Laggy 4k Video (XPS 15 9520)

I have a thread going at Reddit with users that had issues with this and prior generations: (7) XPS 9520 With Laggy 4K Video : DellXPS (reddit.com).

I also did a ton of troubleshooting, including monitoring clocks and iGPU utilization stats using HWinfo.  I suspect you have the same problem (can follow the thread to see) since the i5 version I believe only has the iGPU, and deactivating HW acceleration means you are forcing the computer to use the CPU and since the issue lies with the iGPU, then that "fixes" the issue.

I also compared against a Lenovo Yoga 9 (with the i7-1185G7) and that one also shows much lower utilizations.

I tentatively have a solution - reinstalling the Dynamic Tuning Driver and the Innovation Platform Framework driver, working OK so far 16hrs straight so far.  Will update Reddit posting if I find it sticks beyond the 24 hr point.

I can confirm I have the same issue with my i5 version.

I'm having issue while playing back video recorder with my phone ( Mi 11 ultra ). 
I've also tried every player: from windows stock, VLC and also installed K-lite codec pack with MPC.

Using VLC with HW decode OFF "solves" the problem

I've updated the Dynamic Tuning Driver with no luck at all, will try to reinstall both of them and keep looking you reddit post.

Luckly this is my work's laptop and I don't look many video, but I would have returned the pc instantly if was mine, it's unacceptable for this tier 

I think this confirms that there is a problem with the iGPU (or a software problem involving the iGPU).  I can clearly see that, when the problem exists, the iGPU fails to boost and the Vid Decode and Vid Processing cores are running near 100% (see me thread here: (7) XPS 9520 With Laggy 4K Video : DellXPS (reddit.com).

I spoke to Dell support, they suggested a full system wipe and restore.  I did that, and the problem still comes back.  Reboots fix it for a few hours to a day or so, but it always comes back.  Next step is to get a hardware replacement, hopefully I get this replaced with a new unit given it is so new.

I have the i7 version and have the same issue. has anyone found any other fixes or should I be contacting dell support?

updating bio to new version from dell website from Jun 22 2022 has stopped the problem. I will post back here if the issues comes back. 

For me the problem still persisted after leaving the computer on for a day or so.  It seems the issue primarily happens after the computer stays on for a given period of time, so if you reboot daily or constantly move the laptop around, you may not see it.

I did a wipe and clean install, and still had the issue.  Installing Dell Power manager (not the My Dell app) appears to help so far, but in the end I opted for a replacement from Dell given the laptop was so new and since My Dell is supposed to be the replacement for Dell Power manager, so using the latter app is probably a temporary fix anyway).

Same problem, i9 with OLED. It laggs all system for me when i run video, sometimes even 1080p. I also think youtube is because of this default 360p? Tried quite a lot and no help... 

I have/had this same problem too. 9520 with i9. I've only had it for about three weeks now. The problem showed up randomly after my first two days of use. 4k video seemed to played at 0.5 speed although audio was at regular speed. Then I noticed that ALL video seemed to lag, even 480i. I tried LOTS of solutions, and what finally worked was to uninstall the display driver, and restart the computer. Problem solved... for a while. After a couple more weeks of usage, the problem reappeared. A simple uninstall of the driver and restart of the computer solved it again, but it seems like there's a bigger issue going on here.

All - I wiping the machine and starting new - it didn't fix the issue. 

Then I asked for a replacement, which arrived yesterday but is still showing the problem.  SO moving on to some other troubleshooting steps.

For me, it manifests after the computer has been on for 4-12 hrs straight (but not continuous use, it can be OK at night but then show up in the morning - I keep my computer plugged in and turned on).  Its very clearly a power issue where the Iris GPU stops going above 100MHz - see the reddit thread I started non the issue here: https://www.reddit.com/r/DellXPS/comments/vkkkhu/xps_9520_with_laggy_4k_video/

my XPS 9520 i7 had same problem and HW off in VLC fixed that. thanks

Not seeing any video playback problems here, however ...

If yall have a link to a specific 4K video (maybe a high-encode one that I can download and play locally) I would be glad to test it on my XPS-15_9520-i7 and my XPS-13_9310-i7 (also Intel Iris-Xe Graphics).

I can play with VLC if that exhibits the problem. 

I have a new i9 9520 with the same problem. It's inconsistent. Sometimes video runs perfectly, then on another occasion, there are serious lags. 'Been testing it on a video of a countdown clock and on this latest test it skipped 2 seconds' worth of frames. On the other hand, streaming from Netflix seems fine. I'm amazed that Dell hasn't acted on resolving this issue yet. There seem to be many users with the same video playback problem.

Hi,

Is there a case open with Dell support?

I have found exactly this problem on both the 9520s I've owned, from new.

I started a thread (https://www.dell.com/community/XPS/XPS-15-9520-stuttering-4K-video-and-Windows-animations-after/m-p/8255239), then found this one.

Presumably we are waiting for a fix in BIOS/Power Management/Intel iGPU drivers?

Its an intermittent issue, usually shows up after the computer has been idle for several hours.  When it does show up, its present on all graphical elements.  The UI slows down and stutters (although so minor you may not notice it - its like the difference between 60fps and 30fps).  All 4K video (anything on youtube) will stutter after a minute or two of playtime.

Best way to see if you have the issue is by opening the task manager and looking at your video decode and video processing on the iGPU.  You will see it much higher if the issue is present.  I posted links to HWInfo from when the issue is present to when its normal here: https://www.reddit.com/r/DellXPS/comments/vkkkhu/xps_9520_with_laggy_4k_video/

Again, its an intermittent issue, so is not present 100% of the time.  Usually comes up after the computer is idle for a long time (but not asleep).  Hence my conjecture that it has to do with a bug that is keeping the iGPU in a low power state.

VLC with hardware off is not the appropriate solution, as the hardware is supposed to work and works across other laptops.  Plus, hardware off just means other CPU tasks will slow down.