Apps running on the intel iGPU stutter when the nvidia dGPU is driving the display(advanced optimus)

[waddle]

https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Gaming-Laptops/Apps-using-the-iGPU-stutter-when-the-dGPU-is-active-using-advanced-optimus/m-p/5225157

So I recently made a post on the lenovo forums describing the issue, but I think it may also be relevant here. I'm using a lenovo legion 5i laptop with a i7-12700H and an nvidia rtx 3070ti. I've noticed a rather weird behavior I have not been able to fix despite multiple (clean) reinstalls of windows, drivers(OEM and generic) and multiple different tweaks here and there.

My laptop has advanced optimus support, and if I've got the edge browser(or spotify, or discord) open(which runs on the iGPU since it uses hardware acceleration) and advanced optimus causes my display to switch to the dGPU, all apps using the iGPU start to experience stutter and noticeably lag when scrolling and occasionally freeze. 

You can find a detailed description and reproduction steps in the lenovo post so I am not going to paste them here for brevity, but I know my hardware is fine(my machine is a couple of weeks old, and I've tried different different bios versions etc. that didn't fix the issue). The issue only occurs in that specific scenario I described, where the iGPU is being used by some apps but the display is driven by the dGPU. If i restart those aforementioned apps so that they start running on the dGPU too, the problems go away. Or if i switch my display to the iGPU the problems go away too.

Curiously enough, i did the browser ufo test(https://testufo.com) which normally shows me 165fps/165hz and when the stutter occurs, my fps is between about 70 to a 130, and never stablises to a 165 or barely even exceeds a 130 (Is something throttling the iGPU performance when the dGPU activates?). I turned off hardware acceleration and that made the stutters mostly go away, which makes me think there is something going on with the iGPU drivers here? (hence why my post on here) Of course I'd prefer to keep hardware accel on however.

(edit)One more detail I'd like to add is that setting "Multi Display/mixed GPU acceleration" to Multiple Display Performance Mode through nvidia profile inspector seemed to stablise the frames a bit, but the frames still never exceed around a 130(it wasn't a cap since they went to 132 or 133 but dipped back down). However the stutters were still certainly present and noticeable. It is weird since I only have one display(my laptop screen), but I know that advanced optimus creates a second "fake" display which is where I suspect some weird stuff is going on.

In the lenovo post, you will find some stuff I discovered in the event viewer when my display switches to the dGPU(which I am not sure how to interpret, but I hope someone with the know-how will find useful).

Thanks for the help

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello waddle,  

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities. I am sorry to know that you are having issues with the Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics eligible.

In order to better assist you, please provide the following:  

1. Run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) to gather more details about the system.  

• Download the Intel® SSU and save the application on your computer: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/18377/intel-system-support-utility-for-windows.html  
• Open the application, check the "Everything" checkbox, and click "Scan" to see the system and device information. The Intel® SSU defaults to the "Summary View" on the output screen following the scan. Click the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".  
• To save your scan, click Next and click Save.  

2. Provide the Report for Intel® Graphics Drivers: 

• https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005848/graphics.html 

Regards,  

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[waddle]

Hi Deivid,

I have attached the SSU logs along with the graphics driver report. I hope the team is able to provide some sort of resolution because this issue is really hindering my usage of the laptop and I am on the verge of returning my unit.

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello waddle, 

Thank you for the information provided 

I will proceed to check the issue internally and post back soon with more details. 

Best regards, 

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[waddle]

Hi Deivid,

Is there any update so far?

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello waddle, 

Thanks for your patience. I have tried to replicate this issue, however, I did not get the same results.

At this point, my last recommendation is to check with Lenovo for more options as this might be hardware or any other corruption.

Please keep in mind that this thread will no longer be monitored by Intel.  

Regards,  

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[kurodesu]

I also have the same problem when the switch automatically switches from GPU Only to Optimus my laptop

Acer predator helios neo 16 i5-13500hx RTX 4050