Screen flickering (solved)

[gus]

Hello,
I ‘m not sure but I think I have the same problem : I’ve got an X98 Plus Dual and on Windows after a few minutes the screen starts to flicker slightly.
I’ve found a solution : when the problem arrive I change the luminosity of the screen and the problem disappears!

And in Android the screen is not flickers…

[Gal]

No..I’m talking about a constant thing. I think all X98 Plus has it but probably most people don’t notice it..it bugs me a bit, but it’s far from a deal breaker. Its not a Windows issue because I see it even in the dual boot startup screen where you choose the OS.

[Gal]

I will check Android just in case tomorrow.

[Chris G]

Disable Intel display power savings in the Intel GFX options. It’s causing it.

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[Gal]

Hi Chris,

I tried to disable the Intel display power saving options but it didn’t help.

After checking Android, I found out that I don’t see it there..only in Windows.

I just recorded a video at 120 fps on my G2 to see if there is a difference  between the operating systems. What do you think?

my comparison video.

[Gal]

I think it shows that the refresh rate is slower in Windows but I wouldn’t mind other opinions (and suggestions on how to solve it).

 

BTW, attached is my driver details. Its an A5C8.  tried to update the driver with Intel update utility but when the installation starts I get a “this CPU is not supported ” error.

Attachments:

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[Vermillion]

I also turned off adaptive brightness in power plan settings, so far all good.

[Gal]

Vermillion, I tried it but it didn’t help ..  do you have the same driver as I have?

[Vermillion]

Driver 20.19.15.4331

Tablet A5C8

Same driver as you but my flickering was only intermittent and I noticed it more during browsing.

Seems fine now though.

[Gal]

The problem is that you could have the light flickering like I have and not notice it.. My wife can’t see it but I see it every time I move my eyes quickly from one spot n the screen to another.. It’s really minor issue but I don’t get it in Android so it makes me want to fix it more.

[Gal]

Update:

After installing a clean windows ISO , I had about 30 unknown devices in device manager, but also the screen did not flicker.  I installed driver for each of the devices and the moment I installed the Intel display drivers, surprise surprise, the flickering returned.  so, Chris, you were right. It is not a defect but the Intel drivers. Disabling power saving didn’t solve it though.. I checked another X98 plus and it is identical to mine so I guess that’s just how they come from the box. I already got used to it though and I guess most people won’t notice it anyway.. if I will find a way to fix it , ill update here for others who were ‘cursed’ with eyes like mine.

[vicuzoho]

Hey Gal,

I specifically registered on this forum so I can post in your thread. This flickering is caused by the backlight managing circuit called PWM. There are several ways to control backlight, but PWM is the cheapest. If you set the brightness to 100% then it will disappear, but then again, reading a book at maximum brightness is not a pleasant experience. You can read about PWM and why it’s so bad here: http://www.flatpanelshd.com/focus.php?subaction=showfull&id=1362457985

And here’s a comparison of a flicker free, non-PWM and a PWM controlled display: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlUHBQDlYgA

I’m guessing that until you install the Intel Display Driver, the brightness is set to 100% and as soon as you install it, the driver will decrease the display brightness according to the light sensor’s readings (a.k.a “auto brightness”).

And maybe on Android you didn’t use auto brightness and it was set to 100%.

Could you please verify for me that this is indeed the case by manually changing the brightness both on Windows and on Android and checking for flicker? I ask because I wanted to buy this tablet but I’ve seen in many YouTube videos that it flickers, and it’s a serious deal breaker for me, it causes eye strain for me and my eyes become all red and literally bloody.

Thanks in advance.

[Gal]

vicuzoho wrote:

Hey Gal, I specifically registered on this forum so I can post in your thread. This flickering is caused by the backlight managing circuit called PWM. There are several ways to control backlight, but PWM is the cheapest. If you set the brightness to 100% then it will disappear, but then again, reading a book at maximum brightness is not a pleasant experience. You can read about PWM and why it’s so bad here: http://www.flatpanelshd.com/focus.php?subaction=showfull&id=1362457985 And here’s a comparison of a flicker free, non-PWM and a PWM controlled display: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlUHBQDlYgA I’m guessing that until you install the Intel Display Driver, the brightness is set to 100% and as soon as you install it, the driver will decrease the display brightness according to the light sensor’s readings (a.k.a “auto brightness”). And maybe on Android you didn’t use auto brightness and it was set to 100%. Could you please verify for me that this is indeed the case by manually changing the brightness both on Windows and on Android and checking for flicker? I ask because I wanted to buy this tablet but I’ve seen in many YouTube videos that it flickers, and it’s a serious deal breaker for me, it causes eye strain for me and my eyes become all red and literally bloody. Thanks in advance.

 

I think you were spot on!

You described the symptoms exactly!

At least I know what it is now, thank you vicuzoho!

 

[Gal]

I didn’t check Android again but I think you should look for a different tablet because all signs point that the X98 Plus is using PWM. It’s  really not that bad and I don’t notice it when I’m looking at the screen, I just see it in certain times like when moving my eyes quickly on bright object in dark background (letters on the on screen keyboard) for example. I didn’t have eyes pain so far. You may be more sensitive that me though.

Again, thank you for your comment. No one seemed to know what it is and you clarified it for me, which also saved me future time on pointlessly trying to solve a unsolvable issue. Thanks.

I hope Chris will see this update too, its very important as it affects long reading sessions experience.

[vicuzoho]

Thank you very much for clarifying this issue. I knew this tablet for $200 sounded too good to be true. I guess I need to find another model, I just don’t know how many Chinese tablets use PWM. But if such a great tablet uses it, chances are the other manufacturers use it too.

Too bad, every spec of the tablet is very nice by the way.

Maybe I could use it with brightness set to max all the time, but reading in bed at such brightness might not be optimal on the long run…

[Author]

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