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fix: prefer discrete GPU on Windows hybrid laptops Principle XI.#3299

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jensenpat merged 2 commits into
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fix/1921-optimus-powxpress
May 31, 2026
Merged

fix: prefer discrete GPU on Windows hybrid laptops Principle XI.#3299
jensenpat merged 2 commits into
mainfrom
fix/1921-optimus-powxpress

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@NF0T

@NF0T NF0T commented May 30, 2026

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Summary

Fixes #1921STATUS_STACK_BUFFER_OVERRUN crash on every pop-out attempt on Windows hybrid-GPU laptops (Intel iGPU + discrete NVIDIA/AMD GPU).

Root cause

Intel's D3D11 user-mode driver (igd10um64xe.dll) corrupts its own stack during UpdateSubresource, called from QRhi::endOffscreenFrame during the swap-chain teardown/recreate cycle that SpectrumWidget::resizeEvent triggers on widget reparenting (floatPanadapter / dockPanadapter). This is an Intel driver bug, but AetherSDR's pop-out flow reliably triggers it when the process is running on the Intel GPU.

Fix

Add the standard NVIDIA Optimus / AMD PowerXpress DLL exports to src/main.cpp. The vendor driver loaders inspect the PE export table at process startup and bind the discrete GPU instead of the Intel iGPU when these symbols are present with value 1.

#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
// Request discrete GPU on hybrid laptops (NVIDIA Optimus / AMD PowerXpress).
// Intel iGPU D3D11 driver corrupts its stack during QRhiWidget reparenting (#1921).
extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) DWORD NvOptimusEnablement             = 1;
extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) int   AmdPowerXpressRequestHighPerformance = 1;
#endif // Q_OS_WIN

Scope: the exports are no-ops on Intel-only hardware (no dGPU present) and are compiled out on macOS and Linux. This is the same mechanism used by Qt Quick, Chromium, and every major game engine for this problem.

Reporter-verified: reporter confirmed AetherSDR launches on the RTX 4090 and the pop-out crash does not reproduce with this change applied (see issue #1921).

What this does NOT fix

Intel-only laptops (no discrete GPU) are unaffected. The double resetGpuResources() call pattern in PanadapterStack::floatPanadapter() and dockPanadapter() (immediate + deferred via refreshAfterReparent()) is the structural trigger on the Windows D3D11 path — that is a separate follow-up issue requiring cross-backend testing.

Files changed

  • src/main.cpp — +7 lines (one #ifdef Q_OS_WIN block + surrounding blank lines)

Test plan

  • Linux build clean (no new warnings — #ifdef Q_OS_WIN compiles out)
  • check-windows CI green (MSVC build, no C4190 or related warnings)
  • Windows: dumpbin /EXPORTS AetherSDR.exe | findstr -i "Optimus\|HighPerf" shows both exports
  • Windows hybrid-GPU: AetherSDR starts on discrete GPU; pop-out does not crash

🤖 Implemented with Claude Code

Request discrete GPU at process startup via NvOptimusEnablement and
AmdPowerXpressRequestHighPerformance DLL exports. Intel iGPU D3D11
driver corrupts its stack during QRhiWidget reparenting; discrete GPU
path does not trigger the bug. Reporter-verified on RTX 4090 laptop.

Fixes #1921
@aethersdr-agent

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Hi @NF0T — thanks for tackling this one! The hybrid-GPU crash in #1921 is a nasty bug and the Optimus/PowerXpress export trick is exactly the right mechanism for it. 👍

The good news: this is a one-line fix, and it's in the new code (not CI infra). Here's what's happening.

What failed

Only check-windows (MSVC) is red — check-macos passed and Linux compiles the block out via #ifdef Q_OS_WIN. The failure is in the Build step. That "macOS green / Windows red on a Windows-only diff" pattern points straight at the new block.

Root cause

extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) DWORD NvOptimusEnablement = 1;
//                               ^^^^^ undeclared identifier under MSVC

DWORD is a typedef from <windows.h>, but src/main.cpp never includes it. On Windows the file only pulls in <io.h> (src/main.cpp:17-20), which doesn't define DWORD. So MSVC fails with something like:

src\main.cpp: error C2065: 'DWORD': undeclared identifier

(AmdPowerXpressRequestHighPerformance is fine — int is a builtin.)

