Deep OEM "customization" has been a plague on laptops (and desktops... and Android...) for decades. Being able to get frigging driver updates won't fix that, but its a huge positive step.
Agree, especially when said OEM don't update their drivers. Had this problem with Samsung laptops several years ago. From this point on I checked if standard drivers could be installed before buying.
How does this fit in with linux? Kernel updates seem to handle improvements, including to the graphics. Is this really an Intel problem, or more of a Windows problem?
I have an Acer laptop that is a fairly high-end desktop replacement - 17", quad core CPU, 16GB, 256 GB SDD, etc. But, it has a graphics system called "Optimus" that unites a NVidia GPU with an integrated Intel graphics unit. The NVidia output gets piped through the Intel integrated processor to get to the screen.
It is seriously undersupported in Linux - mainly because NVidia refused to support the integration between their GPU and the Intel integrated GPU in their Linux drivers. I tried to live with it for years by installing community tweaks that were extremely touchy. Most Linux updates broke the graphics system and had me crawling through configuration files using the command line editors for a couple of days to get it working again.
I finally switched back to Windows full time a bit more than a year ago because the updates just work compared to my experience in Linux.
That said, I'm very hesitant about utilizing these new drivers. I'd like to see that others with Optimus laptops have successfully done so first. Intel and NVidia suck at cooperating with each other.
Samsung was teerrible. A family Samsung laptop had, amongst other things:
-A proprietary Intel driver -A proprietary brightness/volume/key function driver. There was literally no brightness control without it. -Pre installed RAMDrive software with a serious memory leak. -*Two* proprietary updater for all the drivers and bloatware.
I don't think I've ever seen an OEM customization I would consider an improvement. 20 services running in the background, trashy UIs in all the control panels, buggy drivers, unreliable software... it's a godsend when microsoft offers a driver that 'just works'.
I had an alienware with switchable graphics years before such thing existed natively. But it was indeed hampered by the fact that it was a pain to get new Geforce drivers and I just had to live with the old ones from time to time (Until Alienware threw in the towel and I couldn't upgrade anymore).
Dell XPS 13 requires the OEM driver, or you lose the brightness control on your laptop. I was troubleshooting a dim display and it took moving back to an OEM driver to resolve the issue. It may have since been fixed, but that was my experience.
The most annoying part about my Dell XPS 15, was the OEM drivers were forced installed via Windows Update. Even if I installed newer drivers, used registry entries, used group policy editor, it all never, ever, ever mattered. Windows Update would always ultimately, forcibly install the Dell OEM drivers. It may take a couple of days, it may even wait out a week. In the end, the OEM drivers overwrite the latest Intel drivers.
So, I'm glad Intel is finally taking this annoying thing out of OEM hands. With DCH, it never made sense to me that OEM "customizations" were allowed at all, at the core driver level. Finally, Intel is using DCH for something useful. Of course, this hasn't been a major problem with Nvidia since 2009... So Intel is a decade late, at least.
How many CPU generations back does this go? I've got an i5-6200U laptop that's hasn't seen a driver update since shortly after I got it.
Secondly, do AMD or NVidia have support for DCH laptop drivers yet? I'm debating a new laptop with a discrete GPU to replace my current one and would like to know if this's something I need to worry about there or not.
This UWP is a plague that has infected the Windows and x86, with this DCH garbage enforcement OEMs will screw up the Users machines and block every single possible modding or anything with the HW one buys. A tragedy to be honest.
M$ is not stopping it's bullshit crusade against the control of the user PC by even making the user bend to that crappy sandboxed garbage apps format and UWP DRM junk.
I've always been able to install the Windows driver manually, at least for my HD 4000 on the original Surface Pro. You can't use the .exe version, though - you have to download and extract the .zip and then update your driver through device manager. They even released an update this March (built in January), probably to address the graphics security issues around then.
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brucethemoose - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
Good!Deep OEM "customization" has been a plague on laptops (and desktops... and Android...) for decades. Being able to get frigging driver updates won't fix that, but its a huge positive step.
Irata - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
Agree, especially when said OEM don't update their drivers. Had this problem with Samsung laptops several years ago. From this point on I checked if standard drivers could be installed before buying.niva - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
How does this fit in with linux? Kernel updates seem to handle improvements, including to the graphics. Is this really an Intel problem, or more of a Windows problem?Remember, there are no stupid questions!
OutOfTheBox - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
I have an Acer laptop that is a fairly high-end desktop replacement - 17", quad core CPU, 16GB, 256 GB SDD, etc. But, it has a graphics system called "Optimus" that unites a NVidia GPU with an integrated Intel graphics unit. The NVidia output gets piped through the Intel integrated processor to get to the screen.It is seriously undersupported in Linux - mainly because NVidia refused to support the integration between their GPU and the Intel integrated GPU in their Linux drivers. I tried to live with it for years by installing community tweaks that were extremely touchy. Most Linux updates broke the graphics system and had me crawling through configuration files using the command line editors for a couple of days to get it working again.
