High performance nvidia graphics processor. How to switch the video card on a laptop from NVidia to Intel

Updated method

Standard method (does not always work)

Currently, there is such a solution: the laptop has two video accelerators - most often an Intel HD Graphics core and a discrete chip from Nvidia, the switching mode of which can be selected in the Nvidia control panel.

Standard way:
1. In the Nvidia Control Panel, go to the Software Settings tab:
2. Click the Add button and specify executable file games that we will force to launch with discrete video.
A special case is only for games that use the Java machine (Minecraft and others). What needs to be added to the list is not the game's executable file, but the Java machine itself. To do this, you first need to find where the javaw.exe file is running from. For example, you can launch the task manager, go to the Processes tab, hover over the process of interest to us, right-click and select Properties. The path will be indicated in the window that opens. I have javaw.exe in the folder C:WindowsSysWOW64 (Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit, Java 7SE 32 bit). After the location of the file is known, add it as described above.
3. Select Nvidia High-Performance Processor from the drop-down list.
4. Click the Apply button.

Alternative method (workable)

If the standard method does not help, there is another one - not very obvious, but quite workable.

ATTENTION:
This method tested on Windows 7.
This method does not work on Windows 10.

1. Open Screen Resolution:

2. Click the Find button. Two more monitors will appear with the words No other screen detected:

3. Select a monitor that matches the discrete video accelerator:

4. Select Try to connect to VGA anyway from the Multiple screens drop-down list and click the Apply button:

The result will be the following:

5. Select Extend these screens, click Apply, confirm saving the parameters:

Note

If your video card was not used after turning it on alternative way, do the following.
With the alternative method enabled, do additional regular and enjoy the game.

Result of the alternative method

We observe the result.
Games can now see both video cards.
TES: Skyrim settings window:

The video card monitoring gadget from 0rbmu2k now normally determines the total amount of memory, volume used memory and GPU load as a percentage:

Needless to say, games are running faster now?
By the way, I played many games by adding the executable to the Nvidia Panel using the first method. For a comfortable game, I had to set the graphics settings to the very minimum. Now FPS has increased in many games by 20-40%. In some games I didn’t see a significant increase in frames, but the lags and freezes disappeared.

Sometimes there is a need to run this or that application, game with an NVidia or Intel video card in manual mode, but not all users know how to choose a video chip. Today we will tell you how to switch the video card on a laptop from NVidia to Intel and vice versa, so that you can independently select the desired video chip.

Why do you need manual switching if it is carried out automatically?

The fact is that then you will have the opportunity to save battery. For example, you are running some game with fairly low video card requirements. By default, your Nvidia chip will immediately be activated, which will undoubtedly affect faster battery drain. That is, the first bonus we get is the ability to save battery power when running undemanding toys.

Another scenario cannot be ruled out, when the application is initially launched with the “wrong” video chip, which is why it is not possible to achieve maximum performance in it. The problem may be with the application itself, causing the system to select the wrong video card. However, we can solve it in a few mouse clicks.

Switching using standard means

On new ones gaming laptops, even if there is Intel processor, initially it is impossible to switch video chips - the second one is simply missing. Therefore, nothing will work here. As for older devices, to switch you must follow these steps:

As you can see, nothing could be simpler - you need to make literally a few mouse clicks to activate the corresponding item in the contextual Windows menu.

What should I do if the method above does not work?

Fortunately, he is far from the only one. We'll have to go back to NVidia software again. You must do the following:



There is also a way to select a separate video chip to run each application, this is done as follows:


In conclusion, I would like to say that in new laptops, switching from a discrete to an integrated video card occurs automatically and does not require additional settings.

User question

Hello.

I have two video cards on my laptop: built-in Intel HD and discrete NVIDIA. For some reason, many games are slow (and some of them are old), I suspect that they run on the built-in video card.

How do I find out what card they work on, and if not on a discrete one, then how to use it? Thank you in advance...

Good day!

In fact, many modern laptops are equipped with two video cards: one built-in (usually Intel HD) - used when working in Windows, viewing pictures, videos, and not too resource-intensive games; the second is a discrete AMD or NVIDIA, necessary for running games and programs that require high performance from the video adapter.

