x220: screen image shakes, becomes 'scrambled'

[grisjuan]

I bought my x220 with IPS screen new from Lenovo in September 2011.

Last week the A/C adapter died and was replaced under warranty. This week the screen has started acting strangely:

1. image shakes, it looks a bit like an iPhone when you are moving icons around...the entire screen image jitters back and forth for a few seconds, then snaps back to normal

2. image fades slowly from normal to 'scrambled'...I'm not sure how to describe it but the screen is still on, the image is just unreadable..it's not completely random as the contents are still somewhat recognizable (i.e. I can spot the mouse pointer if I look closely). after a few seconds it snaps back to normal.

Is this one of the failing-motherboard symptoms?

Thanks!

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

is happening on external screen? Have you changed the screen refresh rate to 60 hz?

[grisjuan]

I don't own an external monitor. I will be using the laptop with a projector this week so that might give me more info.

Refresh rate is 60Hz, I haven't changed it.

Thanks!

[sebgus]

Have you checked the power saving options in the Intel graphics settings?

Try to turn off "Power saving feature" and "Automatic brightness adjustment" or something like that.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

does it happen in BIOS menu?

[grisjuan]

It's so intermittent that it's hard to say exactly what sets it off - if I booted into BIOS I might wait for hours or days before the symptom appeared. I'm hesitant to send it in for warranty as I think they'd just return it and say it was working fine.

It feels like a hardware failure to me. The machine worked fine for 6+ months, then this started last week. I haven't changed any power setting, updated BIOS, or any ThinkPad utilities.

I am curious if anyone with an eventual motherboad failure experienced sometihng similar?

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

Hum, you probably need warranty service on this machine.

P.S. Does it look like this?

http://forum.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/x220-IPS-screen-flickering/m-p/690417#M36420

[grisjuan]

Thanks, that's pretty close to the way it looks, but my entire screen is scrambled, not just a column.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

then you probably need to send the laptop in for service.

[grisjuan]

I think so too; however, the problem occurs so rarely I bet I'll get it back with a note saying "could not duplicate".