[SOLVED] How do I force apps to use integrated graphics when connected to TV? (Please see details)

[cosmicexplorer]

I have a gaming laptop with both a dedicated GPU (Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070) and integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 530). After 4 years, my GTX 1070 has finally started to fail. It crashes when running games, opening GPU-intensive apps, and sometimes even when viewing the little spinning 3D logo in the Nvidia Control Panel. The problem is significantly worse when running my laptop in G-Sync mode (with the integrated card disabled) where I can't even log in to Windows before the GPU crashes, but also happens in Optimus mode as soon as I run any software that needs the Nvidia GPU.

Because of this, I had decided to disable my GTX 1070 via the Device Manager and make sure that only the integrated graphics are used to run apps. That has stopped all crashing but makes my laptop useless for all gaming except really old games. There is another problem, however. I can only connect my laptop to my TV if my GTX 1070 is enabled because the HDMI port is connected to the Nvidia card, which also means that in TV mode all my apps run on the Nvidia card by default. Interestingly, my GPU doesn't crash when my TV is connected, but it does as soon as I run any app that isn't extremely lightweight (such as a video player). My question is: Is there any way that I can leave the Nvidia card enabled so that I can use my TV as a monitor, but prevent it from running apps (and Windows) and instead make the integrated graphics run everything?

 

[TerryLaze]

If you have the official driver from the laptop maker you can just right click on the app and tell it which GPU to use.
With windows 10 you can go to graphics (not display) settings, there you can tell it which GPU to use for heavy and for power saving obviously you would want to put both of these to the intel.

View: https://youtu.be/_rxFxdvO3fQ?t=215

 

[cosmicexplorer]

If you have the official driver from the laptop maker you can just right click on the app and tell it which GPU to use.
With windows 10 you can go to graphics (not display) settings, there you can tell it which GPU to use for heavy and for power saving obviously you would want to put both of these to the intel.

View: https://youtu.be/_rxFxdvO3fQ?t=215

Thank you for your reply. Because the laptop maker hasn't updated the GPU driver since late 2016, I've been using Nvidia's normal drivers so the option to 'Run as..." is unavailable. I did try your second suggestion, and although there is a way to choose what GPU an individual program uses, there is no global option for assigning a heavy or power saving GPU. Furthermore, even though I set my video player app (Media Player Classic) to use the power saving GPU which defaults to the Intel integrated graphics, when I connect to my TV it still uses the Nvidia GPU. I don't know if that means it's really running on my Nvidia GPU, or because the TV is connected via HDMI by way of the Nvidia card it just thinks it's running on the GPU but is really just "passing through," if that makes any sense.

 

[TerryLaze]

Thank you for your reply. Because the laptop maker hasn't updated the GPU driver since late 2016, I've been using Nvidia's normal drivers so the option to 'Run as..." is unavailable.

Yeah but you are not going to use the nvidia for anything heavy anymore so an old driver will probably not influence anything and it would give you an easy way to choose the gpu.

I did try your second suggestion, and although there is a way to choose what GPU an individual program uses, there is no global option for assigning a heavy or power saving GPU.

Yeah my fault, you have to choose for each program.

Furthermore, even though I set my video player app (Media Player Classic) to use the power saving GPU which defaults to the Intel integrated graphics, when I connect to my TV it still uses the Nvidia GPU. I

What makes you think so?
It should use the nvidia output but use the intel gpu to do the work.

 

[cosmicexplorer]

Yeah but you are not going to use the nvidia for anything heavy anymore so an old driver will probably not influence anything and it would give you an easy way to choose the gpu.

Yeah my fault, you have to choose for each program.

What makes you think so?
It should use the nvidia output but use the intel gpu to do the work.

You're right. Since I won't be running games off the Nvidia GPU anymore I guess it doesn't hurt to go back to an older driver.
And as for your last point, when checking Task Manager while watching a video while connected to my TV the video player app seems to be using both Intel and Nvidia graphics (but barely using any of the Nvidia card resources). So I guess you're right, and everything seems fine so far.
Thank you for help.