My intel graphics card messes up the output of my other graphics card

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I've had my laptop for 3 years and 2 weeks after my warranty ended I noticed that not a single program that works on my NVIDIA graphycs card is usable at all because the image looks like as if I'm watching satellite TV in a thunderstorm. Here are links to clips that I recorded. The first is recorded from my screen with a camera and the second is recorded with ShadowPlay (this records directly from the NVIDIA card).

From my screen:

https://youtu.be/UNSJfyD8_90 https://youtu.be/UNSJfyD8_90

From my GPU:

https://youtu.be/ngT1KAIJye4 https://youtu.be/ngT1KAIJye4

As you can see the image is just fine when recorded from the GPU but really glitchy on my screen. So the problem originates from the integrated graphics.

When I run those programs on windowed mode it is less glitchy but many of my programs either don't even have that as an option or have other problems related to not using them on full screen or borderless window.

I'm not sure if that's related but some other programs (that don't use the GPU like my browser) started working a bit more slowly. I'm not sure if that's related.

I have pre-istalled all of my drivers many times and tried older versions as well. I've spend the last few weeks trying to make my PC usable with no success. I contacted NVIDIA support as well before I realised that the problem can't be from their card since ShadowPlay records it perfectly fine at 60fps with no glitching.

Please help me. I need my PC and I hope I don't need to buy a new processor because of this bug.

[idata]

Hello svetli97

Thank you for joining the community. In order to assist you better with your case I will like to have more detail information about your system and the software used during the troubleshooting that you have done, please help me filling up the information requested on the following link:/thread/77761 https://communities.intel.com/thread/77761 Regards, Leonardo C.

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Category

Questions

Answers (N/A if not applicable)

Description

Provide a detailed description of the issue

provided at the top (and in "how to reproduce")

Please place an X to the right of the option showing how often you see this issue using specific steps. (Ex: 'Every few times a game is started it flickers.' <- This would be "Often")<p> 

Always (100%): X

Often (51-99%):

Sporadic (20-50%):

Very Sporadic (<20%):

Hardware (HW)

Brand and Model of the system.

Alienware 17 R2

Hybrid or switchable graphics system?

ie Does it have AMD or NV graphics too?

with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 M

Make and model of any Displays that are used to see the issue (see note2 below). 

LFP = Local Flat Panel (Laptop panel)<strong style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 13.3333...

[STote]

intel_corp

I uploaded the form you asked for. I'm not sure if you saw it because you didn't reply.

[idata]

Hello svetli97

Thank you for your response. Could you help us with the following reports? The DxDiag report:

1. On the keyboard, press WinLogo key + R.
2. In the Run box please type "dxdiag" and hit Enter.
3. Click on Save All Information (save it to your desktop).
4. Attach the .TXT file to the thread.

The Intel® System Support Utility will generate: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-UtilitySteps to save the report:

1. Run the utility.
2. Click on "Scan" to get the scanned system.
3. Once the scan is complete click on "next".
4. Use the "save" option, save the report to your desktop.
5. To attach a file, you must click the "Attach" option on the bottom right-hand corner of the response box.

Regards,Leonardo C.

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here are the files:

[idata]

Hello svetli97

Thank you for your response.Please bear in mind that you have a hybrid computer, it works with NVIDIA and Intel graphics.You need to make sure at this stage that the output video is coming from NVIDIA or Intel the only way to know this information would be contacting the computer maker.For testing proposes you can try disabling one of the graphics controllers at the time through BIOS or device manager and perform the same test that you did on the videos that you have provided previously (if possible share the output).Regards, Leonardo C.

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If I disable the integrated graphics my computer renders everything on the processor and my NVIDEA is not doing anything. When I open the NVIDEA control panel it says that there are no displays connected to it (because it is physically connected to the integrated graphics since this is a laptop and as on every laptop with an additional graphics card it only uses the better one when it is needed. This way they save energy).

When I disable the NVIDEA everything runs on the integrated graphics and I get this mess on my screen when I run a game:

https://youtu.be/2l84M5flyNE When running on integrated graphics (NVIDEA disabled) - YouTube

https://youtu.be/LKGY1d9FXlI again with disabled NVIDEA - YouTube

This only happens to 3D games and only if the game is rendering something in 3D (the menus in the game on the clips are rendered in 3D whereas in other games where the menus are 2D they render properly).

