Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous

Hi All,

Update: Flickergate is now having a forum to bring all affected users at a single platform to plan for resolvement of issue. Please join at

https://forum.flickergate.com

UPDATE: Check FlickerGate.com for videos of the problem and to submit your own.

I purchased SP4 device a few months ago and it was working fine for a month. Then I noticed that when the CPU is at its max, the screen flickers a bit. Investigating further revealed that it flickers even if it is setting idle. It does not flicker if at least one of the following thing is done:

A video being played in browser
If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
If I use the touchpad
If keyboard is used for typing

This resulted in making the device completely unusable while reading articles or ebooks. I am a developer, most of the time I have to read the code and to do that, I have to constantly keep a finger on the touch pad or the screen. I contacted surface support in October and November and was told that the developers are working on the patch. Looking at the updates the developers are pushing since then, I don't think anyone is even aware of the problem there.

My previous support ticket numbers are:

***deleted personally identifiable information***

Just wondering if anyone else had the same problem (and the fix) and if not, what's the procedure for the refund? I will rather go for a mac then sacrificing $2000+ for a dancing screen.

Kind Regards,

Abbas

***Personal information deleted by the moderator. Please see the Microsoft Community Frequently Asked Questions for more information on how you can protect your privacy.***

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Hey Everyone,

Creating the best products and experiences for our customers is our top priority.

We have heard your feedback and after careful examination, have determined that a small percentage of Surface Pro 4 devices are exhibiting a screen flicker that cannot be addressed with a firmware or driver update.

To support customers affected by this issue, we will replace eligible Surface Pro 4 devices for up to three years from the date of purchase, free of charge. If you believe your device is experiencing this issue, please visit our Surface Pro 4 screen flicker article for more details.

Bryan [MSFT]

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2,779 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-03-16T09:45:28+00:00

Hi Charline,

Tried:

Troubleshooter

Disabled Display Adapter

Restarted

Used 3 accounts

Changed Resolution

Nothing Helped. Its now a constant flicker.
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Anonymous

2017-03-16T09:47:14+00:00

Mine seems to get exaggerated with the heating. I haven't run any checks or benchmark but by touching the back I can relate the heat to the flickering. May different things are causing this problem on different devices
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Anonymous

2017-03-16T10:03:53+00:00

Perhaps try running that app HWiNFO app to see what temperatures you're running when you experience the issue. I'd be interested in seeing if you see different numbers or the same.

My device gets warm but I wouldn't say it is hot enough to make it obvious that it is the cause of the issue. The diagnostics suggest the device is running well within tolerances and as noted, when I reduce load and cool the device the issue is still there which seems a bit suspect. Though it is possible there is a specific area that doesn't have a sensor which is overheating and causing the issue.
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Anonymous

My flickering is not stopping since morning so I can't get senesors data for normal screen. I have attached a log file when I was running bluestack to push the processor

Date	Time	Virtual Memory Commited [MB]	Virtual Memory Available [MB]	Virtual Memory Load [%]	Physical Memory Used [MB]
16.3.2017	17:56.3	5284	13457	28.1	5160
16.3.2017	17:58.4	5276	13465	28.1	5152
16.3.2017	18:00.7	5283	13458	28.1	5155
16.3.2017	18:03.0	5306	13435	28.3	5174
16.3.2017	18:05.0	5341	13400	28.5	5211
16.3.2017	18:07.1	5300	13441	28.2	5174
16.3.2017	18:09.2	5296	13445	28.2	5169
16.3.2017	18:11.3	5282	13459	28.1	5154
16.3.2017	18:13.5	5290	13451	28.2	5162
16.3.2017	18:15.5	5283	13458	28.1	5157
16.3.2017	18:17.7	5282	13459	28.1	5155
Date	Time	Virtual Memory Commited [MB]	Virtual Memory Available [MB]	Virtual Memory Load [%]	Physical Memory Used [MB]

Physical Memory Available [MB]	Physical Memory Load [%]	Page File Usage [%]	Core #0 VID [V]	Core #1 VID [V]	Core #0 Clock [MHz]	Core #1 Clock [MHz]
11149	31.6	0	0.763	0.754	698.5	698.5
11157	31.5	0	0.754	0.763	698.5	698.5
11154	31.6	0	0.753	0.754	698.1	698.1
11135	31.7	0	0.764	0.763	698.6	698.6
11098	31.9	0	0.763	0.754	698.5	698.5
11135	31.7	0	0.754	0.753	698.3	698.3
11140	31.6	0	0.754	0.763	697.9	697.9
11155	31.6	0	0.763	0.754	698.5	698.5
11147	31.6	0	0.754	0.755	698.5	698.5
11153	31.6	0	0.763	0.763	698.1	698.1
11155	31.6	0	0.749	0.763	698.1	698.1
Physical Memory Available [MB]	Physical Memory Load [%]	Page File Usage [%]	Core #0 VID [V]	Core #1 VID [V]	Core #0 Clock [MHz]	Core #1 Clock [MHz]

