I've been having a very frustrating problem that seems to have been an issue for quite some time now with no resolution.
I have a laptop with two GPUs, an integrated Intel HD 4600 Graphics as well as an NVidia 860M. Normally, when launching a game (an .exe) it will automatically switch over the Nvidia card, but with FFXI this is not the case because of PlayOnline, which launches the game through a .dll file instead of directly from an .exe.
Because of this difference, none of the normal solutions to force the application to use the Nvidia GPU work. There are numerous threads about this problem on other forums yet it seems no solution has been found despite this being a long-standing issue.
http://www.ffxiah.com/forum/topic/44453/msi-dominator-help/
http://www.ffxiah.com/forum/topic/44494/ffxi-wont-switch-high-performance-gpu-on
http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/125158-Low-FPS-(FFXI-not-using-dedicated-card)
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/45805-Gaming-Laptops-don-t-register-FFXI-as-a-game
Including the last one on this very forum that is supposedly "resolved", despite no actual solution being offered. After speaking to NVidia Support as well as MSI Support (my laptop manufacturer), it seems clear this is a problem that needs to be addressed by SE and is exclusive to FFXI. I'm not very hopeful anyone will be able to offer up a solution, but unfortunately I just won't be able to play if I'm forced to use the integrated graphics.