Troubleshooting a Flickering Monitor

Seeing your monitor flicker may be quite the scare, because it may often be linked to hardware failure related either to your monitor, or your computer's GPU. However, while this is a real possibility, it is not always the case – often, monitor flickering may be caused by miniature issues that are easy to fix. Below, we list some of the best troubleshooting steps to try out when your monitor is flickering:

Check Connections

Regardless of what type of cable you are using to connect your monitor to your computer, you should check both ends of the connection to make sure that it is connected securely. A loose cable connection is one of the most common causes for a flickering monitor or a monitor that turns off and on unexpectedly.

Find a Temporary Replacement Monitor

One of the easiest ways to identify if the problem is a faulty monitor is to disconnect the one causing trouble and then connect a one that works for certain. If the second monitor has no issues, then it is likely that the first one is damaged.

Check GPU Temperatures

An overheating GPU may be causing display troubles, which look like a malfunctioning monitor. There are plenty of free hardware monitoring applications, which will give you an idea about your GPU's temperature at the moment. Typically, having it run above 65C (149F) while idle is not good – this temperature may mean that the GPU reaches over 90C (194F( when under load. To reduce the temperature, you need to remove dust built up in your case and on your GPU fans, as well as to change the thermal paste.

Reinstall GPU Drivers

A corrupt or faulty driver may cause your monitor to flicker. We advise you to keep your video drivers up-to-date by downloading the latest version from the video card vendor's official website, or by using automated driver maintenance software.