[teedog]

I got the following results by doing the following:

1. Go to NVIDIA control panel->Adjust desktop color settings
2. Color Channel: Red -> Gamma 0.95
3. Color Channel: Green -> Gamma 1.01
4. Color Channel: Blue -> Gamma 1.01
5. Color Channel: All Channels -> Vibrance 60
6. Click Apply and close
7. Microsoft Store -> Search => Windows HDR Calibration
8. Run Windows HDR Calibration App and follow prompts.

PG42UQ Monitor settings:

1. Image ->HDR Setting -> ASUS Gaming HDR
2. Color -> Color Temp. -> 6500K

I think those are all the settings. Let me know if that doesn’t solve your issues.

[jee]

Looks nice!

[teedog]

***UPDATE*** The BEST HDR configuration and settings for the PG42UQ (V033 firmware) can be found here: ASUS PG42UQ OLED HDR Best Settings Guide – WiredColony.com. The settings in this post are minimal compared to the new settings in the link above. Drop me a note if you need help. Cheers!

[Michael]

I’m a sim racer. And I use 3 PG42UQ like you do.

But when I enable surround and play games like ACC or DR2, the middle monitor keeps losing signal. It suddenly went black for a second and went normal.

Do you happen to know what is going on?

Thank you!

[teedog]

First thing I would try is changing the Display Cable. The ones that come with the monitor are trash in my experience. I have already replaced two of them. I would try that first and foremost.

If that doesn’t work, it could be the firmware didn’t install successfully. Even though it shows V033 as your firmware, bad installations can cause this issue in my experience. Look here for directions on how to install them correctly. https://wiredcolony.com/asus-pg42uq-oled-hdr-best-settings-guide/#how-to-update-pg-42-uq-firmware

What card are you using? Are you using Nvidia Surround or does ACC and DR2 allow you to calibrate monitors separately? iRacing allows multiple monitors setups. Are you using HDR?

Honestly, I would follow these instructions for PG42UQ setup and then see if that solves the problem ASUS PG42UQ OLED HDR Best Settings Guide – WiredColony.com. These settings include HDR calibration, NVCP setup, firmware installation and PG42UQ Windows driver installation.

Let me know how it goes. I will help you troubleshoot it if needed or, congratulate you…fingers crossed! 🤞🏽

ASUS PG42UQ OLED HDR Best Settings Guide

[Michael]

I didn’t expect you reply so quickly. Very appreciated.

I’ve already changed DP cable and swap dp port on GPU side.

I’m using MSI RTX 4090 liquid version.

I’m using surround directly for ACC and DR2. I know you can use SRWE to setup triple monitors seperately without surround, but I didn’t use srwe yet.

Thanks again. I’ll look into your link and let you know after.

[teedog]

One thing I would test out, is see if Nvidia Surround gives you the same issue. If it does, you can rule out an issue with the game software. Talk to you soon.

[Michael]

Bad news 😢

I followed your instructions in the link. Upgrade all 3 pg42uq’s firmware to V033, installed the driver for each monitor.

Then I enabled surround, still periodly black screen for the middle monitor when play game (dirt rally 2.0).

I ordered two Zeskit DP cables. See what happens after I replace the cable.

If problem still exists, I will ask asus service for help.

[teedog]

Hmmm, next thing to try, if you haven’t already, is swap Display port connections with one of the other monitors. Try to rule out a problem with the video/monitor card display port. You can also test out your cable this way

Also, test both HDMI ports with the appropriate HDMI 2.1 cable. See if the problem persists. This will rule out any issues with the physical DisplayPort on your monitor.

Last time I checked, Asus makes you pay for shipping for warranty service. From the US, that’s approximately $40. May be different depending on location. I hope you don’t have to do this.

[Michael]

Thanks for your advice.

I’ve already swapped Display port on the GPU side and problem still for same monitor , so nothing wrong with GPU side.

I haven’t tried changing hdmi port. Is that possible to enable surround with combination of both hdmi and dp ports?

[teedog]

Make sure you tried swapping the wire as well with a working monitor.

Nvidia Surround should work. I believe I had that configuration before. There is a limitation with not having the same port type. I can’t remember if it had something to do with refresh rate, hdmi, color depth or something related. I do remember something working better when they are all on the same port type. In any case, by switching to hdmi, we are are checking to see if there is an issue with the DisplayPort on the monitor.

Side note, I do remember color depth in HDMI can go as high as 12 bit. Whereas Display port can only support 10 bit. Unfortunately, all modern graphic cards have more DisplayPorts and only 1-2 HDMI 2.1a ports. Not helpful for us triple-screen enthusiasts! 😆

[Michael]

Maybe the limitation you mentioned is G-sync. But I’m not sure either.

I’ll try with the hdmi port. Hope for some good news.

Thanks!

[Michael]

Goods news.

Switching to hdmi port works. I’m pretty sure there is something wrong with the dp port on the monitor.

And combination of hdmi and dp ports also works for nvidia surround. The only limitation is that HDR can not be enabled, but G-Sync can.

Thanks for your help. Really appreciated！

[teedog]

Nice, glad you figured it out! I would definitely still try using the new wire when you get it. See if that fixes it. Maybe it is the design of the wire that doesn’t sit well in the port. If that’s the case, you won’t have to RMA the monitor and use the new wire.

[Michael]

I got the Zeskit DP cabels last night and tried them on. No luck for black screen issue, but they did speed up the monitor response time when you turn on the PC or turn on surround mode.

I guess the original cable came with monitor is trash indeed.

Anyway, I will call asus service to detect the dp port and see what happens.

Have a nice day.

[teedog]

Well, at least you know what issue is. Have a great day as well.

[Michael]

Hi, teedog.

Here I bring the latest news.

After I excluded the cable and GPU port, I was pretty sure it’s the middle montior’s problem.

However, I decided to swap the position of the middle one(let’s call it A) and the side one(let’s call it B) and played some games.

Then the wiredest things happen, black screen showed up again, on the monitor B, not A.

So the problem didn’t come with the monitor itself. It just happen in the middle monitor which NV surround defined.

And I did another experiment. I set the fresh rate from 120Hz to 100Hz. After half an hour playing, no black screen so far.

So it’s more like a bandwidth problem.

Now I think maybe it has something to do with the pcie riser cable. I did a vertical mount for my GPU.

I am gonna try stock mount and see what happens.

I assume you install your GPU directly to motherboard, right?

[teedog]

WOW, the plot thickens. Thought we had it nailed down. Good thing you didn’t send back the monitor. My GPU is normally mounted.

So, your issue here has me thinking about an issue I have with my fourth monitor which is NOT a PG42UQ. I have an Acer 27 in mounted above the triple screen in the pic. That Acer monitor will go black once in a while. The only way to get it back on is to change the REFRESH RATE. The value of the refresh rate doesn’t matter, but it definitely goes black when I stand up or make unusual movements in my chair.

What I finally figured out was there is some electric static going on around my pc and chair, desk area, etc. If I stand up and throw my blanket into my chair, the screen turns off. Or if I pet my dog rigorously the monitor turns off. I know without any doubt there is some electrical interference causing the monitor to go black.

So how does this relate to the PG42UQ? Well, I didn’t have this problem before. However, I did have to use a HDMI-male to DisplayPort-female adapter on the Acer 27 to connect the monitor to the HDMI port on my graphics card.

Since the monitor only goes black while playing games, I am thinking this issue doesn’t apply to you. I thought it is worth mentioning since we both have three PG42UQs monitors. It might be reasonable to think the monitors radiate electrical charge that could penetrate the protective wiring and create signal issues. I will post something on REDDIT in an appropriate subreddit and see if anyone has any insight or way to test this. I will report back after!

P.S.- Let me know if anything changes on your end. I am under the impression lowering the refresh rate to 100hz is a temporary “fix” for the problem and, the monitor is no longer going black/dark on you.

[Michael]

You are right.

Not the monitor, not the GPU dp port.

It’s some sort of electronic interference.

Last night I removed the GPU riser cable, and mounted it directly to motherboard, and restore the refresh rate to 120Hz.

Still no luck, black screen still happened on the middle screen.

However this time I was playing ETS2, and I noticed black screen happened the same time I accidentally crash the track into wall. It happended twice, but I couldn’t reproduce it when I crash the truck on purpose.

I have a feeling that everytime black screen happened, it’s always the time my wheelbase(I use simucube 2 pro) generate a sudden FFB(like a crash or a sharp turn).

However I don’t have this problem when I use only one monitor, there must be some changes trigger this after I setup triple monitor.

But I tend to believe electronic interference causes black screen. I am not sure where it come from and why only affect the middle monitor. My best guess is that it’s from my wheel base because it’s closest to the middle monitor.

One of my friend told me that Fiber-optic DisplayPort cable is anti-interference. I am gonna keep trying.

Thanks for pointing a direction to me!

[teedog]

Update on my separate issue. I used black electrical tape on the DP wire that connects to my ACER 27. I am not getting the blank black screen anymore. So far so good. Shall see what happens over the next couple days. Those fiber DisplayPort cables are spendy and the reviews are all over the place! I will however get them if the problem persists for me. GL with your new fiber optic display cable!

