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Discrete GPU not being used when laptop is connected to AC adapter

Anonymous
2023-09-23T23:08:16+00:00

Hi guys

please, please please can someone help. This has been stressing me out for a week and I’ve tried nearly every single fix suggested.

I’ve been experiencing crashes on my laptop when playing games since I had the motherboard replaced due to a failed update. However, today we noticed that this doesn’t happen when the laptop is using its own battery. So we’ve concluded that my laptop is not using the discrete GPU when it is on charge, so my games crash.

I’ve tried EVERYTHING. Disabling my iGPU, checking BIOS settings (nothing graphics related in mine unfortunately), updating drivers, uninstalling and reinstalling drivers, using nvidia control panel to select my dGPU as the preferred one, using Windows settings to do the same.

Nothing works, it doesn’t use my dGPU the moment it’s plugged in. If I do disable my iGPU, my screen goes all pixelated.

It’s largely identical to this post: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/dedicated-gpu-not-used-no-matter-the-graphics/75b7c006-0679-4717-bc7e-5c7c67f89af9

Plus the pixelation issues.

My laptop is an Alienware M15 R7 AMD with integrated graphics and GTX 3070Ti discrete graphics.

I’ve contacted Dell, I even hired a IT specialist. No one has any clue, everyone is stumped. I’m so sad about this as my laptop was out of service for three weeks while I waited for repairs and now it’s still practically unusable.

Does anyone know what I can do?

Thank you

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-09-24T09:58:25+00:00

    It is a little bit of a mystery how a Discrete GPU works with an integrated one, but on Intel systems, the Discreet is used to enhance the integrated one.

    I would think, when on battery, the GTX is not being used as much so the integrated one is doing more work. If you check the Device Manger, on the performance, the two GPUs should be shown so you can see what they are doing.

    Also, run the command below in a run box and see if there are any repeating problems.

    perfmon /rel

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-09-24T08:12:06+00:00

    Hi Rhianna,

    Welcome to Microsoft Community.

    I'm Hahn and I'm here to help you with your concern.

    I'm sorry to hear about the issues you're experiencing with your laptop. It can indeed be frustrating when a previously functioning system starts acting up. Based on the information you've provided, it seems like the laptop is not switching to the discrete GPU (GTX 3070Ti) when it's connected to the AC adapter, causing crashes in games.

    • Some laptops come with their own software for power management and GPU switching. Check if there's any Alienware-specific software that might be affecting GPU behavior.
    • Run diagnostics on your laptop to rule out any hardware issues. Dell laptops typically have built-in diagnostics tools that you can access during startup by pressing a specific key and selecting the diagnostics option.
    - If all else fails, you might consider performing a factory reset to bring your laptop back to its original state. Ensure you back up your important data before doing this.

    Since you've already contacted Dell support and even hired an IT specialist with no success, it might be a good idea to follow up with Dell and provide them with all the details and steps you've taken. They should have the most accurate knowledge of how their hardware and software work together and may be able to provide a solution or suggest further action.

    I hope this helps.  If there is anything not clear, please do not hesitate to let me know.

    Your Sincerely

    Hahn - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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