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Recently got an asus rog gl551-jw and it has a nvidia geforce gtx 860m in it, I went into the bios and I can only change the settings for intel intergrated graphics. When I go into my settings on the desktop I can change the display to nvidia instead of intergrated graphics but when I boot up emulators, they only detect the intergrated and not nvidia. That being said, I can get games off steam to run well and off the nvidia.
I've just done a quick Google and this is not an uncommon problem:-
http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-...cated-gpu.html
It is blamed on the drivers or the order the drivers were installed.
However there is a less explored cause I thought of myself but have found others suggesting it as a possible explanation too: a power saving mode your laptop is using. It is not actually a problem with the GPU, the laptop is working as intended.
Integrated graphics use far less power than a dedicated graphic card and if the laptop and/or Windows is set up for power saving it may be switching between the graphics options for this reason. If it can run on the integrated graphics (HD4600?) then the laptop will switch from the GPU to that to save power.
Integrated graphics are surprisingly capable and if you're retro-gaming, even when using emulators, then a i7 will run a hell of a lot of old stuff at very decent frame rates. My i3 with HD4600 certainly does.
The fact that Steam games are fine with the GPU shows it is working and also evidence the laptop is switching between the two options. It is recognising a graphically demanding game and swapping to the GPU as required.
So I'd look in your Windows power settings and if the default is the power saving mode try changing it to custom balanced or high performance and see if that solves the 'problem'.
This is how you'd do that for Win7 but I'd guess Win10 is similar:-
1). To begin, click on Start and open your control panel from your Start menu.
2). Click on Hardware and Sound.
3). Click on Power Options.
4). On the left side of the screen, select Create Power Plan.
5). Select the High Performance option and give the power plan a name.
Still having problems. I had someone help me get the laptop good for gaming, the os does detect the graphics chip, but whatever that person does (cuts the cpu power down from 10 percent to 0 idle)it makes my steam games stop working, however the emulators still run.
Cutting the CPU power down is not what I suggested - it was the exact opposite in fact
You want to try setting the whole system up for High Performance ie. to use more power or whatever the equivalent is for your OS (Operating System: Win10?). If you've restricted your CPU's power it is no wonder your Steam games have now stopped working.
https://www.howtogeek.com/240840/sho...an-on-windows/
Note the bit in that article about some PC makers installing their own 'customised' power plans.