4K monitor flashes on and off frequently when plugged directly into my Surface Pro 4

Question

In February 2017 I purchased a 4K external monitor (Samsung U28E590D 28-Inch) and plugged it directly into my Surface Pro 4 via a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable.  Unfortunately, it frequently flashes off/on, especially when there's a lot of movement on the screen (I'm not playing games, just normal work, email, browsing the web etc).  

Here's the list of steps I have taken so far to try to address the issue, to no effect:

• I have spent many hours in online chat with MS Answer Desk, resetting my Surface, reinstalling Windows, running Windows Update, checking system file integrity etc.
• Samsung have replaced the monitor
• I tried a different mDP-DP cable
• MS replaced my Dock twice, but this didn't solve it. I now plug the monitor directly into the Surface, but the issue is still manifest.
• MS replaced my Surface tablet itself, to no effect
• I have tried using HDMI, but this doesn't support 4K
• I have tried all versions of graphics card drivers for Intel Iris Graphics 540, all to no effect.

This is seriously affecting my work, giving me headaches and had cost me a huge amount of time so far.

I had a support incident open with MS support, but the warranty has expired during the process of dealing with this, and now they want to charge me for sorting it out! Unbelievable.

I'd be grateful for any ideas.

thanks

Kris

Answer 1

Hi,

Your external monitor drivers are programs that enable your 4K monitor hardware to communicate with your operating system software, and considering the amount of steps you've already done, you might want to ensure that updated drivers and firmware for your monitor are installed. You can check it from the manufacturers website.

If there are any available, make sure the monitor is attached directly to your Surface then download and install the updated drivers and firmware. Furthermore, the latest available system update for Surface Pro 4 has been released, and you can check it here.

Give us an update, and if the issue persists, please let us know.

Regards.

Answer 2

The issue is largely intermittent, but when it strikes, it happens for days.  

All software is up-to-date.  I have spent many hours on this and I'm an IT-pro.

Also, the monitor won't sleep when the Surface is turned off.  I have to unplug the cable to make it sleep, otherwise it cycles on/off all night.

Definitely some fundamental flaws here.

Answer 3

Hi,

Unfortunately I dont have a solution, just throwing my hat in the ring as I am also having this issue, Using a Surface Pro 4 i5/256gb with an Acer ET430K running 4k at 60hz over MiniDP to DP. Connected directly to my surface.

Have tried the monitor and cable on another PC and they work perfectly.

While connected to the surface the monitor randomly loses connection for about 3-4seconds, goes black, and then reconnects. It also suffers intermittent graphical glitches that cross the screen, taking up about 1/3rd of the monitor lasting for only a fraction of a second. These two errors can occur anywhere from once every few seconds, 5-10 times in a row or not for hours. Seems to occur more often when running a full screen application like a movie or game.

No issue with the surface screen itself.

Have tried a different driver versions for the intel graphics to no avail older and latest. Have installed all updates.

Given the myriad of monitor issues other people seem to be experiencing with the surface, I have given up troubleshooting the problem since it seems to be a hardware or firmware problem with the surface.

Answer 4

I have the same problem.  The Samsung Model LU28E510DS/ZA is the only 4K monitor I have, so I don't know about others.  It's fairly new and from Costco.

It is directly plugged into the Surface Pro 4 i7.

It turns off for a moment as it loses connectivity and then reconnects.  It does this a lot.

If I unplug it and then reconnect it, that will sometimes make it do this less.

Yes, all drivers are fully up-to-date.  No, it's not a lose cord.  Yes, I've tried multiple cords.  Yes, I've systematically changed all the monitor settings.  Yes, I've run Intel Beta drivers, etc.  No, HDMI is not a viable solution.  Yes, I've had the problem across all versions of Win10 including all Insiders updates leading up to Creators Edition.

No, there's is nothing in the Events Log, either.

I speculate there is a timing mismatch or race condition in the DisplayPort implementations between the Surface Pro and the monitor.

I'm curious if it's mostly this exact monitor, or if the problem is widespread.

If there's a party to "blame" or a place to look for a fix, it's pretty likely Intel, IMHO, with a strong #2 the chipset provider for this Samsung monitor, and perhaps other low-end 4K monitors.

Answer 5

I'm finding very difficult to get on with my work due to the issues discussed here.  I think anyone suffering this same problem should post here.  I am thinking of commencing legal proceedings against MS, as they have not solved the issue or acknowledged it.