dGPU Switch and Freeze Problem

[RBalt1]

Hi,

there is a problem with laptops which have Intel CPU + GTX 1050/1050Ti/1060/1070/GT 640M. The problem is, whenever you try to do some action on the OS, discrete GPU is triggered and it causes a 0.5s freeze.

Some actions, which cause the dGPU to wake up and lock up the whole system for about 0,5 seconds are:

• Left click on battery-icon in task-bar
• Opening Chrome-browser
• Opening Windows Image Viewer (app + classic Foto viewer)
• Opening system control panel
• Provocation any animation on task bar (e.g. thumbnail-preview, ...)
• Loading a new tab in Firefox

Here is a video demonstrating Display Setting Freeze:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7K1SpCQgAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7K1SpCQgAYAnother video showing dGPU switch on a lot of simple tasks:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-euiZmHZwlc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-euiZmHZwlcAnother one:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txQZWfWFhlc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txQZWfWFhlcWe have tried updating every software possible, but no luck.

• Intel driver
• NVIDIA driver
• Chipset driver
• BIOS
• Firmware

The problem can be found on all laptop brands: ASUS, Acer, Clevo, Dell, Gigabyte, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Razer.The problem can be solved by either disabling Intel GPU, which forces the system to always work with NVIDIA, or disabling NVIDIA GPU. Both of them is not an option though, as if you disable Intel, not only you will drain the battery faster, but also some games will stop working. If you disable NVIDIA, then what is the point of buying a laptop with a discrete GPU?There is a also a workaround: configuring https://github.com/jobeid/TrayPwrD3 TrayPwrD3 to always work with NVIDIA in the backgound. This keeps the NVIDIA GPU alive but also drains battery faster. And there is no poaint in that as it renders Optimus useless!So, manufacturers have to come up with a fix.Thank you.

Reported Models:

• Acer VN7-793G

• Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-51-536M)

• Acer Nitro 5, i5 7300HQ, GTX1050 Ti

• Acer Predator Helios 300 (PH317-51)

• ASUS N580VD

• Asus GL503VD

• Asus GL503

• Alienware 13 R3

• Alienware 17 R4

• Dell 7567

• Dell XPS L521x

• Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming 7577

• Dell 7510 (Early 2017)

• Gigabyte Aero15W

• GIGABYTE P37XV6

• Gigabyte P35 v6

• Gigabyte Aero 15

• HP Omen 15

• HP Omen HD630 + GTX1050

• HP Pavilion

• Lenovo Y720

• Lenovo Y520

• Lenovo W530

• Lenovo P51 Xeon

• MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider 4K

• MSI GS60 2PE

• MSI GS43VR 7RE

• MSI GS63VR 4K

• MSI GS73VR 7RG Stealth Pro

• MSI GS73VR 7RF

• MSI GP62MVR 7RF

• MSI GE72MVR 7RG

• MSI GE73VR 7RE

• MSI GE73VR 7RF

• MSI GP72MVR

• MSI GX63VR

• Monster ABRA A7 V7.2 (Clevo)

• Razer Blade 14

• Razer Blade 14 2017

• Razer Blade 2017

• Samsung Odyssey i7 7700 + GTX 1050

• XMG A517-dnj

• XMG P507

Non-Effected Models:

• MSI PL62 7RC

Effected Windows Versions:

• W...

[AShak4]

Can someone explain me why i am always behind on windows updates? I click on check ipdates and it doesnt find the latest update

Windows 10 enterprise 1709

[AHabi3]

Could someone check the changelog to see any connections that could be the cause of the problem and compare them, or any differences in the software or whatever

[RBalt1]

I've checked the release notes and found nothing related to the issue.

[ÉAlla]

I can confirm too that KB4089848 is fixing the desktop right-click.

[ATell1]

Same, the new MS update fixed the right click issue for me as well. Interestingly despite all the feedback regarding the issue, for so long, you would think MS would mention it in the change-log but they did not.

[AShak4]

I can also confirm it fixes right click freeze

Regarding of not getting the update from windows update , if anyone else has this issue you need to change something in registry

[CInte1]

So after the latest driver (...73) I started getting this weird bug with video playback in Chrome (Edit: also in Opera; but not in Edge - might have something to do with both being Chromium-based). When hardware acceleration is on, and the media controls fade, the color palette suddenly becomes warmer. Happens on YouTube, Vimeo and any (most?) other videos, both in full screen and standard view. Has anyone come across this?

[SShi7]

@ communities_intel_account1111 Yes, this problem has been reported: I'm experiencing the same thing and it's super annyoing.

[BSony]

Hello guys,

Writing again very disappointed, this bug is driving me nuts.

