Question 3080 - - - second monitor has begun malfunctioning ?

[snarebox]

Hello folks,

I've had a 3080 for less than a year and have been running dual monitors for several years (had a 5700XT previously). Both monitors worked fine on the 3080 in the beginning, but now my second monitor "freezes" on reboot. I suppose "stutters" would be a better way to describe it. It'll show just the outline of the display with some horizontal lines flickering across it, then it'll show my desktop after a couple minutes, but it'll flicker and when I move my mouse to it, I can't do anything (display is frozen, computer is still responsive). After 10-20 minutes the monitor just "refreshes" and everything works fine. This window of time seems to be growing over time as it used to only take a couple minutes.

I've plugged this monitor in as the primary display and it worked fine, so I don't think it's the monitor. I bought a new DisplayPort cable at first, thinking it was that, but nothing has changed. The 3080 is fairly new so I hate to think it's broken already but who knows.

How can I start to narrow this down?
I am running the dev build of Windows 11, but I had this problem for a couple months prior to switching to this build and nothing has changed. I could revert easily, but I highly doubt this would fix it.
Another thing to mention is I have Armory Crate for my board, and it keeps installing Intel drivers every couple of days. I haven't had to update my motherboard drivers this frequently in my life, so I'm wondering if something isn't "taking".

Windows 11 Pro Insider Preview 23531
ASUS Prime Z690-A (updated drivers yesterday 8/26)
i5 12400
32GB RAM
GeForce 3080 (newest drivers as of 8/22)

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[turtletarget111]

You're going to want to make sure you have the correct spec of DisplayPort. There are many cables out there that are dishonest about their capabilities and speeds. I would not buy cables from Amazon, and instead buy from Infinite Cables. Their products are independently verified and are all up to spec. As far as testing, first unplug all connections to the video card. Plug the current working cable into the first monitor, making sure to use the same port that it was originally using, which I will call Port 1. If that works, plug the second cable into the first monitor, making sure to use Port 1. Finally, unplug the first monitor and plug the DisplayPort into the second monitor, still using Port 1. If you get a picture on both monitors, then we know for a fact that your cables are supplying enough bandwidth and are working properly, and that both monitors are working. Run the exact same testing methodology as before, except instead of using Port 1 (the original port) on your graphics card, try Port 2. If you are getting problems using Port 2, that means either the port on the card is dirty, or more likely, it is damaged. You are going to want to make sure that both the connections on the cables and the ports on the card are clean. Use 99% isopropyl alcohol and an old toothbrush with soft bristles to gently brush both the male and female ends of the ports. Leave them to dry for five minutes and try the port again. If you still have problems, Port 2 on your card is dead. Try running your second monitor off the third port, or you may have to use an HDMI connection. If a third DisplayPort or HDMI does not work then it may be an issue with software. It is also worth noting that Windows does not like to have different monitors hooked up to the same PC. If, for example, you had a monitor that ran at 2560x1440 at 144Hz as your primary, and a monitor at 1920x1080 at 60Hz, then you may experience stutter or they display might not work at all. Hope this helped, take care.