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What's DOS?
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎03-23-2010
Location: Minnesota, USA
Message 1 of 10 (3,682 Views)

T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

System:

T510 w/ NVS 3100, 8GB 4x4 RAM, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, HD+ display

Win7 Ultimate x64, All drivers up to date

 

Issue:

When in "Balanced" Windows Power Management mode, graphics stutter and skew momentarily.  It looks like the monitor is attempting to readjust resolutions (like a flat panel attempting to auto-adjust), it shifts and stops (or shifts and stops continually).

 

Description:

I just got this T510 last week and everything has been relatively smooth, until this morning. I hadn't taken the laptop anywhere or run on battery, using High Performance 100% of the time in other words.  I had to run on battery this morning so I changed power modes to Balanced and I started to see graphics flutter intermittantly.  Eventually it started fluttering more and at one point it was in a stuttering state more than it was displaying normally.  I had a feeling it had something to do with power management, so I turned on High Performance (while still on battery) and the problem immediately remedied and did not return.  Whilst on AC power and in Balanced mode I have not seen the problem either.

 

This issue does not appear to be similar to the T410 issue, the graphical artifacts are not the same (full text skew, color variation, blocks of distorted pixels) and it does not happen immediatly up resuming from hybernation or the like.

 

I am posting this now, before in-depth troubleshooting to get it out there.  I will update this thread if/when I can discern more of a pattern or any other interesting information.

802.11n
Posts: 323
Registered: ‎10-26-2008
Location: Los Angeles
Message 2 of 10 (3,641 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

Krycis, see if your problem is similar to the following, which describes a workaround:

 

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/W-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/W510-checkered-pixel-patterns-while-running-on...

 

Good luck!

What's DOS?
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎03-23-2010
Location: Minnesota, USA
Message 3 of 10 (3,602 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

Yup, that looks pretty similar to what I'm running into.  I haven't had a chance to do much more than pin it down to only affecting power-saving modes.  I'll dig through the options and see if that change takes care of it for me, too.

 

Thanks for the link!

aiz
Paper Tape
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎05-17-2010
Location: USA
Message 4 of 10 (3,133 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes -- sad tale

Thanks for posting this note.  I found the flutter problem as you described.  When I complained to Lenovo, they asked me to send the laptop to their repair depot.  They paid the postage, etc.  The experience with the depot was really not very good. 

 

The depot tech did not have the letter and photographs that I sent in the box and had to go find them.  She asked where the battery and AC adapter where.  I told them they were shipped with the unit. 

 

The depot reported that they could detect no errors but set bios to the high performance mode on battery.  The machine was returned to me without the battery I had sent to them.  It was also dead on arrival.  It would not boot.

 

After working with the techs via the phone, the problem was escalated to a very helpful lead tech.  He got onsite service for me and ordered a new motherboard.  The motherboard shipment was delayed and I had a dead machine for several days.  The onsite tech replaced the motherboard today.  The machine boots but still has the graphics problem.

 

By the way, setting the system to maximum performance on battery does not cure the problem on this machine.

 

Lenovo has ordered a third motherboard and intends to do another replacements.

 

It appears taht this is a generic problem.  I'm disappointed that Lenovo doesn't recognize this.  I also know that I will never again send a computer to their repair depot.

 

One thing I found was that the problem can be seen by running the Tool Box graphics stress test.  With the AC atadapter connected, the graphics are great.  Disconnecting the AC adapter results in the graphics "flutter."  This can be repeated ad-infinitum.

 

Now how do we get a resolution to the problem?

Fanfold Paper
Posts: 7
Registered: ‎03-27-2010
Location: Canada
Message 5 of 10 (3,107 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

The workaround was mentioned in the link above.

 

I went to "Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options" and chose the custom plan (which the lenovo power management program apparently creates) and then I went to "Change advanced power settings" under that plan, and dug down under Display in the tree listing and found what is called "NVIDIA Display Power Saving technology".  I set that to Disabled when on battery (it was set to Enabled) and my problem went away.

 

 

aiz
Paper Tape
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎05-17-2010
Location: USA
Message 6 of 10 (3,044 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

Your suggestion was a good work-around.  It will be interesting to see how it affects battery life. 

 

My case has been escalated to engineering.  I think Lenovo needs to have a real solution or to let people know the work-around so that others avoid the process I went through.

 

Thanks for the help!

Highlighted
aiz
Paper Tape
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎05-17-2010
Location: USA
Message 7 of 10 (3,011 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

Here are the specific steps I used for Windows 7 Pro (64 bit).  I suspect they will work for any Windows 7 version:

 

1.  Click on Control Panel
2.  Click on Hardware and Sound
3.  Click on Power Options
4.  Click on "change plan settings" for the plan in use (i.e.., Energy Star)
5.  Click on "change advanced power settings"
6.  Find and expand "Display" in the tree window that opens
7.  Find and expand "NVIDIA Display Power Saving technology"
8.  Set both "On battery" and "Plugged in" to "Disabled"

 

IBM Support now has these steps and says they will distribute them to their support techs to help people from getting into the unnecessary mess I got into.

 

 

Punch Card
Posts: 13
Registered: ‎06-03-2010
Location: Australia
Message 8 of 10 (2,855 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

Thanks aiz, I have the same problem. see my post:

 

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/W-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/W510-display-problem/td-p/237166

 

I'm also using a 64 bit windows 7 system, I think it maybe a problem with the Nvidia driver on 64 bit system.

Paper Tape
Posts: 12
Registered: ‎01-16-2010
Location: london
Message 9 of 10 (2,835 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

Hi I've got W510 but no such nvidia power plan drop menu exist in and of the "advanced settings"

 

in the tree under display i've got following

 

-Display

    +dim display after

    +turn off display after

    +display brightness

    +dimed display brightness

 

my config

4318 CTO

720QM

FX880

W7-64

all latest drivers + BIOS 19

 

i get lagg in no max performance and its rather annoying when you have several windows open

but i have traced some evidence that suggests its OS related aswell  many users of quad core CPUs and with 64bit

vistas (essentially same) have reported similar problems but Fuzzy Logic display is not something that was there

for me it just happened after few months of happyness and love Smiley Happy W-ith My 510 so can anyone suggest what do I do , I have poked around but coudnt find the Nvidia related power sets.

 

Paper Tape
Posts: 4
Registered: ‎05-18-2010
Location: USA
Message 10 of 10 (1,421 Views)

Re: T510 graphics flutter when in power-saving modes

Yep same here, on T510 I get the issue but there is no NVIDIA Power Save option in the tree as described above.

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