Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous
2017-01-19T07:47:47+00:00

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:

  1. A video being played in browser 
  2. If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
  3. If I use the touchpad
  4. 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***

***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.***

Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen

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Anonymous
2018-05-11T17:59:00+00:00

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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  1. Anonymous
    2017-11-30T20:34:58+00:00

    HP Spectre x2

    There's a new model and older model(s), so the latest one.  Seems about equivalent to the 2017 SP4.  

    dude, first query on Google; look what I found: 

    https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Video-Display-and-Touch/Spectre-x2-12-Screen-Display-Flicker/td-p/5434665

    Damn, I'm so scared now - I'm not ready to lose an other fortune on a tablet PC

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-11-30T21:01:07+00:00

    so what would the SFP do then for an external display that didn't have an integrated frame buffer dedicated within the display?  I suppose it could then default to business as usual using the GPU RAM somehow.  That could explain why the external display doesn't have the issue.  It would be nice to get a confirmation from anyone that is willing / able to open theirs up and look for physical evidence of heat damage to the (apparently dedicated) frame buffer memory module.

    "Cooling design overlooked the dedicated frame buffer memory module because it's an unusual feature and it's overheating" seems like a very plausible story for all of this.  So can we do anything about it? 

    There's either a software implement that can improve the cooling for which MS can deliver a patch, but that still won't help anyone with an already damaged part.  Or there's not a software update to help cooling and any replaced part will also go bad, in which case MS should recall every SFP4, redesign it, and offer everyone a credit for a new model.

    Since MS has done nothing about this, my guess is they know the latter is their solution and they don't want to take the necessary beating and cost that will result.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-11-30T22:21:14+00:00

    The SP4 has two video framebuffers!

    The first one is the primary one, which is where the GPU writes the displayed screen image. This first framebuffer is also used when an external monitor is connected.

    The SP4's screen module has another, it's own framebuffer. This second one is updated by the first one when something in the first framebuffer has changed. 

    As the SP4's screen is continuous updated (60Hz) from the second framebuffer, the GPU can safely go into some sleep state to save energy when nothing changes on the screen. This is called 'Panel Self Refresh'. As soon as some program writes onto the screen, the GPU is becoming active, updates the first video framebuffer and sends it to the second screen framebuffer so you can see it.

    Any errors present in the second framebuffer, caused by heat damage, are then overwritten by correct values. That is the reason the flicker stops when you move the mouse or the seconds in the taskbar clock advance.

    I've looked at photo's of the backs of the screen modules of the SP4 and SP2017 on www.ifixit.com, and seen that both are different! This means that hopefully Microsoft was aware of our flicker problem and changed the design of the screen module of the newer SP2017. We need more info about the SP's screen panel modules and the position of the components on it.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-12-01T02:03:49+00:00

    a great lesson in sp4 framebuffers and

    we are so relieved that the new sp2017 has -- maybe and perhaps -- fixed the flaw!

    unfortunately, for many of us, it is a bit too late, too vague, too iffy...

    time to move on.

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