Monitor has horizontal lines moving vertically

[nexigen]

I have horizontal lines moving vertically on my monitor, it's very faint but noticeable, especially if I'm playing something with a dark background and it's driving me nuts. Anyone know specifically what the problem would be? Please be detailed.

 

[mavroxur]

What kind of monitor? System? Resolution? Need more info...

 

[nexigen]

Ok, it's an AMW A911B 19" Monitor - A few months ago I had a few blown capacitors that I replaced in the power supply unit in the monitor.

System is Asus m2n32-sli deluxe, evga geforce 7900gs, 1280x1024 32-bit color. XP, DirectX 9.0c, up-to-date nvidia drivers. This was not a sudden change, it's been setting in slowly for a while.

 

[mavroxur]

I'm going to put my money on bad monitor. Those monitors are cheap, off-brand, and being that you already changed caps in it once, i'm going to say that either it's got another problem, or you have more caps that have gone bad. Not to mention that those monitors were $149 back in 2006.

Try a different monitor and see if your problem goes away (it probably will)

 

[nexigen]

Well I picked it up in 2007 for about $100. Anyway if it does end up the monitor I'd like to actually fix it instead of buying a new one. All monitors use the same cheap parts, replacing caps after 3 years isn't unheard of. Anyone think they could narrow it down a bit more, specifically am I looking at the video display adapter, inverter board, lcd bulb maybe? I'm sure someone's come across this before.

 

[jaguarskx]

All monitors use the same cheap parts, replacing caps after 3 years isn't unheard of.

Not true.

All Cheap Monitors use the same cheap parts is more true.

 

[mavroxur]

All monitors use the same cheap parts

I'm going out on a limb here, but I seriously doubt my NEC uses the same parts as your "ABC Monitor Company" brand monitor.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

I'm going out on a limb here, but I seriously doubt my NEC uses the same parts as your "ABC Monitor Company" brand monitor.

I second that. I'd say it's safe to assume that you get what you pay for in a monitor (and most other pc components)...

If you want to try and replace even more parts, then you're on your own there. I'd say your best bet is to just invest in something a little newer and higher quality. You seem to like cheap brands, so I'm sure there is something around $120-130 on NewEgg that will suit your needs and last a little longer than constantly chucking money into an already dated monitor. Just my opinion on the situation... It's like trying to replace components in an OEM PC. Once one thing goes, typically everything else that the OEM put in it also bites the dust at the same time. At least that's always been my case...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824262005
There you go. 1600x900 20" Widescreen. Or, if you're really feeling ambitious, go to Staples or BestBuy and look at a few to see which one you like the best. ...and get one with a brand name this time, maybe.

 

[bystander]

SLOW down on the monitor issue.

What you are describing sounds a lot like tearing. Tearing happens due to the card writing to the video buffer at the same time the monitor is updating the image on the screen. If the card is writing at the same time, you end up with two images being displayed at once. The two images being slightly off will look like a horizontal line. If the timing of the card and video aren't in sync, that horizontal line will move up and down as well.

Try turning on V-sync in the games this occurs in. You might also want to turn on triple buffering too, or it can have a large impact on your FPS if it's lower than your refresh rate.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

^Yeah, I was thinking that too until he chimed in about the part over it 'not being a sudden issue, but had been setting in for quite a while'... you're right, though; it's worth a try.

 

[bystander]

^Yeah, I was thinking that too until he chimed in about the part over it 'not being a sudden issue, but had been setting in for quite a while'... you're right, though; it's worth a try.

Tearing is something that would have been happening from day one. Often times people just don't notice it at first and some games don't have it as bad. It's definitely worth trying first.

 

[nexigen]

Nice idea on the tearing however it's multiple lines, and very subtle. Almost like a glaze just fluttering upward. Hmm, in fact it's almost sort of like extremely subtle flickering.. I wonder if it's related to the bulb or inverter.. Can I test the inverter perhaps with a voltmeter? Wondering how I can narrow it down more before just buying parts. Any ideas in that respect?

As far as the few other responses I feel dumber having even read them. Recommending that I buy a monitor from bestbuy is not why I signed up here. I want to know why it's having an issue and how to fix it.

 

[bystander]

Tearing can occur multiple times, although it wouldn't happen multiple times on a single image unless you are getting FPS past your refresh rate and with your setup, that's not likely, unless you see the multiple lines on old games.

Does this happen at the desktop or only in a game? If it's at the desktop, then it's definitely hardware related. If not, give v-sync a try.

 

[bystander]

Also, does this happen with all games, or have you noticed it in a particular game?

 

[mavroxur]

As far as the few other responses I feel dumber having even read them.

And that's fine. I'm not feeling very smart myself....having to explain why it's not cost effective to keep changing capacitors in a 5 year old off-brand monitor that's already been repaired once.

I want to know why it's having an issue and how to fix it.

It's having an issue because it's an 5 year old piece of crap. Honestly. You've already replaced caps in it, and it's having problems again. It's an offbrand monitor that was probably designed with parts to make it live just long enough to last the 1 year warranty.

 

[nexigen]

Thanks Bystander for the help on this but when I asked my girlfriend to describe the weird flickering to me she explained it as interference. Then I thought hmm, checked the cables in the back and realized it was a loose connection and I think it's a faulty cord. $5 Repair job certainly not as cost effective as a $120 monitor from bestbuy but I'll take it. Thanks again.

 

[nexigen]

Best answer selected by Nexigen.

 

[mavroxur]

Who would've ever thought to make sure it's plugged in before consulting the forums.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar