[SOLVED] Getting random black screen on external monitor connected to Dell G3 3590 ?

[kjulop]

I have owned my Dell G3 3590 (Core i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 1TB SSD) laptop for over two years and I have been using it connected to an external monitor, a BenQ EW3270U, using an HDMI cable without issues. I recently performed a fresh re-install of Windows 10-64bit using the Dell OS Recovery due to the laptop running slow (100% disc usage although my storage is not full) - but I will not get into this problem at the moment because it seems that it has been resolved after re-installing Windows 10.

After re-installing Windows 10-64bit and installing the updates from Windows Update, I have started to face an issue when my laptop is connected to the external BenQ monitor: the screen would turn black randomly for a second or two then turn back on. I replaced the HDMI cable but it did not solve the issue, and I have connected the HDMI cable to another port on the external monitor but it did not help either. The problem occurs when browsing on FireFox (even while typing this out), streaming videos (Youtube, Netflix, Twitch), watching downloaded videos, or browsing files on my local hard drive.

I have updated the Nvidia drivers for the onboard GTX 1050 card to latest version 512.59 but that did not solve the issue. I read online and found that several users have posted issues with this driver version , so I uninstalled it and installed the older, more stable driver version 512.15 and I am currently still facing the same issue.

I have tried using the laptop screen for sometime on its own and I did not have this issue, it only seems to happen when connected to the external monitor at random. I am still not able to replicate the black screen issue to better understand what is triggering it to happen.

Also as a side note I am using the same monitor to connect to a Playstation 5 for gaming and I have not had any issues at all when gaming or streaming media for several hours on that.

I hope the community would be able to support. Thank you in advance everyone.

 

[Lutfij]

I recently performed a fresh re-install of Windows 10-64bit using the Dell OS Recovery due to the laptop running slow (100% disc usage although my storage is not full) - but I will not get into this problem at the moment because it seems that it has been resolved after re-installing Windows 10.
You're advised to fabricate the installer for your OS using Windows Media Creation Tools and then proceed to install your OS, wiping the prior OS drive(and it's relevant partitions).

What BIOS version are you on for your laptop, at this moment of writing? When uninstalling your GPU drivers, use DDU to make sure you've rid your platform of all remnants of the GPU's drivers.

 

[kjulop]

Hi Lutfij,
I just did another re-installation using Dell Support OS Recovery tool last night because the black screen issue was occurring more frequently and it was impossible to get any work done on the external monitor. However, this time I opted not to connect to the internet during installation to avoid installing updates. Unfortunately, this has not solved the issue.

My BIOS Version/Date is: Dell Inc. 1.16.0, 14-Dec-21.

Can you please let me know what is DDU?

Edit: I want to add that I observed something strange, that my battery power options now only has the "Balanced" option and I cannot find the previous power plans like "High Performance". I noticed this after my search online for the black screen issue and some posts suggested that it could be a power issue where the GPU is no longer receiving enough power hence it is turning off for a few seconds then back on once it has the required power. I am not sure if this is the cause, however, let me say that my laptop is always connected to a power outlet.

I used Display Driver uninstaller DDU in safe mode. I removed both the Intel integrated graphics card driver and the Nvidia graphics card driver. And then installed the new drivers (also in safe mode). But the issue is still persistent.
I downloaded 3DMark to test the graphics card without using the external display, I was thinking that maybe it is a hardware issue. But throughout the testing using 3DMark I did not face any black screens.
I'm quite lost and do not know how to return back my system to how it used to be before.

Also worth to note that I downloaded the Windows media creation tool and created a usb image file for windows.

 

[kjulop]

Yesterday, I disconnected the battery from the motherboard, removed the SSD (windows is installed on the HDD), and booted up the PC again hoping this would help (the SSD is the newest hardware component I had installed to the laptop). I tested the external monitor again but same black screen would appear again.
Shut down the PC disconnected the battery and re-installed the SSD. Booted up and connected to the external monitor same thing happened.

For whatever reason I tried using the HDMI cable which I use for my console and to my surprise no more black screens. I have been using the external monitor without any issues for several hours now. I swapped the HDMI cable with the one I was originally using with which the random black screens would occur, and surprise surprise no more random black screens.

So the issue was fixed! How I honestly do not know. I'm keeping this posted hoping it could help someone with a similar issue