AW2721D, DP, does not display BIOS or POST screen

Question

I just picked up the AW2721D monitor. Happy with it so far, but just ran into a major issue.

At first I thought the monitor was just slow to wake up as every time I booted up my system, it would only wake up once the Windows 10 logon screen was showing.

But when I used the SHIFT-RESTART shortcut to boot directly into UEFI BIOS, I realized that instead the monitor simply will not display the POST or BIOS screens at all. It just goes into standby mode and won't wake up.

I'm using a known good DisplayPort cable that was previous working on another Dell 1440p 144Hz monitor without issues.

Is this just a bad monitor that I need to send back? Or any other thoughts on this?

It's connected to an EVGA 3080 TI FTW3 GPU with fully updated firmware. Motherboard is also running the latest BIOS. Although at this point, I can't get to the BIOS to check anything now because the monitor simply goes to sleep.

r72019 · Accepted Answer

@MrBeanz wrote:

Not interested in using HDMI considering that the specs for the AW2721D do not support 240Hz over HDMI.

Native Resolution - Taken from the Dell AW2721D tech specs page

QHD 2560 x 1440 (DisplayPort: 240 Hz, HDMI: 144 Hz)

If DisplayPort isn't functioning properly, then this monitor must be defective.

People have been experiencing this due to firmware updates to current gen GPUs to support reBAR, which is impacting DSC. The workaround is to use hdmi to enter BIOs, or downflash the vBIOs if the issue is the display stream compression issue that a lot of other people are experiencing, or deal with it until it gets patched. If that is the issue (not saying it is, there could be other issues) but if so, it's not the monitor, it's the GPU firmware. You could find out if that is likely the issue by checking to see if hdmi works for BIOS POST screens. Other than that, dp should work fine, hdmi would only be to access BIOS settings which seemed like what you wanted to do.

r72019 · Answer

Also, what computer do you have?

r72019 · Answer

Try using an HDMI cable, there's been some issue with DSC lately.

MrBeanz · Answer

Not interested in using HDMI considering that the specs for the AW2721D do not support 240Hz over HDMI.

Native Resolution - Taken from the Dell AW2721D tech specs page

QHD 2560 x 1440 (DisplayPort: 240 Hz, HDMI: 144 Hz)

If DisplayPort isn't functioning properly, then this monitor must be defective.

My computer is a custom build.

AMD Ryzen 5900X CPU

Asus TUF Gaming X570-Pro motherboard - Latest BIOS

32GB of 3600Mhz RAM

2x 1TB NVME SSDs

EVGA RTX 3080 TI FTW3 - Latest Firmware

SeaSonic 850W Platinum PSU

And I just bought this monitor to replace a Dell S2716DG (1440p 144Hz) monitor which had zero problems over DP. The only thing that has changed is the monitor.

Vanadiel · Answer

You can use both at the same time, and switch between them as needed. There is a DSC bug with the latest REBAR firmware, that is causing these exact same issues over display port as you are describing.

You could switch to HDMI for bios access, and to DP for anything else. That would also confirm if's a DCS issue as opposed to some other issue.

MrBeanz · Answer

Appreciate the input you guys are providing.

So I went ahead and tested the monitor with HDMI and the BIOS and POST screens did appear fine with HDMI. I went ahead and disabled REBAR in the BIOS, and this did not resolve the DP issues though.

I'm just perplexed though that I had zero issues using DisplayPort with a Dell S2716DG 1440p 144hz monitor which is much older (5 year old G-Sync monitor) yet this newer Alienware monitor cannot display POST/BIOS screens over DP. It would seem that if the GPU were the issue, I would have experienced similar issues on the Dell S2716DG as well.

Unfortunately, I can't just leave an HDMI cable plugged into the GPU for BIOS purposes as I use the HDMI port for my VR setup and there is only one single HDMI port on the GPU.

I'll likely need to issue a return on this monitor unfortunately.

MrBeanz · Answer

Yeah, I'd prefer not to lose reBAR support due to a monitor upgrade. I'm going to initiate a return and get a replacement and see if that changes anything. If not, then I'll unfortunately look into another display that doesn't have this issue.

Thanks again for everyone's assistance!

pderosa · Answer

I think that the issue is related to the VBIOS update that enabled reBAR, not the reBAR setting itself. I think if you roll back to the VBIOS update that was prior, I think 1.0.0.1, it will enable you to see the POST screen again, but you would lose reBAR functionality. I am just waiting for an update since there are limited times I go into the BIOS and need access to the POST screen.

Rabbitdude · Answer

He is using an EVGA 3080Ti FTW3, pretty sure they were released on a vbios that already supported rebar

Rabbitdude · Answer

No issue at 144hz on the other display because it was not using DSC unlike trying to drive 1440p at 240hz

Vanadiel · Answer

While this problem is not exactly the same, this thread might help you out.

AW2721D Thread

If you scroll down you see an official response from DELL regarding the matters discussed in the thread.

I would check with a support agent to see if there's any update available that addresses that issue.

r72019 · Answer

@MrBeanz wrote:

That's correct. This GPU came out of the box with REBAR support. There is no downgrading. And if we are being completely honest, a brand new monitor shouldn't require you to downgrade the GPU firmware when other monitors work fine with the GPU. That tells me it's a monitor problem, not a GPU problem.

Timewise and headaches aside, it probably makes the most sense to move on to a monitor that works with your GPU without DSC or other issues. Going to be a real headache always having that on the back of your mind wondering if a patch will come through. I'd probably return and buy a different model too if I were in your position.

MrBeanz · Answer

That's correct.  This GPU came out of the box with REBAR support.  There is no downgrading.  And if we are being completely honest, a brand new monitor shouldn't require you to downgrade the GPU firmware when other monitors work fine with the GPU.  That tells me it's a monitor problem, not a GPU problem.

PCRead · Answer

Aren't there issues with DP itself? I've seen several videos about how to get DP working by fully powering down the screen to reset the connection.
I've had some issues at work with dual displays (HDMI and DP) where only the DP stops working.
And my machine at home (RTX3080) refuses to connect to my LG CX 48 or Oculus Rift from a DP port via a converter (I tested the DP to HDMI connector. Works fine).
I found a bypass, so didn't bother to explore all options.

MrBeanz · Answer

Yeah, not sure on that. All I know is I have had my laptop connected to my older Dell s2716dg 1440p 144hz GSync monitor via HDMI and my gaming desktop via DP for years. I've never once had an issue over either connection. I replace that monitor with this Alienware monitor and right off the bat it simply cannot display the POST or BIOS screen via DP. I'm not aware of any significant issues with DP, it's pretty much the standard connection for monitors whereas HDTVs tend to prioritize HDMI.

Although I'm not using a converter for DP.

Alienware Desktops

AW2721D, DP, does not display BIOS or POST screen

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