Refresh rate randomly dropping on battery | Legion Series | Page 1

torn gazelle Nov 27, 2024, 9:22 PM

#

I got this slim 5 16ARP9 yesterday, and since I unboxed it pretty much it's been doing this thing where, only while it's on battery, the refresh rate randomly switches between 165hz and 60hz. The OS does not reflect this change; it still says 165 in the settings, but I can very clearly tell that the display is not as smooth as 165hz. This happens even when there is no application running, so no overheating, and additionally this system runs black ops 6 without reaching 80C.

I have tried toggling all relevant settings in vantage including adaptive refresh rate, all windows settings under display, restarting repeatedly, DDU -> reinstalling graphics drivers, using Fn+R and Fn+Q multiple times, updating bios, looking through nvidia control panel settings, enabling the high performance power plan, and some other power saving related settings.

I had installed the nvidia app for the drivers, and reverted to geforce experience in an attempt to fix it. No other extra drivers have been installed.

I cannot capture this on camera because i can't film above 60fps and the change, again, is not shown anywhere in the OS.

I'll be glad to provide any additional information if asked.

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 4:16 AM

#

torn gazelle I got this slim 5 16ARP9 yesterday, and since I unboxed it pretty much it's been...

while on battery, go to windows settings, display, advanced, take a screenshot

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 2:18 PM

#

dire sluice while on battery, go to windows settings, display, advanced, take a screenshot

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:46 PM

#

torn gazelle

hmm, that looks right.
check windows graphics settings, try disabling variable refresh rate. this isn't supposed to affect the desktop refresh rate when it's specifically 165Hz, but who knows

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:46 PM

#

I already have disabled it

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:47 PM

#

another thing to check is nvidia control panel, gsync, make sure gsync is set to fullscreen apps only

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:47 PM

#

i should also mention, i noticed that even when it's switched to 60hz, when i open a game it goes back to 165 until i close it

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:47 PM

#

windowed gsync is a hack and can cause false positives on the desktop

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:47 PM

#

alright. give me 1 sec, i'll tell you what i find

#

this thing?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:50 PM

#

microsoft did some updates to allow proper windowed gsync anyways. are you running anything that might be using gsync like a fancy video player?

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:51 PM

#

this is very close to a fresh windows install, i've downloaded nothing that messes with graphics except games

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:52 PM

#

torn gazelle this thing?

well try disabling gsync entirely. this is annoying to have to toggle on battery vs plugged in but it's worth a shot

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:52 PM

#

black ops 6, osu, some steam games, and some gamedev stuff like unreal engine, unity, clion and visual studio + code

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:52 PM

#

this is a slim 5 without an iGPU? 7435HS?

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:52 PM

#

no igpu at all

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:52 PM

#

gotcha

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:53 PM

#

and that's the cpu that's right

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:53 PM

#

not many people here with the no iGPU model so not much experience with using the nvidia GPU on battery

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:53 PM

#

gsync is off now, not noticing any difference

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:54 PM

#

torn gazelle gsync is off now, not noticing any difference

good or bad?

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:54 PM

#

dire sluice not many people here with the no iGPU model so not much experience with using th...

this model was the cheapest in the legion category and it was more than enough for my needs so i wasn't too picky

#

bad, the desktop is still at 60hz

#

could it be some feature built into the hardware?

#

but then wouldn't all other models have it?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:55 PM

#

well again not many people here with the no iGPU model

#

so nobody noticed issues when using the dGPU on battery

#

still weird if you're getting VRR when it's disabled both in windows settings and nvidia control panel

#

there's literally no other related VRR setting

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:56 PM

#

yeah i was wondering how it can dynamically change the refresh rate when all forms of VRR are off

#

only thing i thought is maybe the GPU runs in a sort of efficiency mode and can't output more than a few FPS when it's not running a game?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:57 PM

#

dropping frames on the desktop lol

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:58 PM

#

yeah i know how it sounds but i've literally no other idea

#

it couldn't be a defective unit could it?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:58 PM

#

does the refresh rate ramp up in a browser?
https://testufo.com/

Blur Busters TestUFO Motion Tests. Benchmark for monitors & displays.

Blur Busters UFO Motion Tests with ghosting test, 30fps vs 60fps vs 120hz vs 144hz vs 240hz, PWM test, motion blur test, judder test, benchmarks, and more.

