XPS 9550 + 4K panel screen flicker thread.

BIOS 1.2.16
Video_Driver_9HPCK_WN32_20.19.15.4483_A07 : FLICK !
Video_Driver_FK4F6_WN32_20.19.15.4454_A06 : not tested
Video_Driver_6XYJ4_WN32_20.19.15.4390_A05 : not tested
Video_Driver_PFWXP_WN32_20.19.15.4331_A04 : NO FLICK !
--> it's not a BIOS problem !!!

9550_Video_Driver_2MT60_WN32_10.18.13.5894_A03 : Dell PremierColor OK (no crash when click on the desktop icon)
Update from the NVIDIA software : Dell PremierColor not OK ! Rollback 9550_Video_Driver_2MT60_WN32_10.18.13.5894_A03, Dell PremierColor OK !

jojole08 from France.

 

It Is a BIOS problem as it still flickers like hell with 4331 for me.

 

Do you use the nVIDIA driver from Dell ? (with default config for nVIDIA and Intel graphics)

 

Just tested 4483 with 1.2.16 BIOS, it flickers! Rolled back to 4331 and all is fine again.

 

No, it is bugger all use to me as it doesn't run new games.

 

Your right, it's not a fix. After using it on a low brightness for several hours there is definitely an occasional flicker. It seems some flickers are hardly noticeable while others more obvious.

I'll inform Dell so they can reopen the ticket.

 

It would be nice PC manufacturers stops customizing hardware and software
It's not normal to have bugs by updating drivers from Intel / nVIDIA on machines equipped with chips of the same brands !!!
What's more, nVIDIA software (GeForce Experience) propose these updates for compatibility with the latest games !!! But if it brings bugs...
Sorry for my bad english

 

I just got my Dell XPS 15 9550 4K less than 1 week ago. The flickering was driving me crazy. I noticed it right away. To the point that I was going to return the computer figuring it was hardware defect that would bite me eventually. For me, it seemed to happen more frequently when I was on battery and I didn't notice it as much when I was on AC. Also, it was occurring every 5 seconds or so and LCD backlight brightness did not seem to impact the occurrence rate.

I'm on the 1.2.16 Bios. And I just rolled back to the "4331" Intel 530 HD driver and I don't want to speak too soon but I am no longer seeing the flicker. I know this is not a completely acceptable solution since I don't know what other fixes/features are in the newer 530 driver, but at least with the help of this forum, I'm not going to throw this laptop across the room.

It's actually a great laptop and I wanted to thank everyone out there that did all the testing and permutations of driver combinations to figure out something workable. You guys are way better than anything going on at Dell support. Thanks!!

 

A new BIOS 1.2.18 to address this was announced for "mid-December" at Dell support forum
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19999529

 

I never believe Dell reps any more.

 

Another solution would be to run the 1.2.0 BIOS if you want to use the latest Intel drivers. That's what i'm running and very minimal to no flicker.

Edit: I was on the phone with someone from Dell this past tuesday who knew about this issue and today i got an email saying there will be a new BIOS update next week which will fix this issue.

 

Did anyone tried the new Bios posted today? I cannot say what version it is because Dell is so stupid that they have 3 versions mentioned for the same file. The file name is XPS_9550_1.2.18.exe, title is 1.2.15 A16 and the file version from description says v1.2.17. Classic Dell ...

 

And I'm wondering what's behind "fix for FFS"?
FFS=Flux Flickering Speed ?

 

Had a feeling that the new BIOS will be coming out soon cuz when i checked dell's driver website last night it had no drivers on it so i knew something is going on... Installing 1.2.18 right now i dont think it will fix the issue as it also has x66 embeded controller (same as 1.2.16), hopefully i'm wrong.

 

I'll let you guys be the guinea pigs, I've already rolled back at least 5 times haha

 

I think they've finally done it... 10 mins on this bios (1.2.18) and haven't noticed any flickering. Dell finally accepted this was an issue and decided to fix it it.

 

Have you installed the latest Intel Driver ?

 

Yes. Running latest Nvidia (376.33) and Intel (15.45 Beta)

 

The difference between 0% and 10% is quite small but noticeable (since the "fix" for flickering in low brightness settings) on FHD panel, after upgrading BIOS to 1.2.18.

Edit: After upgrading BIOS i find that the Chrome window jittering problem (occured after Win10 Anniversary Update) recurs. I'm not sure when and what it was fixed by, but it does recur.

 

At least it shows a difference between 0 and 10% unlike the 1st abortion of a fix.

HOLY ****BALLS
NO FLICKER!

 

I take that back I just got one of the occasional flickers like I have with the 1.15 -1.20 BIOS, but still 90% better than any after that.

 

I've been running v1.2.14 with 4331 Intel drivers and haven't had any flickers so I'm hesitant to update. I'll wait until we get more feedback.

