Headaches in Win 10 desktop environment, but not in a DirectX 11 game?

simplex

You have the opportunity to try an external monitor to understand whether the screen is the problem or problem is hardware related ( either screen or MB/iGPU, or both )

Staycalmsyndrome

dyungim
Maybe this will help:
-run screen at full brightness
-downgrade video drivers to 2015/2016 era
-set the intel 3D option to performance in driver
-adjust windows visual effects for best performance(keep smooth edges of fonts)
-disable nvidia gpu scaling in bios if you have the option
-disable wifi/bluetooth in device manager and use it wired

ensete

DirectX 12 is what Win10 uses. Specifically Direct Write and Direct Draw 12. It is the cause of many of our symptoms on these symptoms. PWM/flicker/dithering is mostly a red herring that people focus on. The problem is almost never hardware related but software rendering related

When you run the game it is running in a DirectX 11 mode which is not accessing the features of DirectX 12 that cause our symptoms.

Staycalmsyndrome

ensete You can disable some DirectX features with this registry entry:

disableDirect3D.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw]
"EmulationOnly"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Direct3D\Drivers]
"SoftwareOnly"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw]
"EmulationOnly"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Direct3D\Drivers]
"SoftwareOnly"=dword:00000001

enableDirect3D.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw]
"EmulationOnly"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Direct3D\Drivers]
"SoftwareOnly"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw]
"EmulationOnly"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Direct3D\Drivers]
"SoftwareOnly"=dword:00000000

Remove registry entries altogether:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw]
"EmulationOnly"=-
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Direct3D\Drivers]
"SoftwareOnly"=-
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw]
"EmulationOnly"=-
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Direct3D\Drivers]
"SoftwareOnly"=-

Thoughts?

dyungim

ensete

I did some more testing. I get symptoms when fiddling around in the BIOS settings UI. Does this use DirectX 12?

simplex

Staycalmsyndrome

Do you know how to disable DX12.2 features? I found all bad devices are 12.2 compatible, all my old devices are 12.1 maximum

dyungim

Staycalmsyndrome

It might be too early to tell, but I don't think I notice a difference.

Does the "remove entries altogether" file return the registry to its pre-modified state?

Staycalmsyndrome

simplex Try running this registry tweak and see if you notice a difference. You can check if the features are disabled by typing "dxdiag" in the run command window and clicking the display tab.
I think DirectX is so baked into the system that there isn't an easy way to disable it entirely.

Staycalmsyndrome

dyungim Yes. Also, if you get symptoms in BIOS, try downgrading it to an older version.
Maybe test an external portable monitor.

simplex

dyungim Does this use DirectX 12?

new BIOS use UEFI GOP video driver (old use VGA mode). How it works is blackbox

jordan

Staycalmsyndrome most motherboards disallow bios downgrade. The way around it is to manually flash using a cha341a and extracting the body file from the capsule bios file. Its all very easy to do though

dyungim

Staycalmsyndrome

Thanks. I guess what I don't understand is if it was a DX12 problem, would it show up using the BIOS settings UI because of this?

Staycalmsyndrome

jordan Last time i downgraded a Dell laptop i had to do it to the penultimate version and so on. But they locked it down on newer hardware. No fun allowed.

Staycalmsyndrome

dyungim A UEFI bios uses a basic GOP(graphics output protocol). DirectX is loaded only in Windows, i believe. By default, it's using the integrated intel iGPU GOP. If you disable "Enable Switchable Graphics" option in bios, it will ask to restart and permanently switch to the nvidia GOP(akin to plugging your monitor directly to the nvidia card).
Skylake machines are considered pretty 'safe' but they need some tinkering.

Have you always had problems with this laptop or just recently? Maybe a windows update triggered it(can also contain bios updates). Some users reported a relief by downgrading to Windows 10 1809.

dyungim

Staycalmsyndrome

I just started using it a few weeks ago and have always had problems.

Strangely, after doing some peripheral gaze stretches, my headaches are less intense, but still significant.

The plan is to try external displays eventually, but I have ME/CFS, so life goes very slowly for me. These videos explain the situation. Long story short, testing an external display will be a several months' project for me.

Post-exertional malaise and the importance of pacing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGIo1v7KVJQ

Short video describing PEM from a patient: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ufdoV5vYY

Short documentary describing CFS from a patient: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUrPFqGONM8

Staycalmsyndrome

dyungim Thank you for the clarification and sorry to hear this. Be sure to use only maximum brightness and not that pwm app. Do you have the technical knowledge on how to downgrade Windows or dual-boot? If you type 'msinfo32' in the run command window what BIOS version does it say?
I would just change the laptop with something similar in configuration but not Dell.

dyungim

Staycalmsyndrome

I could downgrade or dual boot but it would take me a couple weeks. I think my current plan is to try for an external monitor, since in theory if I find one that works, at least I can use it in the future to eliminate the display as a variable.

BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. 1.37.0, 7/4/2024

If I'm limited to purchasing from Costco, do you have any idea if I'd have better luck trying for a cheap small TV or going for a monitor? I have a feeling that in general for external displays, it's better to try a handful of displays with fundamentally different technologies instead of a bunch that have similar technologies at first.

What is the harm to using the PWM app? I am always using max brightness.

Staycalmsyndrome

dyungim I was talking about these portable monitors. Small enough to cover the laptop display. When setting the screen on max brightness does the app alleviate the pain even further? Max brightness should mean no PWM.

dyungim

Staycalmsyndrome

The PWM app does reduce symptom intensity further, even on max brightness.

dyungim

Update: tried the convergence excess (divergence insufficiency?) 'pencil spreading' exercise here and noticed immediate results: http://www.tedmontgomery.com/the_eye/VT/therapy.html