dual monitor flickering

Hey People,
Recently I bought a Philips monitor as in this link:
http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/d...&slg=en&scy=US

I also have a VGN-Z650N Vaio laptop. So I managed to use laptop as the secondary and Philips as the primary monitor (actually I have also tried using Philips as the only one but it didn't make any difference). I'm using VGA cable.

Now the problem: I don't know the right term but there is kind of wave in the Philips monitor! I don't know if that's what you call flickering or tearing or vibrating or what but that's it. The screen is not as stationary as my laptop. The problem is obvious in some pages of firefox because of their color or for example in "My Computer" when the page is mostly white so you can exactly feel the waves!

The refresh rate is 60 which is the maximum possible. I remember having such problem with my CRT some years ago but then I increased the refresh rate and it was solved and at that time I had a PC but now with LCD I can't.

This is not a problem that I can send the monitor back because of being defective so I appreciate if you can give me some guides to fix it.

Thanks

Have you tried using the monitor with a different source?

What resolution did you set the Phillips monitor to?

And what is your video card? Is it integrated (Intel), or something else?

No, I don't have any different source. Hummmmmm but if I have to, I probably will!
1920*1080 for Philips
1600*900 for laptop

It's their both maximum possibles.

Well this is the information about my video card from this website http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Scan.aspx?lang=en-us:

Product : NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS
Current Installed Driver : 174.49
Latest Driver Update: The manufacturer of this system requires that you download the driver for your GPU from their support site.

The GeForce M series and GeForce Go series notebook GPUs use drivers that have been customized by the notebook manufacturers to support hot key functions, power management functions, lid close and suspend/resume behavior. NVIDIA has worked with some notebook manufacturers to provide notebook-specific driver updates, however, most notebook driver updates must come from the notebook manufacturer. Additionally, the desktop GeForce graphics drivers will not install on Geforce M series and Quadro M series notebook GPU's.

You can try lowering the resolutions, or you can try mirroring the screen. I'm thinking it is possible that the two very high resolutions are just too much for the mobile card. But if you set it to mirror and your problem persists, then this obviously isn't the issue.

Hi,

Please try using a different cable as well as what has been suggested. Does the Philips have a removable cable, or is it fixed?

If it is fixed (at the monitor end) then try a different computer.

Also try the laptop on another external monitor............. Your local library might help there?............ doesn't matter if it is CRT, because I am just thinking of testing the external monitor port ;)

As you have tried using the Philips as the only monitor, I don't think that it is the video chipset............given that it runs the inbuilt monitor OK?

nihil is right. Even better, if your laptop has it,ditch the vga cable and get hdmi or dvi. Maybe it's just me, but I've always had problems with using VGA cables on mobile units like laptops with secondary monitors. I don't know if VGA cables are prone to breaking from bending the cables or what, but I've had continual problems with VGA cables, no matter what I've bought.

You were right. It was a cable problem and HDMI solved it....Thanks for the advice

Thanks for the response!

So many threads end without a confirmed conclusion ;);)

nihil, so true. I always try to give an update to clarify the problem and what the solution was in an effort to help other people who may have had the same problem.

So like I said switching to HDMI cable solve the problem at that time. But then I had to use the VGA cable again and I tried like 3 different cables and it was still flickering. I tries these cables with another computer and they worked well so my suspicion is that it's the VGA slot of the laptop that is causing the problem.

Can you guys think of a way I can clean it or something? Please let me know about it.
Thanks

Hi boyboy,

First off, let me point out that I am not a qualified electronics engineer :D

I don't think that it is a dirt issue, but you could try cleaning each of the 15 holes gently with a pin? Neither do I think that it is a dry (cold?) joint problem. {Expansion/contraction of soldered joints with microfractures in them}.

Both of those would normally have symptoms of the thing doesn't work, cuts in and out, or only works when the machine has warmed up or cooled down a bit.

What you described is more a failing or defective electronic component issue in my experience.

You didn't say why you "had" to use a VGA connection, so the best solution I can suggest right now is to get a D-Sub (VGA) to HDMI connection cable. Over here a 6 foot one costs around £2 (GBP), you will want male connections at either end. Basically you are stuck with having to use HDMI to connect to the lappy and whatever connection suits the other device.

