Question Second monitor no signal

Feb 24, 2022
10
6
15
Visit site
Hello all.

I appear to be having an issue with my dual monitor set up. Upon starting the computer, often only 1 of my 2 monitors will work. The other will show no signal and then turns off. Done all the basic checks, no issues with the monitor itself, right HDMI source selected etc.
Then I decided to unplug the monitor that was working fine, and upon restart the monitor that wouldn't start suddenly worked perfectly fine.
After a bunch of restarts currently both are working, but it is quite a hassle having to fix this every time the PC is turned off.

Does anyone happen to know what could cause this issue? It seems like the computer has trouble starting both monitors at the same time, but I'm not sure what is causing this.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
Just to confirm, these are both monitors, not TVs?

What are the connections—both HDMI, or is one DVI or Display Port or something else?

Do you turn both monitors on before turning PC on?

Are both monitors plugged into outlets separate from PC—ie neither is drawing power from PC?
Anything else drawing heavy power from the same electricity circuit?

Desktop or laptop?
What is PC make & model, same for monitors, same for graphics card?

Is integrated graphics turned off in BIOS?

What resolutions are you running both monitors at?

Did your setup work before, and is just recently causing this problem?
If yes, did you change anything shortly before the problem started—hardware or software?

Is there anything else of a visual or graphical nature also starting at PC boot—eg an attached camera?

Is either monitor also your sound output?
 
Feb 24, 2022
10
6
15
Visit site
Just to confirm, these are both monitors, not TVs? Yes both monitors

What are the connections—both HDMI, or is one DVI or Display Port or something else? Both HDMI

Do you turn both monitors on before turning PC on? Yes, normally they are both on standby and will turn on automatically.

Are both monitors plugged into outlets separate from PC—ie neither is drawing power from PC? Yes
Anything else drawing heavy power from the same electricity circuit? No

Desktop or laptop? Desktop
What is PC make & model, same for monitors, same for graphics card?
GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTX 970
Monitors: ASUS VP28UQG 28'' & Dell S2722DGM 27 Inch


Is integrated graphics turned off in BIOS? Not sure to be honest, how do I check this?

What resolutions are you running both monitors at? ASUS one at 3840 x 2160 (Recommended) and Dell one at 2560 x 1440 (Recommended)

Did your setup work before, and is just recently causing this problem? Yes. Occasionally this issue does not occur, today for example both monitors started at first go.
If yes, did you change anything shortly before the problem started—hardware or software? No, the Dell screen in February of this year but at first this problem did not occur

Is there anything else of a visual or graphical nature also starting at PC boot—eg an attached camera? No

Is either monitor also your sound output? No
 
  • Like
Reactions: Brian Boru
Feb 24, 2022
10
6
15
Visit site
Are you using any adapters for your HDMI connections? Some GTX 970 GPUs only have a single HDMI port, while having multiple DP connections.

I don't use any adapters currently. They are plugged in in different parts of the PC as per picture: https://postimg.cc/0K7PGr5R

Just quite confused why some days it takes many restarts and re-plugins to get both monitors working, whereas today both worked instantly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Brian Boru

COLGeek

Moderator
The black cable is not connected directly to the GPU, rather it is connected to the motherboard and therefor the integrated GPU that is part of your CPU.

You need to connect directly to the GPU for best results.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Brian Boru
Feb 24, 2022
10
6
15
Visit site
The black cable is not connected directly to the GPU, rather it is connected to the motherboard and therefor the integrated GPU that is part of your CPU.

You need to connect directly to the GPU for best results.

I see, thank you. The GPU only has 1 HDMI port though. Would an adapter work? Any idea which one would do the trick?
 
@zilla2022 you said:
"What resolutions are you running both monitors at? ASUS one at 3840 x 2160 (Recommended) and Dell one at 2560 x 1440 (Recommended)"

Those are high resolutions for a 970, which is quite an old card and will have suffered wear and tear for years—or did you get a new 970 recently? An old 970 could be near end of life.
Try lowering the 4K resolution to 2K and see how it goes.

"Do you turn both monitors on before turning PC on? Yes, normally they are both on standby and will turn on automatically"

Try turning one off, and only back on once PC has fully booted.
 
Are you trying to find a way for it to both have a display when turning on your pc? Monitor can sometimes be undetected due to wrong set project mode. The quick way to change your project mode is to press Window key + P, then "duplicate" if you want to display the same screen on 2 monitors or "extend" if you want to have more workplace.

If it randomly disconnects or has no signal, try to uninstall and update your graphics card driver.
 
Feb 24, 2022
10
6
15
Visit site
Used the DP to HDMI adapter and both screens turned on at first try which is great. Resolution of second monitor seems to have gone down though now that it is going directly through the 970 (from 2560 x 1440 to 1920 x 1080).

Is there a real advantage running both through the 970 instead of 1 through motherboard?

I guess for the long term It would be wise me to look into a newer GPU to run both through HDMI with higher resolutions.
 

TRENDING THREADS