. In the right window click the tab "Program settings" if it isn't already selected. Click the drop down menu that says "Select a program to customize" and find Eve and click it. Then go down to the drop down box below it and select high performance nvidia and hit apply/ok.

If Eve isn't on the list click "Add" and find the Eve.exe in it's install folder and add it like that.

 

You can also right click on the icon and hit Run with NVIDIA Gpu as a temporary solution (to see if thats the problem)

 

ok, EVE was in the whitelist, and i right click the icon and choose run with nvidia, and still only Intel HD shows as the GPU in EVE

 

In the game I dont think you necessarly will see the 555 listed, the graphic card listed under game options shows the Intel HD card.

The 555 card is in use though.

There is an option under the Nvidia settings to show when the 555 is used, you will then find that in the system tray.

(I will not say that I know why, but I can speculate, and others may correct me.
I believe the Intel HD GPU is used as some kind of interface between the M14x screen and the 555 GPU. When the 555 GPU is used it does all the work and then sends the "picture/video signal" to the Intel HD card to show it on the screen. )

 

ahh ok, i saw an option for that, but didnt select it, i was like just what i want more crap running in my sys tray!... lol

Also when i go to download new drivers for it, the nvidia site says to use the my manufacture driver download site, does that really matter, cause im pretty sure im using the old driver 260 or some crap and 275.33 is the newest one. Dell has the one that was released in April 2011 for download but nvidia has the newest one.

 

I found this thread that explains it better, http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m14x/591227-integrated-discrete-gpu.html , I remember there to be some other posts aswell but couldn't find them.

To update the driver you will need a modded inf I think you'll find a thread a few pages back. It's pretty easy to do, slightly annoying perhaps, but there is only to replace a file after you first have extracted the driver package and then restart the installation.

When you first run the installer it will fail but you will have a directory on the hdd where the package have been extracted.

EDIT: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m14x/588113-nvidia-275-50-modded-inf.html

 

wow, that sounds complicated to just update a driver!

 

Yea, Dell should be working more to update their GPU drivers. Perhaps they try to keep a stable system and use 'what works'.

But I also believe that people buying a laptop ,like m14x or any other gaming laptop, can also be more into using the latest drivers for the computer.

But it's not as complicated as it sound. In essence you will just need to run the installer one time after you dowloaded the drivers, to get it extracted. Then replace a file where it is extracted and then rerun the installer from that place.