m11x r3 and the GPU

Is there a tutorial somewhere on how to make the GPU kick in with specific games? Having touble with Civ V... screen remains dark and never really launches... I think the GPU is not initiating... not sure really. Ideas welcome.

 

there should be a vid on youtube about optimus...even though it's an R2 the tech should be the same.

 

all you have to do is whitelist your games .exe in the nvidia control panel.

 

You know, I tried that... I just don't think that the m11x will run Civ 5... really silly! I have a ton to learn about the little guy, but I flipped the GPU to GT540 globally and then tried to launch again and it was a no go... just black screen. Maybe if someone has got it to work, they can describe how they did it.

 

it could be an incompatibility problem, try reinstalling th game? and updating your gpu drivers.

 

I got the same black screen error as OP. My solution was when the game starts you have the choice to run either directx9 or directx10/11 and by choosing directx9 I would no longer have a black screen.
Hope that helps.

 

I didn't see a GPU update option in the Nvidia Control Pannel... pointers?

 

lol you have to download the new drivers from nvidia directly.

 

Okay... I know I sounded like a total noob there, but if I use the web to down load the drive, it says I have to get it from dell. If I use the Nvidia controll pannel to download the latest version, it fails to install because it says it cannot find compatible hardward.

 

really? which version did you use?

 

270.61

NVIDIA DRIVERS 270.61 WHQL

 

did you use driver sweeper to remove any residual files or registry entries?

also, if you can get a spare HDD install windows onto it and see if the driver works on a clean install.

 

I can confirm the 270.61 drivers from NVIDIA won't install on the R3.

Also having the issue with Civ V, in either DX9 or 11. Though I did not restart after trying DX11.

 

Yeah - the real frustration is that I have seen Civ V play smooth as silk on a m11x R1.

 

will older drivers work with the R3?

 

See post #2:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m14x/574739-cant-update-graphics-drivers.html

Maybe this hack will help get you the current nVidia drivers. It's helped alot of people, however I haven't personally tried it myself.

Civ V is one of my top played games of 2011, so I know how frustrating it is for you since it's an incredibly addicting game (30min turns into 5-6hrs!).

 

Yeah you need to use a modded .INF from laptopvideo2go's site, to get the latest drivers to work.

Civ 5 should definitely run. I ran it on my R1.

 

So I was timid at first and not sure if I should go ahead and do the ini hack - but it worked and the game plays great. The fan, now thats a whole nother issue... Thanks all!!

 

which ini hack did you use?

EDIT: I'm trying to check which drivers are installed. I'm kinda noob at this stuff as well, but i checked the registry and found the installeddisplaydrivers file and clicked on it. the value data says RDPDD. What does that mean? Is there another way I can check which drivers I have?

 

@ air max - I am a total noob with my m11x so as I said, i was a little timid to be messing with my vid drivers, but I figured I had 21 days to screw it up and send it back if needed, so I said what the heck...

Here is what I did...
1. Right click on the desktop and enter Nvidia Control Panel. From the control pannel, select "download drivers and software". Select the appropriate card for your laptop (500m). Downlaod the driver pack to your machine. Attempt to run the driver pack - which will cause the driver pack to expand to a folder c:/Nvidia. The driver pack will fail to install. Cancel operation.

2. Go to: NVIDIA & Laptop News | Latest NVIDIA drivers and related news | laptopvideo2go.com. At this site, scroll down to the entry, "NVIDIA driver 270.61 WHQL / Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:30:00 +0000" At this entry, select the appropriate OS version and follow the linik, for the m11x, you want, "Windows 7 / Vista 64bit". At the link, click on the "inf modified" link and download the modified ini file.

3. Open windows explorer and navigate to "C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\270.61\Vista 64-bit\International\Display.Driver". Copy the modified ini file to this folder, overwriting a file of the same name already in the folder.

4. From "C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\270.61\Vista 64-bit\International" run the "setup" file.

Thats it... then you are on your way.

EDIT: Keep in mind, the locations I noted above are the standard installation locations. If you change anything, you will have to go find your file locations accordingly.

Hope it helps.

 

thanks for the post it the .ini file trick works wonders, fixes the lag issue with Dragaon Age II and allows the R3 to play it on very high detail with DX11 enabled.

 

Thanks droidxSC! This worked perfectly. Note: in case someone follows the broken NBR link in the post by Voodooi on 4-30, the INF file for the 270.61 driver can be found here:

Drivers | laptopvideo2go.com

Not sure what happened to the thread that he referenced.