Nvidia preferred graphics processor locked to integrated

I currently have a Lenovo ThinkPad E570 with some kind of hybrid GPU that consists of an Intel HD 620 Adapter and a Nvidia Geforce GTX 950 (You'll have to excuse me whenever I incorrectly state something, I'm new here and I still don't quite understand how computers work.) Lately I've been noticing when running 3D games that my game runs poorly and only uses the integrated graphics. I've been using Geforce overlay and MSI afterburner and both state that the GTX 950 is not in use.

Here are a list of things that are happening:

- When I open the Nvidia control panel, in the 3D settings tab the preferred graphics processor box is grayed out, seeming to be locked on the Integrated Graphics option
- I cannot open my Intel Graphics Control Panel, it will show the initializing overlay when I click on it from the desktop, but after that it disappears and it doesn't open.
- If I reset the settings to default, select the GTX 950 and click apply, the box grays out again and shows the Integrated graphics option

Downloading and reinstalling the Nvidia driver from the website seems to temporarily bring things back to normal (I can open the Intel control panel and use my gpu to play games) but after a while the same issue happens again.

Does anyone know how to fix this? Sorry if reading this gave you a headache, I'm new here.

1| What OS are you working with?
2| Are you on the latest BIOS update for your laptop/motherboard?
3| In Device manager, see if there are any yellow exclamation marks flagged against the (discrete)GPU.

1| What OS are you working with?
2| Are you on the latest BIOS update for your laptop/motherboard?
3| In Device manager, see if there are any yellow exclamation marks flagged against the (discrete)GPU.

While checking for the things you mentioned I noticed there were many driver updates that I was not aware of, I'll look into those and see if they solve the problem and I'll reply back, thanks!

So I updated the drivers, and games still refuse to work on the GPU.
1. I am on Windows 10
2. I believe that my BIOS is the latest
3. The device manager shows that the display adapters are all working properly

It ended up being a Lenovo power management driver issue, I installed the new one and everything was fine. I believe the old driver kept setting my laptop to "power saving" settings, forcing all the apps to use the power saving gpu, the integrated one.

if i disable my integrated graphics it makes my resolution go wack and runs games with screen zoomed in, then the nvidia control panel wont open because it says im not using a nvidia GPU on my laptop. Ive had the laptop for a year now and it used to run everything perfect but i can hardly run anything now. I have a GTX 965M and Intel HD graphics 530 with an I7. PUBG runs at 15 fps tops with all low settings. Please help ive looked online and cant find anything that helps.

Sounds like your other GPU may be having problems. Which could mean it needs replacing. Have you tried updating the drivers? And does the system even recognize the other card?

Try this....

A. Uninstall, and then reinstall, the latest graphics card driver.
B. Make sure that your Nvidia graphics card is set as the default graphics card.

Here's the steps on how to set it to default.

1. Open the "Nvidia Control Panel".
2. Select "Manage 3D Settings" under 3D Settings.
3. Click on the "Program Settings" tab and select the program you want to choose a graphics card for from the drop down list.
4. Now select "preferred graphics processor" in the drop down list. (You can see what the automatic option is listed as global setting) If you want to use the dedicated graphics card, select High-performance Nvidia processor.

Once it is running on the right one, test the system again and see if the problem persists.

If it won't work, then again I say the GPU may be the problem.

Sounds like your other GPU may be having problems. Which could mean it needs replacing. Have you tried updating the drivers? And does the system even recognize the other card?

Try this....

A. Uninstall, and then reinstall, the latest graphics card driver.
B. Make sure that your Nvidia graphics card is set as the default graphics card.

Here's the steps on how to set it to default.

1. Open the "Nvidia Control Panel".
2. Select "Manage 3D Settings" under 3D Settings.
3. Click on the "Program Settings" tab and select the program you want to choose a graphics card for from the drop down list.
4. Now select "preferred graphics processor" in the drop down list. (You can see what the automatic option is listed as global setting) If you want to use the dedicated graphics card, select High-performance Nvidia processor.

Once it is running on the right one, test the system again and see if the problem persists.

If it won't work, then again I say the GPU may be the problem.

Sounds like your other GPU may be having problems. Which could mean it needs replacing. Have you tried updating the drivers? And does the system even recognize the other card?

Try this....

A. Uninstall, and then reinstall, the latest graphics card driver.
B. Make sure that your Nvidia graphics card is set as the default graphics card.

Here's the steps on how to set it to default.

1. Open the "Nvidia Control Panel".
2. Select "Manage 3D Settings" under 3D Settings.
3. Click on the "Program Settings" tab and select the program you want to choose a graphics card for from the drop down list.
4. Now select "preferred graphics processor" in the drop down list. (You can see what the automatic option is listed as global setting) If you want to use the dedicated graphics card, select High-performance Nvidia processor.

Once it is running on the right one, test the system again and see if the problem persists.

If it won't work, then again I say the GPU may be the problem.

This didnt end up working. I dont know whats wrong with it. The hdmi went out a while ago so i havent been able to use a monitor lately either, but i dont understand what could have caused it except for how hot my laptop gets while i play

If it regularly overheats it is completely possible the GPU was damaged.

If it regularly overheats it is completely possible the GPU was damaged.

So is it worth taking it apart to get to my graphics card to see if there’s damage?

I can't answer that one. It is totally up to you.