170hz monitor stuck at 60hz (but the other monitor isnt) Dual 1440p displays

Jakeeer

n00b
Joined
Jun 20, 2021
Messages
53
New member here... I have a powerspec G162 computer I got a good deal on. Wanted to build one but with gpu prices w/e. It has an RX580 and I only play older games so it's enough for me. I just bought a new 1440p 170hz display (I also have a second 1440p 165hz display too) (also I game at 120hz) and what's happening is the newer display is stuck at 60hz. I want. I have the other monitor set to 120hz and it works fine, it's just the new one is stuck at 60hz. I can go into advanced display settings and change it to 120hz but as soon as I close out of the box it reverts to 60hz. Also, oddly, if I disconnect the secondary display the main (the monitor stuck at 60hz) immediately reverts to 120hz (or whatever I had it set to last, in this case 120hz.) But as soon as I connect the second monitor it gets stuck at 60hz. Radeon software reports 60hz on it. I tried making a custom resolution but it still reports 60hz. But if I disconnect the second monitor it reports 120hz immediately.

I just got the monitor from microcenter. Dont really want to return it because I like it a lot. Right now I'm keeping it the only monitor connected so I can play at 120hz until I figure out what to do.

I've tried uninstalling my GPU drivers, rolling them back, making sure the right drivers for the monitors are installed, I tried setting my secondary monitor to 60hz and 1080p, and still nothing, (though if I set the new monitor to 1080p it changes to 120hz). And yes I'm using the display port cables (the ones they came with) and Im plugged into my RX580. Also have tried switching the cables and ports, and, of course, unplugging them and trying again.

I'm not even sure what forum to post this in because I'm clueless where the problem is coming from and I dont want to return the display and try a different one because who knows if the problem will persist...
 
There are two causes I know of:

1. Different-Hz multimonitor is very problematic. Make sure the highest-Hz monitor is the only monitor connected. If you run both while gaming -- make sure you use full-screen exclusive (where possible) for games you play.

2. Is it possible that your specific RX580 doesn't have enough display-output bandwidth headroom to drive both monitors concurrently at high-Hz? I know that some GPUs do 4K 60Hz on one output, but lowers resolution if you connect a 2nd. The RX580 is a relatively new GPU (2017) in midrange performance leagues, but I've heard of some output-side cheapouts on lower end rebadged cards.
 
Last edited:
There are two causes I know of:

1. Different-Hz multimonitor is very problematic. Make sure the highest-Hz monitor is the only monitor connected. If you run both while gaming -- make sure you use full-screen exclusive (where possible) for games you play.

2. Is it possible that your specific RX580 doesn't have enough display-output bandwidth headroom to drive both monitors concurrently at high-Hz? I know that some GPUs do 4K 60Hz on one output, but lowers resolution if you connect a 2nd. The RX580 is a relatively new GPU (2017) in midrange performance leagues, but I've heard of some output-side cheapouts on lower end rebadged cards.
I use the higher Hz monitor for gaming and the other for OBS and keeping windows explorer and sometimes a browser up between games. (I dont game on both of them at the same time.)

I want them both at 120hz but since Im only gaming on the smaller monitor, I'd be fine with the larger monitor being set to 60hz, but even when I lower it it still keeps the other one at 60hz. I also tried lowering the larger monitor to 1080p/60hz and it still locks the other one at 60hz.
 
Update: I tried both monitors on my dad's computer and they work fine. His has a GTX 970. I'm also currently waiting on a response from AMD support.
 
Update: I tried both monitors on my dad's computer and they work fine. His has a GTX 970. I'm also currently waiting on a response from AMD support.
You tried both at the same time and were able to get them both running at 2560x1440 120 Hz concurrently?
 
You tried both at the same time and were able to get them both running at 2560x1440 120 Hz concurrently?
Yeah exactly. I plugged them into my dad's pc and they defaulted to 1440p 170h and 165hz which is what theyre rated at.
 
Update: I've been emailing with AMD's support. He told me to use DDU which unfortunately didnt help. I feel if this were an issue inherent to my RX580 that he would have told me that. I'm hoping he can offer me a solution otherwise I might try to play this as a warranty issue becsuse I dont see why it shouldnt be working.
 
Don't suppose you specifically tried using DisplayID custom resolutions inside of CRU rather than traditional custom resolutions?


Anyway, random idea that won't really help your issue but can at least help narrow down if the issue is GPU hardware or the GPU software - see what happens on a modern live Linux distro.

Because if you can get high refresh on both screens in Linux, then that clearly points to a software issue.

(if you have no experience at all with live Linux distros, then it'd probably be best to start with a "babby's first Linux" like Linux Mint, download the desired OS ISO, and then use a program like Rufus to install the downloaded ISO onto a USB drive. From there you simply use your motherboard's boot menu when it's booting up before it boots into Windows, usually something like F8 or F12, and select the USB drive as your boot device instead. Once booted to the Linux Mint desktop, go into its equivalent of the start menu and search for and launch "display" to configure the resolution and refresh rate of your displays.)
 
Last edited:
Don't suppose you specifically tried using DisplayID custom resolutions inside of CRU rather than traditional custom resolutions?


Anyway, random idea that won't really help your issue but can at least help narrow down if the issue is GPU hardware or the GPU software - see what happens on a modern live Linux distro.

Because if you can get high refresh on both screens in Linux, then that clearly points to a software issue.

(if you have no experience at all with live Linux distros, then it'd probably be best to start with a "babby's first Linux" like Linux Mint, download the desired OS ISO, and then use a program like Rufus to install the downloaded ISO onto a USB drive. From there you simply use your motherboard's boot menu when it's booting up before it boots into Windows, usually something like F8 or F12, and select the USB drive as your boot device instead. Once booted to the Linux Mint desktop, go into its equivalent of the start menu and search for and launch "display" to configure the resolution and refresh rate of your displays.)
Why would a custom resolution be needed when both displays support the desired settings natively?
 
Why would a custom resolution be needed when both displays support the desired settings natively?

Umm...

I tried making a custom resolution but it still reports 60hz.


My suggestion for using DisplayID is purely because it can handle higher bandwidth, so if DisplayID resolutions work on the monitor(s), then maybe the GPU will be able to output higher total bandwidth and keep both monitors running at higher refresh rates.
 
Back
Top