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My external monitor does not work reliably

Unreliable operation of external screens can have many causes. With this detailed FAQ article, we would like to empower the user to narrow down the cause of the error as granularly as possible.

General, for all connections

  • Check whether changing the display resolution and refresh rate changes the error pattern. Open the display settings by right-clicking on the desktop. At the bottom you will find the advanced display settings. There you can select the refresh rate from a drop-down menu. If several options are offered, try each option individually.
  • Check whether changing the colour depth (8-bit, 10-bit) and colour space encoding (chroma subsampling, RGB or 4:4:0, 4:4:2 or 4:4:4) changes the error image. These can be set in the control panel of the respective graphics driver - i.e. for Intel, AMD or NVIDIA, depending on which GPU your laptop display is connected to. Example screenshots:
  • Check if the problem occurs in both "on battery" and "plugged-in" mode.
  • Check if the same monitor works properly on another PC/laptop.
  • Check if an update of the graphics driver solves the problem. This refers to the graphics driver that is responsible for operating the external monitor. You can see which graphics card a monitor is connected to in the Advanced Display Settings of Windows (see screenshot).
  • If you are using several external monitors at the same time, please check whether the problem also occurs when only the problematic monitor is connected (i.e. with no other monitors connected).
  • If your laptop is able to deactivate NVIDIA Optimus via Control Center or BIOS Setup: please check whether the problem also occurs when NVIDIA Optimus is activated or deactivated.

When connected via HDMI

  • Check if using a shorter or higher quality HDMI cable solves the problem.
  • Check if the monitor you are using also supports DisplayPort signal input and try connecting via DisplayPort if applicable.

If connected via Mini DisplayPort

  • Check if using a shorter or higher quality DisplayPort cable solves the problem.

If connected via USB-C or Thunderbolt with direct cable connection (without adapter)

  • Depending on the model, the USB-C port is capable of powering peripherals even when switched off. If this feature is disabled, it may cause incompatibilities with some docking stations and external monitors. See if enabling this feature and then rebooting solves the problem. For XMG CORE and XMG NEO, this feature is located in the Control Center under "General Settings" (see screenshot).
  • Check if using a shorter or higher quality cable solves the problem. The ideal length for Thunderbolt cables is just 30cm. Cable lengths above 50cm are not recommended for high performance applications.
  • See if using a USB-C/DisplayPort adapter with an appropriately high quality "pure" DisplayPort cable (i.e. a cable with two identical full-size DisplayPort connectors on both ends) will solve the problem.

When connecting via USB-C or Thunderbolt with a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter

  • Depending on the model, the USB-C port is capable of powering peripherals even when switched off. If this feature is disabled, it may cause incompatibilities with some docking stations and external monitors. See if enabling this feature and then rebooting solves the problem. For XMG CORE and XMG NEO, this feature is located in the Control Center under "General Settings" (siehe screenshot).
  • Check if using a shorter or higher quality DisplayPort cable solves the problem.
  • See if using a different USB-C/DP adapter solves the problem. Our current best adapter is listed here: Cable Matters 201086 USB-C to 8K DisplayPort Adapter

When connecting via docking station

  • Connect the display to the laptop directly (without the docking station) and see if this enables you to apply the general troubleshooting steps listed above under "General, for all connections". For example, lower the refresh rate, color depth and chroma sub-sampling and then check again if this solves connection issues behind the docking station. Windows and the graphics driver will remember the settings from the direct connection and re-apply them when you reconnect the monitor via docking station. In other words: Windows does not differentiate between "direct" and "via dock" connection - instead it will just remember the name and model number of the monitor and apply the user's "last known" settings.
  • For further troubleshooting steps, please refer to the following FAQ article:  My docking station does not work reliably

Further steps and contacting support

If there is no improvement despite these tips, please contact our support team. Please provide the following information:

  • Model number of the monitor used (if applicable, with a link to the product page where the monitor was purchased)
  • Model number of the cables and adapters used (with link, if applicable)
  • Details of the resolution, refresh rate, colour depth and colour space encoding (chroma subsampling) used.
  • Exact details of the specific problem. If, for example, the signal on the display fails only sporadically, please state how often and in which situation this usually happens. If the problem is difficult to put into words, please record a short video with your mobile phone and make it available to us, e.g. via streamable.com.
  • Please indicate which of the above tips have already been tried and how they have affected the behaviour of the device.