Highly unstable behaviour with NVIDIA RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

[StudioOedipus]

Hello Community,

I want to share some of the issues I have been confronted with, and I hope for someone or Adobe to clarify or bring some fixes to this.

It all started with the Scrubby Zoom functionality breaking on any documents, except the first one open. It happened mostly while using Photoshop on my laptop display, but not when using my external monitor.

To investigate, I got the latest Driver update from Nvidia via the Nvidia RTX Experience app, which offers another driver. But then things got even more complicated.

The behaviour is that Photoshop randomly recognizes my GPU, when it does not, it asks me to install a new driver. When I get the one from the Nvidia app, it bugs completely and does not recognize my GPU at all. 

I have uninstalled and switched between different drivers, and Photoshop versions (v25.11 and v25..9.1). But no clear patterns of a bug seem to emerge. 

I suspect a conflict between my discrete GPU and Intel graphic, but this is hard to pinpoint. There is an Intel Arc control app which is active, and I saw a video somewhere on Youtube, about a similar issue, that sometimes an app like this can break or interfere with the GPU. But that is all I can say about this.

On the Windows panel > System > Display > Graphics - it is all turned on to use the Nvidia only.

When the scrubby zoom was bugging disabling the Intel(R) UHD Graphics in the Device Manager will solve the problem. But it brought other issues while using the OS.

Configuration:
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 23H2
Installed on ‎17/‎03/‎2024
OS build 22631.4037
Serial number PF4M1N0N
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22700.1027.0
Intel UHD Graphics: 31.0.101.5590 (up-to-date)
NVIDIA RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU: R550 U8 (552.86) (up-to-date - this is not the driver that the Nvidia apps offer to download)

Looking for answers and help!

Thanks

[D Fosse]

Completely disable the Intel UHD 630, as per the instructions in section 6 & 7 here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/troubleshoot-gpu-graphics-card.html 

Dual GPUs tend to conflict. Photoshop (and ACR/Lightroom) use the GPU for actual data processing, and the result returned to the application for further processing. It's not a simple one-way downstream flow - it goes back and forth. There can only be one GPU in that equation. You can't send data to one GPU and get it back from the other.

[StudioOedipus]

Hello D Fosse,

Thanks for your quick reaction, unfortunately, the bug continues very randomly. 

I have done what you suggested, but the problem with disabling the Intel UHD is that my OS loses many display features. It's 'fine' while working on Photoshop, but very confusing when switching from other desktops to other applications... 

I have also forced the sniffer to look for the NVIDIA GPU, but the scrubby zoom still breaks when using Photoshop on my laptop screen.

It is either this problem or the GPU not being recognized, it seems to alternate between those two problems.
I just reinstalled Photoshop altogether, but the Scrubby Zoom is still buggy. At that point I don't know what to do, I think I have all of the latest drivers installed (except the RTX Experience App), and I highly suspect a confusion between Intel and Nvidia, but I can't tell if it comes from Photoshop or one of them.

Outside of that, all of the Adobe software runs properly, even Illustrator and its infamous CPU/GPU view, it works fine!

Shall I be waiting for an update? Or Shall I try to reinstall my Intel UHD drivers?

Thanks!

[StudioOedipus]

After some testing, it seems that the problem is coming from Photoshop not being able to select the NVIDIA GPU. 

Whenever this compatibility check window appears, if I disable my Intel UHD Graphic in the device panel, then I can launch Photoshop without problems. 

How can it be fixed?
Is it possible to force Photoshop to avoid the integrated graphics from Intel?

[D Fosse]

There is no way for an application to do that, but maybe in the Nvidia driver. Otherwise you have to disable it in the device manager.

There is absolutely no reason that disabling the integrated GPU should cripple basic OS functionality. The Nvidia is obviously much more powerful and can do everything required.

Unless, of course, the laptop manufacturer has re-engineered Windows and all drivers beyond recognition. Which I suppose is a possibility. I wish they'd just keep their hands off Windows. It causes no end of problems for users.