Understanding and Resolving Display Flickering Issues in Multi-Monitor Setups with NVIDIA Graphics
Introduction
Many users operating multi-monitor setups encounter various display-related challenges, especially following system or driver updates. Among these, temporary black screens or flickering when switching focus between screens can be particularly disruptive. This article explores a common scenario involving a dual-monitor configuration, provides insights into potential causes, and offers troubleshooting steps to resolve such issues effectively.
Scenario Overview
Consider a user with a two-monitor setup:
- Primary Display (Screen 2): 3840×2160 resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, HDR support
- Secondary Display (Screen 1): 1920×1080 resolution, 60Hz, older model without HDR
The user’s system comprises an MSI Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super graphics card and runs Windows 11 24H2. Following a driver update, they experienced a specific issue:
When running a game on the primary monitor (Screen 1) in borderless windowed mode, clicking on the secondary monitor causes the screen to go black for approximately one second. The flicker also occurs when clicking back onto the primary monitor. Notably, the primary monitor does not exhibit this behavior.
Initial Attempts and Observations
Initially, the user believed lowering the secondary monitor’s refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz alleviated the problem temporarily. However, this solution no longer proved effective, and in fact, the high HDR saturation on the primary monitor became problematic at reduced refresh rates.
A temporary fix was discovered in the NVIDIA Control Panel:
- Navigating to “Change Desktop Size and Position”
- Changing the “Scaling” setting from “Display” to “GPU”
This adjustment prevented the black screen issue until the next system restart, after which the problem would reoccur, requiring reapplication of the setting.
Additional context includes:
- G-Sync is disabled on the secondary monitor.
- Auto-HDR is active but does not influence the flickering.
- The issue manifests shortly after game launch, with the problem absent during initial seconds.
Potential Causes
Several factors could contribute to this behavior:
-
Display Refresh Rates and Compatibility:
The older monitor’s 60Hz refresh rate might cause synchronization issues, especially when combined with high refresh rates and HDR on the primary display. -
Windowed or Borderless Gaming Mode:
Borderless windowed mode often
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