SFM and DirectX11

[rip]

I'm running SFM on a new com for the first time. Not sure whats the problem, but SFM kept saying that I need a graphics card that supports DirectX 9 with shader 3. :|
I have directx 11 preinstalled. My computer is an intel core i7 with nvidia geforce gt 740m running windows 8 (not 8.1 I can't get it to update for some reason), so it shouldn't be anything to do with the GPU.
I tried troubleshooting this problem by installing the latest updates for my driver, validated the game caches for SFM, set launch options for SFM -dxlevel 95, specifically set the settings in Nvidia control panel for SFM to use Nvidia grphics, not to mention restarting my computer countless times in between and it still does not work.
No I can't live with the poor graphics rendering and the white line :\
I don't get it. I can run SFM perfectly well on a lower specs com with an i5 processor and an AMD radeon graphics card. The other com can't even run Assassin's creed 3 completely without lag.
Desperately needs help here.

[Pte Jack]

You said it all as soon as you mentioned Nvidia... I am some glad I don't have one of those cards. I've read that ppl are actually having to turn off secure boot in order to get them working properly.

[rip]

Its a problem with Nvidia?
Damnnit. No wonder my old amd com can run it well.
Any idea if they will patch this or introduce support for nvidia?

[rip]

On second thought it doesn't make sense that the problem should be with the nvidia graphics card :\

[PalmliX]

If this is a dual GPU laptop then almost certainly the solution is to disable Secure Boot as Pte Jack mentioned. For some reason this function prevents Source Engine games (including SFM) from properly detecting and using the correct graphics chipset. To confirm this type mat_info into the console of SFM and see which graphics driver it's using.

[rip]

Thanks guys!
I disabled the secure boot in the BIOS window. Seems to have worked :)

[Pte Jack]

As I said, you stumbled on the problem as soon as you mentioned Nvidia... It's actually a struggle between the Intel HD and the Nvidia chipsets on the dual GPU machines as PalmliX suggests. SFM tries to take the cheapest way out and chews on the Intel HD chip leaving the higher end chipset alone. I guess disabling the Secure Boot allows Steam to say, "Hey... I can perform better over there. " where Secure Boots says, "Steam?? Ha... Trojan, no way..."

Now that Steam and SFM recognizes the Nvidia chip, I would turn Secure Boot back on, just to see if all it took was the nudge.

[Sashimi]

how do i disable the secure boots? i have the same problem too

[Pte Jack]

You have to refer to your computers bios instructions. It is a bios setting,

[Arthes]

But it says my secure boot is unsupported.

[Pte Jack]

Refer to your Computers Bios Instructions manual. Each BIOS is different. And it is dangerous to play with the intenal workings of BIOS if you don't know what you are doing. Setting the wrong switch in BIOS "COULD" make your computer unbootable.