Monitor Flicker -- Monitor or Card the Culprit?

freshjuice · Post by **freshjuice** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 6:52 pm

I recently put together my first silent system from sratch. The VGA part of it is a Msi 6600GT. It is being cooled with the fanless Aerotech VM 101. (I should note that as this is the MSI card, I have still not been able to figure out how to monitor temperature, as it is not included with the MSI Nvidia properties setup.)

I had a 19" CRT NEC FE991SB which I've used for about, oh, maybe 18months now and seemed to be working just fine prior to the install.

After the install: the screen works fine 95% of the time but now "flickers" occasionally. The flicker is more like a size-stutter for lack of a better term, like it stutters slightly back and forth between slightly shorter and slightly taller for a second. This problem seems most apparent and consistent right after I boot up my computer...then it gets more stable. (Heh, I say that, and right as I type it it starts flickering again!)

So, what is to blame, in your opinion: the card, or is it my monitor getting old?

SometimesWarrior · Post by **SometimesWarrior** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:02 pm

First make sure the monitor plug is securely connected to the video card. After that, the only thing I can think of is the refresh rate setting for the monitor. Try changing it around a bit in the display control panel, and try changing the resolution as well. Maybe some combination of resolution and refresh rate will get rid of the "bouncing". But if re-configuration doesn't solve it, then it sounds like a monitor problem to me. Try the monitor on a different computer.

Slaugh · Post by **Slaugh** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:16 pm

Sounds more like a defective monitor than a video card problem... Can you borrow a monitor and see if you have those flickers again? If your NEC is only 18 months old, then it's still under warranty. The FE991SB has a 3 years limited warranty.

Wraith · Post by **Wraith** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 10:34 pm

My monitor at work (Dell 19" CRT) was having a problem - maybe it was the same thing. It would make a sort of snapping/crackling sound and the picture would flicker. The picture would be stretched out and snap back to normal size, seeming as if the power had flickered briefly. Tried hooking up to a different power source, checked cables, etc. It even did the same flickering with no video connected. Hooked up other monitors to the PC, and they had no problems. It seemed to get worse today, and now the monitor's getting replaced. Looks like it's definitely the monitor's problem, but don't know specifically what's wrong with it. It's not more than 6 or 7 months old.

Slaugh · Post by **Slaugh** » Sat Jan 29, 2005 3:16 am

Wraith wrote:My monitor at work (Dell 19" CRT) was having a problem - maybe it was the same thing. It would make a sort of snapping/crackling sound and the picture would flicker. The picture would be stretched out and snap back to normal size, seeming as if the power had flickered briefly. Tried hooking up to a different power source, checked cables, etc. It even did the same flickering with no video connected. Hooked up other monitors to the PC, and they had no problems. It seemed to get worse today, and now the monitor's getting replaced. Looks like it's definitely the monitor's problem, but don't know specifically what's wrong with it. It's not more than 6 or 7 months old.

This problem is most likely caused by a h-sync circuit that is no longer functioning properly. In that case, the monitor can loose its sync for a fraction of a second, causing a flicker on your screen. This is mainly due to a defective PCB inside the monitor or a bad cable. If the cable can be removed and replaced, you can try with a different one and see it the problem can be fixed... But if it's the PCB, don't spend your time trying to repair it and get yourself a new monitor. If it's only 7 months old, you can RMA it without problem.

Wraith · Post by **Wraith** » Sat Jan 29, 2005 8:54 am

Slaugh wrote:If the cable can be removed and replaced, you can try with a different one and see it the problem can be fixed... But if it's the PCB, don't spend your time trying to repair it and get yourself a new monitor. If it's only 7 months old, you can RMA it without problem.

Yep, it's already getting RMA-ed. The video cable was non-removable.

freshjuice · Post by **freshjuice** » Sat Jan 29, 2005 5:48 pm

Wow ... I went away for a bit and look at all the replies! THanks for the input.

Based on what you're saying, and based on past experience with my old monitors, I think it's just a CRT that's getting old. THh problem is I got it second hand so I don't know if I have any warranty protection. I guess the good news that LCD's are getting so cheap now it won't hurt me too bad to replace it.