GPU Issues...I think?

[KoolKaboom]

After a busy a week, I went to go play some Borderlands 2 with some friends, but it didn't run well. I have an Alienware M14x (I know... waste of money... it's my problem not yours) that usually runs the game on high in vsync flawlessly, but today it had trouble even operating the menus. I moved it down to 720p with minimum setting and it barely even reached 20 fps. I believe that the problem is that the game is being run via intigrated intel graphics instead of my dedicated nvidia gt 555m, but all of my efforts to fix the problem have failed. I also tried running portal 2, and with max settings it ran lag-free. I know its not that hard of a game to run, but i don't think that the integrated graphics could run it that well, so the problem might be borderlands.

 

If you have any ideas to what the problem might be or how i could go about fixing it, or need any more information on the problem, say it below. Thanks.

 

 

Specs:

CPU: Intel i7-2630qm @ 2.00 GHz

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GT 555m

Memory: single dimm 6gb 1600

Screen Res: 1600x900

 

[Godlygamer23]

I'm not familiar with Alienware computers. Does this laptop have any NVIDIA Optimus technology? Also, have you checked the BIOS to at least move over to discrete graphics?

[Bradleywh]

In your NVIDIA settings you need to right click on the icon in your taskbar and click open NVIDIA control panel. Then click on manage 3D settings. There will be a preferred setting. Make sure that the High performance NVIDIA processor is selected. Or you could select the integrated graphics for normal use and then when you start a game up under the program tab you can select to use your GPU under certain games. You could just select borderlands 2 and then tell your GPU to kick in when you are using that program

 

Hope that helps. If you want a guide on how to do it i will upload one for you. Just let me know.

[KoolKaboom]

From what I can tell, It has not gotten any better. I had tried all of the manual ways to change which gpu you were using yesterday, and I tried again today. I even downloaded the nvidia geforce experience, and played at the recommended settings, and I still could not even run vsync. Also, I forgot to mention some things that might be important: The screen is and always has been running at 40hz with the option to switch to 60, the 555m is the 1.5gb version (not that it should make any difference).

 

After a quick search on the internet, I'm pretty sure there is optimus for switching gpu and stuff, but I don't know which intel integrated model I have. I had a problem like this the first day I got the computer (almost 2 years ago), but the it was fixed with the 3D manage settings, whereas this one did not.

[KoolKaboom]

I'm also running windows 7 sp1, if that helps.