Desktop Monitor Flickering

[JoeKeyboard]

I have a brand-new Windows 11 Pro OmniDesk desktop PC and HP 524da monitor. At random times, generally after approximately 30 minutes of playing YouTube videos, the display goes haywire. The picture starts sliding left to right, and the entire screen will sometimes go blank. Then the screen images may also get slightly distorted.  I would upload a video to demonstrate the problem if this system allowed that. The weirdest part is that screen recording software does not capture the problem. It can only be seen by me, so I had to record a video with my cell phone while the problem was occurring. Here is a link to a recording on my Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HqKfAgoPEDaCUX2JNhHMm-lBXRnhpMtn/view?usp=drive_link

I have tried all the standard troubleshooting steps: replacing the HDMI cable, testing the monitor on a different computer and a different monitor with my new OmniDesk. I have had chat support work on the issue. They updated the drivers and the BIOS. I even performed a reinstallation of the operating system. Not even that cured the problem. Does this sound like a potential hardware defect from damage caused during shipping?

[VikramTheGreat · Accepted solution]

Hi @JoeKeyboard,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thanks for sharing the video and all the steps you’ve already tried. Based on your description, image slides left/right, occasional blank screen, slight distortion, and screen recordings don’t capture the issue, this strongly points to a signal/monitor path problem (cable/port/handshake/monitor electronics) rather than Windows or the GPU rendering pipeline. Screen-recorders only capture the rendered frame buffer, not what the monitor finally displays; when the fault is in the physical display path, you’ll see it with your eyes (and on a phone recording), but not in a software capture.

Your HP 524da is a 23.8" FHD IPS monitor that supports 60–100 Hz refresh rates and offers on‑screen controls for Input/Image/Management (including factory reset). Given the symptom timing (after ~30 minutes of YouTube), it’s plausible that heat, HDMI handshake instability, refresh‑rate/resolution mismatch, or monitor power/logic board issues are involved.

Below is a prioritized, “do-this-first” checklist to isolate the root cause>

Fast isolation (10–15 minutes)

1. Lock refresh/resolution to the monitor’s native spec
   • In Settings → System → Display → Advanced display, set the HP 524da to 1920×1080 at 60 Hz (not 75/100 Hz). Test for 30–40 minutes on YouTube. Flicker and sliding often occur when the GPU switches rates or the handshake drifts; 60 Hz is the most stable baseline for HDMI displays.
      
2. Try a different video output + cable
   • If the OmniDesk has DisplayPort, use DP→DP instead of HDMI (or a different HDMI port on the tower). Replace the cable with a known‑good, high‑quality one (short, well‑shielded). Many intermittent “sliding/blank” faults trace to marginal cables or ports.
      
3. Disable browser hardware acceleration (YouTube)
   • In Edge/Chrome: Settings → System → turn Use hardware acceleration when available Off; relaunch. If the flicker disappears, the driver/app stack was involved. Microsoft’s guidance: if Task Manager doesn’t flicker but apps do, start with app/driver changes.
      
4. Reset the graphics driver quickly
   • Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B when the sliding starts. If it stabilizes, a driver/handshake reset fixed it; update/rollback the display driver next.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

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Regards,

VikramTheGreat

[JoeKeyboard]

Hello, Vikram,

Thank you for your input and solution to my problem with monitor flickering. The chat support agents could have saved me a lot of heartache if they had made the same suggestions. I took your advice to use 60 Hz as the refresh rate instead of 100 Hz, which my monitor supports. I also disabled hardware acceleration in Google Chrome.

Afterwards, I also swapped places between this monitor and a Dell monitor of the same size that I use on a different computer. The HP monitor seemed to have no problems with flickering while being used for several days during standard workdays on that PC. The Dell monitor also had no display issues while attached to my HP computer. For some reason, the combination of a brand-new HP OmniDesk and HP 524da seemed to lead to the flickering.

I have now switched places with the monitors again to see if the HP devices revert to their misbehavior. At the time of writing, they have been running videos for an hour and a half with no sign of trouble. That, however, is no guarantee the monitor will not start acting up after several more hours.

Even if this solution does prove effective, it makes me wonder what I would have to do if I actually needed my HP monitor to work at a refresh rate of 100 Hz.

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @JoeKeyboard,

You did a great job troubleshooting! The fact that lowering the refresh rate and disabling hardware acceleration stabilized the display suggests the flicker was likely caused by a signal timing or GPU-driver compatibility issue when running at 100 Hz.

How to Make 100 Hz Work

1. Use DisplayPort instead of HDMI (if available).
2. Update GPU drivers (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel) to the latest version.
3. Update monitor firmware from HP’s support page for your model.
4. In Windows → Advanced Display Settings, confirm: 
   • Resolution matches the monitor’s native resolution.
   • Color depth and refresh rate are set correctly.
5. Disable Adaptive Sync/G-Sync/FreeSync temporarily to test stability.
6. If flicker persists, try Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) to fine-tune timing parameters.

I hope this helps.
 

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, as it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support