Secondary display not rendering properly, getting checkerboard effect

[QUARRY&]

Hiya fellow GNU/Linux Chad,

I hope you are well today. I recently purchased a new secondary monitor for my PC, however when displaying to it over HDMI I get a checkerboard effect that makes it unusable (see screenshot):

I strongly suspect this is a driver issue for the following reasons:

• The new monitor works when plugged into my graphics card, does not work when plugged directly into my motherboard
• Tested a set of HDMI cords that work, get the same effect regardless of cord
• Works fine when connected onto other devices (Linux and windows)
• Screen is fine before booting into Linux desktop env

Since it is a driver issue to me, I updated the built-in CPU display drivers, restarted multiple times, etc with no luck.

For more details:

• OS: Fedora/RHEL based
• Kernel: 6.6.8
• GUI/DE: Plasma 5.27.9
• Display manager: Wayland
• GPU: AMD ATI Radeon RX 6950 XT
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (16) - ATI Raphael

No other issues have been seen, and I do not have any other monitors I can test with at this time. However, when my main monitor is connected to the HDMI that goes to the motherboard, it has the same effect.

I have tried looking around but only found things that were not relevant, applicable, or helpful.

I would love some assistance with troubleshooting this matter, if there are any details I am missing, please let me know. If I find a fix in my research, I will post it back here : )

Have a great rest of the day.
Regards, QUARRY

 

[Condobloke]

G'day Quarry, Welcome to Linux.org

Do you have the ability in Fedora to change window manager ?

Have you tried changing the kernel ?

 

[APTI]

Hiya fellow GNU/Linux Chad,

I hope you are well today. I recently purchased a new secondary monitor for my PC, however when displaying to it over HDMI I get a checkerboard effect that makes it unusable (see screenshot):
View attachment 22956

I strongly suspect this is a driver issue for the following reasons:

• The new monitor works when plugged into my graphics card, does not work when plugged directly into my motherboard
• Tested a set of HDMI cords that work, get the same effect regardless of cord
• Works fine when connected onto other devices (Linux and windows)
• Screen is fine before booting into Linux desktop env

Since it is a driver issue to me, I updated the built-in CPU display drivers, restarted multiple times, etc with no luck.

For more details:

• OS: Fedora/RHEL based
• Kernel: 6.6.8
• GUI/DE: Plasma 5.27.9
• Display manager: Wayland
• GPU: AMD ATI Radeon RX 6950 XT
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (16) - ATI Raphael

No other issues have been seen, and I do not have any other monitors I can test with at this time. However, when my main monitor is connected to the HDMI that goes to the motherboard, it has the same effect.

I have tried looking around but only found things that were not relevant, applicable, or helpful.

I would love some assistance with troubleshooting this matter, if there are any details I am missing, please let me know. If I find a fix in my research, I will post it back here : )

Have a great rest of the day.
Regards, QUARRY

the only thing that comes to mind off hand is the resolution. Have you tried lower resolutions on that monitor? There could be issues with the monitor at certain resolutions. This could be the monitor itself or the combination of graphics from card/mb and monitor.

Fedora is pretty good with graphics cards but I have noticed they obsoleted some that Used forcing me to go to different cards. So that is something else to check into.

 

[Alexzee]

Wayland is now usable for me (KDE Plasma 5.27.9, Fedora 39)

https://www.reddit.com/r/kde/comments/17o1u88/wayland_is_now_usable_for_me_kde_plasma_5279

Rolling back to an older version of the kernel is certainly an option.
Another options would be switch from Wayland back to X11.
Worked for me in the past.

The newest version of Plasma in Fedora is the KDE Framework 6 based on QT 6.
That's in Fedora 41.

End of Life Releases

Learn more about Fedora Linux, the Fedora Project & the Fedora Community.

docs.fedoraproject.org

What version of Fedora are you running?

cat /etc/fedora_version

If you're suspicious that checkerboard display on the monitor is a driver issue.....run this to find out if Fedora is using the open src driver:

lspci -k | grep -EA3 'VGA|3D|Display'

What make and model is the new monitor?

 

[QUARRY&]

Heya folks,

Thank you for all the responses.

To post some things/tests:

• I am using Nobara 38 at this time
• The monitor is a ZSCMALLS Portable Monitor 17.3 Inch 144Hz 1080P FHD Gaming Monitor (Black Friday deal, unsure the true parent company)
• results of the lspci -k | grep -EA3 'VGA|3D|Display'
  • 03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Navi 21 [Radeon RX 6950 XT] (rev c0)
Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. [MSI] Device 3955
Kernel driver in use: amdgpu
Kernel modules: amdgpu
--
13:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Raphael (rev c5)
Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. [MSI] Device 7d77
Kernel driver in use: amdgpu
Kernel modules: amdgpu
• I tried switching back to the 3 previous kernels I have installed: 6.6.7-202.fsync.fc38.x86_64, 6.6.7-203.fsync.fc38.x86_64, 6.6.8-200.fsync.fc38.x86_64. The monitor looked the same across all.
• I tried all resolutions and scales, get the same effect.

I do not have my current system set up to switch between X11 and Wayland, I will look into this.

An interesting observation is that the checkered pattern is more like one of those sliding puzzles {see attached}.

I will poke around and try more things over the weekend. I hope you all have a good one : )
Regards, QUARRY

 

[Condobloke]

Re switching from wayland to x11...

https://www.reddit.com/r/NobaraProject/comments/166opjl/how_to_change_from_wayland_to_x11_in_noabra

My gut feeling is if you log out.....and then observe that screen...in Linux Mint it gives you th eoption to choose between wayland x11....it may show on Nobara as well....hopefully
All the comments at that link are worth a read.

 

[Alexzee]

Looks like your kernel is using the correct open src driver.

Fedora default is the Gnome desktop environment. Noabra may be lacking in something, ( a plug in, extension, etc.) not sure though.
FWIW, I wasn't able to have the Gnome DE function properly under Wayland on any of my Debian based systems on my triple booted Linux rig. It eventually went to a grinding halt and the DE would crash.

 

[Condobloke]

new monitor works when plugged into my graphics card, does not work when plugged directly into my motherboard

is that still using a hdmi cable ? This hints at the problem being from the motherboard....which likely relates to the window manager....wayland vs X11

Works fine when connected onto other devices (Linux and windows)

SO other distros...linux Mint??...works just fine??....that more than hints at window manager...Linux mint uses x11 by default....it can be change easily by logging out and making a choice at relog in

However, when my main monitor is connected to the HDMI that goes to the motherboard, it has the same effect.

Window manager...wayland vs x11 ?....hopefully

Do you have the ability in Fedora to change window manager ?

You said you are now using Nobara 38
whatever you are using, switch to x11

 

[wizardfromoz]

BTW - Nobara 39 was released just after Christmas last year and Nobara 40 in July.

If I were the OP I would be looking to update/upgrade as well, then get it right.

Wizard

 

[f33dm3bits]

The monitor is a ZSCMALLS Portable Monitor 17.3 Inch 144Hz 1080P FHD Gaming Monitor

If that monitor supports FreeSync, disable it in the monitor settings.