According to the developers, the discrete video card should be activated automatically when the game starts (the rest of the time, to save battery power, the built-in video card must work) . But this does not always happen, and some games run on the built-in one - as a result, you see brakes, lags, delays, etc. In this article I will give several ways to run games on a discrete video card.

Note: in my manual below I will show how to configure a discrete video card using NVIDIA as an example. If you have an AMD video card, the menu will be slightly different, but the setup principle will not change (see screenshots in the comments).

Important!

Before moving on to the methods and fine tuning, you must have the latest video drivers installed (at least not the ones that come installed by default with Windows). I recommend using one of the driver managers to automatic update and installation of new “firewood” (link below).

Updating Drivers in Windows 10 - 5 Review best programs(in Russian) -

How to update the driver for an AMD, nVidia and Intel HD video card: from A to Z -

Method No. 1: using the video driver settings menu

If you have the drivers installed, then by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop, in the pop-up context menu You should see a link to set them up (in my case this is a link to "NVIDIA Control Panel" ) . Let's move on to setting up discrete video card drivers.

After this, you can try to launch the game - it should launch on a discrete video card.

By the way, in the NVIDIA settings you can also specify the specific video card used for a specific game. To do this you need to do the following:

1. open the video card settings, then the tab "Manage 3D Settings" ;
2. then open the tab "Program settings" ;
3. add the desired program(in my case I added the game Civilization 4);
4. and set your preferred GPU for this application (see screenshot below);
5. save settings!

Method number 2: through the conductor

If you specify certain settings in the NVIDIA settings, you will be able to run any games and programs on the adapter you need in manual mode.

To do this, open NVIDIA settings, then in the section "Desktop " (menu at the top) check a couple of boxes:

1. Add to desktop context menu;
2. Add item "Run with GPU" to the context menu.

If you have enabled the previous couple of checkboxes, then the most obvious and easiest way to launch the game on the desired video adapter is to open Explorer, that is the desired folder, which contains the executable file with the game, and right-click on the game file (by the way, you can also do this by clicking on the icon on the desktop).

Actually, the game should run on the adapter you choose. Now below I will consider a way to check if this is true...

How to check if a game runs on a discrete video card

First we go to settings NVIDIA video cards and open the menu "Desktop" . There is one option you need to enable in this menu "Display the GPU activity icon in the notification area" . This icon will allow you to see when the NVIDIA adapter is loaded, in fact, what we are looking for...

By the way, please note that after enabling this option, a corresponding icon will appear in your tray, next to the clock (see screenshot below).

Now let's launch the game. If the game goes to full screen mode, collapse it using the buttons WIN or Alt+TAB.

Please note that the NVIDIA GPU icon has become colored (in the screenshot below). Those. The NVIDIA adapter started working after starting your game - that means it is enabled!

The icon became colored after starting the game (bottom)

By also clicking on this icon, you can see which games (applications) are currently using this adapter (see screenshot below).

In general, this is the most relevant and reliable way determining whether the discrete graphics card is enabled.

Using FPS analysis

You can also indirectly determine whether you have a discrete video card in use by the number (number of frames in the game). For a discrete video card it is usually higher.

To see the number of FPS in games, install one of several applications: Fraps, PlayClaw, Overwolf. Then deliberately launch some game on the built-in and discrete video cards, and see the difference (see screenshot below)!

If necessary, increase the graphics settings to maximum to fully utilize the resources (for a more obvious difference).

One more thing!

Pay attention to the noise and operating temperature of your laptop. If a discrete graphics card is used, many laptop models begin to make noticeably louder noise. The temperature of the video adapter also begins to rise (it can be, for example, Speccy, screenshot below).

Why the game may not run on a discrete video card

Some games stubbornly refuse to run on a discrete video card. You set everything in the driver settings, manually specify how to launch it, but all the same, the game runs on the built-in one, lags and slows down. In this case, I recommend several things (came across it myself, several times)!

1. Try another OS, such as Windows 7

The story is simple. On one laptop for a long time I could not understand why one old game stubbornly did not start on a discrete video card (by the way, Windows 10 was installed on it). Then I decided to create another partition on the hard drive and install a second OS - Windows 7. Surprisingly, in Windows 7 the game launched without problems on a discrete video card.

Conclusion: Windows 10 does not work correctly with two video cards (built-in and discrete) and old games. This may also be due to the drivers, which are not yet fully optimized for the “new” Windows 10.