[Michael]

Bad news.

Fiber-optic DP cable didn’t bring any luck😅.

Guess I have to stick to hdmi + dp combination. No HDR, but at least I can play.

[teedog]

Dang it! I was thinking this would work. Besides racing games, does this happen in HDR on other games? Also, does the screen ever go blank while using HDR in Windows? Which Windows version are you using? List your specs for your computer. If applicable, where your previous monitors HDR or is this a completely new build?

[Michael]

I stopped enabling HDR since I found this issue.

And I only play games with this PC. However, I try playing DR2 with a joystick controller(turn off SC2 Pro, disconnect power), and no problems at all. So I am pretty sure that the interferenct comes from my wheelbase, and somehow only infect the DP connection of the middle monitor. (I can understand why the middle one, becanuse it’s the nearest. But why only DP?)

And It‘s hardly an new build PC, but triple monitor is new build.

I’ve been using single PG42UQ for a long time without any problems. It came up since I setup triple monitors.

PC specs:

CPU: 13900K

GPU: MSI 4090 suprim liquid X

MEM: corsair 16g x 2

SSD: WD SN850 2T x 2

System: Win11(latest version I assume)

I really apprecaite that you listen to my story and all the replies!

[teedog]

Don’t mention it. I enjoy helping out. Reason for this website as well. Help others communicate and troubleshoot things.

So, in earlier replies, I mentioned to you about taping my DP cable. This worked for me and Acer 27 is more resilient to EMIs. It did fail to stop the EMI once, but it was under extreme circumstances. I recommend taping the middle monitor wire with black tape or even find more insulated tape and start taping things up.

Another thing to try grounding your wheelbase. How to ground my desk so as to avoid discharging static on my keyboard while operating my PC – Quora. I think this might be the next logical step if you want to go this route.

On a side note, I can’t help but think there is something electrical going on with PG42UQs. What is causing the EMI? In our case, the common denominator is 3 PG42UQs.

[Michael]

Hi, teedog.

I’m bring some news you might be interested in.

First of all, taping DP cable didn’t work for me.

This time, I did a wild experiment. I configed the left-side monitor as the middle display in NV surround, and guess what? The left one started to go black!

So it’s always the NV-surround-defined-middle display that goes black no matter where it’s physically placed.

After I found that, I disabled NV surround and use SRWE to setup triple screen manually. I played DR2 for almost an hour, no black screen any more. However, there are some games requiring NV surround, so this won’t a perfect solution.

Also, I might be wrong about the EMI interference conclusion before. There might be some sort of interference. But it does not affect monitor directly. It more like affects the PC which causing some nv surround bug.

After all the experiments I did, the black screen only happens when all these conditions are met.

1. triple 4k solution displays

2. nv surround is enabled

3. playing games with wheel base

[teedog]

Wow…what a journey! I think that makes it 100% NV Surround issue when HDR is turned on. Curious about what your settings are when you are using NV Surround. In “Change Resolution”, try changing the settings to ->Desktop color Depth = Highest 32-bit, Output color depth = 10bpc, Output color format = RGB, and Output dynamic range = Full. If that doesn’t work I have another thing you can try. I have to find it though. Get back to you shortly.

[teedog]

Found it. What I want you to do is disable all NVIDIA services. Make sure you have your NV Surround configured before doing this.

Step 1: Win+R key and Open “services.msc”

Step 2: Find “NVIDIA Display Container”, Right-click properties

Step 3: Change “Startup Type” to Disable and “Services Status” to Stop

This will turn off all NVIDIA background services and you won’t be able to reach NVIDIA control panel. Try out the game and see if it works. If it works great! You can always follow the steps above to enable everything to make changes to your settings. Just change “Startup Type” back to Automatic and “Service Status” to Start. Hopefully this works and the next driver fixes this issue.

I might add, I do not use GeForce Experience. So, you may want to uninstall it if you use it. I haven’t read any good things about it anyways.

[Michael]

Thank you! I’ll try tonight.

By the way, one of my friend suggested me to uninstall NV Game-Ready driver and use studio driver instead. Maybe it does have something to do with NV background services.

Hope I have some luck this time:D

[teedog]

Hmmm…that is a good idea. I would try that first. Make sure you do the “Clean install”.

[Michael]

Finally, I bring some good news this time.

I found this reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/10sqyoo/is_stable_triple_4k_120hz_possible_with_the/

the other day. And someone mentioned that a software called cru(Custom Resolution Utility) fixed the flickering problem.

