Question Curious vertical line problem on monitor screen which disappears after a while ?

[canadianvice]

So, first, the problem metadata:
- Several years old Asus VE278Q 1080p display, well-treated
- Secondary, was primary but hasn't been for a long time
- Windows 10, NVIDIA 1080TI

Context:
Here's the issue - right, it's a single line of red running down the monitor (1px) that just sorta showed up one day. That's pretty pedestrian, but what's weirding me out is that it just kinda... disappears, after some time. I don't think it's a function of literal time, but perhaps something happening like heating?

Anyway, what strikes me as particularly odd is it seems to go away after some time playing AOE3DE. I've attempted to run other 'demanding' titles, and well, being honest, I don't know - it sorta just happens at some point, so it's hard to spot when it actually is.

Edit: YT pre-play flicker seems to do something about it, too.

What I've done/Tested:
- I've run with a different HDMI cable from my phone, line is still there
- Not software, or at least, snip tool doesn't pick it up
- NVIDIA drivers + Windows up to date, clean NVIDIA install
- I've used all the GPU ports and switched which screens they go to, only this monitor shows the issue
- I've done similar with cables and adapters
- GPU temp doesn't seem abnormal? 35C to about 50C on load.
- I ran a GPU benchmark on that monitor, and the line seems to have disappeared. A heat issue, perhaps? It's cold and winter here...

So I'm fairly confident it's not any hardware outside the monitor, but it does seem to react almost immediately to AOE3DE starting up. I don't know if it's because of the GPU flickering that happens momentarily, or what, but it shows and disappears a bit before usually remaining.

Asking on a whim then, but does anyone happen to know what causes this in hardware? For the moment it's an intermittent failure - and being somewhat cash-strapped, I'd ideally like to make it work properly for as long as possible.

Obviously one line of dead pixels won't end my existence, but hey - if it's quick and easy to deal with, I'm all ears.

Thank you for any time invested in my request for help, and if there are any followup questions, I'll be sure to answer them as soon as I'm able.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Vertical red lines are always either impending, in progress or already happened failure, in my experience. And I've had to toss several of them because there is generally not much you can do if you've already eliminated the possibility of it being a driver or cable problem. Often this is due to liquid that has managed to get inside the panel from cleanings using glass cleaners that really don't dissipate the way alcohol based cleaners do and might introduce some corrosion inside the display but certainly there are other potential failure points to the electronics that might cause this as well.

For the most part, it's not a user fixable issue like a capacitor might be in some cases.

Does the problem exist even in pre-Windows environments, such as when your first power it on or in the BIOS?

Have you check the cable, tried a different one OR tried a different KIND of cable if the display supports multiple input options that agree with the outputs on your graphics card?

Unfortunately I think you've already eliminated most of those potential problems, so as far as the hardware itself being to blame, there really aren't any quick and easy fixes, if any fixes at all. If you are experienced with disassembling TV's or monitors and are not faint of heart at doing so, you can try and do so and see if there are any issues with corrosion or bad connections inside. Sometimes a crimped or otherwise damaged ribbon cable will cause this but for the most part once you see red lines that are not driver or cable related, the writing is on the wall.

 

[canadianvice]

Vertical red lines are always either impending, in progress or already happened failure, in my experience. And I've had to toss several of them because there is generally not much you can do if you've already eliminated the possibility of it being a driver or cable problem. Often this is due to liquid that has managed to get inside the panel from cleanings using glass cleaners that really don't dissipate the way alcohol based cleaners do and might introduce some corrosion inside the display but certainly there are other potential failure points to the electronics that might cause this as well.

For the most part, it's not a user fixable issue like a capacitor might be in some cases.

Does the problem exist even in pre-Windows environments, such as when your first power it on or in the BIOS?

Have you check the cable, tried a different one OR tried a different KIND of cable if the display supports multiple input options that agree with the outputs on your graphics card?

Unfortunately I think you've already eliminated most of those potential problems, so as far as the hardware itself being to blame, there really aren't any quick and easy fixes, if any fixes at all. If you are experienced with disassembling TV's or monitors and are not faint of heart at doing so, you can try and do so and see if there are any issues with corrosion or bad connections inside. Sometimes a crimped or otherwise damaged ribbon cable will cause this but for the most part once you see red lines that are not driver or cable related, the writing is on the wall.

I'll give the alternate input idea a try - thankfully this monitor has a wealth of input options.

Alas, it does seem to show the line in pre-windows environment. My best guess is perhaps running a more demanding GPU application results in something underneath it all that is pushing the monitor harder, and in doing so perhaps heat or something is re-seating something. In any case, I'm not really equipped to do repair, so if the input thing fixes it that'll be grand, and if not I'll just use it till it fails. Being a secondary, a red line is hardly a dealbreaker.

Thank you for your comment though! I think I'd meant to try an alternate input, but it was going to be a PITA - however, you just reminded me that I am pretty sure the DP cable I took out of the system during testing is still on my desk, so shouldn't actually be that much of a pain.

Absolute worst case, I *do* have a 24" I'm using as a tertiary, so...

I mean the only errant thing I did otherwise (which I'll mention for potential posterity, as the damage if it caused it is already done) is I have a cheap aliexpress HDMI simul-feed-duplicator doodad so I can wire to my bed projector without doing anything on Windows. I was told it can't do that with anything but identical displays, but it *seemed* to work? I've been using it nonstop (or at least, plugged in) for probably half a year now.

Same res, so I don't think that'd be it. Anyway, I'll try the input thing.

 

[Darkbreeze]

If "heat" makes it better, then it sounds very much like a poor or corroded connection, or a semi-broken solder point somewhere inside. Those are really about the only things that "heat" would "make better". Most problems with monitors, and electronics in general, get worse with more heat. Solder points and minutely compromised connections MAY in some cases get better because the heat causes things to expand and when you expand a cracked or broken solder point or connection there is a good chance of it pushing the connection together more firmly due to the expansion, and therefore, might make it go away until it cools off again. That's a guess really, but based on similar circumstances with other hardware like graphics cards and motherboards that I've dealt with in the past.

I might try eliminating the "doodad" just in case the problem might be something in there instead.

 

[canadianvice]

I already took the doodad out. The heat thing is pure conjecture, I just find it curious that it goes away while I'm running something more demanding, even if it's not directly in that monitor.

Anyway, I'll try the input thing a lil' later and update as relevant. Thanks for the prompt response.