[ohgodplsno]

Got a Dell with an integrated GPU as well as a GTX1660. The laptop's display is hooked to the igpu, the HDMI to the GTX. Problems that have happened with Linux, in no particular order:

* Bumblebee/Optimus is a pain in the ass to install

* Performance on the second screen with Optimus is dreadful (sub 30Hz refresh rate)

* Being an NVidia card, I have the choice between Nouveau which can only put it into its low power state (which fucks me over when I need to use the Android emulator), or the proprietary nvidia ones which are, well, shit.

* Putting the laptop to sleep with an external display connected is a sure way to have it crash when it starts back up.

* Just kidding it doesn't actually go to sleep, the GPU stays on and runs like crazy.

I would _love_ to be running Debian on this machine. Sadly, the state of some things on Linux makes it impossible for me.

My emergency laptop, an 8 year old low end HP with a broken keyboard is still happily running along with Debian though.

[my123]

Don’t use Bumblebee anymore.

Use this instead:

https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/440.31/READ...

[my123]

Newer doc:

https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/465.19.01/R...

And https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/465.19.01/R... for power management, including turning off the GPU entirely when unused.

[ohgodplsno]

Oh I said Bumblebee/Optimus, but PRIME does not work properly either.

[gspr]

I have a very similar Dell. I'm not sure it fits your use case, but I just run on the Intel graphics with the nvidia one powered down and no nvidia drivers installed. The Intel card runs multi-monitor 4K desktop stuff smooth as silk (I use Wayland, but I checked X too).

Whenever I need to run CUDA stuff (my only use case for the nvidia GPU), I power it up, and pass it through to a VM that also runs Linux, but with the horrid nvidia stuff installed. Works like a charm.

[ohgodplsno]

I'd be curious to see your setup, purely because I have never found a way to have the iGPU handle the HDMI output. It seems it's directly soldered to the Nvidia card.

[gspr]

Strange. I thought that solution (output soldered onto the GeForce) was discontinued a long time ago for this range of machines. My setup works really well both with the HDMI output, with the Thunderbolt output, and of course with the laptop display.

I have this going on two very similar machines: A circa 2017 XPS 9560, and a circa 2020 XPS 7590. Both are 15". I don't have the 9560 near me at the moment, but the 7590 has

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation CoffeeLake-H GT2 [UHD Graphics 630]

01:00.0 3D controller: NVIDIA Corporation TU117M [GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile / Max-Q] (rev ff)

I'm happy to help you debug if you want. What happens if you remove all nvidia drivers and plug something into the HDMI port? Do you notice any response from the external screen if you hit for example control f2?