Crashes to black screen on ROG Ally X

[nvera]

Several people have reported this issue on Reddit; I've encountered it myself as well.

I created this thread on the ROGAllyX subreddit to try and gather info, no one else has added to it yet but it also has links to all the other threads I've seen about this matter: https://www.reddit.com/r/ROGAllyX/comments/1eoch1d/rog_ally_x_black_screen_crashes_has_it_happened/

Wondering if anyone can shed any more light on the cause and/or workarounds, or if an upcoming update is going to sort it.

[nvera]

One user is reporting promising results so far from BIOS update 305.

[nvera]

Some users have now reported crashes even with the latest BIOS, MCU firmware and GPU driver. (I myself have not had any in a while now.)

Side note... the CAPTCHA on this forum seems to be set to excessively harsh settings... >_>

[nvera]

Latest news is that there seems to be an increase in conflicting feedback - one user will report "since doing X, I haven't had any more crashes" while another confirms still getting crashes after taking the same step. At the same time, there also seems to be a decrease in general in the number of people still reporting crashes.

This makes me wonder if there may be multiple different underlying causes, with the same end symptom. At some point I'll revise the Reddit post to distinguish between "solutions that did not help anyone" vs "solutions that seem to have helped some users but not others". As a quick reference - installing the missing drivers from AMD, disabling Modern Standby Assist, limiting TDP to lower values, disabling Rumble, and updating to BIOS 305 are the proposals that do seem to have helped at least some users. For me personally it was the AMD drivers - I haven't had a single crash since installing those (I have also tried the other steps here aside from "disable Rumble", but the AMD drivers was the earliest one I tried that I have had no crashes since doing).

[nvera]

There's a couple of new reports, with users experiencing crashes even with everything up to date + after trying the various troubleshooting steps listed in that topic. However, some users that have reported positive results from earlier suggestions haven't been back to say "oh it crashed again" so... yeah, I'm pretty confused.

And, I still haven't *personally* had a crash in a while so honestly... I don't know that I'm going to keep watching / updating this matter. Hopefully ASUS is looking into anything and will be forthcoming with information if anything is discovered. If it starts happening to me again, I'll likely just return the device and either go back to a traditional laptop or look at what other brands have to offer (if anyone else actually makes a device with more than 16GB RAM by then); even if the issue could be fixed, the way ASUS has been silent on what seems to be a fairly common issue, combined with the microSD fiasco on the earlier Ally, means I'll be a bit wary of buying again.

[Anbby_ROG]

Hi @nvera ,

Thank you for your efforts in addressing this issue. 
As previously mentioned, there are many factors that could contribute to crashes during gameplay. We will continue to monitor this issue and provide assistance on a case-by-case basis. Thank you 

[KingSlendy]

I've been having these same black screen crashes on Prince Of Persia The Lost Crown, specifically using Bazzite, not Windows, the first day I played the game didn't happen but then it started happening suddenly, I have everything up-to-date. Any news on the issue?

[Anbby_ROG]

Hi @KingSlendy ,

Since the native system for the ALLY X is Windows and no Linux-related drivers are provided, compatibility issues may occur in Linux, leading to abnormalities. 

Could you please test in Windows to see if any specific games encounter issues? Thank you.

[KingSlendy]

Hello @Anbby_ROG, I did sone testing and I most likely found out the core of my issue, and it's the sleep.

I noticed that the black screen wouldn't occur at all the first time I booted the device, no matter for how long I played. But as soon as I made the device enter sleep then the black screen would trigger after some time during gaming.

I stopped using sleep to test if my suspicions were correct, and so far I think they were, I haven't gotten the black screen crash at all in several hours of gaming.

In Windows I never had this issue but that's most likely because 1. I only game on Bazzite now and 2. I never put the device to sleep on Windows since it's known to be quite unreliable.

Will try testing if the same sleep issue occurs on Windows and will post an update if I encounter it

[Anbby_ROG]

Hi @KingSlendy ,

Thank you for your feedback. Please continue to test the situation while playing games in Windows. If the game continues to crash, please send me the following information via private message for further verification:

• Serial Number:
• BIOS Version:
• Windows Build Version: (Settings > System > About)
• Display Driver Version:
• Name of the game where the issue occurs:
• Are you connected to an external monitor or other devices?
• Have you replaced the SSD?
• Armoury Crate SE > Settings > General > About > Service Version > Check Button (Copy all contents):
• Is the ALLY connected to a power source? What is the fan mode setting?

Before starting the game, please enable the logging feature in Armoury Crate SE, and after the crash occurs, use the AsLogDumptool to capture the system log and provide the log file for further analysis. Thank you.

【This is the file path for the log file, provided for your reference.】
In Armory Crate SE, navigate to" Settings">"General" and check the "About" page. Click on "App Diagnostics tool" and select "Log Files" to bring up the Privacy Policy statement. Once the user agrees to the statement, Armory Crate will start collecting diagnostic logs. You can click on "Generate Log Data" to create an encrypted log file (ASUS log file).

[Anbby_ROG]

Hi @Flamebird @Adrianosk ,

Due to the need for your personal information.
I have sent you a message, please check✉. Thank you