I am afraid that the D-Sub port problem is a repair shop job, which would be $$$ unless the lappy is still under warranty. In either case you would be without it for a while :(

Hope that helps :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nihil

Hi boyboy,
You didn't say why you "had" to use a VGA connection

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Yea you're right..well after I bought that Dell computer and it didn't work out as I expected, I tried to sell it but in the first attempt I wasn't lucky then I got busy and put it away for some time then blahblahblah so I was kind of scared and reluctant to buy another second handed PC and decided to use the lappy as before but with VGA cable...

You remember the temperature problem? and remember that my lappy has two modes i.e. STAMNIA and SPEED and as far as I know, it has an onboard video card plus this NVIDIA card which activates if the SPEED mode is on (or maybe I'm wrong but anyways when I'm in STAMNIA mode, I don't have that temperature problem even when I watch full screen movies with my 22inches monitor having the lappy connected to...

The point is that the lappy does not allow me to use the HDMI cable in STAMNIA mode...something pops up and asks me to switch to the SPEED mode....

The model of my VAIO belongs to the states and their support sucks in Canada as well as the warranty is already expired anyways...

PS. but I really decide to buy a PC in near future if procrastination leaves me alone :D

Hi, I guess we need to look at just how SONY have implemented this?

It would seem that "SPEED" uses the independent video card and that "STAMINA" uses the onboard chipset?

It may well be that you don't have a problem with the D_Sub connection..........it's just that the onboard chipset cannot handle the 22" monitor?

If you use the HDMI then you get overheating............that shouldn't happen as the box is obviously intended to be used with an external HD monitor for gaming?

I would suggest that you access an external monitor using D-Sub, and see if that flickers. If it doesn't then it means that the onboard chipset cannot handle the 22" monitor and there is nothing wrong with your D-Sub connection.

Have you gone into your BIOS and Vista and checked your monitor settings try them on power saving rather than performance. Also have the fans always on at full speed. Check to see if there is a difference.

I am guessing that the onboard video chipset is also nVIDIA??????????? in which case you might have a solution from them. They do a thing called "SLI", which is for dual chipsets in a gaming environment. This may let you use both chipsets at once by overriding the SONY instruction set.

Try updating your nVIDIA software (nForce?), and look for an implementation of SLI.

Good luck :)

I have been with the secondary display on the laptop to use mobile units, such as VGA cable problem. I do not know if the VGA cable line is easy to bend or break, but I've been with the VGA cable problem...

Hello luluxiu and welcome to AO.

Quote:

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I do not know if the VGA cable line is easy to bend or break

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The actual cable is very strong and flexible, the problem is usually with the connectors.

This is not so common with a desktop machine as you attach the cable and leave it there. With a laptop you are constantly plugging and unplugging the cable so the chances of damaging a connector are greater.

:)

Using MSI Afterburner parameters and load inventory (like a worm, not the card c) 2D and OC settings for my card sets 3d 5770

OH Dear! donaldsmith my dear little botmatic friend :D

Big FAIL on that one mate............. here we have an issue with a Sony laptop implementation of D-Sub/HDMI.......... nothing to do with what you suggest

I will give you a :dunce: for that.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, this is a family forum........... perhaps I shouldn't be seen playing with my botty in public? :eek:

Flickering problem solved

OOHHHHH my gooddneesssssssssssssss

I don't know why I should come across this now after such a long time struggling but anyways I figured googling laptop+vga+flicker a couple of days ago and I did it and ran into this website:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/tosh...n-flicker.html

There it was suggested that the problem is because both monitor and lappy are hooked up to the same plate and running the lappy on battery might help. So I disconnected the power cord and flickers disappeared :)

I tried three different plates in my room but it didn't solve the problem so I guess the problem is with lappy running on power cord anyways...

Hi there boyboy, many thanks for the feedback, which I find most interesting!

Like yourself I have a US sourced laptop (Compaq CQ61US) so I will try it on my Samsung 23.3" and LG 21.5" screens. Over here we use 240~250v 50Hz on 13amp ring mains, so I have a stepdown transformer to feed into the lappy's PSU/transformer which runs at 110v.

Quote:

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I tried three different plates in my room but it didn't solve the problem so I guess the problem is with lappy running on power cord anyways...

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If you are anything like us, they will all be on the same ring, so you would only see a difference if one of the plates was defective?

You post has raised a side issue in my mind. I keep seeing adverts for these plug-in devices to turn your home power supply wiring into a home PC network.............I wonder if that would be affected by interference carried along the power cables?

:)

Wow. I'm pretty surprised that was the cause of the issue. I would have thought that expensive equipment like laptops would filter those types of noise. But then again filters usually require larger amounts of capacitance which would take up lots of real estate in a laptop. Interesting though.