[ubuntu] Installing on a laptop with two video cards?

I've tried installing Ubuntu a few times now and have been trying to move away from windows all together. I've ran into difficulty with my main laptop each time. It came equipped with two video cars, a Intel HD graphics 4600, and a Nvidia gtx 860M.

The display always works find however gaming is always problematic. I installed an app that allowed me to manually select which video card I was using, however when selecting the nvidia I discovered the system was always using the Intel card. I don't game often but since I have the nvidia card, I'd like to use it when I want to. I was wondering if the latest versions of Ubuntu have improved on this and made the installation of a dual video card system easier? I'm not a linux newb but not experienced either, most of my experience has come from experiments with different distros then moving back to windows or playing my raspberry pis.

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