Razor Blade 15 Periodical Black Screen | Razer Insider
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Hello.



I recently purchased a Razor Blade 15 RTX 2080 (*removed for security purposes). Now I have the problem that from time to time the screen gets black. Then I have to press the power button a few times so that I can log in again. Then I'm logged back into the system and can continue working from where the screen failed.



Do you have a suggestion for a solution to this problem?



Greetings, Manfred
Kidona
I got the black screen refresh occur once after my updates. I decided to enable Panel Self refresh on the intel driver whilst power is plugged in and so far going in to day 5 haven't had a black screen flickering yet. Hopefully it stays away permanently though so won't be jumping for joy just yet.




That's good to hear. I can't agree with you more. Please monitor the laptop for now. Feel free to update this thread or send me a PM.
Razer.SpeedCr0ss
I appreciate the workaround. Feel free to update us on the results. Don't hesitate to send a PM should you need additional assistance.




I got the black screen refresh occur once after my updates. I decided to enable Panel Self refresh on the intel driver whilst power is plugged in and so far going in to day 5 haven't had a black screen flickering yet. Hopefully it stays away permanently though so won't be jumping for joy just yet.
lucaslayf
I'm trying to install the latest Intel drivers for the 630 but I get an error saying I need the manufacturer's drivers instead. Anyone found a workaround? https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29426/Intel-Graphics-Windows-10-DCH-Drivers?product=126790 @Kidona




You have to disconnect from the internet first then go to device manager and uninstall the intel graphics driver. After reboot the driver won't auto update and you then should be able to install that intel drive.
I'm trying to install the latest Intel drivers for the 630 but I get an error saying I need the manufacturer's drivers instead. Anyone found a workaround? https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29426/Intel-Graphics-Windows-10-DCH-Drivers?product=126790 @Kidona
Sovoltron
I received an intel driver update for the display mid Jan and it fixed the black screen issues but now it is flickering black sometimes then goes away.





So the issue is worst now after the new windows update. It will flicker more often to the point it just cuts out to completed blackness. Back to putting it on sleep and waking it up......or just 60hz.



Razer please patch
Kidona
I'm currently experiencing the same issue with the Mid 2019 2080 Max Q. Randomly goes black and I have put the machine to sleep and back on again.



I've currently downloaded and installed the latest drivers from Intel's website. In order to install it you need to turn off the internet and go to device manager and uninstall the intel UHD 630 device under display adapters then reboot your machine. Once rebooted it will allow you to install the driver.



Still testing so fingers crossed the latest driver gets rid of the flickering to black.



https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/126790/Intel-UHD-Graphics-630




I appreciate the workaround. Feel free to update us on the results. Don't hesitate to send a PM should you need additional assistance.
I'm currently experiencing the same issue with the Mid 2019 2080 Max Q. Randomly goes black and I have to put the machine to sleep and back on again.



I've currently downloaded and installed the latest drivers from Intel's website. In order to install it you need to turn off the internet and go to device manager and uninstall the intel UHD 630 device under display adapters then reboot your machine. Once rebooted it will allow you to install the driver.



Still testing so fingers crossed the latest driver gets rid of the flickering to black.



https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/126790/Intel-UHD-Graphics-630
lucaslayf
I got a replacement Blade and also have the flickering problem.

Similar to what I had before, it happens more often after the computer comes back to sleep.

This time I don't have Synapse, Cortex or GeForce experience installed ... and still have the problem.




Hey @lucaslayf! Are you still experiencing the flickering issue? Have you contacted our Support Team regarding this? Please send me a PM. I'll pick it up from there.
I got a replacement Blade and also have the flickering problem.

Similar to what I had before, it happens more often after the computer comes back to sleep.

This time I don't have Synapse, Cortex or GeForce experience installed ... and still have the problem.
I received an intel driver update for the display mid Jan and it fixed the black screen issues but now it is flickering black sometimes then goes away.




Are you still having no issues @ThomasHedegaard ? I tried your steps and still have issues!

