RA3 Issue with Nvidia Optimus?

[hellfire12345 0]

Hi,

 

just got RA3/uprising off steam but the problem is it fails to run on my dedicated Nvidia 420M GPU and instead runs on the integrated intel gfx.i have added the executable file (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 Uprising\ra3ep1) to the nvidia whitelist but still its running on the integrated graphics. My laptop is a Dell XPS L501x and nvidia driver version is 275.33 (runs starcraft 2 flawlessly) ...HELP ME PLEASE!

 

ps: big fan of all c&c and longtime reader of cncnz

[Plok 323]

Are you sure it's the problem with your graphics card? It would be really helpful if you could tell us your configuration.

[hellfire12345 0]

Im using a Dell XPS 15 (L501X), has Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz, 4GB RAM, windows 7 64-bit and Nvidia 420M GPU...

 

basically when im not playing a game or doing a graphics intensive acitivity, the GPU shuts down to conserve power, and the integrated graphics chipset kicks in...as soon as I turn on some graphics intensive application like starcraft 2, the GPU becomes active

 

the problem is that in the case of RA3 Uprising, that doesnt happen and it tries to run the game on the integrated graphics instead of the GPU. Also when i look at the GPU activity meter, it doenot show any GPU usage which confirms this....ive tried a few workarounds on the internet but they dont seem to work

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Try disabling your integrated GPU then test Uprising. Does this also happen with normal RA3?

[hellfire12345 0]

ok, so i figured some things while looking through some forums, but was too busy to come back here and post cuz havin so much fun

 

one thing is for sure though, its a bug in the Nvidia Optimus software, specifically affecting laptops.

 

so here are a few solutions that might work:

 

(a) set your GPU as the default gfx adapter (at the cost of higher power consumption in idle/desktop mode)

(b ) use the "extended desktop" feature with the secondary monitor set to the GPU (this fools the system into believing it is running on the default but does not apparently work all the time)

(c ) right click on the exe of the game and select "run through high performance Nvidia processer" (but you will have to do that every time you play it)

 

Hope this helps anyone having the same problem.

Edited January 6, 2012 by hellfire12345

[eXonius 0]

I know this thread is old but I had the same problem today, that Red Alert 3 would only run from the integrated graphics instead of the Nvidia card, so just in case someone else have this problem too.

 

The problem is that the 3D profile settings in Nvidia expects the file "ra3_1.12.game" to end with .exe, but it does not. So to fix it I used the Geforce 3D Profile Manager (http://www.geeks3d.com/20100528/manage-your-sli-profiles-with-nvidia-geforce-sli-profile-tool/) to import a txt file with the settings, then changed a line in the profile that looks like this:

 

Profile "Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3"

ShowOn GeForce

ProfileType Application

Executable "ra3_1.10.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.5.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.11.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.8.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.12.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.2.game.exe"

Executable "a3_1.7.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.0.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.7.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.4.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.9.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.3.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_version.game.exe"

Executable "ra3game.dat.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.1.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.6.game.exe"

Executable "ra3.exe"

Setting ID_0x00d55f7d = 0x20000000

Setting ID_0x1033cec1 = 0x00000003

Setting ID_0x1033dcd2 = 0x00000004

Setting ID_0x106d5cff = 0x00000000

Setting ID_0x1095def8 = 0x02800205

Setting ID_0x10f9dc81 = 0x00000011

Setting ID_0x10f9dc84 = 0x00000200

EndProfile

To this:

Profile "Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3"

ShowOn GeForce

ProfileType Application

Executable "ra3_1.10.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.5.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.11.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.8.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.12.game"

Executable "ra3_1.2.game.exe"

Executable "a3_1.7.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.0.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.7.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.4.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.9.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.3.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_version.game.exe"

Executable "ra3game.dat.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.1.game.exe"

Executable "ra3_1.6.game.exe"

Executable "ra3.exe"

Setting ID_0x00d55f7d = 0x20000000

Setting ID_0x1033cec1 = 0x00000003

Setting ID_0x1033dcd2 = 0x00000004

Setting ID_0x106d5cff = 0x00000000

Setting ID_0x1095def8 = 0x02800205

Setting ID_0x10f9dc81 = 0x00000011

Setting ID_0x10f9dc84 = 0x00000200

EndProfile

 

Simply changed from "Executable "ra3_1.12.game.exe" to "Executable "ra3_1.12.game". Then imported the modified txt file again with Geforce 3D profile manager.