How can I connect a laptop to an external monitor without lag an515-57. ?

Harry01
Harry01 Member Posts: 17 Troubleshooter
edited August 2022 in Monitors
Hi,

I just bought the Acer Aspire Nitro 5 and was hoping to connect it to my tv to play games. Unfortunately I have found that there is quite noticeable delay connecting via HDMI. I tried duplicating display, making the second screen the only screen but not a very satisfactory playing experience. Is the fix to just buy some external monitor or some more modern tv which would support this connection.

I remember I used to have this problem ages ago with the old acer aspire and playing films from prime from laptop to the tv. There would be terrible lag and I never found a fix. Can't seem to find any helpful articles on this online.



{ edited the title to add model name ]

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,081 Trailblazer
    edited August 2022
    Depending on the model, the HDMI port may only be using the integrated GPU, not the discrete nvidia or radeon GPU . Might be possible to force it to use the discrete GPU.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Harry01
    Harry01 Member Posts: 17 Troubleshooter
    the model is an515-57. Can't find any setting to do this.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,081 Trailblazer
    This model should support the discrete mshybrid GPU that allows it to use the HDMI 2.1 port automatically. It may also now be possible to manually set it by following the NitroSense instructions in this link. even though the AN515-57 isn't listed yet. If it doesn't work, then try downloading and installing the updated NitroSense apps for this model at this link.




    Jack E/NJ

  • Harry01
    Harry01 Member Posts: 17 Troubleshooter
    Thanks for the response. You aren't able to change this setting in the advanced display settings in the bios. It has two intel there. Intel dtx and intel something else. I updated Nitrosense and there is no option to set to discrete GPU. Why would this help or effect the linked connection via HDMI? Thanks

    Does it help if I get a faster HDMI cable? Noticed they have different speed ones. 
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,081 Trailblazer
    >>> Why would this help or effect the linked connection via HDMI? Thanks>>>Does it help if I get a faster HDMI cable? Noticed they have different speed ones.  >>>

    It would help because the discrete nvidia GPU chip in your laptop is more capable of delivering high speed video output to the HDMI port than the Intel integrated GPU also in your laptop. You can try the higher speed cable but I doubt it will make much difference unless the games or apps that you're playing automatically switch from the Intel GPU to the nvidia GPU.

    At this point, all you can do is to keep checking the MUX link  for updates for your an515-57 to be able to manually force the nvidia GPU to feed video output to the HDMI port when the games or apps aren't automatically doing this.
     

    Jack E/NJ

  • Harry01
    Harry01 Member Posts: 17 Troubleshooter
    Hi, I thought you said that they should be doing this automatically with this model? In reviews of this model it says the GPU is linked directly to the HDMI as you said. 


  • Harry01
    Harry01 Member Posts: 17 Troubleshooter
    I am not following. If there is no mux switch on this model then there can be no updates to check for. Why do you think that updating will do anything? an515-57 doesn't have a mux switch to the best of my knowledge and the lack of this option in the bios or on nitro sense reflects this. 
     
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,081 Trailblazer
    Yes, the HDMI port is directly shared by both the integrated GPU and the discrete GPU. But not simultaneously. In other words, both are linked directly to the HDMI port, but only one GPU can feed the video signal to the HDMI port at a time. .

    The integrated GPU is usually default on startup. If a game or other app detects the discrete GPU, it might automatically switch the HDMI port input from the integrated GPU to the discrete GPU. But again, both GPUs cannot feed the port at the same time.

    The MUX switch would not be a physical switch. It is an option already built into the BIOS chip hardware but may not be available to the user in the BIOS menu due to the BIOS firmware programming.  That's why I said that a future firmware update might have this MUX option available to allow  the user to manually switch the HDMI port like games do automatically. Right now the BIOS firmware does not show the MUX switch capability in the BIOS menu.

    Jack E/NJ

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