This is my second Razer Blade, this one came back from the RMA less than 24h ago 😞
Let me get the only good thing to say out of the way lest I be accused of being unfair. I purchased a 2019 Razer Blade 2070 max-q 240hz unit with RazerCare elite protection, experienced the screen blackout problem, submitted a repair ticket for this issue as this is all Razer has suggested to do, and eventually received a refurbished replacement unit which, at least so far, does not appear to have the same problem. Okay Razer I gave you your dues. Let's get to the rub.



Razer has no idea how to fix this issue, none, period. It is a blatant falsehood for them to imply "PM us, if we have your serial number we can fix this for you" to customers who are legitimately distressed about purchasing an expensive product that is defective. They don't know how to fix it, which is okay (technology is complex) but they should at least be up front here and on other threads and admit the problem and offer compensation or replacements for affected customers.



I went through all the proper channels to contact razer support, had countless phone calls with >45 minute hold times, thoroughly explained the issue, and eventually was told my laptop should be sent in for repair.



11/17/2019 - I send my laptop to razer's support center

11/25/2019 - I receive confirmation that they received it

11/27/2019 - I receive the laptop back, with a "burn in test" certificate



The laptop still had the black screen issue, so I emailed razer back asking them what was repaired on the machine, and they said the machine passed the burn in diagnostic test so nothing was replaced. That's right NOTHING was actually done to repair the machine. You would think common sense would dictate that if multiple customers are complaining about an issue, and a stress test can't detect it, then maybe there's something incomplete with the test. But I suppose this did not occur to Razer, they simply returned the machine unrepaired and hoped my issue would go away. I was furious and reopened my ticket with Razer support.



They apologized and escalated my ticket to Razer technical headquarters (and I guess my first repair went where??) and sent another RMA.



Dec. 3 2019 - I send my laptop off again

Dec. 9 2019 - They confirm receipt of the laptop

Between Dec. 9 and Dec. 20th I received almost no updates regarding the status of my repair. I called razer and eventually learned that the technical team could not replicate my issue and that they suggest the device be replaced.

Dec. 20 2019 - I get an email apologizing for the lack of communication

Between Dec. 20 and Dec. 31 I get a series of emails apologizing for the delays in delivering the replacement due to the holiday season.

Jan. 3 2020 - I get an email saying the warehouse is closed until January 6th, when it will reopen and my replacement will be processed.

Between Jan. 6 and Feb. 4th 2020 I sent and received 14 emails I think, with Razer's responses all variations of (Our sincerest apologies to informed you that we are still awaiting response from our warehouse team regarding the replacement that we have requested.)

Feb. 6 2020 - I finally received a refurbished replacement unit from Razer.



All told, it took almost 3 months and 2 separate repairs, the second repair taking over 2 months on its own, to resolve my issue. I have never experienced anything like this with any other laptop vendor. This was my first razer purchase and I can't help but be incredibly disappointed by their lack of transparency and their highly sub-par customer support, and will certainly not be a repeat customer. I am sorry for anyone else experiencing this issue, I just wanted to make the community aware of the process I went through to follow Razer's "please PM us" solution. We deserve better.
ThomasHedegaard
Let's get real here: Razer already got our money, so this issue doesn't need to be prioritized for them. They somehow just really like PMs, but not solutions...



But bitterness and agony aside(which is tough, when knowing they got > 3000$ from your pocket already), I've been one of the first people to reply on this issue [about random screen blackouts] last year, and I've experienced the issue ever since the beginning of using this laptop, and it's still an issue! HOWEVER: the last month I've been running 240hz without any issues!



How? --> force quit software related to Razer. That means, Cortex, Synapse, and whatever other stuff you might have from them.. Go to Intel settings, and set the Refresh Rate to 240. I haven't had any issues after doing this. PC is performing as good as it was before, of course. Razer software didn't really make a significant difference in this regard anyway.



And on a "funny" sidenote: Razer updated their Synapse app a while back, and it messed up the backlight keys, so I wasn't able to control the brightness of the backlight(except if I logged out and was in the windows log-in screen). But force quitting Synapse, all is working as expected again. 🤷



Here's a smiley --> :)




Hey ThomasHedegaard. Sorry to hear that your laptop is still experiencing the issue. Have you contacted our Support Team recently? Allow me to provide suggestive steps to isolate and resolve the issue. Please send me a PM together with your laptop's serial number or previous case number. I'll pick it up from there.
Let's get real here: Razer already got our money, so this issue doesn't need to be prioritized for them. They somehow just really like PMs, but not solutions...



