Arch Linux

ivohulsman

Member

Registered: 2017-08-24

Posts: 2

Monitor flashing and turning black (Dual monitor setup)

Hi there,

First of all, I would like to point out that I am not fluent in Linux or Arch, I have switched from Windows (am I allowed to swear here?) about 6 months ago, and somehow I didn't listen to my friends and I skipped Ubuntu (or similar). I can manage now, but I am not an expert. I am extremely willing to learn, so please bear with me.

I have 2 Dell u2711 monitors, connected to an Nvidia GTX 980 Ti, running Arch Linux with KDE on an Intel 3770k.

I used to only use one Dell monitor, but I recently purchased a second one, and since then I started having problems. The left monitor is connected via DVI and the right monitor is connected via DP (Both running 2560x1440@59). But my right monitor frequently turns black, and then turns normal again. I estimate that this happens about 3 times per minute, but it isn't happening on a set interval. Also, the right monitor shows a distored vertical stripe across the display, but that happens rarely.

I have tested the monitor on a different computer, and it works fine there.

I have tried switching the rendering backend to XRender in compositor, without result (although it does seem to happen less often, but that might be placebo).

Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot this issue?

- Ivo

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,652

Re: Monitor flashing and turning black (Dual monitor setup)

Welcome to the Arch Linux forums.  We welcome anyone who is willing to learn

I assume the monitors are identical.  What happens if you swap them?  Does the problem stay with the monitor, or does the problem stay with with the video output/cable combination?

Tell us more about the display port cable; they are not all created equal.  I believe you are going to need DP version 1.2 or better for that monitor.

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ivohulsman

Member

Registered: 2017-08-24

Posts: 2

Re: Monitor flashing and turning black (Dual monitor setup)

Thank you so much for your reply, I feel very welcome.

I am so sorry for my late reply, I suffered a loss in my close family so I haven't really had the time to turn off my OCD and remove my cable management system to swap the cables until now.

I have replaced the DP cable (both 1.3 cables) with a different one, but the problem persisted. I also had to fire up my Windows installation (dual boot), but I noticed that the problem is not there when using Windows 10. That leads me to believe this is a software problem. Is there anything to start off with?