Question 6 bit Color Depth in ASUS FX505DU

[piyalkuet]

Hello,

This is to inform you that I recently bought ASUS TUF FX505DU with AMD Ryzen 7 3750H processor. It has Vega 10 graphics as internal and NVIDIA 1660Ti as gaming graphics.

Now I can see in the display settings that It is only 6bit Bit depth Color, not even 8 bit (Which is as usual on every laptop).

It has 1920*1080 32bit 120HZ enabled in display mode.

I have tried fresh windows 10 installation. without the AMD driver, its 8bit bit depth in advnaced display settings. But When AMD driver is installed, its automatically changed to 6 bit.

I have tried the Radeon settings, But it doesnt show any option to change the color depth.

I am hoping for a quick solution. As 6bit color depth is not so good looking

Thanks

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, perhaps the driver is detecting the panel, and it identifies as a 6-bit panel. Not really unusual for a gaming-oriented laptop.

 

[piyalkuet]

Well, perhaps the driver is detecting the panel, and it identifies as a 6-bit panel. Not really unusual for a gaming-oriented laptop.

Its IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate. how to proceed further?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Have you looked up the specs on your laptop? Does it give the panel specs (6-bit, 8-bit, 10-bit)? There are a lot of gaming-optimized panels that are, in fact, only 6-bit panels, most with FRC or dithering.

Surprisingly, Asus doesn't actually come out and say it's a 6-bit panel, I guess that they're ashamed to mention it. But they do mention only 45% NTSC color Gamut. Pretty bad, actually.

https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX505DY/specifications/

 

[VirtualLarry]

not even 8 bit (Which is as usual on every laptop).

BTW, that's not even remotely true.

 

[piyalkuet]

Have you looked up the specs on your laptop? Does it give the panel specs (6-bit, 8-bit, 10-bit)? There are a lot of gaming-optimized panels that are, in fact, only 6-bit panels, most with FRC or dithering.

Surprisingly, Asus doesn't actually come out and say it's a 6-bit panel, I guess that they're ashamed to mention it. But they do mention only 45% NTSC color Gamut. Pretty bad, actually.

https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX505DY/specifications/

So why does it show 8 bit and it was good when It was using the WIndows driver only. Then AMD driver from windows update, It becomes 6 bit.

 

[VirtualLarry]

So why does it show 8 bit and it was good when It was using the WIndows driver only. Then AMD driver from windows update, It becomes 6 bit.

Because the AMD driver knows how to use the display hardware, to probe the panel, and obtain the information that it's really a 6-bit panel? Whereas, the Windows driver just assumes?

You should be calling Asus right now and asking them.

But honestly, if you wanted really good color reproduction, you shouldn't have bought a "gaming" laptop. Especially not one with only 45% NTSC color gamut.

"Gaming" laptops and LCD panels, are all about fast refresh rates/frame rates. NOT about color reproduction, that a "Content Creation" laptop might focus on.

Caveat Emptor!

 

[VirtualLarry]

So why does it show 8 bit and it was good when It was using the WIndows driver only. Then AMD driver from windows update, It becomes 6 bit.

Wait, are you saying, that other than just the difference between the reporting of 8-bit versus 6-bit color, that there were actual color reproduction differences between the drivers? As in, the colors were more vibrant with the Microsoft driver? If that's true, then it could well be an AMD driver bug.

I've been going off the premise that this is just a driver-reporting issue, and the the color reproduction is the same under either driver set. If this is not true, then you may have run into a driver bug.

Also, try toggling the Refresh Rate in Advanced Display Properties under "Monitor" (or maybe it's labeled "Panel" on a laptop.)

If you kick it out of 120Hz mode, back down to 60Hz or 30Hz, does the color depth increase? It could be a monitor connection bandwidth issue, and kicking the refresh rate up to 120Hz, lowers the color depth necessarily.

 

[lopri]

AMD's driver is messed up. I get strange issues like OP's as well. To OP I suggest trying different driver versions. Clean install each time.

 

[lopri]

Also, are you using an HDMI cable? It seems like HDMI is what causes color issues often times. Try hooking up a Displayport cable or a DVI cable (even via an adapter). It may be the fastest solution regardless of the drivers.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Also, are you using an HDMI cable? It seems like HDMI is what causes color issues often times. Try hooking up a Displayport cable or a DVI cable (even via an adapter). It may be the fastest solution regardless of the drivers.

This is a laptop, with an internal panel...?

 

[lopri]

Oh haha. I missed it for sure! Back to the drivers, OP. Including NVIDIA's.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Honestly, OP, since you have AMD integrated, and Nvidia discrete graphics, you may be stuck using Asus' driver for that configuration. AMD's driver isn't going to support switch to the NV GPU, and likewise, the NV driver are not going to support your AMD iGPU.

 

[JustMe21]

I have the FX505DU but only the 60Hz Display and I've not had any problems with installing the regular AMD video drivers from AMD's site. Now, for the Nvidia Drivers, I had to install the Geforce Experience software for it to properly detect and install the video drivers and for proper power management of the 1660 Ti video card, otherwise battery life would only be about an hour instead of 4 hours. Also, be sure and download and install the AMD AM4 chipset drivers as well.

My 60Hz panel also shows it's 6-bit while my external monitor shows 8-bit, so it's most likely an E-IPS panel, which is what many vendors use to claim it is an IPS while having a lower production cost and given the lower cost of the FX505DU, I wouldn't doubt that it's an E-IPS panel.