Since it baraly cost any effort, so I decided to give it a try.

All I did is just opening the ‘restart64.exe’ in the cru folder everytime I boot up my PC, what ‘restart64.exe’ does is restarting my graphic driver.

So basically, turn on the PC, click ‘restart64.exe'(all monitors will disconnect and reconnect, and the NV panel color setting will be reset to 8bit), set the color bit back to 10bit, and start game.

I’ve been testing this method for two days, playing DR2 and ACC for almost 4 hours in total, so far so good.

I think the software ‘restart64.exe’ did the similar trick as what you suggested (close all NV background services).

I haven’t tried turning on HDR yet, I will tonight. But I’m already happy with what I have right now.

Thank you teedog, you pointed out the right direction again!

Is [stable] triple 4K 120hz possible with the Nvidia 4090 using surround?
by innvidia

[teedog]

I just read through the sub, and wow. You definitely found the right place for your issue. I really do think it is the NVIDIA software. I can’t remember if I asked you but, are you using GeForce Experience? I don’t use this and don’t have it installed. I hope the HDR setting works for you with this issue.

P.S.- I didn’t have to disable Nvidia Services with driver 531.61. I am going to install 531.68 right now. Hopefully I don’t have any issues! Fingers crossed!

[Michael]

Yes, I use Geforce experience.

And I also use 531.61 when I tried this “CRU” method. I did remeber I still had black-screen issue when I first installed 531.61.

[teedog]

Maybe try not using GeForce Experience. It is another thing to try. It has a lot of functionality that could be making problems. I don’t use it, I have Xbox Game Bar to record games, etc.

[Michael]

You are right.

However, given that after all the efforts, and It finally works with that “CRU” trick, I don’t want to mess anything up😅.

I’ll just keep the way it is right now.

[teedog]

I am glad it is working now. If it ain’t broke…👍🏽

[Michael]

Hi teedog,

I’m back again with some latest news.

Unfortunately, the black screen flickering issue came back after I upgraded the driver to 531.68, and the “CRU” method lost its magic. And reverting back to last driver didn’t fix the issue.

Several days ago, NV released the 532.02 driver, and I found an open issue stated in the release note(https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/forums/game-ready-drivers/13/519572/geforce-grd-53203-feedback-thread-released-52423/).

It’s said “Some monitors may display random black screen flicker when in Display Stream Compression mode when using R530 drivers [4034096]”.

Maybe that’s bug causing my problem. And I realized that this issue had existed since the first R530 version, So I decided to revert to 528.49 driver.

And after that, I had played Dirt Rally 2.0(It’s the game that black screen flickering can be reproduced most easily) since last Friday, no issue so far. I even tried 10-bit color depth at 120hz today, all goods.

I haven’t try HDR yet, but I’m pretty confident.

However, I don’t want to jump to conclusion that the problem is solved completely since it’s just been a few days. I’ll keep testing different games and see what’s gonna happen.

Just want to share this goods news. Best wishes!

[teedog]

Very interesting. Looks like there is something related for sure. And for you not to have any issues with older drivers says a lot. This issue makes me wonder if it is related to another issue, I have…sometimes.

Try disabling “NVIDIA Display Container LS” when using the NEW drivers. The reason I am suggesting this is because I sometimes have game performance issues when this is running. It affects my FPS and makes games stutter. When I disable or stop the service, things run fine.

It might be related. I don’t think it would hurt to give it a shot. When it is stopped/or disabled, you won’t be able to find the NVIDIA control panel on your desktop right-click menu. To use that menu, just re-enable “NVIDIA Display Containter LS”.

Instructions:

WinKey+R ->”services.msc” +enter -> scroll down to “NVIDIA Display Container LS”-> right-click + stop. Alternatively, you could right-click and go to properties and disable. The difference between relates to startup at windows.

I don’t disable it; I stop services when I have issues with performance. It is fast and easy; you can even do it mid-game.

[Michael]

HDR also works, no flickering issues. But the color is a little bit weird.

I heard that there is gonna be a new firmware release for PG42UQ soon.

I think I’m gonna stick to 528.49 driver for now unless a new version in which this open issue is completely resolved is released.

Thanks man for providing all these useful informations!

[teedog]

I can install those drivers and ascertain the color adjustment numbers if you want. That way you don’t have to look at wacky colors.

[teedog]

I would first try the adjustment numbers you see in the pictures in my guide. If that doesn’t fix it let me know and I will figure it out.

[Michael]

No worries.

The games I play most such as Dirt Rally 2 or ETS2 don’t support HDR natively anyway.

So I usually turn off HDR, and it’s not a problem for me.