Screen Flickering at Low Brightness on 2025 Dell Pro 14 Premium (Intel Arc)

[EDLEE1]

I am experiencing a persistent screen flickering issue on my Dell Pro 14 Premium (PA14250) laptop equipped with Intel Arc graphics.

• CPU: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 268V (2.20 GHz)

• RAM: 32 GB

• OS: Windows 11, 64-bit

The flicker is most noticeable at low brightness levels on gray/dark backgrounds. It looks like a subtle “heartbeat” effect where the brightness fluctuates.

Steps I’ve Tried Already:

1. Intel Graphics Command Center

   • Disabled Adaptive Brightness

   • Disabled Display Power Savings

   • No options for Panel Self Refresh or Dynamic Refresh Rate Switching are available on this Dell model.

2. Windows 11 Settings

   • Set the display refresh rate to a fixed 60Hz (default on this laptop).

   • Disabled Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) under Graphics settings.

3. Drivers

   • Tested both the latest OEM Dell-provided Arc driver and Intel’s latest driver from your website.

   • Neither resolved the issue.

4. Dell BIOS & Firmware

   • BIOS fully updated via Dell Command/SupportAssist.

   • No option to disable Panel Self Refresh or related features in BIOS.

5. Other Attempts

   • Performed an EC reset (hold power button 30 seconds after removing AC).

   • Flickering persists.

Additional Context:

I contacted Dell support earlier, but since the option does not appear in BIOS, they confirmed it should be an Intel driver/firmware issue and advised me to reach out directly to Intel.

I also found another user reporting a very similar issue on an MSI laptop, where they solved it by disabling Dynamic Refresh Rate Switching (DRRS) and Panel Self Refresh (PSR) in a hidden BIOS menu. Since Dell does not expose these settings, I believe the problem lies in the Arc driver behavior.

 Here’s the reference link: https://community.intel.com/t5/Intel-ARC-Graphics/Ultra-7-155H-Screen-Flicker/m-p/1666375

My Question:

• Is this a known issue with Intel Arc graphics on certain laptop panels?

• Is there any way to fully disable PSR/DRRS features through Intel drivers or registry tweaks if the OEM BIOS does not expose them?

• Will this be addressed in upcoming driver releases?

I would appreciate any guidance or workaround you can provide, as this flickering issue is very distracting in daily use.

Thank you,

[CaNeBuRy23]

...

the flickering’s probably caused by Intel’s Panel Self Refresh (PSR) or Dynamic Refresh Rate Switching (DRRS) acting up at low brightness, basically the graphics driver trying too hard to save power and tripping over itself. The fix?

You can likely stop that “heartbeat flicker” by disabling PSR/DRRS through a quick registry tweak, updating to the latest Intel Arc beta driver, and keeping your power plan on Maximum Performance. If Dell doesn’t expose those options in BIOS (which they usually don’t), this driver-side workaround’s your best bet till Intel drops a patch that properly handles your panel.

1. Disable Panel Self Refresh (PSR) via the Registry
Since Dell systems typically don’t expose the PSR option in the BIOS, you can attempt to disable it manually through the Windows Registry.

Registry path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers

Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it:
DisablePanelSelfRefresh
Set its value to 1, then reboot your system.

This workaround has been effective for several users experiencing flickering on Intel Arc or integrated graphics systems where PSR couldn’t be disabled through BIOS settings. 

2. Disable Dynamic Refresh Rate Switching (DRRS)
Although there isn’t an official toggle for DRRS, some advanced users have found partial success by adding one of the following registry entries under the same key:

DRRS = 0
or
DisableDRRS = 1

After adding the entry, reboot your system.
Please note that this method isn’t officially documented, so results may vary — but it’s worth testing if PSR alone doesn’t resolve the issue

3. Try Intel Beta or Pre-Release Drivers
Display flicker fixes often appear first in Intel’s Beta or Arc Preview drivers.
Visit Intel’s Graphics Driver BETA page and look for versions that mention improvements related to:
Panel Self Refresh,” “DRRS,” or “Display flickering at low brightness