Dead pixels and what I should do about this...

Well it's been a few years since I've posted here, but I guess lately I've been so upset with my whole computing experience that I need to ask you guys for advice.

Over the past two months, I've gone through 3 MS Surface Pro 2s and I'm on my 2nd Asus Zenbook Prime. Every single one has been defective one way or another. I won't go into my past experiences but I'm pointing this out because I have to mention that I have essentially gotten a very good deal from my local Microsoft store because of all the hassle. They gave me a really nice discount on (basically any) computer they sell in-store. What this means is that I'm inclined to buy something they can sell me (as opposed to ordering from Best Buy or from an online vendor). So my selection is limited.

I'll mention that my last SP2 had one stuck pixel. It was brightly lit up so I guess it wasn't dead. My Nokia Lumia 520 has probably about 10 or so stuck/dead pixels, and my last Zenbook had one dead pixel that I noticed (right before the Sandisk SSD failed!!!) I just got my replacement Zenbook and to my dismay, there are three dead pixels on the screen!

I guess at this point I'm really disappointed in the quality of LCD screens nowadays. That's four devices in the past 2 months that have had pixel anomalies. My old HP TouchSmart had one dead pixel that came about 2 years after I got it, and hasn't had one since (it is now 5 years old). I've got an old iPod touch that has zero dead pixels that's about 3 or so years old. I understand that screens are becoming more and more pixel dense but basically my question at this point is, what should i do? Most manufacturers do require 4 - 8 dead pixels before it's considered warranty-worthy. I can easily go back to the MS store but they don't sell a whole lot of ultrabooks that are as cheap as this one. I wanted 8GB of RAM, a 4th gen Intel, and it needed to be thin and light. At a regular price of $1000, along with my discount, it was the best price. The only other ultrabooks they sell are the Sony Vaio Pro 13 (with only 4 GB of RAM) and the Samsung ATIV book (the 8GB model is like 1500 bucks on sale). So I'm inclined to stick with the Asus because I'm a poor student right now. But given that this is the 2nd Zenbook in a row with dead pixels, is there any way out of it?

So to sum things up, are dead pixels really this common nowadays? I personally find even one dead pixel completely unacceptable but clearly most manufacturers disagree. Should I go back to the store and just exchange it, hoping the next one doesn't have any pixel problems? Should I spend a little more money on a better laptop (remember I don't have a lot of money ): or should I learn to accept the fact that this is "normal"?

Do you guys have any similar experiences? Thanks in advance.

 

Dead pixels often show up when the product is new, true. However, unless you are just extremely unlucky, it shouldn't be happening to four devices. Do you put them somewhere where there's too much moisture or handle them rough? Four seems a bit too many.

 

Everything I do with my devices is just what normal people do. I literally opened this Zenbook up two nights ago and I noticed all three dead pixels less than 24 hours later.

I really like the Zenbook but I'm not sure if I'm just unlucky or they don't make products very well anymore. What should I do? The Zenbook is on what the MS store calls "constrained order" and they said they probably will not be getting anymore again. THey have a couple left but I just want my stuff to work. Even one dead pixel when the product is brand new is way too much.

 

Just noticed another (fourth) dead pixel in this screen. I am so disappointed with the technology of today. How can I possibly be this unlucky? Like i said the ssd failed in the last Zenbook and I also had the sleep of death with all three SP2s and the last zenbook (basically put the computer to sleep, it won't wake up without restarting/doing a hard reset).

Honestly it's not possible to have luck this bad!

 

Honestly, what you have to do with things like sleep, hibernate and even screen savers and such is test it on a device by device basis.

I haven't used hibernate for decades.

Screen savers are a waste of drive space and cpu cycles.

I haven't used sleep until I got my Asus T100TA - and even then; because it was made to be used that way and only after I was in 'test mode' for the first two weeks with it.

Luck is not just found; it's created.

Doing something that you know 'may' not work is not playing the odds right. And for me, screen savers, hibernation and sleep in almost all devices has always been a hit and miss dance that I just decided to not play anymore.

As for the dead pixels? That is just plain bad luck, but not out of the ordinary (statistic-wise).

 

I understand what you're saying but I find it unacceptable that a device cannot be used the way it was intended. Literally every device I have owned would not wake up from sleep once in a while, say, once every 3 or 4 days. That is not acceptable, because if I had any work open at the time, it would be lost. Anyways, that's not really a big deal at this moment since it hasn't happened (though I've only used it for two days).

The four dead pixels is too much. I will be going to the MS store tonight to exchange it for another one, if the have any left. If not, I'll stick with this one for a while but I will still return it in the end, probably for something better.

If anyone else has any other dead-pixel stories, please share.

 

Oh would you look at that, 5th dead pixel found.

 

Isn't 5 the max for dead pixels? It might be more than 5 actually...

In any case, it might be a good idea to go straight to the manufacturer for RMA, instead of the store. I'm not sure how ASUS is with warranty, but dell offered to come in my home and replace the screen on my laptop because a speck of dust got in there.

 

First, no such thing as bad luck. And second, if you're having issues to such a degree then it time you got someone else involved; you're obviously doing something wrong.

You many not know what road to follow, but you certainly should know better than to stay on the same path. This is the perfect time to apply the "two heads are better than one" solution and see what you discover.

 

I highly doubt that whatever he's doing is creating dead pixels. Technology does not work that way. Period.

 

You find it more plausible to believe in bad luck? Or that machine after machine is defective? There's just too much coincidence here, and definitely something he's leaving out.

