Alienware Area-51m: Intermittent Black Screen that is Seen When in Use

Summary: The following article provides information about intermittent black screen issues with the Alienware Area-51m.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

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Affected Systems:

Alienware Area-51m

Symptoms:

An intermittent black screen is seen when the computer is sitting idle or when running graphically intensive applications such as games or 3DMark.

NOTE: This issue has also been seen when running the ePSA diagnostics. 

Cause

Software issue

Resolution

Resolution Steps

A new BIOS version is released to resolve this issue. Follow these steps to install the VBIOS from the Dell Support site:

  1. Go to the Dell Support Site.
  2. Enter the service tag or express service code to get drivers specific to how the computer shipped.
    • Alternatively, you can choose the Alienware Area-51m from the product list to get a general list of drivers for that computer.
  3. Click the Drivers & Downloads drawer in the menu.
  4. Ensure you have the correct operating system set.
  5. Select the System Utilities drop-down category.
  6. Look for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 VBIOS version A00 or later
  7. Click the Download button and follow the on-screen instructions.

Affected Products

Alienware Area-51m, Alienware Area 51
Article Properties
Article Number: 000177763
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 06 May 2026
Version:  9
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