FSX and nVidia Optimus, and "fatal error" question

[Gerry47 0]

HiI have my Aliewnware m17x r3 for one week and have been trying to get FSX to run properly since then. In the nVidia control panel FSX is listed as a programme and set to use the nVidia processor. When I go to the "Settings" tab in FSX, under "Device" it says "Intel ® HD Graphics Family .0.0" and does not list the 580m. In game I am getting between 10 and 50+fps with settings on high to max. (I also have the sim on my m11x r1 and that lists the graphics card under the same tab). The sim runs quite well but often when I exit I get a "fatal error" message and the sim re-starts itself. Also when I launch the game sometimes the window that should display the aircraft under the "free flight" tab is black but sometimes you can see the aircraft that is being loaded. A noob question but is the graphics card running the game or is it the gpu on the processor? Has anyone had a similar problem? Any suggestions or solutions please? Alienware m17xr3 (non-3d)Core i7 2860QM8Gb RAM750 Gb Thanks for your help. Gerry

[Illegitimi non carborundum 4]

GerryIt sounds like you have the default Windows drivers installed or the onboard graphics controller and not the nvidia drivers for that card. In FSX in the fsx.cfg file it should have an entry like: [DISPLAY.Device.NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580m.0] or similar. What OS are you using? 32-bit or 64 bit. What does it say under Control Panel\Device Manager\Display adapters - is the GTX 580 listed? If so right click on the entry and choose properties \Driver\driver version: it should be similar to 8.17.12.8026 which means that the nvidia driver 280.26 is installed.FSX is cpu intensive, but having said that it also needs a powerful graphics card too which has the best drivers installed.RegardsPeterH

[sargeski 16]

Gerry, With NVIDIA OPTIMUS Technology you essentially have two graphics cards in one. An Intel HD Graphics Card and an NVIDIA 580M. The OPTIMUS technology will automatically choose which GPU to run based on the software you are running (you can of course force which GPU to use as well). This technology is designed to save on power. Running your NVIDIA card on the laptop will use considerablly more power than the Intel HD Graphics. Since the card is a hybrid card there is a chance that it will still show as Intel HD Graphics in your software that is yet another issue with the technology. I happen to have a laptop with OPTIMUS technology as well however I do not run FSX on the laptop. I can tell you that when I first purchased the laptop alot of the graphics software that I use was unusable due to the OPTIMUS drivers crashing. On paper the technology sounds good but it is in its infancy. If I had it to do all over again, I would buy a laptop with a purely NVIDIA or ATI solution. I'm not suprised to see you are having issues with FSX and OPTIMUS. You can get on the NVIDIA forums and possibly seek some assitance but do not hold your breath. There are very few replys from NVIDIA regarding the OPTIMUS technology. Regards, Bob

[Gerry47 0]

Hi Thank you for your replies. I am using Windows 64bit. Under devices the GTX580m is listed and the driver is 8.17.12.6903 which is different to the one PeterH suggests. My fsx.cfg file shows [DISPLAY.Device.Intel® HD Graphics Family.0.0]Mode=1920x1080x32Anisotropic=1AntiAlias=1 That doesn't sound right? Thanks Gerry

[tfm 169]

Hi Thank you for your replies. I am using Windows 64bit. Under devices the GTX580m is listed and the driver is 8.17.12.6903 which is different to the one PeterH suggests. My fsx.cfg file shows [DISPLAY.Device.Intel® HD Graphics Family.0.0]Mode=1920x1080x32Anisotropic=1AntiAlias=1 That doesn't sound right? Thanks Gerry

I don't use it for FSX but I have a Thinkpad 420s which comes with the Optimus thing. By default, the BIOS is set to use Optimus to choose between the Intel HD Display and a discrete Nvidia GPU. However, the BIOS also contains an option to disable the Intel HD Display and force the PC to use only the Nvidia GPU. I therefore suggest you get into your laptop's BIOS and see if you can do the same.If so, then I suggest you delete / rename your FSX.CFG file, to let FSX build a new one based on your Nvidia GPU.Tim

[Gerry47 0]

Hi Tim Thank you for the suggestion. As I said I'm a bit new to this but re-booted to BIOS menu and there does not appear to be any option to disable the HD display? I have also searched on Google and can't find a way to do as you suggest but maybe I'm missing something? In the nvidia control panel it allows you to choose programmes which us the nVidia card. Against FSX it shows "fsx.exe" as the path to the programme, is that correct? Thanks Gerry

[tfm 169]

Hi Tim Thank you for the suggestion. As I said I'm a bit new to this but re-booted to BIOS menu and there does not appear to be any option to disable the HD display? I have also searched on Google and can't find a way to do as you suggest but maybe I'm missing something? In the nvidia control panel it allows you to choose programmes which us the nVidia card. Against FSX it shows "fsx.exe" as the path to the programme, is that correct? Thanks Gerry

I'm sorry to hear you can't turn it off in BIOS. As I said, there is a specific option in the BIOS of my T420S. This thread suggests that without a suitable option in the BIOS, there is no other way - including on an alienware m11x: http://superuser.com/questions/282734/how-to-disable-nvidia-optimus-on-a-dell-xps-15 However, keep trying: you are correct that the application file for FSX is "FSX.EXE". Also: aren't alienware supposed to make quite high-powered pieces of kit? If so, try contacting their tech support people and getting them to fix the BIOS: they might not like to know they've fallen behind Lenovo's top-end offering! Tim

[Gerry47 0]

Hi Tim Thanks for all your suggestions. I found a very simple way to make sure it is using the 580m in the end. I went to the fsx.exe application in the Microsoft Flight Simulator X folder, highlighted it and if you right click it gives the option on whether to run with integrated graphics or the nVidia card. So I tried with the integrated graphics and got pretty good frame rates, much more than I expected but fluctuating a lot from 6fps to 20+fps on unlimited frame rate-core i7 2860QM. I re-loaded the exact same flight after selecting "high performance nVidia processor" and got 25 to 40+ fps but with differences like reflections in the cockpit glass. At least I know now how to make it run from the 580m and I can live with this way of launching the programme. You're right Alienware do make very good pieces of kit-I would say that of course-but the optimus problem takes a bit of the shine off! Thanks again Gerry

[tfm 169]

Hi Tim Thanks for all your suggestions. I found a very simple way to make sure it is using the 580m in the end. I went to the fsx.exe application in the Microsoft Flight Simulator X folder, highlighted it and if you right click it gives the option on whether to run with integrated graphics or the nVidia card. So I tried with the integrated graphics and got pretty good frame rates, much more than I expected but fluctuating a lot from 6fps to 20+fps on unlimited frame rate-core i7 2860QM. I re-loaded the exact same flight after selecting "high performance nVidia processor" and got 25 to 40+ fps but with differences like reflections in the cockpit glass. At least I know now how to make it run from the 580m and I can live with this way of launching the programme. You're right Alienware do make very good pieces of kit-I would say that of course-but the optimus problem takes a bit of the shine off! Thanks again Gerry

Good. I'm glad you found a way to sort it out. Tim