[RKinner]

Could be they just buy whatever parts are cheapest on the day they build them.  Rather stupid idea if you ask me but I come from a very high reliability background where if we had a failure during final test we would pull the same component out and replace it with a more reliable one on every assembly of the same batch.  (Worked on undersea cable repeaters for a while.  Real pain to change one out if it failed once it was in service.)

 

I've never looked inside a laptop with a separate video card but it seems unlikely that they would forget to connect up the video card.  I suppose you could search for

device manager

hit Enter

Click on the arrow in front of Display Adapter.  You should see both intel & Nvidia.  Right click on each and select Properties. Does it say this device is working properly for each? 

 

You could also run one of the GPU tests:

https://www.tomshard...tures/gpu-tests

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Both Intel and Nvidia are listed in the device manager, and both are working properly.

 

I was following some of the steps to test GPU (it is slow going as I had to download games, which is taking forever). Using the MSI afterburner, it lists my graphics as being Nvidia. I read an article stating that when there are dedicated graphics, Windows switches back and forth between the two depending on what you are doing. I found out that I can choose which graphics I want to use for a specific program, but so far have not been able to find a way to select Nvidia to work for all of my programs. I wonder if this is because that wouldn't be a good idea for some reason? I don't know if you know anything about this, but if you have ideas I am all ears.

 

Thanks.

 

P.S. what are undersea cable repeaters? Are they really under the sea?

[Keyboardclick]

Both Intel and Nvidia are listed in the device manager, and both are working properly.

 

I was following some of the steps to test GPU (it is slow going as I had to download games, which is taking forever). Using the MSI afterburner, it lists my graphics as being Nvidia. I read an article stating that when there are dedicated graphics, Windows switches back and forth between the two depending on what you are doing. I found out that I can choose which graphics I want to use for a specific program, but so far have not been able to find a way to select Nvidia to work for all of my programs. I wonder if this is because that wouldn't be a good idea for some reason? I don't know if you know anything about this, but if you have ideas I am all ears.

 

Thanks.

 

P.S. what are undersea cable repeaters? Are they really under the sea?

[RKinner]

Sounds like the graphics is working as planned.  I don't have any experience with dual GPU laptops. Can you choose to use the Nvidia while running the benchmark?

 

Going back to the original problem.  They use little thermal pads between the CPU and GPU and the heatsink/ heatpipe assembly.  These are not as efficient as thermal paste but less messy to use during assembly and usually more consistent.  I suppose something could have gone wrong.  Perhaps the screws were not tightened enough or worked loose.  Or the pad might have been old and dried out.  Not something you want to do under warranty but I routinely replace the pads with Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound when I work on an overheating laptop.  (Usually the root problem is the heatsink has gotten clogged with dust but rarely the fan has failed.)   Overheating can dry out the pads so when I've got the thing apart I go ahead and replace them. 

 

I usually use a program called Speedfan to measure the temperatures.  Might be a good idea to get a second opinion.

http://www.filehippo...nload_speedfan/

Download, save and Install it (Win 7+ or Vista right click and Run As Admin.) then run it (Win 7+ or Vista right click and Run As Admin.).

It will tell you your temps in real time tho the default is to show the hard drive temp in the systray.  You can change it:  Hit Configure then click on the highest temp and check Show in tray.  
Win 10 hides icons by default so: Settings, Personalization,  Taskbar, Select which Icons appear on Taskbar,  then turn Speedfan ON.
With no other programs running what is the highest temp you see?  Run an anti-virus scan, play one of your games or watch a video for at least 5 minutes.  What is the highest temp now?
 

We don't really want it to go over about 65 under load.  If it does it usually means either the fan is defective (speedfan should tell you your fan speed so you can see if it is running) or (most likely) the interface between the fan and the heatsink is clogged with dust. The best fix for a clogged heatsink is to remove the fan (not the heatsink or heatpipe) and vacuum out the heatsink.  However on some PCs this is major surgery.  Sometimes you can blow air backwards through the exhaust vent while vacuuming at the input vent and if you are lucky it may clear the heatsink.  Don't do it too long as the fan may overrev.

