OpenGL context crash/freeze on Intel UHD/UHD620/UHD630

[Pintea]

The opengl context crashes (or so I believe), causing the entire PC to freeze for a couple of seconds, from which point onwards nothing gets drawn on the screen anymore. The debug context is also silent, no error/warning is given. Tried it on OpenGL 3.1 compatibility/core context.

Identified this in our game, only happens on Intel UHD GPUs.

Reduced the code to rendering two triangles with two different shaders (very simple code), in a certain order.  Tried bringing everything down to very little code so that it's easy to reproduce. From this point onward, changing anything in the shader will stop causing the crash.

 The geometry data seems to be irrelevant, so I filled it with all zeroes. The shaders seem to be the culprit, specifically the use of gl_VertexID and gl_InstanceID. But it stops crashing even when changing other things in the shader as well, like not using a texture.

- windows 10 home, version 20H2, build 19042.867

- Intel UHD, driver: 27.20.100.8853
(but seen it happen on multiple driver versions, Intel UHD 620/630 as well)

- issue seen on desktops as well as on laptops

Files attached, or, if you prefer, dropbox with all files:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/63shfcjjavuc8fz/AADGhit70QXP14-BK2GC6h6oa?dl=0

I can also provide a build of our game with this already set up and where the crash is 100%.

PS: unrelated and there's also a third party involved: any Intel HD + using the Steam overlay = crash.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Pintea

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

In order to check this further, could you please provide/confirm the following details?

1- We understand that this behavior is happening only on a custom game that you are developing. Is this correct?

2- Based on the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) report, we noticed the system has also NVIDIA* Graphics. Have you tested this using systems with only Intel® integrated graphics? Could you please provide details on how you are ruling out discrete graphics as being involved in the behavior?

3- Since you mentioned "issue seen on desktops as well as on laptops", do all of them have hybrid or switchable graphics system?

4- We understand that the issue happens with driver 27.20.100.8853 and others. Are those drivers the ones provided by the DELL* website (computer manufacturer's customized drivers)? Or were they downloaded from the Intel® website (Intel generic drivers)?

5- Do you recall the latest known working driver version? Have you tested with all drivers newer than 27.20.100.8853? For instance, the latest Intel® generic driver 27.20.100.9316? By any chance could you please list the working and non-working drivers that you have tested?

6- Please provide a Report for Intel® Graphics Drivers following the steps on the link.

7- Could you please provide some examples of the different systems where this behavior is observed (desktops and laptops). For instance, brand and model, processor and graphics drivers, etc.

8- It would be also helpful if you could provide us with the "build of your our game with this already set up" so we can try to test this. Please also provide very detailed step-by-step instructions on how to reproduce this using both the code samples and as well the game sample.

9- Please elaborate more regarding "Intel HD + using the Steam overlay = crash.". Do you mean that you are having crashes on your game when using Steam overlay? Or is it happening with any game? Please provide more details.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Pintea]

1- We understand that this behavior is happening only on a custom game that you are developing. Is this correct?

I am not aware of the same issue outside the game I'm developing, but I would suspect that rendering any geometry with two very simple shaders that use instancing has a very broad use case and could happen in many other games.

2- Based on the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) report, we noticed the system has also NVIDIA* Graphics. Have you tested this using systems with only Intel® integrated graphics? Could you please provide details on how you are ruling out discrete graphics as being involved in the behavior?

Forced startup on Intel via NVidia control panel, verified via OpenGL context debug info.

3- Since you mentioned "issue seen on desktops as well as on laptops", do all of them have hybrid or switchable graphics system?

It also happens on PCs without a dedicated video card as well. I have a laptop and that's where I replicated it, after receiving reports from many users.

4- We understand that the issue happens with driver 27.20.100.8853 and others. Are those drivers the ones provided by the DELL* website (computer manufacturer's customized drivers)? Or were they downloaded from the Intel® website (Intel generic drivers)?

Drivers downloaded from Intel's website.

5- Do you recall the latest known working driver version? Have you tested with all drivers newer than 27.20.100.8853? For instance, the latest Intel® generic driver 27.20.100.9316? By any chance could you please list the working and non-working drivers that you have tested?

No.

6- Please provide a Report for Intel® Graphics Drivers following the steps on the link.

Attached.

7- Could you please provide some examples of the different systems where this behavior is observed (desktops and laptops). For instance, brand and model, processor and graphics drivers, etc.

I only have their CPU model, here's a few of them:

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8400

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7200U CPU

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10210U CPU

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8265U CPU

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8550U CPU

Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-8145U CPU

8- It would be also helpful if you could provide us with the "build of your our game with this already set up" so we can try to test this. Please also provide very detailed step-by-step instructions on how to reproduce this using both the code samples and as well the game sample.

Should I just make a whole app with this? I'm guessing you would be reluctant to patch an existing game with a custom executable I'm sending you.

9- Please elaborate more regarding "Intel HD + using the Steam overlay = crash.". Do you mean that you are having crashes on your game when using Steam overlay? Or is it happening with any game? Please provide more details.

Game is called Door Kickers 2 on Steam. PM me for a key where you can test for yourself. It's definitely Steam's fault and it's again related to OpenGL, but I'm tired of getting no response from them. 

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Pintea

Thank you for all the information provided. We would like just to have more clarification on the following details:

Regarding answer # 5, when you say "No" do you mean you have not tested yet with driver 27.20.100.9316? Or do you mean you tested and the issue persists?

If you haven't tried yet with this driver, could you please try a Clean Installation of Intel® Graphics Drivers using the said driver and report back the behavior/outcome?

Regarding answer # 9 and the issue with the game "Door Kickers 2", is this also a game that you developed/support?

Regarding your inquiry on answer # 8, please allow us to look into this and we will be posting more details as soon as possible.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Pintea]

Happens on the latest driver as well.

OpenGL Vendor: Intel
OpenGL Renderer: Intel(R) UHD Graphics
OpenGL Version: 3.1.0 - Build 27.20.100.9316
OpenGL Shading Language Version: 1.40 - Build 27.20.100.9316

And yes, Door Kickers 2 is the name of the game where this is happening (and it only happens on Intel). It has almost 200k users now so we received more than a couple reports about this. The game is optimized to run on Intel GPUs and is something we take pride in, even though it's always been a battle with Intel OpenGL drivers.  All our games are OpenGL and I've been working around Intel+OpenGL issues for half of my life now. I can work around this one as well, but it's a losing battle usually.

Take my code from the first post, create a simple window and an OpenGL 3.1 context and you'll get the crash. If needed, I can send you a full compileable test app, just let me know.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Pintea

Thank you very much for your response and all the details provided so far.

After checking this further, in regards to the issues with OpenGL* and the game that you are developing, we kindly recommend you to refer to the Developing Games & Graphics on Intel forum for further assistance on this matter since you are not working on a commercially available app (developing a game). Please address the concerns and questions about this behavior with OpenGL* and Intel® Graphics on that forum in order to provide you with the proper assistance.

In regards to the game "Door Kickers 2" crashing when enabling Steam Overlay, we understand that you have already debugged the issue and isolated it to Steam's app, thus, our recommendation is to work with Valve* for proper assistance to get this fixed. 

Having said that, we will proceed to close this thread now. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored. Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Pintea]

* for further assistance on this matter since you are not working on a commercially available app (developing a game)*

Was that a typo on your side? I specified the game IS commercially available.