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ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 - What could cause sporadic pixels lighting up and image errors?

j_lam
Level 7

Hello,

So I have had this 2021 G14 GA401QC with 5800HS and 3050 for a while.

When it is running on battery there are no issues at all. And most of the time it's on battery, as I use this just as a small mobile device when travelling.

But as soon as it is connected to the power plug it starts bringing up these image errors under windows. 

So when I am browsing whenever there is text on a webpage, there appear sporadically weird lines starting from the text.

And whenever the background is dark, like in browser dark mode, single pixels light up and when I move the mouse they disappear again or appear elsewhere. 

I know it sounds weird, but it is just super annoying to me. I even sent it back to my retailer and they sent it to Asus customer service and they returned it back to me without fixing it, which really annoys me. 

I tried everything regarding bios updates and drivers. My gut tells me that this is a hardware issue, as soon as there is more voltage flowing through the CPU and the internal graphics unit these erros start. 

Had no issues when trying some games with the RTX 3050 so far. So it seems to me that these glitches are related to the internal GPU?

Also tried  an external display and the same image errors appear there. So, is there any chance that this is somehow driver or software related or should I just return it once again to the retailer?

I cannot accept it like this, as it might just be first signs of the internal GPU failing and the pixels lighting up in dark mode drive me crazy. I mean it's not like there is that many of them and not even all the time. Just hard to tolerate.

I am just curious before I return it to be able to explain to them what could cause this? Might it be a faulty internal GPU-Unit of the Ryzen or maybe it is temperature related? As soon as I unplug the power cord, the image errors disappear. 

Thankful for any input!

Below just an example image of black lines appearing while surfing.
example1.jpg

 

 

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j_lam
Level 7

Ok, after the Asus Service was not helpful, I just ran out of patience and opened it up myself, as I was assuming a thermal problem, even though overall temperature did not seem excessive, there could have been hotspots. Anyway, just took this picture:

G14.jpg

I would say LM very well spread out, not. This center part, doesn't it almost look burnt? How would I proceed now? I could try to clean it and fix it myself, applying some new LM or thermal paste, but if it's alread broken I have taken these pictures, fault wasn't mine...

j_lam
Level 7

The cooler btw has the same black spot, not covered with LM

G14 (2).jpg

Anbby_ROG
Customer Service Agent

Hi @j_lam ,

Based on your description and the photo you provided, there doesn't appear to be a direct connection between the issue and the photo itself.
From the dismantling photo you provided,it appears that thermal paste may have leaked during the disassembly process (if it had already leaked prior to disassembly, there would likely be corresponding residue around the thermal sink, which may could result in a failure to boot).
Would you be able to privately message me your product serial number and repair number? This will allow us to verify your repair status and the issue you have raised.
Since thermal paste has leaked due to disassembly, we recommend that you temporarily stop using your laptop and send it to a repair center for assistance from an engineer.
Additionally, we would like to remind you that, according to the terms of the warranty, warranty services do not cover damages caused by self-disassembly. Thank you for your understanding.

j_lam
Level 7

Thank you for your response.

I know that you are obliged to respond in this way regarding warranty and so on.

My point wasn't the leaked liquid metal, but rather the void spot on the die itself. After cleaning it the die is clearly showing an darker area and corresponding also an darker area on the heat sink.

I've delidded CPUs and handled LM before, so I don't need no engineer for that, as the notebook is already reassembled and working as before (besides the image errors, which did not disappear, as the  possible damage to the CPU obviously happened before that).

Also my retailer handled this guarantee issue and sent it to Asus, so I have no repair number. All that I got as a text was "Problem fixed by reinstalling or resetting software".

But I received the notebook back with the same image errors as before, so there has been no thorough work done on it, as I reinstalled windows and drivers before myself anyway, which was unnecessary as this has to be an hardware issue.

These types of image errors just remind me of dedicated GPUs having VRAM problems and not something software related. Could be wrong, but as everything software wise is fine, this has to be faulty hardware.

I will just solve this with my retailer now, as I have been sold a not working product and got it back the same way after sending it in. Also I have been buying many, many Asus products in the past, so I'm not mad, I just want this to be fixed or I am getting my money back.

 

 

 

 

 

Anbby_ROG
Customer Service Agent

Hi @j_lam ,
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Regarding the issue of image errors, we still want to assist you in resolving this problem. 
Would you be willing to send me a private message with the laptop's serial number so that we can investigate if there were any overlooked factors during the repair process? Thank you.