Solved! Intermittent screen flicker

qkjosh

Estimable
Feb 15, 2019
2
0
4,510
I've had an Asus N580V laptop for less than a year now, but about 3-4 months ago started seeing an issue crop up with screen flickering.
Sometimes the screen simply flickers to black for a moment, other times there are visual artifacts - bright horizontal lines on a dark screen, or rectangular portions of the screen that flicker into a sort of white noise / static pattern.
The flickering does not seem to be caused by opening/closing the lid, shaking of the laptop, or any pressure applied around the casing, screen bezel, etc.
I opened the back case and removed any dust with compressed air, but the issue is still there. It's very hard to pin down because it's relatively infrequent.
When I plug the laptop into another monitor via HDMI, the monitor doesn't exhibit the flickering, but the video and audio signal will cut out from time to time for a brief second, leading me to believe it's GPU related.
My only theories are 1) GPU overheating 2) GPU/inverter/backlight/some other hardware that's failing (although when it's not flickering, the display is fine).
That said, I've seen the flickering occur when CPU and GPU are only around 40 degrees Celsius, so the heat issue seems unlikely as well.

Any ideas before I resign myself to shipping it in to Asus? Thanks.
 
Solution
Have you tried running it in "Safe Mode" to see if it occurs then? While you can't do a lot in that mode, you can see if the screen issues continue. This should give you a better idea of if it is hardware or software that is the cause.

How to enter "Safe Mode", from within windows.

In Windows 8...

  1. Go to "PC Settings".
  2. Click "Update & recovery".
  3. Next click "Recovery", and then under "Advanced startup", click "Restart Now".
  4. Once the "Choose an Option" screen opens, click "Troubleshoot".
  5. Now click "Advanced Options", and then "Start-up Settings".
  6. Then click "Restart".
  7. The computer will restart, and load the "Startup Settings" screen.
  8. Here you will make your "Safe Mode" option choice. Your choices are:
...
Have you tried running it in "Safe Mode" to see if it occurs then? While you can't do a lot in that mode, you can see if the screen issues continue. This should give you a better idea of if it is hardware or software that is the cause.

How to enter "Safe Mode", from within windows.

In Windows 8...

  1. Go to "PC Settings".
  2. Click "Update & recovery".
  3. Next click "Recovery", and then under "Advanced startup", click "Restart Now".
  4. Once the "Choose an Option" screen opens, click "Troubleshoot".
  5. Now click "Advanced Options", and then "Start-up Settings".
  6. Then click "Restart".
  7. The computer will restart, and load the "Startup Settings" screen.
  8. Here you will make your "Safe Mode" option choice. Your choices are:

a. Press the "F4" key to Enable "Safe Mode".
(The computer will then start in "Safe Mode" with a minimal set of drivers and services.)

b. Press the "F5" key to Enable "Safe Mode" with Networking.
( Once "Safe Mode" with Networking starts, Windows is in Safe Mode, with additional network and services for accessing the Internet and other computers on your network.)

c. Press the "F6" key to Enable "Safe Mode" with Command Prompt.
(In "Safe Mode" with "Command Prompt" starts Windows in Safe Mode, with a Command Prompt window instead of the Windows interface. This option is mostly only used by IT professionals.)

  1. Now sign in to the computer with your account name and password. (If you have one set.)
  2. When you are finished troubleshooting, you can exit "Safe Mode" restarting your computer.


In Windows 10...

From Settings.

1. Press the "Windows logo key" + "I" on your keyboard to open "Settings". Should this not work, Click the "Start Button" in the lower-left corner of your screen, then select "Settings".

2. Click "Update & security" and then Recovery".

3. Under "Advanced startup", select "Restart now".

4. After your computer restarts, it will take you to the "Choose an option" screen. Here you will select "Troubleshoot" and then "Advanced options"

5. Then click "Startup Settings" and finally "Restart".

6. After your computer restarts, you will see a list of options. Select "4" or "F4" to start your in "Safe Mode". Or, if you will need to use the "Internet", select "5" or "F5" for "Safe Mode" with Networking.


From the Sign-In Screen.

1. Restart your computer.

2. When you get to the "sign-in screen", hold the "Shift key" down while you select "Power" and then "Restart".

3. After your computer restarts, it will go to the "Choose an option" screen. Here you will select "Troubleshoot" and then "Advanced options".

4. Then click "Startup Settings" and finally "Restart".

5. After your computer restarts, you will see a list of options. Select "4" or "F4" to start your in "Safe Mode". Or, if you will need to use the "Internet", select "5" or "F5" for "Safe Mode" with Networking.
 
Solution

qkjosh

Estimable
Feb 15, 2019
2
0
4,510
Sorry for the delay, been a busy week. I spent about half an hour in safe mode without the screen flickering, so it seems like something at the software level. Which is both reassuring (won't have to get parts replaced) but now I have to figure out what is messing with the graphics.
 
Try checking the computer well for viruses, malware, etc. Also in "Safe Mode" you would be using integrated graphics. So if you are using not using that normally, then it could still be hardware. If you don't find the cause soon, I would suggest you consider contacting the manufacturer. Better to get it resolved by them while under warranty, than to have it continue until the warranty runs out.