Overall Functionality Issues with HP Spectre

[jamurph10]

I have been having a lot of issues with my HP Spectre (basic stats Intel i7 w/Arc A370M GPU, 2TB SSD, 16 GB RAM). I'm an engineering student, and I need to use SolidWorks CAD modelling software for my course of study. For several months Solidworks ran so slowly that it was completely unusable (even though I had friends with less powerful laptops that ran it just fine). Eventually I noticed that it wasn't using the integrated GPU, and after trying all kinds of updates and configurations, I found that the only way to get the computer to use the dedicated GPU for anything was to completely disable Intel Iris Xe Graphics. Now Solidworks runs fine but everything else has been breaking. First, the computer default zoom shifted outwards by a huge margin. Scale/zoom settings had to be adjusted to %400 to make the screen look normal again. Now the computer seems to be crashing a lot. For awhile, OneNote would start utilizing 8GB of RAM and then the program (or sometimes the entire machine) would crash. This happened after closing all other applications and using smaller notebooks. Eventually, I was able to fix this, but now the computer cannot run any video games of any kind. Does anyone know what is going wrong or how it may be fixed?

Edit: I'm trying to use the forum because HP Customer support seems to be almost entirely unreachable.

[Raj_05]

Hi @jamurph10,

Welcome to HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you've encountered several issues with your HP Spectre laptop, especially after making adjustments to the GPU settings. Let's address each problem separately.

SolidWorks Performance:

• It's good that you found a workaround for SolidWorks by disabling the integrated GPU. However, this is not an ideal solution as it affects other aspects of your system's functionality.

Default Zoom and Display Issues:

• The shift in default zoom and display issues may be related to the changes made in GPU settings. To resolve this, you might want to try resetting the display settings to their default values.
• Check for driver updates for both the dedicated GPU and the integrated GPU. Ensure that you are using the latest drivers compatible with your system.

Crashes and High RAM Usage in OneNote:

• The issues with OneNote crashing and high RAM usage might be related to software conflicts or outdated drivers. Make sure OneNote is updated to the latest version.
• Check for Windows updates and ensure your operating system is fully up to date.
• Monitor the Task Manager for any other processes or applications consuming excessive resources.

Inability to Run Video Games:

• If you're unable to run video games after the GPU adjustments, it's possible that these changes are affecting the overall graphics performance. Consider re-enabling the integrated GPU and ensuring that both GPUs are working together seamlessly.
• Verify that the video game settings are configured to use the dedicated GPU.

Here are steps you can follow to troubleshoot and resolve these issues.

• a. GPU Settings: - Re-enable the integrated GPU and set the preferred GPU for each application in the NVIDIA or AMD control panel (depending on your dedicated GPU). - Ensure that the GPU drivers for both the integrated and dedicated GPUs are up to date.
• b. Display Settings: - Reset display settings to default. - Adjust scaling and zoom settings to recommended values.
• c. System Stability: - Run Windows Update to ensure your operating system is updated. - Update all drivers, including graphics drivers, to the latest versions.
• d. Game Performance: - Configure your video games to use the dedicated GPU. - Check the system requirements for the games to ensure compatibility.

I hope this helps. 
 

Take care and have a good day.

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Alden4
HP Support