Optimus not kicking in when using HDMI

Hi all,
Recently a problem has come up where optimus is refusing to kick in, leaving me with the intel gpu. I use an external monitor, and have an extended desktop setup, with the external set as the primary. My current drivers:
Intel - 8.15.10.2622
Nvidia - 296.10

I'm running a m11xR2. Using the Optimus state viewer, I see that the gpu does turn on when I open graphics properties, but it refuses to turn on running any games, despite the games being whitelisted. Any thoughts on whats causing this? It was working fine just the other day - I'm at a loss as to what's going on here.

-Thanks in advance

 

Are you certain it's using the intel GPU (ie. having graphics lag or performance issues?) or are you just going off the state viewer?

Because from memory the HDMI forces it to use the 335M, so it should be using it at all times when connected.

Also what resolution are you using on the external display? Because if you're trying to run 1080p keep in mind that in itself will give you a fair bit of performance loss as compared to the native 720p as it takes alot more to render.

Also you say your external is "primary", does that mean the laptop screen is also in use? If so, in what mode? If it's extended and your laptop is rendering a game on one monitor and the whatever else on the other monitor and if you're using the aero theme that's even more strain on your system and even more to render. And if the displays are cloned but at different resolutions then again that too causes more strain.

 

Try rolling back to Dell drivers. The link below is a guide on how to correctly re install video drivers for systems with optimus technology. I also left you a links to both video drivers.

Optimus Units: Correct Video Card driver install / uninstall procedure

Dell nVidia Geforce GT335M
Intel Graphic Media Accelerator HD

Let us know how it goes!

 

Thanks for the reply- but I'm certain it's not a matter to putting too much strain on the gpu/cpu - for the past month I've been using this setup with no problems. I do have to run games at a lower resolution (1024x768 or in 720p) for them to run at ~30 fps, but other than that it was working fine. And yes, the laptop screen has always been at use at the same time as the monitor, I use the laptop screen to have skype and system monitoring tools open. As I said before, this has never been a problem up until I installed the newest intel graphics drivers, as now I'm having major problems. Diablo III, for example, runs at sub 15 fps now. I tried using just the external as the monitor, disabling the laptop monitor, to no avail. I also tried using just the laptop monitor, and the problems still persisted.

@Luis - I just rolled back to the dell drivers, and the problem is still there. Any game runs with very very poor frames, and the gpu state viewer still reads off unless I open the graphics properties, at which point it turns on.

 

How about a system restore? If it was working correctly for the past month, then this may be the best way to go

 

I restored to a point a week ago (the earliest one I had available to me), and still no luck. It's just not switching to the nvidia gpu.

 

Have you tried cleaning the registry from old driver installations before installing new ones?


1. Open the Start Menu, type “device manager” in the searchbox and press <Enter>.

2. Click the arrow next to “Display adapters” to expand the filter.

3. Right-click the Nvidia Graphics Card and select “Uninstall”.

4. Check the “Delete the driver software for this device” box and click OK to proceed.

5. Once the driver is uninstalled, restart your computer and repeat the process until Standard VGA adapter shows up instead of the Nvidia Graphics Card (this is done in order to avoid any traces from past drivers).

6. Open the Start Menu, type “programs and features” in the searchbox and press <Enter>.

7. Search the list of installed programs for any Nvidia Software and uninstall it. Restart and repeat this step until no Nvidia software shows up in the list.

8. Open the Start Menu, type “regedit” in the searchbox and press <Enter>.

9. In the “Registry Editor” go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE

10. Look for a folder named “Nvdia”, right-click to delete it.

11. Restart your computer.

12. Download the latest Nvidia driver recommended for your computer from our Support Portal.

13. If you need assistance installing drivers, refer to our Alienware Initial Driver Installation article.


You can also run driver sweeper or driver fusion while on safe mode, just make sure not to check the Nvidia Chipset box

 

I cleaned the registry of the old driver installations, then installed the dell recommended nvidia drivers, and the problem is still there. The frames are still quite low, and it still seems that the gpu is not turning on. Is there anything else I can try?

 

Send me a PM with your service tag and phone number, I'll set up a callback to help you out.