Understanding and Troubleshooting Black Screen and BSODs on ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA506IU Post-Impact
Introduction
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA506IU is a popular gaming laptop known for its robust performance and durability. However, recent reports indicate that after a physical impact—specifically a drop caused by a dropped phone—users may experience system instability characterized by black screens and Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors under combined CPU and GPU load. This article aims to explore these issues in detail, provide insights based on a recent user experience, and suggest potential troubleshooting steps for affected users.
Case Overview
System Specifications
- Model: ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA506IU
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home Single Language (64-bit)
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 4900H (8 cores / 16 threads, 3.3 GHz)
- Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics and Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2 x 8GB at 3200MHz)
- Storage: SSD and HDD combination
Incident Description
The issues emerged immediately after a physical impact—an accidental drop of the laptop’s bottom-left side. Following this incident, the system started exhibiting frequent crashes under load conditions involving both CPU and GPU simultaneously. Notably, the laptop would either display a black screen (video output lost while the system remained powered) or trigger a BSOD, predominantly with the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error, along with other variations such as SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION and Unexpected Kernel Mode Trap.
Troubleshooting Attempts and Observations
Several diagnostic steps and tests were undertaken:
- Hardware Checks: Reseating RAM modules and SSD, cleaning fans, and verifying storage health yielded no issues.
- Stress Testing:
- CPU-only stress tests (Prime95) remained stable for over 25 minutes.
- GPU-only stress tests (FurMark at temperatures below 91°C) also showed stability.
- Combined CPU and GPU stress (Prime95 + FurMark) caused system crashes after approximately 16-25 minutes, typically manifesting as a black screen without system shutdown.
- Driver and Firmware: BIOS was updated to the latest version; GPU drivers were cleanly reinstalled via Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). No stability improvements resulted.
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Memory Testing: MemTest86 passed all tests without errors.
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