The Heftster

Q: monitor/display randomly go black for a few seconds

Hi, I'm experiencing the same issue with 2 different computers using different setups.

Basically, one of the two displays randomly goes black/blank for a few seconds, then comes back on.

 

  • One is an iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9), 1TB Fusion, 24GB, 3.4GHz i7, 680MX with an external 24" LG Display atttached via Mini Displayport-to-DVI cable
  • The other is an early 2013 15" Macbook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) OS X Mavericks (10.9), 256GB SSD, 16GB RAM with an external 27" Dell U2713HM display using Thunderbolt-to-dual-link DVI

 

On the iMac it happens on the iMac display, but not the external monitor, and on the MacBook Pro it happens on the external 27" monitor, not the laptop.

 

I'm 100% absolutely sure that my mouse is nowhere near the "hot-corner for display sleep" when it occurs. Besides, if that was the case both displays whould go black. It seems to have no relation to what apps are open or what I'm doing when it happens, except that I'm ususally moving the mouse at the time. I've tried letting go of the mouse and waiting to see if it continues to sleep, but no, it just turns on after 1-2 seconds. The Macbook hasn't had the issue when it's not using the external display.

 

I actually experienced this with Mountain Lion on the iMac too, but since both are using Mavericks now, and the issue is still there. I'm posting this in the Mavericks forum. Since it's happening on two considerably different systems and setups, I'm inclined to beleive it's a bug in OS X. Some posts have indicated that it may be caused by WindowServer crashing and restarting, but how can I tell? And if so, what the **** can I do? Anybody else experienced this?

 

What I have tried:

Disable display sleep hot corner

 

What I haven't tried yet:

Unplug external display on iMac to see if it still happens (this cannot be tested on the laptop since only the external display goes black)

In both cases I'm using some type of USB 3.0 hub - the iMac has the 7-port Satechi USB 3.0 hub (lovely) and the Macbook is using the Dell monitor's built-in USB hub.

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 1TB Fusion, 8GB, 3.4GHz i7, 680MX

Posted on Nov 22, 2013 5:26 AM

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Q: monitor/display randomly go black for a few seconds

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Flowfit,Helpful

    Flowfit Flowfit Mar 25, 2014 2:13 AM in response to The Heftster
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mar 25, 2014 2:13 AM in response to The Heftster

    Same problem with the MacBook Pro 15 "Late 2013, screen DELL U2713HM. Goes blank for 2 seconds and returns to normal

  • by The Heftster,

    The Heftster The Heftster May 23, 2014 1:10 AM in response to Flowfit
    Level 1 (35 points)
    May 23, 2014 1:10 AM in response to Flowfit

    Good to know I'm not alone, but since you have the same monitor we're probably going to se someone blaming Dell. However, since I'm not only seeing this on my Dell, I'm still not satisfied with that possibility.

  • by theimagehouse,

    theimagehouse theimagehouse Jun 25, 2014 12:29 AM in response to The Heftster
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 25, 2014 12:29 AM in response to The Heftster

    I have the same problem with my Dell 27-inch. It goes blank for a 3 seconds then comes on then blank again - it repeats this 3 times at ramdom. It mostly happens when I plug something in my USB or Thunderbolt, or even just plug something into my power plug on the wall.

     

    Macbook Pro 15-inch Retina

  • by goldquest,Apple recommended

    goldquest goldquest Dec 17, 2015 8:02 AM in response to The Heftster
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Dec 17, 2015 8:02 AM in response to The Heftster

    I just had the same problem with our Dell U2715H and DisplayPort-to-miniDisplayPort.

     

    I could solve it by enabling DP 1.2 (DisplayPort version 1.2) in the monitor settings.

    It seems like a lesser version can't handle the resolution of 2560x1440 so well (because the bandwidth is too low).

  • by Bob Bousfield1,

    Bob Bousfield1 Bob Bousfield1 Aug 13, 2016 1:41 AM in response to goldquest
    Level 1 (119 points)
    Aug 13, 2016 1:41 AM in response to goldquest

    Thank you! I just took delivery of one of these and experienced the same issue. Your suggestion worked.