But bitterness and agony aside(which is tough, when knowing they got > 3000$ from your pocket already), I've been one of the first people to reply on this issue [about random screen blackouts] last year, and I've experienced the issue ever since the beginning of using this laptop, and it's still an issue! HOWEVER: the last month I've been running 240hz without any issues!



How? --> force quit software related to Razer. That means, Cortex, Synapse, and whatever other stuff you might have from them.. Go to Intel settings, and set the Refresh Rate to 240. I haven't had any issues after doing this. PC is performing as good as it was before, of course. Razer software didn't really make a significant difference in this regard anyway.



And on a "funny" sidenote: Razer updated their Synapse app a while back, and it messed up the backlight keys, so I wasn't able to control the brightness of the backlight(except if I logged out and was in the windows log-in screen). But force quitting Synapse, all is working as expected again. 🤷



Here's a smiley --> 🙂
For people suffering with this issue, I've found a temporary workaround: if you never let the computer goes to sleep, I can use it without the problem. The drawback is that when I'm not using the laptop I have to either leave it on, or turn it off and turn it on again when I want to use it one more time.



It's annoying, but better than the mess it was before!

Razer: still waiting for you patch.
lucaslayf
Still having the same problem.

Used the computer for a couple of days at 60hz and haven't had any problems.

As soon as I turned it back to 240hz, 4 black screens in 5 minutes.




Hi there! I've replied to your PM. Let's continue from there.
Still having the same problem.

Used the computer for a couple of days at 60hz and haven't had any problems.

As soon as I turned it back to 240hz, 4 black screens in 5 minutes.
I also have this problem but unfortunately it is not letting me send PMs 😞
lucaslayf
Razer support has now gone silent for more than a week regarding my questions / trying to troubleshoot this issue.

It's a shame the company decides the best way to handle this is to go silent :/




Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay. Your posts didn't go unnoticed. This thread is monitored and the Support Team is working on the escalated cases. Also, apologies if I can't provide you with the exact fix. I prefer to conduct isolation steps first then create a ticket and raise it if it's unresolved. Feel free to send me a PM should you need additional assistance.
Razer support has now gone silent for more than a week regarding my questions / trying to troubleshoot this issue.

It's a shame the company decides the best way to handle this is to go silent 😕
Update to my previous post about not encountering the issue when using Linux. Did a fresh install of Pop!_OS 19.10, fully updated and set it to Intel only mode. The issue is more pronounced by happening almost immediately when coming from sleep, the Settings menu will not open so the refresh rate cannot be changed, and when the issue occurs it forces the computer to sleep.



There's ~15 second window between waking, entering password, and having the issue occur. It does seem like it has something to do with Intel + BIOS since this did not happen previously when using Hybrid or Dedicated GPU mode.



Razer, please fix this or at the very least provide some indication that this is on your radar. I shouldn't be needing to run the troubleshooting gamut on a ~$3k product.
It might be placebo, but having Cortex and Synapse open seems to prevent the issue from happening as often as it does otherwise.
Now my fan started to make a rattling noise ...

I can't believe all this is happening within 30 days
Honestly I'm a bit frustrated. I communicate with Razer Support from day 2 of my problem. They keep asking "general" questions (like what is your OS version, what is your BIOS version etc.).



To me it's clear -- they have no solution at this point and are trying to delay as much as possible. I prefer "we are aware of the problem and we are working hard on finding a solution, stay tuned" kind of answer.



I also come from the Apple world. I understand hardware and engineers are not perfect. This is completely normal (even if it's $2000+ worth of normal).

I personally have the top model with 2080 Max-Q design. It was a bunch of money.



I (and everyone here) just expect proper treatment as a customers - not dust in the eyes.



If I know that Razer are currently working hard on a solution that would be a good start.
That's great you found a way to mitigate the damange!

It's a shame Razer isn't being more helpful on this issue.

I can't return the computer to the shop I bought it from anymore, so now I have to depend on Razer's mercy.

It's a shame, I'm coming from a Mac and about to buy peripherals and even though it would be great to go all Razer for Synapse, I don't trust them anymore with this kind of support we are (not) receiving