 

Undersea Cable Repeaters are definitely under the sea.  When they run a cable from say Europe to N America for telephone or internet the signals get attenuated over the distance.  To keep up the signal strength they have an amplifier built-in to the circuit every so many miles.  (There are some extra wires in the cable which provide power.)  The amplifiers are called repeaters.   

https://www.networkw...le-systems.html

[Keyboardclick]

Thank you for your help.

I decided to return the laptop that was running hot. Since it is new, I don't think the fan is clogged. Intel suggested I return it, and the seller was fine with that. I will try contacting Nvidia to see if there is a way to select my dedicated graphics for all applications. That's a good idea to select it for the GPU tests, I will have to try that. The laptop I am keeping passed the GPU tests while gaming well.

 

However, now I am noticing a new problem with the laptop that I thought was okay. Comparing it side by side with my old decrepit laptop, white backgrounds on the new laptop look very pink. The brightness is up all the way, and I don't see any setting that might be wrong. The screen was probably more pink all along, but I dismissed it as being my bad eyes. However, the difference is unmistakable now that I have both my old laptop and this brand new one side by side.

 

I found some articles from 2013 with Windows 7 (I have 10) which say a cable is probably loose. Do you think that could be the only thing causing this to be pink? I don't want to take apart a brand new laptop, since I have never done this before. I really don't want to have to return the other laptop as well, but it seems I may have to if it is a loose cable.

 

Do you have any thoughts on a pink tinted screen?

[RKinner]

You might check that there are no color filters applied:  Settings, Ease of Access, Color Filters.  They should be off.

 

Also there is usually a vendor specific program for the graphics if you look under Start, All Programs.  I'd look for one from Intel and one from Nvidia

 

Don't think there is a separate cable for each color but if there is it is not going to be one you can fix.

 

You might try

 

https://www.eizo.be/monitor-test/

 

if one color is missing it will surely show up in their test.

[Keyboardclick]

There are no color filters applied. I ran through the test you posted the link for, and everything seems fine, the whites just look much pinker than my old laptop. I believe they look much pinker than the new identical laptop that I am getting ready to return, too, but I can't be sure. I will have to unpack it again and compare.

 

I did as you said and found programs for both graphics, where I can adjust the level of red used among other things. It seems like maybe the red tint is just because of a setting? I don't want to decide that and start messing with the settings when I am not sure. Could I possibly adjust the settings and hide a problem that will be a big problem later?

 

My thoughts now are to get the laptop I was going to return back out, compare the pinkness of the white side by side as I am this one with my old laptop, and see if the settings are the same.

 

What do you think?

 

Undersea cables sounds very interesting. Pretty funny how the sharks would chew through them! I can imagine a bunch of guys going to work on them in their scuba gear, fending off sharks determined to chew on the wires. You learn something new everyday

[RKinner]

I think it's worth the effort to unpack (and repack) the first laptop to make sure.  As far as adjustments go.  If it's just a little adjustment then probably not a problem but if you have to use most of the range of a control to make it like you want it then something is wrong.

[Keyboardclick]

I started up the other laptop again and compared them side by side. In Windows, Intel, and Nvidia all of the settings are the same between the two laptops. Again, these laptops are the same MSI model purchased at the same time. The laptop I was going to keep definitely has a more pink hue. It is not very pink, like perhaps it has a warmer setting or something. The only thing is that as I stated the settings are exactly the same.

 

I haven't tried adjusting the settings in the one yet, but what could cause a screen difference between two that should be the same? How can I tell which one is working properly, if one is not? I wonder if the one that looks more pink is more clear now, but I am really struggling to tell because my eyes are bad. Thus, I don't know which one looks "better", I can only tell that they look different. The one I was going to return looks more bluish like my old laptop.

 

What does this tell us? Anything?

[RKinner]

Best Answer

Probably just tells us that MSI has really poor quality control. You paid a lot of money for the things so if you are not happy send them back.

[Keyboardclick]

What a bummer, but about what I was thinking. I wish there was someway to find that out before I bought them. I was pretty confident that if MSI were taking short cuts, installing cheap hardware, along with having poor quality control that they would be out of business. I guess we can't count on that in this day and age.

 

Thanks for all of your help, I feel much better equipped to test out the next laptops I get to replace these. Hopefully I will have better luck.

 

Do you know of any brand you would recommend?

Edited by Keyboardclick, 22 May 2021 - 04:29 PM.