Integrated Graphics Card - [Solved - lock]

[darkblade986]

Ok, so last month, I purchased a Dell Inspiron 1520. This thing came with a Core2 Duo processor and (apparently) an integrated Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics card. Now I have a game (Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War if you must know) that does not like these integrated graphic cards apparently. This only just became an issue because my old computer was a Desktop computer that wasn't integrated graphics.

 

 

 

Now here's what I'm wondering: I've tried updating my drivers, rebooting, and I've found tech support things in Google that were awfully unspecific and didn't help the problem. What I would like to know is whether there is a way to trick my computer (or at least the program) into thinking that I do not have an integrated Graphics Card. I don't necessarily care about the quality of the graphics if it becomes a necessary sacrifice, but does anyone have any suggestions?

[Nadril]

I'm not sure I get what you're saying. No matter what you do the graphics card is still going to share memory with the computer, and I highly doubt (in fact I'm certain) that you can't 'trick' it into thinking it isn't an integrated card.

 

 

 

Especially considering that that actual model (8600M GT) is made to be integrated. If you don't want something integrated than buy a video card.

[Bloodredsword]

I would just buy a video card.

 

 

 

 

 

As Nad said, I'm pretty sure you can't trick it. :P

[darkblade986]

The idea wasn't to make it unintegrated, but rather to trick any programs I'm running to not know it was, as that was an issue that appeared when I researched the problem.

 

 

 

However, I just contacted Dell Customer Support regarding my game to try and establish what was wrong, and the person who I talked to (who was actually English \ \ ) found something that I plan to try once I reinstall the game.

 

 

 

I found the external sound card solution and I'm saving it as an absolutely last solution (my mother has already said we aren't doing it...).

[Nadril]

The idea wasn't to make it unintegrated, but rather to trick any programs I'm running to not know it was, as that was an issue that appeared when I researched the problem.

 

 

 

However, I just contacted Dell Customer Support regarding my game to try and establish what was wrong, and the person who I talked to (who was actually English \ \ ) found something that I plan to try once I reinstall the game.

 

 

 

I found the external sound card solution and I'm saving it as an absolutely last solution (my mother has already said we aren't doing it...).

 

 

 

What was their suggestion? I don't know how really tricking it would help though, it would still act exactly like an integrated card and whatever you're having problems with you'll probably still have problems with.

[darkblade986]

The issue seemed to be with the game itself. Apparently there was a bit of code that was designed to prevent older Graphic Cards from playing the game, but it apparently prevents newer ones from playing as well. I apparently need to "hack" (I use that term loosely) into one of the files and change a couple 0s to 1s, which should fix the problem. We'll see how this turns out once I get reinstalled. If this doesn't fix anything, then I guess I'll just have to go without the game (I'm borrowing it from a friend, so I won't be out any money).

[Cruiser]

I was going to reply to this earlier but got distracted. Good thing I did, lol.

 

 

 

Looking up the specs of the integrated chip and the minimum requirements of the game, it should have no problems handling it, even being integrated. The specs I found for the game recommended DirectX 9b and 16 to 32mb of video memory, which is rather light even for integrated hardware. Seeing the reply about known game issues makes it sound even more like that would be the problem instead of the hardware. :?

[darkblade986]

Ok. Problem solved. It wasn't an issue with system requirements; it was an issue of buggy coding. As I described above, the line of code that prevented use of the game on older Graphics Cards also brought that incompatibility to some new graphics cards. All I had to do was find a specific bit of this coding and change 3 "allowdevice" lines from 0 (no) to 1 (yes). Problem solved.

 

 

 

 

 

The reason I got this integrated graphics card issue was because one of the "solutions" I found mentioned that the game wouldn't accept Intel integrated graphics cards, which I thought I had (yet to confirm this, but it's irrelevant now). Now that everything's cleared up, this topic is officially done.