Flickering red pixels on the monitor is a very common trouble we can face. But it is feasible if you pay attention to the roots of the problem. The great news is, in most cases the issue is not related to any monitor or display problems.
Let’s find out if you have any troubleshooting options or not.
Why do flickering red pixels occur on monitors?
A bunch of flickering red lights which is also known as “red snow” is generated by either a loose deformed cable connection or by a misplaced graphics card inside the laptop.
While using your laptop, you might have accidentally loosened the cable connection or it might have been damaged. However, if your cable is alright, most probably there is a misplaced graphics card in your laptop unseated from the PCIe slot.
How to troubleshoot the red flickering pixel problem?
It is a great deal of distraction when LCD monitors produce flickers like stars. There are some troubleshooting you may want to try if your display monitor is flickering red pixels:
Reset cables:
Monitor flickering problems are often found in those PCs which contain DVI or HDMI connections. You need to check if the pins are connected correctly and if the USB-C cables are tightened properly. If the cable is loose, you need to change it to a new one.
Remove damaged cables:
Faulty cables should be replaced by new ones. After setting up the cable screws, they can get loosened over a period. The resetting screw is needed frequently.
However, retightening the cable very frequently also damages the connecting pins. Thus, flickering starts to appear, and resetting the connection becomes an invalid option. You need to be careful about the cable from the very beginning.
Dry cleaning:
As we cannot wet clean the electronics, we need to dry clean the ports and cables from time to time. The dust that enters inside leads to a poor connection.
You can use a soft brush or a high flow of air to brush off the dirt from the USB port. Be careful of using sharp ends as it might damage the pins.
Use adaptors:
Using low-quality or below-average adaptors may harm your computer. Adaptors can create distorted signals between the connection of the pc and the monitor. You should try to use direct connections and reject the idea of using adaptors overall.
Is the GPU related to red flickering on the monitor?
If none of the cables is creating any problems, then you should think about the GPU. That’s because the graphics card is indeed related to the flickering red pixels on your monitor.
Here are some tips to know about fixing GPU-related troubles:
GPU driver:
Sometimes the update of GPU drivers creates problems and conflicts with display functions. You need to check whether you have the latest updated driver for your corresponding GPU, if the ‘red snow’ showed up, then you need to get back to your previous driver until the bugs get fixed.
Detached GPU:
If your graphics card got misplaced, you need to reset your card in the PCIe slot. During moving your pc or laptop, the graphics card can get detached from the motherboard which is hard to notice with bare eyes.
Dead GPU:
There are a lot of occasions when our graphics card can die or stop working- overheating, a less effective cooling system, and cracking of the card, end the life of the GPU. In that case, you don’t have any options other than replacing the motherboard.
Frequently asked questions:
Now you may or may not find the information helpful, however, there are some questions and answers for you to assist you even further.
Do I need to change the display due to the red pixels?
In most cases, the display is not directly causing the red flickering pixels.
Hence, you do not need to change the display.
Do I have to change the motherboard to stop flickering red pixels?
If the cable connections are ok, the graphics card is not misplaced and the GPU drivers are working properly then you should think about replacing the motherboard.
Verdict:
Trying to put some effort and fix the flickering monitor is way better than spending money on it. Monitor displays or graphics cards are expensive, so you need to be cautious about how we use our laptops safely.