Dropbox preventing GPU to switch display mode

[Jharn]

Hello

I have a gaming laptop with a discrete RTX 3070 GPU.

Nvidia control center manages the switching of the display to the integrated or the discrete GPU, depending on the needs.

It should switch to the discrete GPU when launching a game and switch back to the integrated graphics when the game is closed to save on power consumption.

This works well, except when the Dropbox app is running.

I get an error message when launching any game stating that the Nvidia container was unable to switch the display mode due to Dropbox.

Is there any way to fix this issue besides closing down the app (which instantly resolves the issue!)?

I prefer to keep Dropbox active at all times, but this issue is preventing this.

Thanks for your help!

[Megan]

Hi @Jharn, let's jump right into this! 

Have you checked to make sure you're using the stable version of the Dropbox app?

Here is how you can check: Locate your Dropbox icon, next to your WiFi and hover your mouse over there. That should give you a number. Can you share that with me?

Also, when did you first notice this behavior? 

Keep me posted, and we'll take it from there!

[Jharn]

Thank you for your reply! Yes sure, I have version 160.3.4611 installed at this time.

I noticed this behavior right away when I purchased this brand new laptop 1 week ago.

I have installed and updated all drivers & Windows updates at this point as well.

Looking forward to your suggestions!

[Walter]

Hey @Jharn - sorry to jump in, but I just wanted to mention that our latest, stable version of the desktop app is 159.4.5870. You seem to be running a beta version at the moment. 

Could you check if you notice this behavior on the stable version as well? 

You can download it from this page. Just make sure to toggle off the 'early releases' switch from your account's settings online beforehand. 

[Jharn]

Hello!

I installed the version that you mentioned, but sadly it has the exact same effect.

On a side note:

The 'early releases switch' was already turned off in my settings and I installed the Dropbox application from the main Dropbox.com site (which installed that 160.3.4611 version. I didn't specifically go for any beta version (maybe this just became the next stable build yesterday or something?).

[Megan]

Hi @Jharn, just to clarify, which version do you have installed on the device at the moment?

Also, feel free to have a look into this Help Center article, in regards to high CPU usage, and make sure you've excluded all possible factors. 

[Jharn]

Hi

I tried with both the versions 159.4.5870 (as Walter suggested) and 160.3.4611 (which is installed by clicking 'download app' on the dropbox homepage).

The problem persists in both versions.

I also checked the Help Center page you suggested, but this doesn't really fix anything related to the problem I'm having.

My problem has something to do with Dropbox using the GPU to render some things and not allowing to switch the GPU while running the app.

[Walter]

Hey @Jharn, happy Monday and sorry for the late reply.

If you're still having issues with this, would it be OK if we reached out via email to investigate further? 

[Jharn]

Hello

Yes, certainly! Thank you.

[Nancy]

Hi @Jharn, I hope you’re doing well!

I’ve just logged a ticket for you, so that we can check this further. 

Cheers.