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[Übermatik]

Alright, strap yourselves in, here's the dilly deal.

Laptop specifications:

MacBook Pro, Mid 2012:

◾ 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz) with 6MB L3 cache
◾ 4GB of 1600MHz DDR3 memory
◾ Intel HD Graphics 4000
◾ NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

Issue:

In OSX, I can play games absolutely fine. Example: Metro Last Light runs smooth, no problems at all. But obviously, gaming is limited in OSX, so over the yeas I've Bootcamped Windows.

Now I USED to have Windows 7. When I first installed it, everything was fine. DOTA 2, Crysis 3, Hawken, Battlefield 4. Smooth, not choppy, no issues. However, after some updates things went to absolute shit.

Cut forward a year with 7 uninstalled to today, where I have 8.1 running. Fresh installation, get some games installed and go about playing.
New OS I thought, old problems won't return, things will be fine like they once were.

Nope.

Every time I play a game, no matter if it's boderless window, full screen, low graphic, high graphics, Crysis 6 or fucking Minecraft, the game runs at, say, 60 fps for 10 seconds, before dropping to 1fps for a further 10 seconds. Up and down, up and down. Basically unbearable. Otherwise, it just stays at 1 fps (no jokes here, literally 1 fps) no matter what I do.

So here's what I've tried, in my desperate attempts to fix this filthy bastard of a problem:

Switching between new and old drivers for CPU and GPU
Changing power management
Changing maximum/minimum CPU power when plugged in (putting maximum to 99% to disable Turbo Boost, some extremely minor improvements)
Messing around with game settings (VSync etc.)
Enabling, disabling random other processes and settings deep in the belly of Windows (system registry changes etc.)
Reinstallations of Windows
Offerings to Satan

Nothing has worked. Nothing. So WHY do games run fine in OSX and yet in Windows, they don't? There must be some bizarre complex reason why this is so. I'm just so frustrated. I wouldn't mind, but ages ago it used to work! Now I'm stuck with games I can't play. I've read around online and in between the 'fixes' and various enlightening forum posts, there's a whole bunch of people with laptops that suffer the same problem with no solution - though unlucky for them, most are Windows only systems like Lenovo or MSI.

I guess I'm just venting my pure pain and anger at this point, but I'm desperately trying to reach someone out there that might know of a solution. Please, anyone. I'm willing to pay the first person that finds a legitimate fix.

If it helps, 'm sure it has something to do with power management. But I'm just so out of ideas.

Kill me or save me, GAF.

*Fake EDIT: Please save the 'hurrdurr get a real desktop gaming system' and 'gaming on mac sux'. I can't afford a computer, and I'm on about Windows. I'm trying to deal with what I've got here.

 

[daviyoung]

◾ Intel HD Graphics 4000
◾ NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

This isn't right. Shouldn't it be either one or the other?

 

[SwiftDeath]

First thought: There are no drivers for CPUs though

Spoiler

are there???

Also redouble your offerings to Satan, worked well in the past for me

Spoiler

Sorry I can't be more helpful

 

[TUSR]

Reset your SMC on OSX and PRAM

 

[commedieu]

reinstalled 7 or 8.1 again..?

I'd imagine your computer is going through a personality problem, and the drivers aren't working properly with the hardware/setup. Is there a way to just kill everything and restore to your OG OSX without a dual boot, and redo everything from there..? Everything was working.

This isn't right. Shouldn't it be either one or the other?

Aint one integrated?

 

[corn_fest]

Sure you have the correct Boot Camp drivers in the Windows side? Anything missing in Device Manager?

 

[Javier23]

I suppose you have already set the dedicated GPU to be the prefered one in every case in the Nvidia Control Panel.

 

[Nostremitus]

This isn't right. Shouldn't it be either one or the other?

MacBooks use both, they switch from one to the other depending on the workload.

If it's switching back and forth about every ten seconds it could cause the issues in the OP, actually. I don't know what would cause that while running Windows, though...

 

[Pinewood]

Most likely the Nvidia GPU never switches on. Maybe you can enforce it somehow?

You can also try reinstalling windows.

Spoiler

Go back to 7 if it worked

E: seems like bootcamp app may have some errors, maybe there is like some bug somewhere? Resetting SMC etc as previously mentioned might work, also you can try a total wipe/fresh install (if you have a spare drive, you can try in externally without wiping your main drive to see if it helps).

 

[Übermatik]

This isn't right. Shouldn't it be either one or the other?

Integrated and dedicated.

First thought: There are no drivers for CPUs though

Spoiler

are there???