 

I never said anything about bad luck.

I could say a lot about obvious lack of QC on manufacturer's part which is unfortunately a commonplace nowadays..

To be perfectly clear: the only issue I'm referring to are dead pixels. No more, no less.

It is perfectly possible to create a pressure mark, scratch etc. by mishandling the LCD. It is NOT possible to create dead pixels that way.

That's all I'm saying.

 

Do you have a source for that?

 

from: What is dead pixel? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer Dictionary

from: Problem with Pixel Error - ThinkWiki

The bottom line here is that one could - theoretically - create dead pixels on purpose by overvolting the LCD or placing it in areas of extreme heat/cold/moisture, but I doubt that this is what we're discussing in this thread.

Physical force will create a pressure mark or crack much sooner than it would alter a single pixel or even a group of them.

Dead pixels, dust specs and hair particles found within the LCD are clearly manufacturing defects, which is why manufacturers - at least some of them - accept to replace LCDs suffering from these faults within the warranty period.

 

And you think that all products OP is getting are because of manufacturing defects?

Here's a quote from your first link

What do you think one must point to when something that is rare happens to the same person four times within what? How many months was this OP?

Also, if you would care to venture a reason as to why it is happening, I'm all for it.

 

When it comes to dead pixels, yes.

Dead pixels occur on certain batches of panels more than on others. It's a QC issue for the most part.

Not that long ago I returned an entire box (12 LCDs) of LG screens because every single one of them had dead pixels, and I'm talking about four or more.

In an effort to make technology inexpensive to end-users and production as cheap as possible, pretty much all manufacturers have lowered their standards from a decade ago, with Panasonic being the only exception in my experience. Then again, they were the only ones who couldn't care less about lowering the price of their products. A coincidence? I don't think so.

The dead pixels are not a rarity anymore. Neither is backlight bleed. Nor are pressure marks that come from overly thin lids. A sad state of affairs, but I digress.

Once again, the only issue from the OP that I'm addressing here are dead pixels.

 

Dude you aren't addressing any issue. All you are saying is deal with it OP, there's nothing you can do.

And your batch was all from the SAME ASSEMBLY LINE. You think all four machines had LCDs coming from the same batch? They aren't even the same screen size. Don't argue for the sake of it.

 

I don't know how you came to that conclusion because that's NOT what I was saying at all.

I'm not arguing at all.

You're missing my point, so I'll re-state it again:

And cancel the "dude" business, pretty please since you don't know me from a hole in the wall. Thank you.

 

Lol...

Crazy whack jobs! (see; no 'dude' ).


Forget luck (good or bad), I already said that it is not out of the ordinary statistically speaking.

OP; replace it and get on with your life.

 

I've found that a few people are responsible for most returns and that they are the cause of the "defect."

 

OP - replace it. I don't accept any dead pixels either. There is nothing a user can do except exchange the machine, or buy a replacement LCD and replace it yourself (I've done that too). All this nonsense about fault of the user, etc is humorous. Mass production does not have perfect quality, hence a warranty and return period.

 

I like the guy saying it's the fault of the user. Honestly I have no idea how to create a single dead pixel. THese dead pixels are not anywhere ear each other. THey're scattered throughout the screen. It's obvious that quality has gone down the tubes. I also find it funny how one person said "replace it and get on with life". That's what Ive been doing the past two months. I"m asking if I should replace it for a 3rd Zenbook or look for something else. The guy at MS store said they'll be getting new laptops in next week (I'm in Canada). I looked at the US website and saw the "new PCs for Spring" and looked through them. Nothing that really interests me, and I assume we'll probably get the exact same products.

I guess at this point it's either replace it with another Zenbook or wait until next week to see what other laptops they'll be getting. There are 6 dead pixels here so worst case, if MS store doesn't have any laptops I want, and they're out of stock of the Zenbook (which will be most likely), I can call Asus and get them to give me a new one. The only issue I see with getting another Zenbook, either through an exchange at MS store, or through Asus' warranty, is that the new one will have similar problems.

As an aside (kind of?), it's clear to me that Asus' quality is not there anymore. Yes this is a cheap ultrabook, but having an SSD fail on me, dead pixels everywhere, and having sleep/wake issues is kind of scary. Asus seems to have chosen some low quality parts/manufacturers for the new Zenbooks. Either that or dead pixels are just a very common occurrence.

Edit: the reason I want to stick with the Zenbook is because I paid $700 for it and got a 4th gen i5, 8GB RAM, and, of course, it's an ultrabook. All other ultrabooks at MS store with 8GB RAM start at like $1500.

 

So I got my Zenbook replaced. I just opened it up about 20 minutes ago and I already notice two or three dead pixels side by side, or some kind of screen anomaly. It is black and noticeable on a white screen, but if you press on it hard enough it gets less noticeable but comes back shortly after. I've been running JScreenFix for about 5 or 10 minutes to no avail.

Whatever this is, Asus' quality control is pathetic. 3 in a row with problems, all of which had dead pixels.

 

I got a brand new Nokia N900 recently and it had a single dead pixel near the center of screen. I was very angry and contacted the seller immediately, who offered to replace/refund it. Since I ordered it from abroad (no new N900 for sale in my country) and delivery took quite some time, I eventually decided to keep it and we ended up with partial refund. I use dark color theme, so It is possible to notice only in apps with white background and during movie playback.

And yes, my notebook has some dead pixels (they just appeared on screen one day after couple years of usage). If I don't think about them, I don't notice them.