Critical Power Management & Firmware Defect in the ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606WA)

[zirkaky]

Not sure where to post so i'll just leave this here

System Details:

Model: ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606WA)
Part Number: 90NB13M3-M001J0
CPU: AMD Ryzen™ AI 9 365
BIOS Version: 317

The laptop suffers firmware defect that prevents the hardware from idling correctly ( my guess ). This results in an abnormally high idle power draw, causing excessive heat and drastically reduced battery life under both Windows, Linux and even just idling in the BIOS !

Under a clean, fully updated Windows 11 installation, the system idles at ~8.4 watts with the screen at 25% brightness and keyboard backlight off.

Another major cue is the laptop overheating while idling in the BIOS unplugged ! (after 2min its warm, after 5 its hot) (its  generating more heat in the BIOS than in any OS)

While the main CPU cores and GPU are correctly entering their deep sleep states at idle, the Infinity Fabric (FCLK) and Memory Controller (UCLK) are failing to downclock to their lowest power state at idle (Both clocks have a minimum frequency floor of ~400 MHz) (Monitored with HWiNFO64)

Decompiling the DSDT table from BIOS 317 using the standard Intel iasl tool produces 201 compile-time Errors.
The Linux kernel log (dmesg) consistently reports ACPI BIOS Error (bug): AE_ALREADY_EXISTS for critical power management objects related to the GPP4 PCI Express port.

Powertop (under ArchLinux (with any kernel (linux-lts, linux, linux-mainline) report devices stuck at 100% usage despite the system idling.

16.5% Display backlight
23.5% CPU misc
23.5% CPU core
100.0% PCI Device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Strix Data Fabric; Function 3
100.0% PCI Device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Strix/Krackan/Strix Halo CCP/ASP
100.0% PCI Device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Strix [Radeon 880M / 890M]
100.0% PCI Device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SMBus Controller
100.0% PCI Device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Sensor Fusion Hub
100.0% PCI Device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Strix/Strix Halo Internal GPP Bridge to Bus [C:A]
100.0% PCI Device: Micron Technology Inc 2400 NVMe SSD (DRAM-less)
100.0% PCI Device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Strix/Strix Halo GPP Bridge
81.7% runtime-AMDI0010:02

Asus support is non-existant and i'm not sure an RMA would fix anything.

[zirkaky]

I can demonstrate that the hardware is physically capable of achieving a highly efficient, cool, and quiet idle state when the firmware manages it correctly !

* Observation

If the laptop is plugged-in and fully charged, it suddenly idle cold and has good battery life.
While its charging it want to melt itself but once its fully charged, everything is working normally.
Once fully charged, as long as it stay plugged-in, the laptop can be rebooted into a "working state" everytime.
The laptop can be unplugged when its fully charged and stay in its "working state" but at first reboot (unplugged) it want to melt again.

* The everyday broken state

If the laptop is cold started or restarted, WITHOUT BEING PLUGGED-IN AND FULLY CHARGED, it overheat for nothing and has no battery life.
Resulting Battery Estimate 6-7 hours while idling (and being hot).
Average Total System Power Draw of 6-7w, peaking around 12-13w.

* The "Workaround"

Keeping the laptop fully charged and plugged-in at all time make it work like a 2000$ "Premium" laptop.

* ASUS BIOS (plugged-in or not)

While idling in the BIOS, under "Temperature & Fan"; Temperature reach 78c with 5923RPM fan.

* Working State in Windows 11 (as reported by HWiNFO64)

Total System Power Draw: ~5.7 W
APU Package Power (PPT): ~2.4 W
CPU State: All CPU cores confirmed to C6 deep sleep state. Average effective clock ~33 MHz.
GPU State: Average effective clock ~18 MHz. Minimum effective clock reached 3.7 MHz.
Thermals & Fans: CPU Temperature: ~36°C. GPU Temperature: ~35°C. CPU Fan Speed: 0 RPM
Resulting Battery Estimate: 767 minutes (~12.7 hours)

* Working State in ArchLinux (kernel 6.15)

Total System Power Draw: 4.98 W (as reported by powertop)
Resulting Battery Estimate: ~15 hours

What now?

How to get Asus attention on this matter?
Their email customer support just wont reply and i dont feel explaining all this by phone to some level 1 support.

[Falcon2_ROG]

@zirkaky 
Since we have not tested the Linux system, I will focus on questions related to the issues under the Windows system.
Could you please provide the system version and OS build version you are using?
Is the charger you are using the one provided in the box when you purchased the laptop?
Regarding the " The everyday broken state" you mentioned, have you tried performing a system restore?
Sorry for any inconvenience it may be caused.

