SL viewer only works on integrated graphics, doesnt work on Nvidia Geforce GT 635M

[kaitokidd14]

I have a recently bought laptop (just 2 weeks ago) and recently I tried to install SL in my laptop. The installation went well, but after it finished and tried to open, after the prompt saying "detecting hardware" suddenly the Crash Logger appears, trying to contact server, then gone without any explanation.

After experimenting, I try to change the default graphics processor to run the app. The default was set to use my Nvidia Geforce GT 635M, so I change it to integrated graphics (Intel HD or something?), and surprisingly it works and the games gone well but with average performance. My question is, how to make SL works on my Nvidia? (because I believe the performance would be better with one) Thank You for your assistance :)

 

edit:

@Rolig Loon tried to change the PhysX but doesn't change anything, when I launch the viewer after the word "detecting hardware" it closed and the Crash Logger appeared like before. I'm also curious what effect will it be if I change the Physx option, will it make my laptop's battery become empty faster or what? I played The Sims 3 and it goes well so I keep wondering why it isn't with SL and why it only works when I change the graphic processor option to integrated graphic :| thx anyway

[Rolig Loon]

You should definitely get better performance with the NVidia card.  In integrated graphics chip will deliver much lower quality graphics.  It may also tend to get stuck in its energy-saving low-performance mode, which means that it won't switch to the NVidia card when the demand is high (as it is when you are in SL).  That is a common problem with switchable chips. 

Open your NVidia Control Panel and select Set PhysX Configuration.  In the drop-down menu, choose GeForce GT 635M to force the system to run always on your NVidia card.  Otherwise, the default will be Auto-select, which is fine for most applications but problematic for SL.  If that doesn't work, have a technician check to be sure that your NVidia card is installed correctly.

[kaitokidd14]

@Rolig Loon tried to change the PhysX but doesn't change anything, when I launch the viewer after the word "detecting hardware" it closed and the Crash Logger appeared like before. I'm also curious what effect will it be if I change the Physx option, will it make my laptop's battery become empty faster or what? I played The Sims 3 and it goes well so I keep wondering why it isn't with SL and why it only works when I change the graphic processor option to integrated graphic thx anyway

[Rolig Loon]

The NVidia card does take more power, so yes, it will drain the battery faster than using the Intel chip. Normally, your machine should switch to it automatically when it senses that you need the extra power, but the Auto-select option doesn't always work (It doesn't on my own laptop, actually). I don't know why SL won;t run on your NVidia card at all. I wonder whether you simply have outdated drivers for your NVidia card. Have you updated them recently? See http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Graphics-cards/ta-p/700073#Section_.1.5 for instructions about how to obtain and install drivers cleanly.

[Lindal Kidd]

Can you disable the integrated graphics in your laptop's BIOS (the startup menu that appears before Windows boots)?

Using the Nvidia graphics card will improve your performance, but it will place a greater drain on the battery.

[BicycleMonkey]

This same issue has been happening to me with a new laptop.  nVidia GT 730M and the SL only wants to use the integrated Intel HD graphics.  If I use the nVidia control panel to force SL to use the nVidia graphics, the game fails to load.  I at first thought it was a hardware problem with the laptop but after exchanging the laptop with a new one, it still does the same thing.

[BicycleMonkey]

There is no option in the BIOS to disable the integrated GPU.

[Rolig Loon]

That's very strange. That's exactly what the NVidia control panel is there for. You need to be able to make a manual choice to use the 730M instead of the HD chip. The switchable chip doesn't switch reliably enough. THAT's the problem that lots of people are having with integrated chips, and not just in SL. If you're stuck using the HD chip in SL, you'll be seeing low quality images and your machine will get dangerously hot.

[BicycleMonkey]

I'm concerned about buying another laptop as I was just barely able to get this one returned twice lol. After searching the forums here it seems this is a fairly common problem. I don't want to get stuck with a laptop that won't play SL. I was looking at this one with dedicated GT 635m.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312432

[Rolig Loon]

Yes, if you do a full Google search you'll find that it's not just SL. This is a problem with integrated graphics chips generally, so you'll find many complaints on Internet sites. Integrated chips are getting better, but the non-switching behavior is common enough that it's a real worry.

[BicycleMonkey]

So how do I know if the laptop I choose next won't have this same problem? The 730M was on the list of compatible graphics chipsets.

[Rolig Loon]

And the 730M is rated as a more powerful chip than the 635M too. I truly don't know the answer. I wrestled with this question myself before I bought a new HP laptop in January and seem to have bought one that works properly. NewEgg's return policy was important to me as I was trying to decide, and so was HP's reputation for quality and service.

Let's take a step back for a minute....... What do you mean when you say that when you use the 730M card, SL fails to load? What does it do? Do you get error messages? How far through the process do you get?

[BicycleMonkey]

The game window screen is split down the middle 50/50, half is gray, half is white, very strange. It won't load any farther and I half to pull up the task manager to get it to close out.

[Rolig Loon]

Hmmmm.... I have seen something like this. Not exactly the same, but it may be related. Take a look at http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/optimus, which refers to the NVidia control panel not working correctly.