Also redouble your offerings to Satan, worked well in the past for me

Spoiler

Sorry I can't be more helpful

Technically yes, but typo on my part. And no problem, thanks for the reply!

reinstalled 7 or 8.1 again..?

I'd imagine your computer is going through a personality problem, and the drivers aren't working properly with the hardware/setup. Is there a way to just kill everything and restore to your OG OSX without a dual boot, and redo everything from there..? Everything was working.



Aint one integrated?

It shouldn't matter regarding OSX, right?

Reset your SMC on OSX and PRAM

Why would this help Windows side problems? I'll try it anyway, thanks.

 

[Mikado]

This isn't right. Shouldn't it be either one or the other?

No, this is right and it's annoying. New game-capable laptops tend to have both an integrated gpu for low-power consumption desktop use, and a high performance gaming gpu.

The problem (at least on Windows) is that it sometimes doesn't switch to the real gpu when you start a game, leaving you running with the slow, poopy integrated intel card.

Maybe you can force it to always use the high performance card in the control panel?

edit: Beaten like an integrated Intel gpu

 

[QualityPixel]

Have you tried switching back to windows 7?

This isn't right. Shouldn't it be either one or the other?

Most (if not all) the i5 and i7 cpu's have a built in Intel HD graphics chipset which the computer uses until it needs more power, then it will switch to the dedicated graphics if available.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

Apple locks the drivers yes? So when you go to the Nvidia site and search for 650m driver you're not getting the latest driver, you will only get the latest apple certified driver.


From what I gather the temperature management is not good in Bootcamp. Proper driver support has not been added by Apple to keep the machine cool under prolonged stress.

Try downloading a speed fan tool and monitor the temps. its possible that it goes into extrem throttling at the first sight of using the DGPU. or its possible that the dGPU is not even activated, and your just running purely integrated graphics. Try and monitor the temps. see how it looks after 5 minutes, 10 minutes, a couple of hours.

 

[BigDug13]

I know for my switchable graphics laptop you can right click on desktop and access "switchable graphics" option which allows you to force each executable to use the power saving intel or the "performance" Nvidia graphics.

 

[daviyoung]

Most (if not all) the i5 and i7 cpu's have a built in Intel HD graphics chipset which the computer uses until it needs more power, then it will switch to the dedicated graphics if available.

I've always disabled onboard graphics with a dedicated GPU, had no idea there were auto settings for this.

 

[Übermatik]

Windows ONLY uses the 650M Dedicated GPU. As far as I know, Windows can't actually use the MBP's graphics switching abilities.

To those suggesting it, Windows 7 didn't work - or, at least, it USED to - but after a few months it stopped working.

 

[Aurongel]

1. Enter BIOS
2. Disable Integrated Graphics
3. Test performance on Windows
4. Report back

 

[Übermatik]

Just to clarify, this is a Windows problem on a MacBook laptop. So I'm not looking for OSX related fixes like Apple locked driver updates. I'm free on Windows to download and apply what I want.

I'm happy with the attention this is getting though, feel like we might be getting somewhere.

 

[Übermatik]

1. Enter BIOS
2. Disable Integrated Graphics
3. Test performance on Windows
4. Report back

How would I enter BIOS for Windows 8 on a MacBook? When I boot up Windows it barely gives me a chance. Wouldn't it be the Del key anyway, which I don't have? Can I restart from Terminal and open BIOS with a command from there?

 

[Syriel]

Alright, strap yourselves in, here's the dilly deal.

Laptop specifications:

MacBook Pro, Mid 2012:

◾ 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz) with 6MB L3 cache
◾ 4GB of 1600MHz DDR3 memory
◾ Intel HD Graphics 4000
◾ NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

Issue:

...

Every time I play a game, no matter if it's boderless window, full screen, low graphic, high graphics, Crysis 6 or fucking Minecraft, the game runs at, say, 60 fps for 10 seconds, before dropping to 1fps for a further 10 seconds. Up and down, up and down. Basically unbearable. Otherwise, it just stays at 1 fps (no jokes here, literally 1 fps) no matter what I do.
...

The system is switching between the two cards on-the-fly. This is normal behavior under OS X; not sure how Boot Camp exposes the hardware to Windows.

Under OS X you can set it so that the system NEVER uses the integrated Intel GPU and always uses the discrete Nvidia GPU.

I would suggest looking for a similar setting on the PC side. If not, try locking it to the Nvidia GPU on the OS X side and then rebooting. It's a long shot, since they are separate OSes, but not knowing how the hardware is setup, it is possible that the GPU preference is saved outside of the OS.