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 6:58 PM

#

#

welp apparently it's 70 not 60 but it does prove me right

#

performance warning only popped on opening the snipping tool

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 6:59 PM

#

oh goodness

#

alright running my laptop on battery with the dGPU only brb

#

70FPS huh thonkpad

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:06 PM

#

dude is that emoji called thonkpad

#

do you know what my device is called

#

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:07 PM

#

lol

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:09 PM

#

dire sluice 70FPS huh <:thonkpad:1019701949714665552>

this is a very good clue though. it confirms that we have VRR on

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:09 PM

#

reproduced 70FPS on battery on my end

#

haven't adjusted any VRR settings yet

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:10 PM

#

VRR is even off in the registry for me

#

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:12 PM

#

i made a custom 120Hz refresh rate using CRU and that one is locked at 120

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:12 PM

#

cru?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:12 PM

#

custom resolution utility. great stuff
https://www.monitortests.com/forum/Thread-Custom-Resolution-Utility-CRU

Custom Resolution Utility (CRU)

Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) is an EDID editor that focuses on custom resolutions. CRU shows you how the monitor defines resolutions and other capabilities and gives you the power to change it. Add

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:14 PM

#

so you're suggesting that i install that and make a custom resolution?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:16 PM

#

it seems to be a workaround yes

#

avoids having to toggle windows VRR and gsync just for battery use

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:18 PM

#

what i don't understand now is why it stops happening when charging

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:19 PM

#

it's probably some weird power saving thing

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:21 PM

#

dire sluice custom resolution utility. great stuff https://www.monitortests.com/forum/Thread...

it's not letting me make a 2560x1600 @ 165

#

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:22 PM

#

oh you need to add the resolution inside the DisplayID extension block

#

cancel, double click DisplayID, double click Detailed resolutions, add the resolution here

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:23 PM

#

alright, i did it. now what?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:23 PM

#

problem is there's already going to be a 165Hz refresh rate here so you need to pick something else like 144 or 120

#

(unless your monitor's different from mine)

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:24 PM

#

it probably isn't any different

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:25 PM

#

fyi this is my setup

#

the 165Hz was default, everything else was custom for my use

#

just so happened to have a 120Hz mode

#

120's more useful on the desktop than 165Hz imo due to video being 24/30/60FPS

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:26 PM

#

and when i want to start playing a game at 165 what do i do to switch back

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:29 PM

#

well that's the rub isn't it

#

there's a few approaches, #legion-toolkit can adjust refresh rates upon launching a game or program

#

i found a resolution changing tool for the system tray & edited it for my use
https://github.com/k0nze/windows_resolution_switcher

GitHub

GitHub - k0nze/windows_resolution_switcher: Python system tray appl...

Python system tray application to switch your monitor resolution with just two clicks - k0nze/windows_resolution_switcher

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:31 PM

#

in all honesty i think i'd rather keep the 70hz on desktop than use third party apps to control the refresh rate until either i get sick of it or find a cleaner solution

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:32 PM

#

in which case might as well use vantage adaptive refresh rate to get proper 60Hz on battery, 165Hz plugged in

#

gaming on battery is always a bad idea btw

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:33 PM

#

because it drains very fast or another reason?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:33 PM

#

fast drain + power limits

#

and with power limits you might as well stick with 60Hz anyways

#

sucks that you have to deal with 70Hz on battery out of the box though that's wacky (without vantage adaptive refresh)

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:34 PM

#

i'm honestly pretty happy with how games run on battery right now and i'm willing to live with the fast drain because i'm usually close to an outlet, i just like being wireless

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:35 PM

#

dang actually gaming while mobile

#

you'll get so much higher performance plugged in

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:35 PM

#

either way this device isn't used for gaming first and foremost, it's for college work. which, unfortunately, means game engines will run at 70hz

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:36 PM

#

dire sluice you'll get so much higher performance plugged in

i stick to lighter games, except black ops 6 which i've installed mostly to benchmark it

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:36 PM

#

for class consider a 100W PD charger

manic gulchBOT Nov 28, 2024, 7:36 PM

#

Dark side of the Force

__The 3rd party power delivery ( pd ) charger & battery bank guide (not a buying list).__

The stock 300W/ 230W charger is a brick. Many owners are looking into PD charger (or battery bank) alternatives to top up the machine on the go. This guide will provide some guidance on which c...

