GB HOMEPAGE

How to whitelist a game on a laptop with Optimus technology

Posted By: Jenny100

How to whitelist a game on a laptop with Optimus technology - 02/03/13 06:53 PM

I found this video showing how to whitelist a game on a laptop that uses Optimus technology.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFBWXUTnKfM

For those who don't know, Optimus technology is a power-saving strategy used on many recent Intel laptop motherboards. The laptop comes with Nvidia graphics essentially piggybacking on top of Intel graphics. Ideally, the laptop uses the Intel graphics (saving power) when you are doing low end desktop applications and automatically hands over the power consuming stuff to the Nvidia graphics when you're doing something that requires more graphics power (like playing a game). The problem is that it doesn't detect all games properly, which results in your games being played with the slowpoke Intel graphics --> "sticky cursor," jerky movement, and other symptoms of a too slow video card.

The YouTube video shows how to activate high performance (Nvidia) graphics for specific programs (like games) on a laptop that's using Optimus. If the game isn't one that Optimus recognizes as a game, the video shows how to "add" it to the list of applications that require high performance graphics.
Posted By: Haroula

Re: How to whitelist a game on a laptop with Optimus technology - 02/03/13 08:13 PM

Thanks Jenny thumbsup wave
Posted By: Draclvr

Re: How to whitelist a game on a laptop with Optimus technology - 02/03/13 08:17 PM

I've bookmarked that page, Jenny. Good news for gamers with Optimus technology...
Posted By: InlandAZ

Re: How to whitelist a game on a laptop with Optimus technology - 02/03/13 11:20 PM

I seem to recall this back when Cruise was having issues getting Alter Ego to run on her Optimus laptop. For some reason she couldn't get it to work - maybe adding it to the list is what she should have done.
Posted By: Jenny100

Re: How to whitelist a game on a laptop with Optimus technology - 02/04/13 03:27 PM

It would be interesting to know if this worked for her problem with Alter Ego. Of course it wouldn't help with her problem trying to install XP on her laptop and getting it to see the Nvidia.

I went to Best Buy last weekend and looked at the laptops. All but one had either Intel graphics or Optimus. The only one that didn't had a low end Radeon with no dedicated video memory. And according to the Geek Squad guy they sent over to answer my question, you can turn off the Nvidia, but not the Intel graphics. Checking online, some people have made modified BIOS to force the computer to always use the Nvidia, but that seems risky.

I'd be curious to know how successful and reliable this fix is. There seem to be reports of Optimus switching the Nvidia on and off during games, spoiling the game. You'd think that if it recognized it was playing a game when the game was started that it would stay on.
© 2024 GameBoomers Community