My second monitor powers on and detects the DisplayPort signal, but it suddenly started showing horizontal lines, blurry images, and other corruption while I was using it. At 144 Hz, the bottom half of the screen becomes black. At 60 Hz, the entire screen appears, but it is covered in distorted lines and looks blurry. I tested the cables and computer ports with my main monitor, and they work normally, so the cable and graphics card seem less likely to be the cause. The monitor's own "No Signal" message displays cleanly, although it only appears in the center of a black screen. I have not tested HDMI yet. The problem began suddenly after a recent Windows update, but the monitor worked normally for most of the day. Is there anything else worth trying, or is the monitor likely beyond repair?
2 Answers
Try the monitor’s built-in menu or its factory reset option. If the monitor menu is also distorted, that confirms the fault is inside the monitor rather than Windows or the graphics driver. You can also connect it to another computer or device through HDMI as a final check. A clean no-signal message does not completely rule out hardware failure, because that message uses a much simpler display mode than a full desktop signal.
Since the same cable and computer output work correctly with your main monitor, the monitor itself is the most likely failure point. The fact that changing the refresh rate changes which part of the image fails can indicate a problem with the panel electronics, timing controller, or internal display connection. Testing HDMI is still worthwhile, but if HDMI shows the same corruption, replacement is probably more practical than repair.
That makes sense. I’ll test HDMI, but the issue is now present every time I turn the monitor on regardless of whether I’m gaming.