The laptop will rely on the exclusive GPU just when you press the alt key during games.
The laptop will rely on the exclusive GPU just when you press the alt key during games.
The laptop runs an MSI katana GF66 11UD. The CPU is an i5-11400h. As mentioned, the system uses the dedicated GPU only when the game is alt-tabbed. When focused, it switches to the integrated one. I verified this by using alt-tab in Task Manager while playing and observing the GPU in use. Changing the preferred GPU in the NVIDIA control panel to the High-performance GPU still keeps the integrated GPU active. The same occurs if I switch from Windows Graphics settings. The GPU functions properly according to my tests with Furmark, but I've tried several fixes: reinstalling drivers (both NVIDIA and Intel), reinstalling Windows, installing all MSI drivers, updating the BIOS, and even disabling the iGPU in hopes it would switch to the dedicated one. Despite these efforts, it still doesn't use the dedicated GPU consistently. I suspect the issue might be related to driver configuration.
You can choose which GPU to employ in the NVIDIA settings, depending on the software. For instance, I needed to change it so my laptop uses the GF MX 150 for OBS recordings instead of the built-in CPU graphics, otherwise the recording displayed a black screen. Give it a try.
What I said earlier is that changing the settings in the NVIDIA control panel or Windows graphics options doesn't make a difference. It doesn't function properly.
Verify if the system has a setting labeled "Use NVIDIA as default GPU" in the BIOS.
Sorry, this feature isn't available. You can't turn off the iGPU in BIOS either.