I finally switched back to Windows full time a bit more than a year ago because the updates just work compared to my experience in Linux.
That said, I'm very hesitant about utilizing these new drivers. I'd like to see that others with Optimus laptops have successfully done so first. Intel and NVidia suck at cooperating with each other.
sandeep_r_89 - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
It's a Windows problem. On Linux you just have the open source upstream driver that is part of the kernel, libdrm, mesa etc. No special OEM nonsense.brucethemoose - Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - link
Samsung was teerrible. A family Samsung laptop had, amongst other things:-A proprietary Intel driver
-A proprietary brightness/volume/key function driver. There was literally no brightness control without it.
-Pre installed RAMDrive software with a serious memory leak.
-*Two* proprietary updater for all the drivers and bloatware.
So, I learned the same lesson.
cosmotic - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
I don't think I've ever seen an OEM customization I would consider an improvement. 20 services running in the background, trashy UIs in all the control panels, buggy drivers, unreliable software... it's a godsend when microsoft offers a driver that 'just works'.zepi - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
I had an alienware with switchable graphics years before such thing existed natively. But it was indeed hampered by the fact that it was a pain to get new Geforce drivers and I just had to live with the old ones from time to time (Until Alienware threw in the towel and I couldn't upgrade anymore).jeremyshaw - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
Typical of Intel, last to join the civilized world. Nvidia took ownership after 2009 and AMD did so last year as well.Only now, does Intel finally realize letting lazy OEMs restrict driver updates is a bad thing?
surajn007 - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
Does AMD have the same sort of lockingjeremyshaw - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
They used to not, then did after Ryzen, then finally took control (instead of relying on lazy OEMs) around Feb 2019 or so.For laptops, at least.
mervincm - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
Dell XPS 13 requires the OEM driver, or you lose the brightness control on your laptop. I was troubleshooting a dim display and it took moving back to an OEM driver to resolve the issue. It may have since been fixed, but that was my experience.jeremyshaw - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
The most annoying part about my Dell XPS 15, was the OEM drivers were forced installed via Windows Update. Even if I installed newer drivers, used registry entries, used group policy editor, it all never, ever, ever mattered. Windows Update would always ultimately, forcibly install the Dell OEM drivers. It may take a couple of days, it may even wait out a week. In the end, the OEM drivers overwrite the latest Intel drivers.So, I'm glad Intel is finally taking this annoying thing out of OEM hands. With DCH, it never made sense to me that OEM "customizations" were allowed at all, at the core driver level. Finally, Intel is using DCH for something useful. Of course, this hasn't been a major problem with Nvidia since 2009... So Intel is a decade late, at least.
Oxford Guy - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
Force-feeding people code, whether it's called an "update" or not, is hostile behavior.User-hostile behavior should not be tolerated.
yeeeeman - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
My HP and lenovo laptops don't suffer from this, so what OEMs did this exactly?DanNeely - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
How many CPU generations back does this go? I've got an i5-6200U laptop that's hasn't seen a driver update since shortly after I got it.Secondly, do AMD or NVidia have support for DCH laptop drivers yet? I'm debating a new laptop with a discrete GPU to replace my current one and would like to know if this's something I need to worry about there or not.
casperes1996 - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
For anyone suffering with AMD driver lockdown on Macs with Windows... bootcampdrivers.com.pivejasey - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - link
Intel graphics drivers had always been garbage, and refused to install without even telling the reason.Quantumz0d - Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - link
This UWP is a plague that has infected the Windows and x86, with this DCH garbage enforcement OEMs will screw up the Users machines and block every single possible modding or anything with the HW one buys. A tragedy to be honest.M$ is not stopping it's bullshit crusade against the control of the user PC by even making the user bend to that crappy sandboxed garbage apps format and UWP DRM junk.
brucethemoose - Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - link
UWP is great. In theory.In practice, its like Android where apps are virtually tied to the Windows Store, which is *not* great.
nils_ - Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - link
Boy am I glad I usually run Linux where the drivers come with the OS kernel.willis936 - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Ah yes linux for users. Instead you have to deal with display managers and audio drivers breaking on their own.Spunjji - Monday, May 4, 2020 - link
I'm always baffled by that sort of comment. "Linux just works*"*after six hours in the command line making it just work
GreenReaper - Sunday, May 10, 2020 - link
I've always been able to install the Windows driver manually, at least for my HD 4000 on the original Surface Pro. You can't use the .exe version, though - you have to download and extract the .zip and then update your driver through device manager. They even released an update this March (built in January), probably to address the graphics security issues around then.