Need advice on a computer monitor that goes dark

[Mark44]

TL;DR

Computer monitor acts up by going dark. Have replaced the cable from the computer to the monitor as well as the monitor's power supply. Monitor will return to operation if its power supply is disconnected and then reconnected. No Win 11 Event Viewer hardware errors are reported.

I've been having problems for the past few weeks with the display on my Dell computer. I bought the computer new back in 2019 or so, which makes it about 6 years old. My monitor is a 27" HP monitor that I bought for another computer (an HP Pavilion), recently demised, back in about 2012 or 2013. As far as I can tell, the computer, which is running a 10-core Xeon Scalable processor, is functioning as it should.

The first symptom was that the screen would go dark, which I would attempt to address by rebooting the computer. What I've recently found is that I can get the monitor to come back on by unplugging its power cord and then plugging it back in. My first stab at a solution was to replace the cable from the NVidia card (a P2000 model that came with the Dell) with a new cable. Originally I had both computers, the HP and the Dell, sharing the monitor, keyboard and mouse through a KVM switch. This involved a plethora of cables since one of the inputs on the monitor is an HDMI socket, while the NVidia card has DisplayPort sockets. After the HP died, I removed the KVM and simplified the cable to a single HDMI-HDMI cable with an HDMI/DisplayPort adaptor attached. Although things improved somewhat, the computer monitor would still occasionally go blank.

I then bought a single cable with HDMI at one end and DisplayPort at the other end. This didn't seem to make much difference.

My next step was to replace the monitor power supply. If you remember, I've had this monitor for at least 12 years. I received a new monitor power supply yesterday, but my wife reported that the screen went blank for her once. I had told her that if this happens, see if unplugging the monitor's power supply and plugging it back in. She did this and the computer worked fine for her.

I should mention that the Windows (11) Event Viewer has not shown any hardware problems throughout this whole journey. So far my attempts to solve the problem have been very inexpensive, coming to about $25 in all. My motto is repairing things is, if you're going to throw parts at a problem, start with the least expensive parts.

It seems to me that since the problem persists, that the problem is a) the monitor (12 to 13 years old) or the NVidia card (6 to 7 years old). Replacing either would be about $200. I don't think the problem is the computer's power supply itself.

Does anyone have any advice about what I should do going forward?

 

[DaveC426913]

I have no useful advice, simply "me too"ing.

I have a DELL monitor that I plug in to my Mac with an HDMI-USB-C hub/adapter.

Anytime I so much as breathe on the hub/adapter (such as plug anything else into it) the Dell monitor goes black.

But only for 5 seconds or so, so not like your problems. It does seem weird though, as if it's a bad connection.

 

[sbrothy]

Completely basic and naive question here: you have of course updated the pertinent video drivers?

EDIT: Also chipset and what have you ?

 

[jedishrfu]

Have you tried your monitor on another computer like a laptop? Maybe it's your Dell machine that's causing the issue. Card overheating or something.

 

[Mark44]

you have of course updated the pertinent video drivers?

Video drivers are up to date, according to Windows Update. Same for the various hardware drivers.

Have you tried your monitor on another computer like a laptop?

Haven't but I'll give this a try. I'm not sure how successful this will be, though, as the shutoff happens pretty rarely now.

Maybe it's your Dell machine that's causing the issue. Card overheating or something.

I forgot to mention before that a few days ago I turned off the computer to see if there were any fuzzballs inside. The fan on the NVidia card had a slight amount of dust, which I blew off with canned air (while gently holding the fan to keep it from spinning). The rest of the case looked very clean. I pulled the NVidia card out and reseated it and closed the computer back up.

Thanks @jedishrfu and @sbrothy!

 

[jedishrfu]

Any dust in the connector or port? Could try some compressed air on them.

I had this issue with my iPhone. A piece of dandruff got lodged inside the phone connector and made charging sporadic.

 

[DaveC426913]

Any dust in the connector or port? Could try some compressed air on them.

How to say 'I'm this old'

without saying 'I'm this old'.

 

[sbrothy]

Video drivers are up to date, according to Windows Update. Same for the various hardware drivers.
Haven't but I'll give this a try. I'm not sure how successful this will be, though, as the shutoff happens pretty rarely now.

I forgot to mention before that a few days ago I turned off the computer to see if there were any fuzzballs inside. The fan on the NVidia card had a slight amount of dust, which I blew off with canned air (while gently holding the fan to keep it from spinning). The rest of the case looked very clean. I pulled the NVidia card out and reseated it and closed the computer back up.

Thanks @jedishrfu and @sbrothy!

I know this is extremely unlikely but did you guard against static electricity?

Naah, if it were that bad it wouldn't work at all and you'd probably have received a series of BIOS beep codes-

 

[jedishrfu]

That's an interesting thought, beep codes. I wonder if I can even hear them with my hearing aids.

I know I can't hear my mother-in-law's pillbox beeper unless I'm next to it.

Beepers are usually high-pitched, and hearing aids may not amplify sounds in that range because they are tuned to human speech more.

 

[Mark44]

did you guard against static electricity?

Yes. I have one of those bands that you strap onto your wrist and connect the alligator clip to the chassis frame and I always use it when I'm messing with the components inside the computer case.
Speaking of BIOS beep codes, do computers still do that? I remember years ago they were a thing but it's been a long time since I had a computer that emitted those BIOS self-test codes. Seems like there was an acronym about that test but it escapes my mind right now (BOOST? for BIOS on/off self test?)

 

[harborsparrow]

Given its age, I suspect the monitor first. If you buy a monitor and that doesn't fix the issue, you should be able to return it (save,the packaging untilmuou know).

 

[Mark44]

Given its age, I suspect the monitor first.

As do I, given that I bought the monitor some 12 or 13 years ago. After simplifying the connection between the nVidia card and the monitor and replacing the monitor's power supply, the situation is improved to the point that if the monitor goes dark, I can invariably get it to come back on by unplugging its power supply, and plugging it back in. My "fixes" so far have amounted to about $25 and the problem has been reduced to a mild inconvenience. I'll most likely spring for a new monitor in the next few months.

 

[DaveC426913]

I can invariably get it to come back on by unplugging its power supply, and plugging it back in.

Any delay between unpluuging and replugging?
i.e. it's not just a matter of a part overheating?

 

[Mark44]

After I plug the power cord back in, the monitor comes to life in about 5 seconds. I don't think anything is overheating, because once the monitor comes back on, it usually doesn't go dark again while I'm using it, which might be as long as a couple of hours.
In any case I've decided to spring for a new one, a 27" LG monitor that is costing me $114. If it exhibits the same symptoms I'll probably return it.