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:37 PM

#

much smaller than the 230W brick

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:37 PM

#

i might consider that

#

either way, thank you so much for helping me out with this

#

just knowing that the root of the problem is VRR being forced on will probably help me figure out the solution

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:39 PM

#

it's a tricky problem because forcing VRR off is unwanted when plugged in

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:39 PM

#

why exactly?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:39 PM

#

because VRR is awesome

#

perfect framepacing anywhere from 60-165 FPS

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:40 PM

#

on my main PC i don't have any form of VRR because my display doesn't support anything of the sort except freesync (i have an nvidia gpu)

#

and i don't really have any problems with it

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:40 PM

#

wat you should be able to force gsync on a freesync monitor

#

if you've never experienced VRR then sure

#

but once you have then whew

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:40 PM

#

what? i might have to look into that then

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:41 PM

#

yeah, nvidia control panel gsync settings

#

should be a checkbox to force enable it

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:42 PM

#

how long has forcing gsync on a freesync display been a thing?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:42 PM

#

fwiw the custom 120 Hz resolution i made still works with gsync, just no desktop VRR, so it works great on battery daveyes

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 7:43 PM

#

torn gazelle how long has forcing gsync on a freesync display been a thing?

few years now

torn gazelle Nov 28, 2024, 7:43 PM

#

dire sluice fwiw the custom 120 Hz resolution i made still works with gsync, just no desktop...

that's good to know

#

i won't delete CRU in case i change my mind

#

just to confirm, legion models with an integrated gpu do not have this problem?

dire sluice Nov 28, 2024, 8:40 PM

#

torn gazelle just to confirm, legion models with an integrated gpu do not have this problem?

yep, 165Hz just works

#

torn gazelle Nov 30, 2024, 12:38 AM

#

dire sluice yep, 165Hz just works

what i ended up doing is making a custom resolution in nvidia control panel and just hoping lenovo support can give me the sort of fix i hope for. i made a 2560x1600 @ 170Hz

dire sluice Nov 30, 2024, 12:41 AM

#

torn gazelle what i ended up doing is making a custom resolution in nvidia control panel and ...

dang you overclocked your panel 5Hz lol

#

nice

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:31 PM

#

@torn gazelle i unlocked your post

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:31 PM

#

thank you

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:32 PM

#

i agree it's strange that something in the nvidia driver is applying VRR, even when windows VRR and gsync are disabled

#

the 170Hz resolution wasn't enough?

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:33 PM

#

dire sluice i agree it's strange that something in the nvidia driver is applying VRR, even w...

i've contacted lenovo and nvidia separately about this, whenever they answer i'll tell them this as well

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:34 PM

#

dire sluice the 170Hz resolution wasn't enough?

it's working well as a temporary fix but i think we can agree that this isn't how this is meant to function

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:34 PM

#

fair

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:35 PM

#

anothere thing to mention. i tested other resolutions and i can confirm that this happens on all premade resolutions, but none of the custom ones that i make

#

almost as if it's an intentional feature that doesn't support custom resolutions, but i can't find where that feature is

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:36 PM

#

resolutions in which program? different programs show different refresh rates for windows reasons

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:36 PM

#

nv control panel

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:36 PM

#

k

#

the feature is VRR/gsync, the problem is being unable to override its use on battery on the desktop

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:37 PM

#

but VRR doesn't do this in all scenarios, just this one

#

drop the refreshrate when no 3d app is running i mean

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:37 PM

#

ye that's the "on the desktop" part

#

windows is capable of enabling VRR on the desktop while plugged in or on battery. problem is that's not enabled in your windows settings

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:40 PM

#

torn gazelle

can you go back to windows advanced display settings, show all refresh rates available in the dropdown

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:41 PM

#

no, dynamic does not fix it

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:41 PM

#

ye that dynamic refresh rate is for enabling VRR on purpose. which isn't what you want or have set

#

also your name and email is in the screenshot, consider deleting

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:42 PM

#

oop

#

im not afraid you're gonna doxx me lol it's just an embarrasing email bc it's old as hell

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:43 PM

#

we try to look out for accidental doxxes here dogesmirk

torn gazelle Dec 1, 2024, 8:43 PM

#

based server

dire sluice Dec 1, 2024, 8:46 PM

#

this is looking more like something that can't be solved in this server alone, so the post will probably get closed again later.
if it closes, you can ping me in #chat if you have any important updates from lenovo or nvidia

#Refresh rate randomly dropping on battery