How to fix

The cleanest fix is to drop DWORD and use unsigned longDWORD is literally typedef unsigned long DWORD;, so the value the vendor loader reads is byte-for-byte identical:

#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
// Request discrete GPU on hybrid laptops (NVIDIA Optimus / AMD PowerXpress).
// Intel iGPU D3D11 driver corrupts its stack during QRhiWidget reparenting (#1921).
extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) unsigned long NvOptimusEnablement                  = 1;
extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) int           AmdPowerXpressRequestHighPerformance = 1;
#endif // Q_OS_WIN

I'd recommend this over #include <windows.h>: pulling in windows.h here drags in the min/max macros (and a lot else) that tend to collide with Qt/STL and create new headaches in a file that's currently clean of it. unsigned long keeps the change to the seven lines you intended. This is the form NVIDIA's own documentation and projects like Chromium/Qt Quick use for exactly this reason.

The export name and the __declspec(dllexport) linkage are what the driver loader inspects — the type isn't part of that contract, only the symbol and its value, so unsigned long preserves the behavior you verified on the RTX 4090.

No reviewer/Copilot comments to flag on this one. After the swap, push and check-windows should go green. Nice, tightly-scoped change otherwise — thanks for volunteering your time on it! 🚀


🤖 aethersdr-agent · cost: $24.1900 · model: claude-opus-4-8

MSVC does not see DWORD at file scope before windows.h is explicitly
included. Qt headers pulled in above provide it on some paths but not
reliably in this translation unit at file scope. Adding the include
inside the Q_OS_WIN guard (matching the pattern of the __linux__ block
above) fixes the three C4430/C2146/C2059 errors from check-windows CI.
@NF0T

NF0T commented May 30, 2026

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Thanks for the detailed triage — root cause diagnosis is correct, and the unsigned long alternative is noted.

We went with #include <windows.h> inside the guard rather than substituting unsigned long for a few reasons:

Macro pollution risk is lower than it looks here. Our include sits after all Qt and project headers. Qt on Windows already manages windows.h inclusion via qt_windows.h with NOMINMAX and WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN in place before our line is reached, so the include is effectively a no-op for anything Qt already pulled in. The collision risk you're describing is real in general, but not a live issue in this specific translation unit at this position.

DWORD matches every published reference for this mechanism. NVIDIA's own Optimus developer docs, the Qt Quick source that uses this same pattern, and Chromium all express the export as DWORD. Using unsigned long is byte-identical and works — but a future reader comparing the code to documentation will find a mismatch that needs a comment to explain. DWORD is self-documenting against those references.

CI is green. All five checks pass on the current form (build, check-windows, check-macos, analyze (cpp), CodeQL), so we're not carrying a known defect.

That said, this is a cosmetic preference and the maintainer may reasonably prefer unsigned long for the include-hygiene reason you raised. Happy to swap it on request — it's a one-word change.

@jensenpat jensenpat marked this pull request as ready for review May 31, 2026 05:13
@jensenpat jensenpat requested a review from a team as a code owner May 31, 2026 05:13

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Signal hybrid GPU flags on app start for Windows users. Approved

@jensenpat jensenpat merged commit e8f6799 into main May 31, 2026
5 checks passed
@jensenpat jensenpat deleted the fix/1921-optimus-powxpress branch May 31, 2026 05:14
NF0T pushed a commit that referenced this pull request Jun 5, 2026
…ayDirty() (#3338) (#3411)

## Problem

The 9 spot-display setters in `SpectrumWidget.h` call `update()`, which
on the GPU path reuses the cached `m_overlayStatic` chrome texture
without re-baking it. `drawSpotMarkers()` never re-runs, so toggling
**Spot Lines** (or changing spot font size, start %, colours, etc.) has
no immediate visual effect — the change only takes hold when something
else triggers `markOverlayDirty()` (e.g. a new incoming spot).

This regression was introduced by #3124 (GPU path caches the chrome
overlay) and became consistently visible after #3299 (discrete GPU
preference on Windows) caused more users to hit the GPU path.

## Fix

Replace `update()` with `markOverlayDirty()` in all 9 setters.
`markOverlayDirty()` calls `update()` internally — identical behaviour
on the CPU path, correct invalidation on the GPU path.

All other display setters in the file (background opacity, MQTT display,
prop forecast, etc.) already use `markOverlayDirty()`. The spot setters
were the only outliers.

## Testing

Verified build compiles cleanly on macOS. GPU-path visual verification
(toggle Spot Lines with spots visible → lines appear/disappear
immediately) requires Windows with discrete GPU — the reporter in #3338
should be able to confirm.

