U2711, DisplayPort Issues in Sleep mode

tamarw,

* List all the ports on the Radeon HD 6950. Are the Radeon HD 6950 DP (Display Port) full size or mini?

* Break out exactly how the U2711s are connected to the video card using what ports and what cabling. For example =
Computer Radeon HD 6950 DP --> Dell DP to DP cable --> #1 U2711 Full size DP

* For power save issues troubleshooting, disconnect the U2711 USB upstream cable from the computer USB ports. Disconnect all USB devices from the U2711.

* The U2711 DVI ports are DVI-D Dual Link. When testing DVI from the Radeon HD 6950 to the U2711, you must be using the Dell provided DVI-D Dual Link cable.

Here's one better. This is the Radeon HD 6950 that I'm using:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161372

1 x HDMI

2 x Mini DisplayPort

2 x DVI (1 Single Link, 1 Dual Link)

--

Computer Radeon HD 6950 DVI - Dell DVI cable - U2711 Full size DVI (this is not where my complaint lies, so I am not sure why having a Dell DVI cable makes a difference, frankly)

Computer Radeon HD 6950 DP - Accell DP cable (I also tried the Dell DP cable) - U2711 Full size DP with issues

--

Dell told me earlier that they have issues with the DP connections, Chris, and I even got 3-4 new replacements that exhibited the same exact behavior. From what you're telling me, I'm no closer to finding a solution.

Let me show you what my DP looks like. This is SLEEP MODE, to be clear, or otherwise known as Power Save mode.

Not exactly, Chris. The issue persisted on Windows 7 (the computer wouldn't recover from Sleep Mode), but I only had this particular issue in Windows 8. If you reread the original post, the issue got particularly bad in Windows 8 only, and those pictures show you what behavior I encounter now. I only had access to one monitor on Windows 8, but I had access to four in Windows 7. Are you saying DP isn't a problem with U2711s? Based on the Anandtech thread that I originally posted this on (see http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2373847), a guy also reports similar issues with the U3011.

Four monitors all with the same issue. Did you test those monitors and the same DP cables on another computer to see if the issues were replicated on the other computer?

"I have not seen any firmware updates for it in years." Which is probably the problem. :( 

And yes, both monitors are still under warranty (I believe I have 2.5 more years). I got the U2713 once though and was totally unhappy. Maybe the "new" U2713H would be fine, but I don't know. I would want to replace both monitors as I want to have a consistent experience... and DP is bad with the U2711 (and U3011) in general.

Are you saying DP isn't a problem with U2711s?
* No. But if the issues do not occur on another computer, the monitors are fine. This is a simple way to check if the computer or operating system DP link coming out of sleep mode is at fault.

* The U2711 came out in 2009. I have not seen any firmware updates for it in years. Are these still under warranty?

Hi Tamarw,

I didn't restart, I had to unplug the USB cable to get the displayport to start working again.

I had 2 monitors, both connected via displayport to a Quadra 2000 in a Dell T1650. The displayports had been somewhat flaky to setup in the past but I always got them going eventually... Then I removed the second monitor, a Dell 24 inch, and when I rebooted the system, the 27 inch monitor said there was no signal and went into sleep mode. I plugged the 24 inch back in and it came up, but the 27 inch remained in sleep mode. So I switched out cables and tried both display ports on the Quadro 2000, but the 27-inch would not activate. I started to think the monitor had failed, so I plugged in a DVI cable to the 27-Inch and it started working fine. So I plugged the displayport back in and chose that as the input (on the monitor input menu) and it still would not work.

Then I saw this post about removing the upstream USB cable if it was installed... Sure enough once I unplugged the USB connection, the displayport connection came back to life.

So that is how it was solved for me, although I suppose it could have been just a coincidence... 

My U2711 displayport connection started having this problem and after trying different cables/connections and just about giving up... I tried unplugging the USB cable and restarting. That fixed it!

Note: DVI cable would still work even with USB still plugged in... I have not tried plugging the USB back in and don't plan to! I didn't need it anyway.

I've had this problem for two years, jefbak. Restarting? No. Not the issue. I restart hundreds of times.

Thanks jefbak. Maybe that's nice workaround, but it seems to me that you don't get the functionality you paid for in your monitor if you can't use USB with your monitor.

I cannot speak to the European or Asian Pacific regions. For Dell Americas U2711, I was told all DP issues were corrected with revision A05 and beyond. For all previous versions, the workaround was as follows =
Disconnect/reconnect the DP cable from the monitor. Then disconnect/reconnect the monitor USB upstream cable from the rear of the monitor.

That is my U3011 in the AnandTech post. It is a revision A05. Unplugging the USB upstream did nothing for me. I am using a certified DP cable, and have changed it to rule out a bad cable with the same result. I believe I am out of warranty, so I am just stuck. Does anyone have any new information on this problem? 

I have had this problems for years. Dell has never been able to help me. I use Mac computers with mini-displayport to display port on Dell U2711. The Macs works fine with other monitors with the same cables at any resolution. The Dell U2711 goes in to energy save and never wakes up, not even after unplugging power cord, pressing down on/off button to discharge, reconnecting power etc. Sometimes the monitor magically awakens and works for a while but the last five(!) weeks it has been stuck in energy save.

We did not validate the U2711 on apple proprietary hardware and software. That being said, if the U2711 is still under warranty and fails its Self-Test and Built-in Diagnostics (pages 39-40), we would exchange it for a refurbished U2711.