ACER Nitro 5 AN515-58 - Random Black Screen with Crackling Sound/Freezes

WebPS

Hello,

I am seeking help with a persistent issue on my ACER Nitro 5 laptop.

System Specifications:

Model: ACER Nitro 5 AN515-58

CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H

RAM: 32GB

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

Status: Purchased new this summer.

Problem Description:

The laptop experiences random system freezes where the screen turns black. This is sometimes accompanied by a crackling or static sound from the speakers/headphones, but can also happen silently. When this occurs:

The system becomes completely unresponsive.

The fans continue spinning, and the keyboard backlight remains on.

The only way to recover is to force a shutdown by holding the power button.

Crucial Observations:

Rare during gaming (under high GPU/CPU load).

Most frequent during light use: especially while watching YouTube or web browsing.

Can occasionally happen even when the browser is closed (during light or idle tasks).

The problem does NOT occur in Windows Safe Mode.

No relevant errors in Event Viewer or Reliability History before the crash. The only entry is Kernel-Power (Event ID 41), which is a result of the forced shutdown.

Troubleshooting Steps Already Performed:
I have exhaustively tested the following without resolving the issue:

Complete Windows reinstall + clean driver installation using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) for both NVIDIA and Intel Graphics. Tested with both the latest and previous driver versions.

RAM Diagnostics: Multiple passes with MemTest86 (0 errors) and Windows Memory Diagnostic (mdsched.exe) - both OK.

Storage Check: chkdsk and CrystalDiskInfo confirm the SSD health is OK.

Stress Testing: CPU and GPU stress test using AIDA64 for an extended period. The system remains stable under this load (no black screen). Maximum CPU temperature recorded was 90°C.

BIOS Update: Updated to the latest version, v2.18.

Software/OS Settings:

Disabled Fast Startup in Power Options.

Disabled Hardware Acceleration in all web browsers and removed all extensions.

Power Management: Tested all power plans (Balanced, High Performance, Power Saver) - the issue persists on all.

CPU Settings: Disabled Intel Turbo Boost (via Processor performance boost mode in power plans and experimented with various settings using ThrottleStop).

The problem continues to occur randomly. I would be extremely grateful for any further assistance or suggestions. Thank you for your time and support.

Puraw

Hi WebPS

Please confirm first that your Nitro 5 AN515‑58 is running BIOS version 2.18 dated 2025/07/25, which is the latest release for this model: https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/product-support/Nitro_AN515-58

• Open Event Viewer and review the Critical errors at the exact time of the BSOD. This can help identify whether the fault is driver‑related or hardware‑triggered.
• Boot into Safe Mode. If the system remains stable there with no BSODs, the cause is almost certainly a rogue or incompatible driver.
• In that case, use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) while still in Safe Mode. Select the Clean and restart option to fully remove the GPU drivers.
• After reboot, do not manually install drivers. Allow Windows Update to either offer or automatically install the appropriate GPU driver.

This process rules out corrupted or mismatched GPU drivers as the source of your crashes. If BSODs continue even in Safe Mode, the issue is more likely hardware‑related and should be escalated to Acer support.