Solution: AT5770 snow/dancing pixels with Dell 30" monitors!

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 1:44 am

Well I stumbled across some useful info on the internet tonight and it seemed to have fixed my "snow" problem I was having with the ATI 5770 card and my Dell 3007WFPHC 30" monitor once and for all. It was stupidly simple.

I can't find the forum link right now, but a guy was having a similar problem with his 30" Dell monitor which has a DVI connector only. He had that monitor connected to the DVI port on the 5770 like I did. He ended up getting a powered Display Port to Dual-Link DVI adapter and then connecting the Dell to the Display Port via the adapter and the problem went away!

I then remembered that the friend who gave me the card also gave me an Apple DisplayPort to DVI adapter that I had been using for my second monitor which is an HP w2408 24" monitor. I recalled it needed USB power to function, so then realized it might be a Dual-Link adapter! So I got out of bed about 10 minutes ago, switched the DVI cables around, connecting the 30" to the Display Port to DVI adapter and the 24" to the built in DVI connector on the 5770 card and voila!!!!!

THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE GONE!!!!

It may be too early to say it's for sure... I need to give it a day or two, but I think it cured it!

MIDI Life Crisis · Post by **MIDI Life Crisis** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:08 am

How did you ever get to sleep after that!

The "dual" v. "single" DVI connectors have always escaped me. About 4 or 5 years ago I was in Rat Shack and they had racks of dual and single cables that were mis marked. Instead of $114 they tagged them at $14.

Needless to say I bought two of each.

b.g. · Post by **b.g.** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:22 am

Thanks for this, James. I have the exact same Dell monitor, ATI 5770, and periodic dancing pixels. The only drawback for me is the cost of the powered Display Port to Dual-Link DVI adapter. About $100. But since you already had the adaptor, cool. I hope this truly fixes it for you. For me the temporary fix when it "snows" is unplugging and replugging the DVI connector from the 5770.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 1:03 pm

b.g. wrote:Thanks for this, James. I have the exact same Dell monitor, ATI 5770, and periodic dancing pixels. The only drawback for me is the cost of the powered Display Port to Dual-Link DVI adapter. About $100. But since you already had the adaptor, cool. I hope this truly fixes it for you. For me the temporary fix when it "snows" is unplugging and replugging the DVI connector from the 5770.

What was easier for me was to sleep monitors then wake them again using Ctrl-Shift-Eject. I'd do that SEVERAL times before it would finally seem to stick.

I discovered the solution last night in the last message of this thread of a forum:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/28010 ... ll-monitor

I bought a $100 "Accell UltraAV B087B-002B DisplayPort/DVI-D Dual-Link Adapter (Black)" to run 3 monitors and as a bonus it seems to output a signal that my Dell 3007WFP-HC likes! YEAH! So that was my solution.

It seems that these particular monitors have trouble with the DVI port on the ATI 5770. So far that's the solution for me. And these things are $89, but I can tell you that even if I didn't already own the Apple version of this, given how maddening it was sleeping and waking my monitors over and over to get my Dell monitor to finally "lock in" I'd have happily paid if not to have my creative trainer thought randomly interrupted throughout the day.

frankf · Post by **frankf** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 1:22 pm

Good to hear these DVI solutions. Too late for me with a Cinema Display however. I returned the Apple branded 5770 card and am back with the original.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 1:29 pm

frankf wrote:Good to hear these DVI solutions. Too late for me with a Cinema Display however. I returned the Apple branded 5770 card and am back with the original.

Right. Well, I know that it worked for two of us so far with Dell 30" monitors. Perhaps it would have worked for Apple monitors also? Seems like it happens with monitors larger than 24" territory where you get into the 2560 x 1600 territory where you need Dual-Link. That's when it gets flaky.

No problems at all after booting this morning and normally I'd have had to sleep and wake my monitors several times by now.

mikehalloran · Post by **mikehalloran** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 4:44 pm

The 30" Apple monitor requires it; the current 27" does not.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 5:47 pm

mikehalloran wrote:The 30" Apple monitor requires it; the current 27" does not.

Right. I'm assuming that's if you're connecting to the DisplyPort output on the card. The issue I and other Dell users were having was that if you connected the monitor directly to the Dual-Link DVI port on the ATI 5770, you'd have this issue and by adapting the DisplayPort connector and connecting it there instead the problem goes away.

I assume there's no reason you can't connect a 30" Apple Cinema display to the Dual-Link DVI port on the ATI 5770. It may not be as finicky as the Dell monitor in question.

Tonio · Post by **Tonio** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 7:31 pm

Good to know- not to get a Dell monitor .

I just got fixed with a ATI 5770 graphic card(sounds like the last one authorized by Apple (repair sector took 6 days shipping-Origin Taiwan?) in the on my MP 1,1, and my Samsung Flatron is scratched that I was considering replacing.
But then again, I'm looking at getting a new machine... iMac or mini. ....Mavericks

Somehow I'm not impressed with the new iOS, I mean Mavericks(OS)

I'll be giving my new rMPR 13" to the wife.
T

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:38 pm

At the time I bought it, the Dell was the first 30" monitor wishing the financial reach of mere mortals at $1200! I didn't have much choice. Works great now and actually worked fine with my previous graphics cards. Seems that DVI port on the ATI 5770 doesn't like it.

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