Question Dual monitors not working lately...

[Barrichelly]

So I recently invested in a virtual reality headset and everything was going great. My system specs were:

2 x Nvidia 980 SC
EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G2 PSU
Intel i7 6700K
4 x 4 GB RAM DDR4
Dual monitors (HDMI, DVI)
VR Headset (DisplayPort)

I often let my computer go to sleep rather than shutting down every night. After about 5 days of this set up, when I awoke it from sleep, the second monitor wouldn't wake, in fact, it was no longer receiving signal.

I tried reinstalling drivers, unplugging the VR set, reinstalling Windows, and lastly unplugging one of my GPUs (the SLI setup was as new as the VR set, and I was suspecting too much power draw).

It worked, at first. After playing some games in VR, I went to reboot my computer to test it and of course the monitor was no longer receiving signal again. After doing a clean install of the drivers 5 consecutive times, it began working again, and that is where I am at right now (I have not tested VR again yet).

Other things worth noting:
-Both monitors and cables definitely work.
-When only one monitor is working, the problem can be narrowed down to the HDMI port on the graphics card not working.
-When not working, and booted with 1 monitor only plugged into the HDMI, once it gets past the Windows startup screen and onto the sign in screen, the monitor no longer receives signal.
-SteamVR and the Valve Index are what is being used for the VR side of things.

Would anyone out there have an idea as to where the problem lies and would be willing to help me through this? Thank you in advance.

 

[Barrichelly]

I recently got a new VR headset (Valve Index) and with this headset, it has a plug that requires an outlet, USB 3.0, and a DisplayPort. The VR headset itself plugs into 1 cord that connects it to the hub that connects to all of those outputs.

Normally, I have a dual monitor set up. One monitor is in the DVI port, the other in the HDMI port. The Index requires the DisplayPort. Just using the DVI and HDMI has worked fine for years.

Upon plugging in the VR plug hub into the DisplayPort and powercycling, the HDMI port on my graphics card no longer outputs. It does not detect the monitor in the Nvidia control panel and Windows will not detect it either.

The temporary fix is unplugging the DisplayPort, rebooting Windows, and clean installing the graphics drivers. However this is a consistent problem, and on any reboot my 2nd monitor is killed, so long as the DisplayPort is plugged in.

Am I overlooking something basic here? Please help me out, it's driving me nuts. Thanks.

Specs:
Nvidia 980 SC
EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G2 PSU
Intel i7 6700K
4 x 4 GB RAM DDR4
Dual monitors (HDMI, DVI)
VR Headset (DisplayPort)

 

[Lutfij]

Make and model of your motherboard? Might want to check and see which BIOS version you're currently on for your motherboard. Which Version of Windows 10 are you? Are you also on the latest GPU drivers for your GPU? Seeing that you still have a GTX980 in that build, I'm assuming that the GPU is giving out.

 

[Barrichelly]

Make and model of your motherboard? Might want to check and see which BIOS version you're currently on for your motherboard. Which Version of Windows 10 are you? Are you also on the latest GPU drivers for your GPU? Seeing that you still have a GTX980 in that build, I'm assuming that the GPU is giving out.

My motherboard.
Windows 10 Home Version 1903
Just updated my drivers which were updated today by Nvidia.

The problem is currently fixed. It turns out that I needed to plug the VR headset into a specific DisplayPort, in fact, the 2nd of 3 DisplayPorts. This is weird since that's the port that it was in when the problem started, so I'm skeptical. The difference is that I used to unplug the headset from the break-away point because I didn't see why it always needed power, but I have stopped since, and it has been working and surviving reboots.

That said, I originally had 2 SLI 980s and assumed it was a power draw issue, but it must not be the case. After getting everything to work, and putting the 2nd 980 back in, my performance in games has never been better. Again, I still don't know what set everything off so I'm currently on edge waiting for something to break but here's hoping.

Thanks for your reply, and if any of this helps in determining what the cause could have been I'd love to hear it.