The Dell Precision 5690 is a 16 inch mobile workstation, and owners on Dell's community report a specific black screen: the screen goes dark at random while the computer keeps running and cannot be woken, with diagnostics finding nothing wrong. That matches Dell's own display guidance, which starts by checking whether it is the panel or the system. Press the Caps Lock key to see whether its light responds, and connect an external monitor over Thunderbolt: a picture shows the system is alive and the display path or the graphics driver is at fault. Press Windows key, Ctrl, Shift and B to restart the graphics driver. A hard reset, holding the power button for fifteen seconds, clears a stuck state.
The checks in more detail
The 5690 has a hybrid graphics design with an Intel GPU and an NVIDIA RTX GPU, so update both drivers from Dell's support page and, in Dell Optimizer or the NVIDIA control panel, check the graphics mode; owners solved some blackouts by updating the BIOS or switching the hybrid mode. Disable sleep or hybrid sleep for a test if the screen goes black only after waking.
A screen that is black at the Dell logo and with a working external display needs service. Because the Precision is a workstation, a hybrid-graphics blackout may also respond to setting the display output to the discrete GPU only in the BIOS or the NVIDIA control panel, which removes the switching between GPUs that can cause the drop, at the cost of battery life. Dell's community reports include this as an owner workaround to try before sending the laptop for service.
Differential
Likely causes of “Dell Precision 5690 screen is black, blank or flickering”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A graphics driver or hybrid mode fault
What separates it The screen goes black while the system runs
How to confirm Update the Intel and NVIDIA drivers and the BIOS, then test the graphics mode
- 2
A stuck power state
What separates it It cannot be woken
How to confirm Hold power for fifteen seconds
- 3
A wake-from-sleep issue
What separates it Black after waking
How to confirm Test with sleep off, and update the BIOS
- 4
An external display setting
What separates it The panel is dark with a monitor attached
How to confirm Windows key plus P, choose PC screen only
- 5
A panel or cable fault
What separates it The external display works, the panel does not
How to confirm Contact Dell service
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether Caps Lock responds when the screen is black
- Whether an external monitor works
- The BIOS version and the graphics driver versions
- When it happens: after sleep or at random
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedPress Caps Lock
ReversibleIf its light changes, the system is running.
Restart the graphics driver
ReversiblePress Windows, Ctrl, Shift and B.
Connect an external monitor
ReversibleUse a Thunderbolt port.
Hold power for fifteen seconds
ReversibleThen press power again.
Update the BIOS and graphics drivers
ReversibleFrom Dell's support page using the service tag.
Test with sleep off
ReversiblePower options: never sleep, to see whether the blackouts stop.
Try discrete-only graphics
ReversibleIn the NVIDIA control panel or BIOS, set the display to use the discrete GPU and watch for blackouts.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Hybrid graphics
- The 5690 pairs Intel and NVIDIA graphics, so both drivers matter.
- Dell Community
- Owners report black screens with nothing found in diagnostics.
- Hybrid switching
- Switching between GPUs can cause drops.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If an external monitor works and the panel stays black at the Dell logo, contact Dell for a panel check
- !If it blacks out repeatedly on current drivers and BIOS, open a Dell case with the service tag
- !A cracked panel needs repair
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
A Precision 5690 whose screen goes black while the computer runs.
Dell's display and video troubleshooting.
Repair troubleshooting for a Dell laptop with a black screen.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does my Precision 5690 screen go black while running?+
Owners report a graphics or wake problem; update the BIOS and drivers.
How do I know the laptop is still on?+
Caps Lock's light and an external monitor.
What is Windows, Ctrl, Shift, B?+
A graphics driver restart.
Where is the service tag?+
On the underside.
Does discrete-only mode help?+
Some owners say it does, at a battery cost.