2nd Monitor randomly goes momentarily black

[buzzsmith]

Hi, all.

I have a 2009 MacPro that came with a NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 video card.

It always has driven my 30" Apple Cinema Display and, about a year ago, I added a Dell SE2416H 24" via a DVI to VGA adapter cable plugged into the video card as a second monitor to the left of the 30".

It seems that when I'm primarily running DP with a reasonably heavy load, the Dell will momentarily go black and, within seconds, restore. Kinda like it was going to "sleep" and then instantly woke up.

The 30" is not affected.

And it doesn't seem to do this during other non-DP (or light DP) Mac usage.

Just wondering...

Thanks.

Buzzy

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I'd switch the inputs to see if it's the Mac or the monitor. My gut is that the monitor may be failing. If you switch video outs and the 30" fails, it's your Mac. If the Dell craps out, then it's time for a new monitor (or will be shortly). Maybe it's still under warranty? Just be glad it's not the Apple. I'd be so lost without my 30" Cinema display. FWIW, my two additional monitors are both Viewsonic 23". I've had those for at least 5 years w/o a problem.

Viewsonics have been quite reliable and I'd surely recommend them as additional monitors. The color isn't as great as the Apple, but I can live with that. The new 25" look pretty good for under $500, but I don't see Mac software listed, so some features may not be available.

[buzzsmith]

The weird thing is, MLC, that it only seems to do it when running really loaded down DP projects with multiple VIs and lots of plugins that haven't been rendered yet.

The past hour I was doing other Mac stuff (DP was running but no project loaded) and no blackout on the Dell.

This wouldn't be a CPU issue, right?

Buzzy


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[HCMarkus]

When running multiple displays with my ATI5770 (since replaced), I noted that I would get momentary flickers on one monitor unless I powered the monitors on prior to starting up the MP. This would happen regardless of program, so may not be similar to your issue Buzz, but i mention it as something to consider when starting up your Mac.

If looking into monitors, please note that I have succeeded in getting a 40" 4k Samsung TV (under $300) running at 60Hz as my main monitor, driven via an AMD RX460 ($90 on sale) with an active DP>HDMI converter ($30) and SwitchResX software. Sierra is required.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I would think that if it was DP, it wouldn't matter which monitor it was, they'd all have a problem. No? Unless there is a different refresh rate or something like that which might be a factor, but I already told you more than I know.

[cuttime]

Could it possibly be a vibration at a certain harmonic or volume jostling a connection?

[buzzsmith]

Thanks, all, and an update. It was not a DP issue. It appears that the Dell monitor mentioned above has quite a few negative Amazon reviews with this exact issue.

Amazon took very good care of my situation.

On my way to look for a replacement!

Buzzy


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[frankf]

Thanks, all, and an update. It was not a DP issue. It appears that the Dell monitor mentioned above has quite a few negative Amazon reviews with this exact issue.

Buzzy


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Yep, the DELL monitors (especially the 4K 27") look great, but have issues with Apple hardware. For me they are startup issues with multiple monitors. Easily worked around but a PITA regardless.

[buzzsmith]

Ended up with an LG. Mini DisplayPort to HDMI. $179.00.

Of slight concern is its height...very slightly blocking the Focal monitor.

I may end up raising the Focals 2" and slightly tilting down to ear level.

Buzzy


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[HCMarkus]

Or get a monitor arm that lets your display to move down right to the desktop. I have an Innovative mount; it allows my display to be wherever I need it (up, down, back and forward) and also allows me to use all the space immediately under the display if I need it. Take a gander at my website homepage and you can (sort of) see it in action, holding two 27" displays (since replaced by a single 40" 4k monitor).

Here's the Innovative products catalog. I haven't seen better monitor mounts. The mount mounting system is also very flexible allowing for permanent and bolt-on installations of the arms.http://innovativeworkspaces.com/product ... tor-mounts

If the monitor never needs to move, Monoprice.com has some very inexpensive mounts.

PS: Those Focal's kick serious butt!

[mhschmieder]

I was going to suggest an upgrade from 5770 to 5780 as there might be too much load on tghe single-connection graphics card vs. a double-connection card, but it sounds like the DELL monitor was 100% the culprit.

There are only three OEM brands that I trust for monitors: NEC, LaCie (but not for ANYTHING else), and Eizo. Depending on the model, things that are branded for sale by one of those three may not even be their original tech! I did hundreds of hours of research on this over the years.

Now that I have an iMac, it's a bit of a moot point. But as NEC's lower-priced units are also top-grade and generally best-in-class, I never see the need for looking at other brands, even when on a budget.

The LaCie and Eizo stuff is, of course, super-high-end, slow, but detailed and accurate, as it is targeted towards video professionals and graphic artists and designers.