Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614JV) - Micro-stuttering and CPU Locked at 95°C While Idle

[awsim7]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been using my Asus ROG Strix G16 (i7-13650HX & RTX 4060) for about a year now. Recently, I started experiencing annoying micro-stuttering in games. The weird part is that my FPS remains high and stable, and there are no network ping spikes, but the system randomly freezes for a millisecond and snaps back.

Specs & Current Setup:

• RAM/Storage: Upgraded to 32GB RAM + 512GB stock SSD + 2TB secondary SSD. (Games are installed across both drives, and the stuttering happens regardless of where the game is running).

• Software: I use G-Helper. The laptop is strictly kept in Ultimate (dGPU) mode, though the issue persists in other modes too.

• Troubleshooting Done: Clean GPU driver install via DDU, disabled Windows 11 HAGS, disabled all background ASUS services, and turned off all overlays (Discord, GeForce, etc.).

The Main Issue (Temperatures): Since software fixes didn't work, I looked closer at G-Helper and noticed something alarming. Even when the laptop is completely idle or just downloading a game in the background, the CPU temperature instantly locks at 95°C.

The fans ramp up heavily to around 70%, but the CPU temp refuses to drop. Meanwhile, the GPU is sitting comfortably at a very cool 44°C. When I first bought the laptop, idling temperatures were completely normal.

My Hypothesis: I frequently commute with this laptop in my backpack, and it has sustained 1 or 2 minor drops (there is just a tiny dent on the chassis, nothing major). Since software is ruled out, I highly suspect a hardware flaw: a Liquid Metal migration/pump-out effect. I believe a portion of the CPU die has become exposed and lost contact with the heatsink. Under even the slightest load, the CPU instantly hits its thermal limit, triggering rapid thermal throttling, which causes the micro-stutters in-game.

I have already opened the laptop before to upgrade the SSD, so I'm comfortable working inside it. Do you think a liquid metal repaste is the definitive fix here? Would love to hear your insights or if anyone else has faced this.