2. Try turning on compatibility mode and disabling scaling

To do this, simply open the properties of the desired EXE file. Next, in the "Compatibility" section, check the box "Run the program in compatibility mode for such and such Windows" (example below).

3. Try installing more old version drivers (for video card)

And lastly. Not always the best new driver- the best. It is possible that there is some kind of bug in the new driver and the discrete card is not activated when the game starts. Therefore, you should try an older version of the driver, which has already been tested for many months (years).

To help!

Restoring an old working driver: rollback to previous version -

That's all for me, I hope I answered the original question in detail.

The need to know how to enable a discrete video card most often arises among laptop users.

Desktop PCs typically automatically detect which graphics card to use. this moment via the connector to which the cable from the monitor is connected.

Although almost every computer owner can face the problem of having to start it up manually.

Especially for a user running , the operation of which is almost impossible with only a built-in (integrated) video card.

In the picture below you can see what a discrete card looks like on a laptop (left) and PC (right).

Pros and cons of discrete graphics adapters

Installing a discrete video card on a computer or laptop can have the following advantages:

• noticeable increase in productivity. For example, when running a modern game, the built-in adapter, even in the best case, allows only minimal settings. A discrete card of 3, 4 or even 8 GB will cope with maximum screen resolution and video effects;
• possibility of replacement with more new version. For such an issue, it can be resolved in a few minutes; for a laptop, sometimes you have to contact service;
• support for working with multiple screens. Moreover, in two ways at once - for the first, it can be included in both a discrete board and an integrated one. The second option involves the use of video cards that simultaneously support from two to four screens.

• the ability to use the resources of two video cards simultaneously (a feature that in the future will be available to owners of PCs with Windows 10 and DirectX 12).

At the same time, a discrete video adapter also has certain disadvantages. First of all, it is a high price.

Although for most computers it is best to simply install a later version of the system - at least Windows 7.

If the resources of a PC or laptop do not allow the installation of new operating systems, most likely there is no need for a discrete video processor at all.

Enabling a discrete video card in BIOS

Setting up the operation of a discrete video adapter via the BIOS or UEFI interface occurs when the computer boots or restarts.

To enter the corresponding menu, you must first press the key whose name is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Most often this is F1, F2 or Esc, although individual laptop models may have different options for entering the interface.

Afterwards the user is required to:

1. Find the First Display Boot, Chipset Features Setup, Advanced Chipset Features or Boot Graphic Adapter Priority option in the menu. Sometimes the corresponding subsection may be called PEG Port/Graphic Adapter Priority or something else, but with the word VGA;
2. Set the value of the PCI or PCI-E parameter, thus enabling the discrete card;
3. Save changes and exit BIOS.

Rice. 5. Enabling discrete video cards via BIOS.

In most cases, the problem of turning on the video card is solved.

And, if switching to a discrete adapter is not resolved either using the device manager, or through, or thanks to utility settings, the card may fail.

In this case, the user is unlikely to be able to do without contacting the service.

Working with two adapters simultaneously

MS Windows developers have made it possible to avoid the problem of turning on a discrete video card at all.

When installing the utility, which is built into by default latest versions Windows, in the future it will be possible to work with two graphics adapters simultaneously.

In this case, the power of video processors will be summed up - and, for example, for a PC with built-in 1 GB of video and external device at 2 GB the total memory capacity will be 3 gigabytes.

Owners of computers with two discrete cards will have the same opportunities - their memory will also be stackable.

According to Microsoft representatives, new technology The “multi-adapter” will even ensure simultaneous use of AMD and nVidia.

Meanwhile, such an opportunity is not provided yet. At first it was assumed that the new option would appear in 2015, then in 2016, but now the dates have been postponed to 2017.

conclusions

Having learned to turn on and off a discrete video adapter, the user is able to solve the problem of launching a more productive external device.

As a result of the operation of this video card, it is possible to include movies in HD, FullHD and even with a clearer resolution.

And if the graphics card breaks down, it can be relatively easily replaced with a new one.

You should know: In addition to the video processor, to run high-quality video and modern games You will need a processor that is adequate in power and the amount of RAM. As a rule, the chipset should be dual or quad-core, and the RAM should be in the range of 4–16 GB.

