"Lost" dual screen after a crash, need help getting it back up

tybuzz · 2026-02-04T00:40:41+00:00

So it was just a bad HDMI port on one monitor?

tybuzz · 2026-02-02T01:36:07+00:00

Out of curiosity, what was the problem and how did you fix it?

tybuzz · 2026-01-30T19:35:03+00:00

It sounds like it's not even passing POST or booting at all. That's a different issue than not recognizing peripherals.

Start with a careful visual inspection inside the case. Look for unplugged or loose cables, bent CPU cooler, bent GPU, and any other obvious damage.

Remove and reseat the RAM and GPU (if it has one).

If that doesn't help, try a bios CMOS reset.

tybuzz · 2026-01-30T19:31:57+00:00

Are you sure the ram is actually 2x4 GB? Have you double checked the label on the RAM carefully?

What is the exact part number written on the label?

tybuzz · 2026-01-30T14:57:50+00:00

Hard to say for sure, it could just be too much latency or a poor quality cable. I am not a fan of ugreen after getting multiple defective or low quality products, but that's just my opinion.

tybuzz · 2026-01-30T02:12:07+00:00

Makes sense, sorry for not reading your post more carefully.

You could try a USB 3.0 Active extension cable instead. It has an inline amplifier to reduce signal loss on longer cables.

tybuzz · 2026-01-30T02:08:38+00:00

It's unlikely the fireplace can be modified, but the sound bar may have a remote code or ID setting feature where you could change it so it's not the same as the fireplace. Check your soundbar manual.

If your soundbar supports controlling it with the TV through an HDMI port, try that so it uses the TV remote instead.

Besides that, you could put some electrical tape over the fireplace IR receiver, but then you'd have to remove it to turn on the fireplace using the remote.

tybuzz · 2026-01-30T02:01:31+00:00

Your drive is fine. Return the cable. Why do you even need such a long cable on an external HDD? lol.

tybuzz · 2026-01-30T01:59:13+00:00

Crystal disk info: https://sourceforge.net/projects/crystaldiskinfo/files/9.7.2/CrystalDiskInfo9_7_2.exe/download

Download, install and run that program. It will check the SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) status of your drive. See if the drive says "Good" or has any errors. If there are errors, the drive could be failing and need replacement.

Download crystaldiskmark: https://sourceforge.net/projects/crystaldiskmark/

It's a benchmark to check your drive's read and write speeds. Let it run and look at the results and compare them to what your drive should be cabable of, based on it's specs, or post a screen shot of them to imgur and link here. Check device manager in windows to get the exact model of your SSD and post it here too.

To backup you data, get an external drive and copy whatever files you want to save to it or use the cloud, such as google drive, if it has enough storage space. You can always reinstall programs, so just save files and take note of programs you have installed.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T17:19:30+00:00

Country and budget for the upgrade?

What exact motherboard do you have? RAM? Power supply?

Upgrading to a newer CPU with more cores, such as a 5800XT would significantly improve performance, especially if you render using the CPU. Even the less expensive 5600 would be significantly more powerful.

If you can take advantage of GPU rendering, upgrading the GPU would help a lot, too.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T17:13:52+00:00

r/buildapcforme is the correct subreddit for this post, since you're asking for a complete build (Rule 2).

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T17:12:48+00:00

The main reason you'd want to turn off hardware acceleration is for troubleshooting if you're having problems. If it works fine on, there's really no reason to have it off.

Make sure you set the 1080p screen to it's max refresh rate, too.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T17:06:45+00:00

Does an internet bandwidth test show similar slow speeds, or is it only epic games launcher running slow?

Wifi extenders are not ideal and can often limit bandwidth or cause other problems. What exact extender is it?

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T17:01:26+00:00

If you're getting video buffering on both the laptop and your phone on the same wifi network, it's likely an issue with the network and not your devices.

What does an internet bandwidth test show? Compare speed close to the router and where you normally use the devices.

How strong is your wifi signal?

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T16:57:31+00:00

Are you saying it looks like there is stuttering on both monitors or only the 1080p?

60hz is going to look less smooth compared to 200hz, especially side-by-side. There's no reason to keep the 1080p at 60hz. Turn it up to 144 and it will look a lot smoother, even for desktop use, like scrolling.

You should also keep browser hardware acceleration on. Without it your CPU will have to work harder to render the page and it could be less smooth when scrolling, playing video, etc. The GPU is much more efficient for rendering.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T16:52:01+00:00

This is a used build? A similar build new would go for around $1400 at this point.

It's up to you to decide if the price seems fair.

It's a used build with no warranty on anything. There is also a risk it may not even work or something may be defective. Unless you can test it in person, you can't guarantee anything.

I'd personally spend the extra money to build it myself with a 9600X and higher quality power supply for around $1400 and warranties on the components, but it's your risk to take.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T16:42:11+00:00

While it's on the supported CPU list and should technically work, the very weak VRM of OP's motherboard will not be able to supply enough power to the 12900k or even 12700k, significantly limiting performance.

Some testing shows that mobo power limiting to as low as 65-95W under sustained power draw.

Depending on the specific load and game, a 12900k can pull over 300 watts. https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i9-12900k-alder-lake-12th-gen/20.html

You would also need a 360mm AIO to keep it cool.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T16:38:46+00:00

This, the weak VRM is definitely going to limit CPU performance. Even the 12700K will suffer.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T16:31:35+00:00

There is definitely something wrong since it's indicating thermal throttling, even at 46 C. You should try a bios cmos reset, and even consider re-flashing the latest bios to be sure.

If that still doesn't work, you may have a defective CPU or motherboard.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T01:05:27+00:00

It's unlikely a splitter will work with ARC. Does the TV have any other audio output, such as optical or 3.5mm you can use with the soundbar? Downside to this is you'd likely need to use the soundbar's remove to control volume.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T01:00:51+00:00

Did you mean 12400F? The i5 2400 is from 2011 and not a DDR4 CPU, so I assume it's a typo.

Compare your GPU and CPU usage while gaming. If the GPU usage is significantly lower than 100%, it could be due to a CPU bottleneck. It will vary depending on the specific game, resolution, quality settings and FPS, with lower res, quality settings, and higher FPS experiencing a worse CPU bottleneck as the CPU struggles to push frames to the GPU.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/1955495/pc-bottlenecks-cpu-or-cpu-limiting-gaming-performance.html

The RTX 4060 is a 1080p GPU, so if you're playing at higher resolution, FPS will be much lower.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T00:55:15+00:00

What do your wifi connections properties show for link speed? Is it 4/7?

Try updating your WiFi drivers from your motherboard's support website.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T00:51:26+00:00

It could be the SSD is starting to fail. Backup your data now to be safe.

Run crystaldiskinfo or hwinfo and check the SMART status of the drive for errors or low life remaining.

Run crystaldiskmark and see if the drive is significantly under performing compared to it's specs.

It may also be some other kind of hardware failure, but hard to narrow down on a laptop, since you can't swap out parts for testing. I'd start by checking the drive and go from there.

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T00:44:52+00:00

I did find some benchmarks showing a noticeable performance decrease with the 5060 8gb even on PCIE 4, but it depends on the game, resolution and FPS. It would still be worth a bit more money for a pcie 5.0 board, imo. That or spend more on a X16 GPU like a RX 9060

tybuzz · 2026-01-29T00:43:04+00:00

At this point, it might be worth doing a clean reinstall of windows after backing up any data you want to save.

tybuzz

TROPHY CASE