White flicker while playing games on laptop with dGPU mode

Understanding and Addressing White Flickering Issues During Gaming on Laptops with dGPU Mode: A Comprehensive Guide

Gaming enthusiasts often encounter graphical anomalies that disrupt the immersive experience. Among these, white flickering during gameplay can be particularly frustrating, especially on laptops equipped with dedicated GPUs (dGPU). This article delves into common causes of white flickering when using NVIDIA graphics cards in dGPU mode and offers practical solutions tailored for gaming on high-performance laptops.

Case Overview

A recent inquiry from a gaming laptop user highlights a prevalent issue: white flickering occurs intermittently during gameplay, with occurrences ranging from every few seconds to sporadically. The user, operating a Lenovo Legion 7i (2024 model) with an Intel Core i7-14700HX, 24GB DDR5 RAM, and an RTX 4060 GPU, noted issues with specific driver versions and sought guidance on optimal driver selection.

Understanding the Issue

White flickering during gaming sessions can stem from various factors, including driver incompatibilities, display scaling settings, and game-specific graphics configurations. In this case, the user experimented with multiple NVIDIA driver versions, including the stable 566.36 (popularly considered reliable within the community) and 577.00, based on insights from tech reviewers.

Observations and Troubleshooting Steps

Driver Version Selection
The user initially deployed driver 566.36, renowned for stability, but still encountered flickering issues on titles like Valorant and Phasmophobia.
Upgrading to 577.00 temporarily mitigated the problem; however, flickering reappeared after a few days.
Graphical Scaling and Configuration Tweaks
Adjustments to NVIDIA’s scaling modes, specifically toggling between aspect ratio and fullscreen modes, impacted the flickering behavior.
Disabling certain display scaling options temporarily eliminated white flashes but introduced frame drops and performance hiccups, especially in titles like Umamusume, Muse Dash, and Phasmophobia.

Potential Causes

Driver-Related Conflicts: Certain driver versions may be less compatible with specific games or hardware configurations, leading to visual artifacts.
Display Scaling Settings: Misconfigured scaling options can cause rendering issues, including flickering or tearing.
Game Optimization: Some titles may not be fully optimized for GPU scaling settings or may have incompatibilities with certain driver versions.