Bus Clock [MHz]	Ring Clock [MHz]	System Agent Clock [MHz]	Core #0 Thread #0 Usage [%]	Core #0 Thread #1 Usage [%]	Core #1 Thread #0 Usage [%]	Core #1 Thread #1 Usage [%]	Max CPU/Thread Usage [%]	Total CPU Usage [%]	On-Demand Clock Modulation [%]	Core #0 Ratio [x]	Core #1 Ratio [x]	Uncore Ratio [x]
99.8	1796	798.2	70.8	73.8	74.6	76.1	76.1	73.8	100	7	7	18
99.8	898	798.2	68.6	61.9	61.1	67.9	68.6	64.9	100	7	7	9
99.7	897.6	797.8	63.9	70.6	72.1	77.4	77.4	71	100	7	7	9
99.8	898.2	798.4	91.4	90.7	95	95	95	93	100	7	7	9
99.8	798.2	798.2	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	7	7	8
99.8	897.8	798	89.7	91.9	86.8	88.3	91.9	89.2	100	7	7	9
99.7	1794.7	797.7	68.3	69.1	58.8	75.7	75.7	68	100	7	7	18
99.8	1796	798.2	62.6	61.9	61.9	66.4	66.4	63.2	100	7	7	18
99.8	898	798.2	68.1	74	67.4	73.3	74	70.7	100	7	7	9
99.7	1695.4	797.8	76.2	74	73.3	75.5	76.2	74.8	100	7	7	17
99.7	897.6	797.8	58.9	58.2	51.4	61.9	61.9	57.6	100	7	7	9
Bus Clock [MHz]	Ring Clock [MHz]	System Agent Clock [MHz]	Core #0 Thread #0 Usage [%]	Core #0 Thread #1 Usage [%]	Core #1 Thread #0 Usage [%]	Core #1 Thread #1 Usage [%]	Max CPU/Thread Usage [%]	Total CPU Usage [%]	On-Demand Clock Modulation [%]	Core #0 Ratio [x]	Core #1 Ratio [x]	Uncore Ratio [x]

Core #0 [°C]	Core #1 [°C]	Core #0 Distance to TjMAX [°C]	Core #1 Distance to TjMAX [°C]	Core Max [°C]	Core #0 Thermal Throttling [Yes/No]	Core #1 Thermal Throttling [Yes/No]	Core #0 Critical Temperature [Yes/No]	Core #1 Critical Temperature [Yes/No]	Core #0 Power Limit Exceeded [Yes/No]	Core #1 Power Limit Exceeded [Yes/No]	Package/Ring Thermal Throttling [Yes/No]	Package/Ring Critical Temperature [Yes/No]	Package/Ring Power Limit Exceeded [Yes/No]	CPU Package [°C]	CPU IA Cores [°C]	CPU GT Cores (Graphics) [°C]
55	55	45	45	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	55	57
55	55	45	45	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	56	55	56
55	55	45	45	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	55	57
55	56	45	44	56	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	56	57
55	55	45	45	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	55	57
55	55	45	45	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	55	57
55	55	45	45	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	55	57
55	55	45	45	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	55	57
55	56	45	44	56	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	56	55	56
55	55	45	45	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	55	57
55	54	45	46	55	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	57	55	57
Core #0 [°C]	Core #1 [°C]	Core #0 Distance to TjMAX [°C]	Core #1 Distance to TjMAX [°C]	Core Max [°C]	Core #0 Thermal Throttling [Yes/No]	Core #1 Thermal Throttling [Yes/No]	Core #0 Critical Temperature [Yes/No]	Core #1 Critical Temperature [Yes/No]	Core #0 Power Limit Exceeded [Yes/No]	Core #1 Power Limit Exceeded [Yes/No]	Package/Ring Thermal Throttling [Yes/No]	Package/Ring Critical Temperature [Yes/No]	Package/Ring Power Limit Exceeded [Yes/No]	CPU Package [°C]	CPU IA Cores [°C]	CPU GT Cores (Graphics) [°C]

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