Many models of modern laptop computers have two graphics video adapters: integrated and discrete. The system itself decides which one to use for a specific task. There are several options for how to configure a video card on a laptop so that the weaker chip does not turn on in games by mistake.

How to switch between video cards on a laptop

For those who do not know what a video adapter is in a laptop, you need to remember that at the moment there are two types of this element of the system. The first is built into the processor; the adapter cannot boast of high performance, but consumes little energy. PC models with this combined option are usually cheaper. There are models of such processors from both global manufacturers: Intel and AMD.

The second type of video adapters is discrete or separate. These cards are good for gaming and video processing, but they are more expensive, have higher power consumption and run hotter. It is not necessary for the system to have only one type of graphics chip. Many laptop computers have both types of adapters at the same time. Default operating system makes the choice itself which of them to run in a given specific task. Sometimes it makes mistakes and needs adjustment from the user.

If video adapters are of the same generation and from the same company, you can set parameters at which they will work simultaneously, increasing computer performance. However, game developers recommend choosing one main option. This can be done using:

• task manager;
• in BIOS;
• special programs.

How to switch video card in BIOS

This option always works on desktop machines, but is not always present on laptops. Some models do not support it, so you just need to check. Below are instructions on how to enable the video card on a laptop and make it the main one:

1. Start or restart your PC.
2. During the first splash screen, press DEL or F2 (for different versions).
3. When you get into the BIOS, control will be carried out using the arrows on the keyboard.
4. To change the card priority, find the item called “Advanced” or “Config”.
5. Here you need a section that includes the word "Graphics". The names in models from Asus, Lenovo or HP may differ, but this word is always present.
6. You need to either disable the second chipset by setting it to Disabled, or move the main adapter to the first line.
7. Save the changes and exit the BIOS.

How to change the video card on a laptop through the device manager

The second option on how to switch the video card on a laptop is to use Windows tool"Device Manager". This menu contains all the system elements that are installed on the laptop. You cannot change the configuration here, but you can disable some of the devices. To go to the panel, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the “My Computer” icon.
2. Select "Management".
3. In the left menu, find the line “Device Manager”.
4. Expand the "Video adapters" item. It contains those chipsets that are installed in the system.
5. Right-click on the built-in adapter and select “Disable”.

This manipulation will turn off the extra chip and only one main one will remain. This is a temporary measure because after restarting the computer, the device will resume operation. To permanently switch the startup priority, you should use specialized software that comes with the adapters AMD Radeon, Nvidia GeForce. This method of changing priority is much more reliable and simpler.

Switching laptop video cards using special programs

The two main programs for managing video cards are released only with discrete type adapter. For products from AMD this is Catalyst Control Center, and for Nvidia it is NVIDIA Control Center. These applications open up the possibility of more finely managing devices, setting their priority, enabling or disabling collaboration, and setting automatic chip changes depending on running game or programs.

How to select the main video card on a laptop in NVIDIA

Along with the adapter, the kit includes a disk with a special software for the product. It stores drivers, some specialized applications for adjusting the chip frequency, fan speed, and a program for general management of the system’s graphics parameters. For Nvidia, this function is performed by the Control Center section. Inside this application you can set special settings. Instructions on how to switch the video card on a laptop:

1. Click on the Nvidia icon in the system tray (bottom right corner of the screen) and click on “Open Control Panel”.
2. Click on the item from the left menu “Manage 3D settings”.
3. On the right, select the “Program Settings” tab.
4. The system will find everything possible applications, for which you can set your preferred graphics adapter.
5. Find the game or program that runs with the wrong chip from the drop-down list.
6. Below it is a section through which the required video card is specified.
7. If you find it through the list required file failed, you can enter it manually using the “Add” button.

How to switch to a discrete graphics card in a laptop in Catalyst

You can also change your preferred adapter through software from Radeon. It also comes with the card, but if you lose the disk, you can download the latest version for free from the manufacturer’s website. Remember that you can configure a mode in which both cards will work simultaneously. Instructions on how to switch AMD video card on a laptop:

1. Launch the Catalyst utility.
2. You need a menu item from the "Power" section called "Switchable Graphics Adapters".
3. Click on the button High performance GPU". If your PC is connected to the network, then the discrete card will always work. If you need to switch to integrated, then select “Low GPU consumption”.

Video: how to switch to another video card on a laptop