I have a Dell G15 5515 Ryzen Edition with an RTX 3060. Windows is currently using the integrated AMD graphics, but the RTX 3060 doesn't appear under Display adapters, even after enabling hidden devices and scanning for hardware changes. I tried using DDU and reinstalling the drivers, but the NVIDIA installer says there is no NVIDIA GPU on the system. NVIDIA Control Panel also disappeared. I've installed the available Dell drivers and optional Windows updates without success. What should I check to get the RTX 3060 detected again?
3 Answers
Since Device Manager only lists the AMD integrated adapter and the NVIDIA installer says no compatible hardware is present, downloading drivers repeatedly probably won’t fix it. Confirm the laptop is plugged in, reset BIOS settings to their defaults, and check Dell’s support diagnostics for the RTX 3060. If the GPU is missing from BIOS or diagnostics after that, contact Dell because the discrete GPU or its power circuitry may have failed.
First check whether the RTX 3060 is detected outside Windows. Restart the laptop and press F12 repeatedly to open Dell’s boot menu, then run the built-in diagnostics. If the discrete GPU doesn’t appear there either, it may be a hardware problem rather than a driver problem. The reported video thermal sensor warning may also be worth mentioning to Dell support, although it doesn’t by itself prove the GPU has failed.
Look through the BIOS/UEFI settings for anything related to switchable graphics, hybrid graphics, or the discrete GPU. Some Dell models also have a graphics mode setting in Dell’s control software or a keyboard shortcut. Make sure the NVIDIA GPU hasn’t been disabled there, then load the latest BIOS and chipset drivers from Dell before trying the NVIDIA driver again.
Do you know which BIOS setting or Dell option controls this on the G15 5515? I’m not seeing an obvious NVIDIA option.
I ran the diagnostics. They reported that the video thermal sensor reading was 1°C lower than expected, along with a separate battery-related warning, but I’m still not sure what that means for the GPU.