On my Razer Blade 14 with 7700HQ + GTX1060 it has the stupid freeze while playing Rocket League and it happens a lot, the match takes 5 minutes and it freezes about 3 times during the match, please add the game to the list of freezes. I also own a Lenovo Y700 with 6700HQ + GTX960M and the game runs perfect with the same video settings. So what was the point of upgrading to a new laptop? When is this going to be fixed, when 8700HQ is launched?

All of us bought a powerful laptop wanting to have the smoothest experience but it's beyond awful and unacceptable. If this is going to be fixed, it's still stupid, the new generation of processors will be launched, and once again why did we pay for a powerful laptop? If I could, I would 100% return my laptop and get a refund. We got scammed.

I don't know who's fault is this, but they should pay, because we lost our money, lost our time searching to fix this problems, explaining on forums, etc.

This should be reported to Consumer Protection!

Thanks coolrecep for keeping the problem up all this time.

[AShak4]

What if we have a signed petition about this? This will have some pressure on Microsoft

[RBalt1]

I think by the end of April, Intel will announce that Microsoft owns fixing the problem. And then we will all move to the thread where it all started:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-hardware/mobile-gtx-1060-freeze-problem/93e7004a-62b1-4211-8e37-4c136608865e Intel + NVIDIA Laptop Freeze Problem - Microsoft Community

[RBalt1]

Windows 10 1803 Build 17133 will be the RTM release. The update will probably arrive this week. I'm skeptical about a fix but hopeful about a later update that will fix the problem. Who knows, maybe Microsoft will fix it with 1803 and force people to upgrade it if they want a solution.

[BSony]

In my opinion this whole thread is like a petition. I was thinking more of Consumer Protection Report, because we have bought a defective product. If I knew this problem will take this long to be repaired, in the 30 days Amazon has offered me to return the product, I would have returned it. I can understand one month, two months but this is beyond, they have sold and are selling a defective product and already it will get outdated.

[psolv]

This solution might work. I followed the instructions under section 7 of this link https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/535036/frequent-questions-and-answers-information-guide-update-it-on-1-4-2018 FAQ - CPU, GPU, Temps, FPS, Settings, & Other Info — Acer Community and it worked for me. I also have TrayPwrD3 installed. Was able to play a couple of games of DOTA2 with none of the microstutter that plagued my laptop before. Right click problem at desktop is also solved.

Specs

Acer Predator Helios 300 G3-572

Windows 10 v1709

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700HQ CPU @ 2.80GHz, 2808 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)

Intel(R) HD Graphics 630

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

Hope this helps to solve the stutter issue!

[BSony]

coolrecep, you could be right, it's from Microsoft. Have you notice that they always make updates with Security patches? This is actually a security patch protecting us from hackers. Let me explain:

A hacker will try to hack your computer but when he sees that your laptop freezes so much, he will think this an old pc and think this guy has no money to pay the ransom if he uses this computer.

With the version 1703 the freezes were less, that was a security breech, imagine how easily your laptop could be hacked. The next updates fixed those issues with more freezes. So my suggestion to be 100% safe, they can include a long freeze with the classic blue screen of death. This way the hacker will for sure leave you alone.

[ssamb1]

Coolrecep,

Is there a way we can get some editors to write an article about this problem? Like from PCWorld, etc?

[RBalt1]

I'll be in Germany next month for a product launch and I'll be able to see some tech platform members.

Other than that, there was a list on the Microsoft thread. We can use that Twitter list to mention some people. But I believe they should have told about this problem way before... We were honest with our readers.

[RBalt1]

Does anyone here have Intel + AMD and have the same problem? I got a user on our forums reporting the same issue with Intel + AMD.

[DSerr3]

Yes, as I already reported previously:

[BAsla]

I wanted to mention in here that the same Intel + Nvidia combo with Optimus that causes all these issues also affects web browsers with WebGL as well. I ran into this article recently: http://alteredqualia.com/texts/optimus/ How to run WebGL on discrete Nvidia GPU for notebooks with Nvidia Optimus after having the worst time with Chrome. And I tried everything, including many of the solutions listed in the article. No matter what I do, Chrome stutters in the URL bar, stutters switching between windows and loads slowly.

Using Chromium as an alternative has restored the quick response time and performance I expect from Chrome. I can't tell you exactly why this is, but I have a clue: If you open the Chrome task manager, for me it was heavily using the cpu on various tabs doing nothing, as well as something called the "gpu process". Chromium does not utilize the "gpu process" in the task manager. I believe this is related to our other existing issues with the gpu and is why Chromium works as it should.

Yes, the gpu process is still there if you turn off hardware acceleration. Yes, it still performs poorly with Nvidia Control panel set to discrete graphics only.

I hope this helps anyone with a similar experience.

[AHabi3]

I just tried Chromium and you are absolutely right that there is no lag at all, but the browser itself had its bugs and glitches. So instead, I installed Google Canary, and also doesn't have such lag without the bugs.