Recently my external monitor goes black each time i scroll, or switch a tab/window

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Level 1

4 points

Recently my external monitor goes black each time i scroll, or switch a tab/window

I have been working with two monitors for over a year now and all of a sudden after perhaps the latest update, my external display keeps going off randomly each time I ...

scroll or
change a tab or window
drag a window across to the display
drag a window when its already on the display
any time more then 0.5% of the screen's content "changes" (like if I type really really fast, or paste something in an email that is on that screen!)

It happens 100 times or more a day. I keep unplugging and re-plugging it into the usb-c port and sometimes this fixes it for a few hours, but then it starts again. It also ALWAYS starts doing this first thing in the morning, and each time it comes out of screen-saver/sleep! (but as it happens during the middle of the day too - its got nothing to do with the temperature - being too cold etc)

I have gone through all the other help suggestions that are listed by other people who have posted this similar issue - including checking and replacing the power cable to the screen as well as using a different DVI cable (usb-c to DVI so that I get the full resolution of my screen)

Again, it NEVER did this before, and I did not "change" anything in my configuration - this is a new issue that just started happening last week!!

Thanks for any suggestions

MacOS Sonoma 14.4.1 (23E224)

MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2019

Processor 2.4 GHz 8-Core i9

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8gb

32 GB 2665 MHz DDR4

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Apr 30, 2024 3:53 PM

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Answer 1

itmachines Author

Level 1

4 points

May 3, 2024 10:34 AM in response to itmachines

SO, each time my mac comes out of sleep mode or gets rebooted, my screen mode changes to "dynamic" refresh... When you move things around, it tries to dynamically increase the refresh rate, and this is what is making the screen flash off and on...

Changing this setting to be fixed refresh rate at 60 or 100 hertz fixes the refresh, but I HAVE to see this setting every single time I wake the computer from sleeping/reboot - it does NOT remember it - very frustrating!

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Answer 2

itmachines Author

Level 1

4 points

May 3, 2024 12:48 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

It comes down to an Apple/Mac vs Screen-Capability issue at the end of the day!

Apple/Mac assumes that my screen is capable of being able to handle a dynamic refresh rate - my screen is not capable of handling a dynamic rate, so it "resets" itself each time the refresh rate changes, and it changes all the time when them mouse moves too quick, or the screen-content changes, and I have to keep telling my mac that it doesn't (which is frustrating)

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Answer 3

May 3, 2024 1:19 PM in response to itmachines

Your Mac gets the capabilities of your display DIRECTLY from the display itself. You are unlikely to be able to easily provide any settings that are beyond the capabilities of your display, HOWEVER:

Your Mac can not control what cables, adapters and docks are being used, and if you provide that information, Readers can check that what you are using is completely in-bounds.

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Answer 4

May 3, 2024 11:37 AM in response to itmachines

what model display(s)? or a link to their specs including resolution, refresh rates, and display inputs

EXACTLY what cables, adapters and Docks are used to make the connection? please mention EVERY item.

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Recently my external monitor goes black each time i scroll, or switch a tab/window

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