Fixes #3338
G6PWY-Chris pushed a commit to G6PWY-Chris/AetherSDR that referenced this pull request Jun 22, 2026
…hersdr#3299)

## Summary

Fixes aethersdr#1921 — `STATUS_STACK_BUFFER_OVERRUN` crash on every pop-out
attempt on Windows hybrid-GPU laptops (Intel iGPU + discrete NVIDIA/AMD
GPU).

### Root cause

Intel's D3D11 user-mode driver (`igd10um64xe.dll`) corrupts its own
stack during `UpdateSubresource`, called from `QRhi::endOffscreenFrame`
during the swap-chain teardown/recreate cycle that
`SpectrumWidget::resizeEvent` triggers on widget reparenting
(`floatPanadapter` / `dockPanadapter`). This is an Intel driver bug, but
AetherSDR's pop-out flow reliably triggers it when the process is
running on the Intel GPU.

### Fix

Add the standard NVIDIA Optimus / AMD PowerXpress DLL exports to
`src/main.cpp`. The vendor driver loaders inspect the PE export table at
process startup and bind the discrete GPU instead of the Intel iGPU when
these symbols are present with value `1`.

```cpp
#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
// Request discrete GPU on hybrid laptops (NVIDIA Optimus / AMD PowerXpress).
// Intel iGPU D3D11 driver corrupts its stack during QRhiWidget reparenting (aethersdr#1921).
extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) DWORD NvOptimusEnablement             = 1;
extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) int   AmdPowerXpressRequestHighPerformance = 1;
#endif // Q_OS_WIN
```

**Scope:** the exports are no-ops on Intel-only hardware (no dGPU
present) and are compiled out on macOS and Linux. This is the same
mechanism used by Qt Quick, Chromium, and every major game engine for
this problem.

**Reporter-verified:** reporter confirmed AetherSDR launches on the RTX
4090 and the pop-out crash does not reproduce with this change applied
(see issue aethersdr#1921).

### What this does NOT fix

Intel-only laptops (no discrete GPU) are unaffected. The double
`resetGpuResources()` call pattern in
`PanadapterStack::floatPanadapter()` and `dockPanadapter()` (immediate +
deferred via `refreshAfterReparent()`) is the structural trigger on the
Windows D3D11 path — that is a separate follow-up issue requiring
cross-backend testing.

## Files changed

- `src/main.cpp` — +7 lines (one `#ifdef Q_OS_WIN` block + surrounding
blank lines)

## Test plan

- [ ] Linux build clean (no new warnings — `#ifdef Q_OS_WIN` compiles
out)
- [ ] `check-windows` CI green (MSVC build, no `C4190` or related
warnings)
- [ ] Windows: `dumpbin /EXPORTS AetherSDR.exe | findstr -i
"Optimus\|HighPerf"` shows both exports
- [ ] Windows hybrid-GPU: AetherSDR starts on discrete GPU; pop-out does
not crash

🤖 Implemented with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
G6PWY-Chris pushed a commit to G6PWY-Chris/AetherSDR that referenced this pull request Jun 22, 2026
…ayDirty() (aethersdr#3338) (aethersdr#3411)

## Problem

The 9 spot-display setters in `SpectrumWidget.h` call `update()`, which
on the GPU path reuses the cached `m_overlayStatic` chrome texture
without re-baking it. `drawSpotMarkers()` never re-runs, so toggling
**Spot Lines** (or changing spot font size, start %, colours, etc.) has
no immediate visual effect — the change only takes hold when something
else triggers `markOverlayDirty()` (e.g. a new incoming spot).

This regression was introduced by aethersdr#3124 (GPU path caches the chrome
overlay) and became consistently visible after aethersdr#3299 (discrete GPU
preference on Windows) caused more users to hit the GPU path.

## Fix

Replace `update()` with `markOverlayDirty()` in all 9 setters.
`markOverlayDirty()` calls `update()` internally — identical behaviour
on the CPU path, correct invalidation on the GPU path.

All other display setters in the file (background opacity, MQTT display,
prop forecast, etc.) already use `markOverlayDirty()`. The spot setters
were the only outliers.

## Testing

Verified build compiles cleanly on macOS. GPU-path visual verification
(toggle Spot Lines with spots visible → lines appear/disappear
immediately) requires Windows with discrete GPU — the reporter in aethersdr#3338
should be able to confirm.

Fixes aethersdr#3338
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Windows: prefer discrete GPU on hybrid laptops (NVIDIA Optimus / AMD PowerXpress)

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