 

OMG, is this for real? 1.2.18 BIOS is released, finally the flickering is gone? It really made a difference between 0% and 10% brightness. I'm still waiting with my eyes wide open to see a flicker... hoping for none!!

 

Is this with the latest intel driver or with 4331?

 

I'm currently running latest Intel (21.20.16.4552 beta from Intel's site) and NVIDIA drivers (376.33). No visible flicker yet

 

Did you check black levels? I mean, that the dark scenes in video don't appear excessively blocky, and that the different black levels 17-25 are discernible (at least if you adjust gamma in Intel HD graphics Properties / Display / Color settings)
http://gonedigital.net/wp-content/uploads/AVStest-black.png

 

A quick question on the screen flicker, is it that people are seeing the flicker of the screen refreshing or is it that the screen is blacking on and off? I am having the issue where the screen is blacking out/blanking and it has progressively gotten worse. Originally I had no issue at all but I did do the updates from Dell's website and it is possible I got the issue that way.
I am still within my return period and so I am wondering if this is the known issue I am having or if it is something else.
Patrick

 

With mine it it like someones turned the brightness from it's default 18% to 0% and back in a couple of ms.

 

Well mine looks like it is switching resolutions, same kind of screen blinking.

 

That's more likely the intel graphics driver

 

Well I have swapped through multiple drivers will little success. As I said, I am considering exchanging it for a replacement with Best Buy where I am within my return period.

 

Go for it.

 

Just did an exchange in Best Buy, the new laptop has a much smoother touchpad and I believe it is a toshiba ssd vs the old machine had a hynix ssd. So far everything seems good. I am now a little nervous about allowing any updates from Dell lol.

 

No flicker with newest BIOS release - yes!!!

 

Word of advice, install the Toshiba driver for the SSD or you will get random BSOD, depending on the model you may need to force the driver install as Toshiba have not updated the driver to recognise the latest release of the SSD, read forhttp://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/dell-xps-15-9550-list-of-hardware-and-software-problems.784691/page-142#post-10351838m here for more info.

 

So from a quick look at that thread it links the ACHI driver at the start of the thread, the 9550 SATA is set to RAID in the bios, so that driver would only work if the bios was changed to ACHI which is only needed in non-windows applications, e.g. doing a system restore with Acronis etc.

 

Did the update to the latest BIOS and latest Intel Driver yesterday. Finaly Evil Corp. Removed the Flickering.
Whats next ?

 

I'm now on the latest 1.2.18 BIOS with the 4531 HD graphics driver and all is well, so far.

 

Noticed just one flicker on the second lowest brightness settings since 1.2.18 is out.
I can live with that.

 

All ok for me so far with 1.2.18 and the Intel vid driver.

 

What Intel driver are you using?

 

So is there a definitive screen flicker solution from Dell for 4K screens using more or less recent BIOS-drivers? I have tried BIOS version 1.2.18 and mine still flickers, had to revert to 1.2.0. I am using the latest available Intel HD drivers 15.4531.

A beautiful laptop, but this issue is really annoying me.

 

With the new BIOS and the Dell intel video drivers I am nearly flicker free. Still not 100% so I have an open refund offer but will see if they will swap for the new model before I commit to it.

 

Mine is okay like this, and was also okay earlier with 1.2.14 and downgrade to intel video .4331. I've seen several success reports, so I think it should work. Maybe you've got a different issue (though I'd doubt if 1.2.0 is okay)?
Are you sure that the 1.2.18 update succeded? When I ran the 1.2.18 update the first time, flicker was still there. Then I recalled the update made a reboot but no flashing took place, just a restart. So I ran it for the second time, then it did flash the BIOS.
Sth similar was going on with the WD15 dock firmware update (on top of this it said failed at the end, however claims to be the newer version now, no difference to be noticed).

 

I looked at the polls and I read through some pages of this thread. Is this like a super common problem or something that affects a minority? I mean if I get an XPS 15 with the IGZO screen, what are the chances that I would get the screen flicker issue? 50%? 10%? 90%?

 

I think the poll is no longer relevant, should be repeated for the last BIOS 1.2.18 where most reports say okay. Mind 4K displays were mostly okay also before a certain prior version which supposedly fixed a flicker issue on FHD displays (I updated then knowing I might get flicker - did it because of WD15 dock woes).
The main problem is that known issues get fixed very slowly, and that even new ones happen to appear along with fixes.
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19987459/20968217#20968217

 

I have this flicker issue as well even though my bios was updated to 1.2.18.
All my drivers we're up to date. Now my new problem is...when I've uninstalled my intel driver, I cannot access F2 or F12 anymore. All I can do is test the display (D+Power). I've read that this is a symptom of a bricked laptop. And there's a fix for it, but I could not find it...can someone point me to it?...thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Do it from a restart to make sure it is a clean boot

 

Thanks Gonzo...

 

Did it work?