Samsung 4K Monitor - Sometimes It Pays to Read The Manual

LJayOh on 26/11/2017 - 13:32
Last edited 26/11/2017 - 13:54 by 1 other user

A few months ago I upgraded to a 28" Samsung 4K monitor after doing some research to make sure the PC and graphics card would support the resolution. Got it home and plugged it in and noticed red static in background windows and toolbars and every once in a while it would just go blank. At first I though it was faulty but after some checking I found it was only running at 29Hz and there was nothing I could do to get it to run at 60Hz.

I figured the graphics card (GeForce GT710) wasn't good enough so I started researching upgrades, but after hours of researching and comparing I figured out the power supply would also need an upgrade, so I parked the idea and lived with the static.

A few days ago I dive back into this because the static is now bugging me too much. For some reason I decide to download and read through the user manual and in the connections section I read:

HDMI 1 (30Hz)
HDMI 2 (60Hz)

WTF??

So I unplug the cable from HDMI1 and plug it into HDMI2 - bingo! 60Hz, perfect image, no static or screen going blank.

I'm pretty sure the quick start guide didn't mention the refresh rate difference in ports, but then again I don't remember reading the quick start guide, after all it's just a monitor - connect power cable, hdmi cable and you're done..

So sometimes it pays to read the manual! I could have spent hundreds getting a better card and power supply and it still would have displayed at 30Hz..

Computing

Comments

  • dcep on 26/11/2017 - 13:39
    +1

    which means hdmi 1 is not hdmi 2.0 port, probs 1.4 ver

  • Diji1 on 26/11/2017 - 13:49
    +1

    Jesus, 30Hz would have driven me insane :| but congrats on fixing!

    • JayOh on 26/11/2017 - 16:08

      The static I could live with, most of the time, but the random shutdowns were infuriating - in the middle of composing an email, bidding on something on ebay etc, the monitor would go blank, then power on and off and keep doing this for ages. At first I was pulling the hdmi cable out of the pc but then I tried to power the monitor off and on again which isn't easy when the monitor only has a single joystick control where you have to press it to call up the menu then navigate to the power off option, which keeps disappearing every time the monitor goes blank.. much bad language was used..

  • Elppa8 on 26/11/2017 - 13:59
    +2

    You have just proved the old adage “when all else fails - read the instructions”.

    • AdosHouse on 26/11/2017 - 15:33
      +1

      I always thought it was bury the evidence, and remove all traces you ever tried.

      • JayOh on 26/11/2017 - 16:02

        Yep, I could have gone either way, but its become increasingly obvious that I should live my life as an example to others - an example of what not to do - so I'm happy to air my failures in public!

        • AdosHouse on 26/11/2017 - 16:43

          Haha, no gonna lie, I as a guy, read instructions and manuals all the time.

  • [Deactivated] on 26/11/2017 - 15:39

    Lmao

  • [Deactivated] on 26/11/2017 - 16:24

    Let's be honest. If you're going for 4k and don't know the sensitivity of cabling and ports, you're not a majority.

    You probably bought something that was used in airports and commercial settings.

    I avoid HDMI like the plague. There's so many better options out there for PC.

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