Intel HD Graphics 4600 artifacts when running with drivers

[AAlit]

Hey guys!

So, I've been struggling with this for a while now, since there is little to none info on the issue I've got in the internet. Perhaps someone here will be able to help.

I have a Eurocom X3 laptop powered by i7 4800MQ, the GPU is nVidia 780GTX, if it matters somehow. For almost a year, the laptop was functioning fine in any tasks, including gaming. Then, all of a sudden, one day it began showing artifacts on the screen. Hasn't been overheated or dropped or anything, just snapped into this condition. Since the laptop was still on warranty, I requested RMA, which was fulfilled - the manufacturer reported the CPU was tested and failed, so they replaced it with an i7 4810MQ. The chip itself looked the same as the faulty i7 4800MQ (there was a slight scuff mark on the mirrored finish of both chips), but that did not concern me - when it was installed and the laptop was tested, there were no more artifacts. That was the middle of November last year.

However, a few days ago the artifacts returned. Same as the previous time - no impact, no overload - just office operation with a movie in the background and snap - there they were.

The warranty is now over, though I've sent a request to Eurocom support - we'll see about their move. But for now, I believe it is essential to establish the reason for those artifacts, specifically what causes them to appear.

I've been doing quite a lot of testing today, including formatting the hard drive and clean installing Windows 7 x64, memory testing with Windows standard utility, and... found out, that the artifacts only appear when I install Intel HD Graphics driver (tried both 15.36.7.64.3960 and 15.36.14.64.4080 versions), specifically after the computer restarts at the end of the installation. When I uninstall the graphics driver, the artifacts disappear prior to the final step of the installer dialogue (asking if I am going to restart the PC now or later). The laptop is otherwise absolutely clean, except for the chipset driver (first tried the graphics drivers with Eurocom supplied version, being 9.4.0.1017, then updated with the latest 10.0.24 and tried everything once again).

So, the question is: can two CPUs with faulty iGPUs end up in one hands?

Or there is a simpler explanation to this whole situation.

Attached are a few screenshots for you guys (hopefully some guys will actually notice this thread 😃 to grasp the scope of the problem.

[Allan_J_Intel1]

Thanks for joining the Graphics community.

Does this problem occur with earlier driver version from your computer manufacturer?

If so, please provide graphics report generated within graphics control panel when using customized drivers and Intel latest graphics driver.

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/cs-009476.htm Graphics Drivers — Intel® Graphics Driver Report

Did you try connecting an external monitor? Do you get same artifacts with external monitor?

Thanks.

Allan.

[AAlit]

Thanks for having me here.

The problem does occur with the driver version supplied by the manufacturer.

External monitor: yes I did try connecting an external screen (tried two screens to be on the safe side, in fact) via HDMI - the external screen gets the very same artifacts as the laptop screen.

When the problem first occurred, before deleting the Intel graphics drivers, I also tried fiddling with the laptop lid to make sure that was not ribbon cable failure - well, it was not.

One other thing, be it relevant or not - when in games, the artifacts generally appeared as black dots swarming the screen. However, there was one game, where the artifacts were not present at all - Surgeon Simulator 2013. Obviously I did not spend time gaming on a laptop with graphics failure - just figured I should try running games, since they would be delivering graphical content to the screen via dGPU. At least that's what I thought as a non tech savvy guy. Appears I was wrong and content is delivered to the screen with the help of iGPU drivers, apart from said case.

I will provide the graphics report in a few days, when I get back home, where the injured laptop is located.

[ppasq1]

Google traslation from Italian : Hello everyone, I have the following problem I have a PC assembled with MOBO Gigabyte gaming intel 4690k with 5 and 6 GB of ram . Using as the video card intel HD 4600 integrated into the processor The monitor is a samsung tv connected to pc with HDMI / DVI Whenever I watch video content , regardless of the software that I use as a player I have a number of artifacts that I think are teatering screen . I tried to enable v-sync the video card in order to eliminate the problem to no avail . Do you have suggestions or directions ? THANK YOU

[AAlit]

As promised, attached are the two graphics reports - "...olddrv.txt" was generated using manufacturer supplied drivers; "...newdrv.txt" was generated using Intel latest drivers downloaded from Intel website.

[Allan_J_Intel1]

Thanks for the information.

I would recommend the following:

1. Uninstall any Intel graphics driver as well as Nvidia drivers.

2. Download the latest video drivers here:

http://web.eurocom.com/ec/drivers(237)ec Eurocom Model Drivers

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProdId=3720 Intel® Download Center

3. Re install Intel and Nvidia drivers.

The fact that you are connecting an external monitor and the screen looks the same; it may indicate a hardware problem. I would say the graphics portion of the processor or the video port on the computer is defective.

Allan.

[AAlit]

Yeah, well, I did all that. In the initial post I've mentioned I did the experimenting on a clean Windows, meaning I had no drivers whatsoever. And I did try drivers from the links provided. Once I install Intel drivers, the artifacts appear, and whatever I do next, they remain until I uninstall the iGPU driver.

[ppasq1]

In the meantime I 've solved the problem A cause flashy artifacts was a set of windows 7. In fact I had disabled the Aero mode and set windows 7 classic or basic ( can not remember exactly ) Evidentemete it does not involve only a visual change of the windows but change the video drivers that are loaded and then the mode in which the video card . Probably do work the intel hd 4600 video card with WDDM XPDM instead resulted in the problem . However I have now re-enabled Windows Aero and everything came back OK

[AAlit]

Glad it worked for you. I tried switching off Aero - the artifacts stay. In fact, I even tried switching to Windows 8.1 - the same, when I install the graphics driver, the artifacts appear. Apparently, mine is a hardware issue, not a software one. However it is unclear why I get it for the second time, with the second CPU...

[ppasq1]

1 ) I uninstalled the driver and cleaned up with ccleaner and the problem persists with the generic driver that the computer automatically installs 2 ) I installed the latest driver intel hd 4600 and the problem persists 3 ) when in doubt I connected the PC to the TV with HDMI cable instead DIVI - HDMI cable without solving 4 ) I tried with different resolutions and both interlaced and progressive but artifacts remain 5 ) I turned on and off without v -sync results Hypothesis is the processor with integrated graphics that has problems , some settings of the mobo that needs to be reviewed , or would not know what ?

[PBisw5]

Hello tlkn ,

Did you solve your problem with artifacts? Because I have heard that a CPU which is working fine will also have a fine graphics since the graphics is being built in the same die , so it is as robust as the CPU itself. I have never heard about a defective iGPU in a functional CPU. Did you RMA your i7 4810MQ ? Did you update your windows? Does the problem still persist?

Regards,

X0du$

[AAlit]

I did solve the problem... by replacing the motherboard. The CPU has been replaced by the manufacturer prior to that, as stated in the OP, but the problem came back after a while. So I deduced there was no point replacing the CPU once again. Sent the laptop to the manufacturer, they tested it, reported the motherboard was faulty, and replaced it. I am not sure if they replaced the CPU or not, but I would guess they never had to, as it seems the CPU was not the culprit in the first place.

[PBisw5]

I am glad that your problem is solved. Because I rarely heard a CPU is faulty and I have been also in these types of situations thinking of faulty CPUs. But after intense research and practical experience I have found that if a CPU can pass stress tests like Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool or Prime 95 or Aida 64 , then your CPU is absolutely fine and so is your iGPU.

Thank U 🙂

May your build work upto the mark.