Nvidia Optimus?

[Russ Smith]

Anybody understand this? I read online that it's supposed to allow better power saving on monitors while also giving you the option for more displays, but that's completely untrue.

I've now had Dell 3 times tell me if I want to get 2 external displays to work and the LCD on the laptop I either need to buy a cable that has an active adapter(about 35 bucks) "or you can just turn off Optimus in the BIOS and then it will work). In fact that works. M4700 we just got 2, first one couldn't get the LCD to work on the laptop with 2 monitors. 2nd one I disabled optimus and he has 2 monitors and the LCD working perfectly.

THe first one now has a problem with the actual LCD, it works in a diagnostic test, but otherwise won't work, even when not connected to a monitor. Even Windows P won't force it to use the LCD. So Dell again told me to disable Optimus in the BIOS, but there is no option to do so on this M4700, there was on the other one.

So Dell is as confused as we are and is now talking about replacing the graphics card. Because we now encrypt with Bitlocker these replacements become a pain, you have to disable Bitlocker or you take the risk of it thinking that's a new machine and not letting you in. And then I read there's a known issue where Optimus can "brick" laptops using Bitlocker so people are being advised to disable it.

Dell is convinced this machine has Optimus even if I can't access it in the BIOS.

 

[Chaz]

I have very little good experience with optima equipped computers.

It seems it was designed for power savings along with some thermal benefits. If you aren't concerned with maximizing the battery life it is probably best too turn it off as a standard practice.

 

[Chaz]

It sure seems like a hardware problem with your 4700. I assume the bios version is up to date?

 

[Russ Smith]

It sure seems like a hardware problem with your 4700. I assume the bios version is up to date?

I'm actually not sure now because it looks like my boss didn't get what he thought he got when he bought it. He bought 2 4700s together, but the one in question actually has an AMD Firepro 4000 video card, NOT Nvidia, that's why no Optimus in the BIOS. So he's not positive now he updated the BIOS, so I may do that today if I can get access. I already have the adapter cable to get the guy the 3rd monitor, the LCD, but the LCD has to work.

If Dell replaces the graphics card they will probably put in Nvidia, since when I chatted with them on this yesterday they too thought it had Optimus even though they had the service tag information and should have known it really had AMD.

Weird, if you power it on holding the D button down, it goes into the graphics test and the LCD screen does work, so it's not bad, it's just for some reason not figuring out hey no monitor is connected I need to come back on. I'm hoping with the adapter I can set it up to display all 3 and that will go away but we'll find out when the user comes in.

It did work before that's how I set up the machine, so this is somethign that developed since the guy started using it with 2 external monitors. I almost think it's a driver, the fact that Dell thought it had Nvidia makes me wonder if the wrong driver was installed.

 

[Russ Smith]

I honestly think the user did something and I can't figure out what he could have done. I hooked up an adapter with an active adapter to it so he could use 3 monitors with the LCD being the 3rd one. the machine doesn't even recognize the LCD is there. When you go into the screen resolution it shows the 2 monitors and doesn't detect the LCD.

When you do windows P and tell it to duplicate the desktop on the LCD and monitor, it duplicates it on the 2nd monitor, so it thinks the 2nd monitor is the LCD.

I unplugged the 2nd monitor and that did nothing. I'm runnning diagnostics but video card passed as did LCD.

The reason I suspect the user is the diagnostics said the battery was disconnected, that sounded odd so lifted up the laptop and sure enough the battery fell right out. But then I pulled his battery yesterday when I reset his memory before I'd figured out the machine did power on, it just had no LCD.

But I'm guessing he may have played around trying to get the LCD to work as his 3rd monitor and somehow stumbled upon some setting that turned it off?

 

[Russ Smith]

And so it begins. Dell is going to replace the mother board and the LCD cable. My bet is its the graphics card and since that's built in to the MOBO this will probably solve it.

I no longer think the user did anything I've been all over the advanced display settings in Conrol Panel and there is nothing he could have accidentally checked that would turn the LCD off. I think the video card is just bad, or the driver. But Dell will replace the MOBO and update the BIOS and driver so that should solve it.

they always include the if this doesn't work you may have to reinstall the OS stuff which makes no sense, it's clearly not a Windows problem.