Random red dots that look like pixel noise keep appearing on my display during normal Windows use. My graphics drivers are fully updated, GPU and VRAM temperatures are normal, and resetting the NVIDIA color settings—including lowering Digital Vibrance from 100% to 50%—did not help. One unusual clue is that the dots disappear briefly when the screen dims after pressing Windows + Shift + S to start a screenshot. I have only noticed the issue during normal use so far. What should I test next to determine whether the problem is the HDMI cable, the monitor, or failing GPU memory?
1 Answer
The next useful test is to check whether the artifacts appear outside normal Windows use. Look for them in the BIOS or in Windows Safe Mode. If they are visible in BIOS, that points more toward the monitor, cable, or graphics hardware rather than a Windows driver. If they only appear in regular Windows, try a clean graphics-driver installation and test with another cable, monitor, or graphics output. Also check whether the dots are captured in a screenshot; if they are not, the display path or monitor becomes more suspicious.
So far I have only seen the red dots during normal use, not in BIOS or Safe Mode. I will test another cable and check whether they show up in a screenshot.