[zirkaky]

Hey, thanks for the reply !!

   BIOS Version: 317
   E.C. Version: F01540D2.329
   Windows Version: Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.4061
   AC Adapter: W23-065N2A (REV: A01)

Microsoft Windows, Windows Store, MyAsus, chipset drivers and ASUS System Control Interface v3 are all up-to-date and yes its the original charger.

I've downloaded everything i could from the Asus's Driver & Tools, everything is up to date.
Theres no missing drivers in Device Manager.

But we dont have to talk about any OS specifically, just idling in the BIOS is too much to ask. Fan spin nearly full blast, chassis get very hot and the the keyboard backlit just kind of pulse non-stop.

[zirkaky]

The "Defective State" (Default Behavior):

Total System Power Draw: ~8.4W to >13W at idle.
Resulting Battery Life: Poor (~5-6 hours at idle).
Thermals: Excessive heat, reaching 78°C with fans at ~6000 RPM while idle in the BIOS.
Keyboard backlit also pulse in BIOS.

Windows "Functional State" (11 24H2 Pro) (Achieved via Workaround)

Total System Power Draw: ~5.7 W (as reported by HWiNFO64)
APU Package Power (PPT): ~2.4 W
Resulting Battery Estimate: Approximately 12.7 hours (767 minutes)

Linux "Functional State" (ArchLinux) (Achieved via Workaround):

Total System Power Draw: 4.31 W.
APU Package Power (PPT): 2.07 W
Resulting Battery Estimate: Approximately 15 hours

The hardware does not seem faulty; it is capable of efficiency. The ASUS firmware looks like the sole point of failure.

I have an RMA open but for now I'll wait?.. for a firmware update? (RMA# CAA1T60360)

[Anbby_ROG]

Thank you for your reply. Regarding the higher temperature you experience when in the BIOS interface, this is because the BIOS does not have the full fan and power management capabilities like the operating system does.
Within the BIOS environment, the system cannot automatically adjust the fan speed or perform fine-grained power-saving controls on the hardware. As a result, the fan may run at higher speeds or fail to optimize cooling properly, causing the temperature to appear higher.
Once you enter the operating system, the system will use specialized drivers and management software to precisely control hardware operation and cooling, and the temperature will return to normal.
Regarding the keyboard backlight flickering you mentioned, could you please record a short video so we can further investigate? Thank you.

[zirkaky]

....

A good laptop idling in the BIOS should NOT be warm, mine is burning hot.

When the machine is off ( as cold as it can be), i boot straight to the BIOS and let it idle for about 10 minutes. After that 10minutes I cannot touch the underside of the laptop for an extended period of time (2-3seconds) because it BURNS my finger. The fan are overwhelmed, the chassis is physically burning and canot take anymore heat. The laptop just dont "appear" to be hot, IT IS BURNING HOT !

The laptop generate so much heat in a short period of time, at just idling in your BIOS screen, it just CANNOT be the expected behavior.

Are you confirming, that from the point of view of Asus,  what i just described is is a normal, accepeted and expected bevavior for a 2000+tax "Premium" laptop?

If you think its "normal", please tell it immediately. Ill stop wasting my time and try to sell this garbage ASAP.

And for any future buyers, i think you've been warned. Look elsewheres!

EDIT: I've let it idle in the BIOS for ~40minutes , when i came back the chassis is HOT. The desk is also hot. The BIOS report 85°C steady and CPU Fan Speed: 7000 RPM non-stop, tell me how thats acceptable?

I dont see the point of troubleshooting further inside Windows when the very core of the laptop is flawed.

[Anbby_ROG]

We understand your concerns, and we’d like to clarify: modern high-performance laptops — especially those equipped with discrete graphics and high-end processors — may still exhibit relatively high power consumption and temperature even when idling in the BIOS environment. This is due to the absence of advanced power management mechanisms such as intelligent fan control or dynamic voltage and frequency scaling.

If you observe CPU temperatures reaching 80–85°C and fan speeds up to 7000 RPM while idling in BIOS for a period of time, this can still be within the acceptable range, particularly in warmer environments or when placed on surfaces with limited ventilation.

That said, we truly value your experience. If you also notice abnormal temperatures or performance issues during actual use in Windows, we recommend taking the device to your local service center for further inspection.

Additionally, thank you for reaching out! As this forum is primarily focused on discussions related to ROG products, if you have any questions regarding Zenbook products and would like to start a discussion, please feel free to post on Zentalk at any time. Thank you for your understanding.