Now my first question is whether my graphics card is physically broken or are the drivers just not compatible with my version of the integrated graphics. As far as I understand there shouldn't be physically separated 2D and 3D parts rendering components of the graphics card but I'm not an expert.

My other question is why does it even render in 3D when it is literally just forwarding the signal from my NVIDEA to the screen when both cards are running. It makes no sense. Can I somehow tell my integrated graphics to use the 2D rendering when it is just forwarding the signal? When a game is running on full screen the integrated graphics shouldn't be doing (and it doesn't seem to be) doing anything other than forwarding the signal so why does it even re-render it? is it to make sure that the signal is in the correct resolution and aspect ratio? Can't it just tell the NVIDEA in what resolution it should render and than just forward the signal without re-rendering it. From the point of view of the NVIDEA it should only see a screen on the output end anyways. And the weirdest thing is that the integrated graphics re-renders the signal in 2D when on windowed mode and in 3D when on full screen or borderless window. There is no reason why it should be wasting the 3D rendering for this anyways.

Sorry for going on this tangent there but it wouldn't hurt if you fix this weirdness even if you can't find the problem with my integrated graphics' 3D glitch. It would help me and it would make integrated graphics waste less energy and perform much better by not wasting the 3D performance for rendering 2D images. Unfortunately that's the problem with big software/hardware companies. Everybody does whatever he wants in whatever way he can and the end product is a mess.

[idata]

Hello svetli97

Thank you for your response. Could you try the following steps to configure your graphics output to the preferred video card? 1. Right-click on the desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel.2. Click Manage 3D settings in Select a Task.3. Select your desired software from the Select a program to customize drop-down list on the Program settings tab.4. Select the High-performance NVIDIA processor from the Select the preferred graphics processor for this program drop-down list.5. Click Apply. You should have both graphics cards active on your system. Regards,Leonardo C.

[idata]

Hello svetli97

I was checking your case and would like to know if you need further help. If so, please do not hesitate in replying back. Regards,Leonardo C.

[STote]

Sorry for not replying for so long.

I have uni exams soon so I didn't have much time for dealing with this or for playing games which are the main affected programs.

I did the steps that you mentioned, in fact, those were the first steps that I took when I was trying to solve this but they don't fix the problem because the problem is with 3D programs that are already set to run on the NVIDIA card so changing the settings doesn't change anything for those programs. On top of that I noticed that setting a preferred card from the NVIDIA control panel doesn't really do anything in most cases and the programs keep running on the auto option (integrated graphics for light programs and NVIDIA for heavier ones).

In order to force a program to run on the integrated graphics I have to disable the NVIDIA and I can't force a program to run on the NVIDIA which would normally run on the integrated graphics (not that this even matters).

The problem, as I mentioned before and according to the tests that I've described, is with the integrated graphics not re-rendering properly the image that it receives from the NVIDIA when a program is 3D and on full screen/borderless window or when a program that would normally use the NVIDIA is forced to use the integrated graphics (there are some programs that use 3D rendering and automatically run on the integrated graphics and don't have visual glitches like Google Chrome but I suppose they don't use any of the complicated features that are causing the problems in the heavier programs)

I suppose at this point my only option is to contact a repairs shop and ask them if they can do something about it, if not I guess I will have to get a new processor just because it has a crappy graphics card. It literally only has to forward the image from my other graphics card but because of poor widows and driver programming it does this in an unnecessarily complicated and unefficient way that requires the use of some parts of the integrated graphics that at this point I'm quite certain are physically broken and aren't even needed (since it can clearly copy-paste an image when on windowed but can't when on full screen which doesn't even require re-rendering since the image is literally rendered the way it has to be displayed on the screen)

What your graphics card does is it takes a properly rendered image and then it re-renders a 2D image without changing anything of that image (aka copying it pixel by pixel) and for some reason it completely fails to do that while it can do the exact same task perfectly but when it renders it in a window again without changing anything in the image (since the NVIDIA renders it in whatever resolution the integrated graphics requests it). I'm completely mind-blown by the fact that this is even possible. I would rather have my integrated graphics replaced by a piece of wire and have even my OS and browser rendered on the energy-wasting NVIDIA just so I can have a working PC but I don't even have that as an option.

[idata]

Hello svetli97

Thank you for your response. Allow share with you that at this point you have tried the possible options on driver level; as you have mentioned you could try to have the system reviewed on hardware level whit the manufacturer, to verify if there may be a possible damage on the graphics portion of the CPU. Regards,Leonardo C.