 

[Übermatik]

The system is switching between the two cards on-the-fly. This is normal behavior under OS X; not sure how Boot Camp exposes the hardware to Windows.

Under OS X you can set it so that the system NEVER uses the integrated Intel GPU and always uses the discrete Nvidia GPU.

I would suggest looking for a similar setting on the PC side. If not, try locking it to the Nvidia GPU on the OS X side and then rebooting. It's a long shot, since they are separate OSes, but not knowing how the hardware is setup, it is possible that the GPU preference is saved outside of the OS.

Unfortunately it would appear that Windows only detects the Nvidia Geforce 650M GPU. It's the only adapter listed.

 

[TUSR]

Why would this help Windows side problems? I'll try it anyway, thanks.

Its affects Bootcamp.

 

[Red]

Can you use HWMonitor or an equivalent program to track your temperatures? See if your Intel graphics are kicking on or if something is getting too hot.

 

[Syriel]

Unfortunately it would appear that Windows only detects the Nvidia Geforce 650M GPU. It's the only adapter listed.

What if you click View -> Show hidden devices in Device Manager?

Does it appear then? If it does, disable it.

(Just guessing here, as I don't have a MB Pro in front of me).

 

[Übermatik]

What if you click View -> Show hidden devices in Device Manager?

Does it appear then? If it does, disable it.

(Just guessing here, as I don't have a MB Pro in front of me).

Only 650M appears. I can screenshot and paste a full list of my devices if that might help?

 

[Aurongel]

does Device Manager list any unknown components? They're usually located at the bottom of the hardware list.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Very unusual. No problems gaming in Windows 8 on my 2011. The graphics do not switch to integrated because the integrated GPU isn't supported in Bootcamp. Only Dedicated graphics should work there. Unfortunately I don't have the Nvidia chipset so I can't offer much more. Might be worth it to try MSI Afterburner or new Nvidia drivers.

 

[Syriel]

Let's list what you've done:

Reset SMC and PRAM.
Lock driver to Nvidia only on the OS X side.
Checked for hidden devices on Windows side (none).

Other things to check:

Background tasks - Is something spiking CPU usage or network usage in the background?
Is the Windows side Nvidia driver up-to-date?
Do you have power management on the Windows side disabled?
Have you ensured that Bootcamp itself is up-to-date?
Run Apple Update on the Windows side?

 

[Übermatik]

Let's list what you've done:

Reset SMC and PRAM.
Lock driver to Nvidia only on the OS X side.
Checked for hidden devices on Windows side (none).

Other things to check:

Background tasks - Is something spiking CPU usage or network usage in the background?
Is the Windows side Nvidia driver up-to-date?
Do you have power management on the Windows side disabled?
Have you ensured that Bootcamp itself is up-to-date?
Run Apple Update on the Windows side?

Still to do SMC and PRAM. OSX always uses dedicated GPU. Some hidden devices, but none related that I can see. Most are Apple middleware. Here's a screen:

Nothing is sapping CPU power. Remember that this is a brand new install, so there's little interfering.
Power management is working as normal as far as I can tell. Here's a screen of the CPU management (which I have edited, but at default didn't work either)

Bootcamp is up to date
Apple Updater finds nothing in need of updating.

 

[dluu13]

How would I enter BIOS for Windows 8 on a MacBook? When I boot up Windows it barely gives me a chance. Wouldn't it be the Del key anyway, which I don't have? Can I restart from Terminal and open BIOS with a command from there?

The BIOS setup is accessible before any OS is loaded, which means it is not associated with Windows 8 or Mac. Rather, it is associated with the hardware of your computer. However, I read on this link here:
http://superuser.com/questions/373151/wheres-the-bios-on-an-intel-mac
that there is no BIOS on Macs. It seems like what you are looking for is something called EFI.

 

[Übermatik]

The BIOS setup is accessible before any OS is loaded, which means it is not associated with Windows 8 or Mac. Rather, it is associated with the hardware of your computer. However, I read on this link here:
http://superuser.com/questions/373151/wheres-the-bios-on-an-intel-mac
that there is no BIOS on Macs. It seems like what you are looking for is something called EFI.

Ah of course, silly me. I've lost my head a bit with all this. I'll look into it...

 

[Übermatik]

Alright, sorry to bump, but for those that were helping, or those who have just joined us (HELLO), I noticed something weird regarding my Maximum Frequency when playing games:

That's not right... what's going on here!? When I'm not idle (i.e. playing JC2), this should stay at 100% right?