Dell S3422DWG Not Displaying Properly on Desktop

rzkman on 21/11/2024 - 14:54
Last edited 21/11/2024 - 19:58 by 1 other user

Due to OzBargain, I bought this monitor a few days ago and it is not displaying properly. Any ideas?

I have 2 machines connected to the monitor via a KVM (tried direct connection and it also doesn't work).

Machine 1 – Works Fine. This is my work laptop, it is a very average spec Dell Latitude and works well at 3440 x 1440 res

Machine 2 – This is my personal desktop. It has a basic NVIDIA GT 730 graphics card. On the same resolution of 3440 x 1440 the image is only filling the middle section with black bands at the top and bottom. The monitor setting for aspect ration is 21:9. When I toggled it to auto, it was even worse with even less real estate being used. Windows checked and said it is already on the latest available driver.

Any ideas on how to fix? I don't really want to get a new PC just get the monitor to work as I only use it lightly for office stuff.

Computing 34inch Computer Peripheral Dell Gaming Monitor LCD Monitor

Comments

  • ihfree on 21/11/2024 - 15:16

    Do you have the correct resolution set in System > Display Settings > Display Resolution?

    If not, is the native resolution listed?

    • rzkman on 21/11/2024 - 15:37

      Yes I have set it to the native resolution of 3440x1440. That is when it appears to only use the centre 26cm of the screen and leaves about 6cm top and bottom blank. It appears stretched horizontally too.

  • Shadowsfury on 21/11/2024 - 15:39

    what version are the HDMI cables?

    When I got this monitor I just used whatever HDMI cables I had lying around and it didn't really work

    Then I gave up and bought newest spec ones for my kvm and magically all working OK.

    • rzkman on 21/11/2024 - 21:04

      So it is a bad assumption that the cable that came with the monitor meets minimum specs?
      I will go and find a better quality one and test. Thanks.

  • ode1online on 21/11/2024 - 15:58

    Download the Nvidia GeForce 700 series driver from Nvidia to begin with, then try a NEW hdmi cable.

  • Gregmond on 21/11/2024 - 18:17

    Right click on the desktop, Select Display Settings, Select Advanced Display.
    The issue will either be change the refresh rate to a better one such as 120Hz or 144Hz
    or
    Click on Display adapter properties for Display 1. Then click List All Modes and select what you want from there.

    HDMI will be limited to 120Hz normally.

    • rzkman on 21/11/2024 - 21:21

      Thanks for the detailed steps which I followed.
      So I want the native resolution right? 3440 x 1440. But the max refresh rate is only 60Hz. Does that mean my graphics card is the bottle neck as it cannot support more than 60Hz?

      It is an older generation, but since I don't game at all, I thought I would never need a more powerful one with fans etc (the 730 I have has heat sinks which I prefer)

      Your advice please? Get a better graphics card or is this a sign to replace the whole system. Its running a 10yo i7-4790. Apart from this issue, it suits my needs fine.

      • Gregmond on 21/11/2024 - 21:53

        If you Google 'nvidia gt 730 3440 x 1440' you get:

        The GT730 only has HDMI 1.4, so it can only display 3440x1440 at a reduced refresh rate.

        Get a better video card is what it is saying.

        Something with 4GB ram would be ideal I think.
        Maybe something like: https://www.amazon.com.au/ASRock-VGA-Radeon-6500-Challenger/…

        that's my 2c worth. :)

        • rzkman on 23/11/2024 - 09:00

          Thank you so much!

        • rzkman on 23/11/2024 - 09:51

          Thanks again for your help so far. Can I please pick your brain on what would be my 'best' options going forward.
          Keeping in mind, the PC is used mostly for home office stuff with Lightroom being the most the machine will be 'pushed' to do something.

          Current Setup
          Asus Z97-A MB
          I7 4790 CPU
          16GB RAM
          1TB Samsung SSD
          NVIDIA GT 730
          Lian Li Tower
          Antec earthwatts 550W PSU

          Option 1 - Replace graphics cad with RX 6500.
          Pros - Minimal cost. Minimal changes to system, up and running the fastest
          Cons - Will my old MB be an issue as it only supports PCI v2.0 and v3.0 I think…. Maybe I won't get full performance but since I don't game, maybe not an issue?

          Option 2 - Upgrade the MB, CPU and RAM.
          I believe something like a AMD Ryzen 5 has enough onboard GPU power to do what I need? I won't need an external graphics card?
          Cons - Cost. Not sure how much this path will take, but at least it will get me to a new platform. Hoping to reuse the case, PSU and SSD. Good idea? Bad idea?
          Of course I will have to reload the OS too, which will take time and effort. I might as well upgrade to Windows 11 at the sometime.

          Thanks

          • Gregmond on 23/11/2024 - 12:59

            @rzkman: So…
            option 1. Cons - Will my old MB be an issue as it only supports PCI v2.0 and v3.0 I think…. Maybe I won't get full performance but since I don't game, maybe not an issue? - The card won't run at it's maximum performance because you can't get the info in/out because your board is slower. For your Use case, it won't matter.

            Option 2. You would need a CPU, Motherboard and Ram at a minimum. What type/model is the Samsung SSD? Might be worth replacing.
            Due to their processor issues, I tend to avoid Intel atm.
            AMD has 5000 series, 7000 series and 9000 series CPU's. whilst you could get it cheaper doing 5000 series, I would recommend 7000 as the better value for age of equipment. 5000 series you would need to get a 5600G or similar CPU to get built in graphics, the normal CPU's don't have built-in graphics.
            7000 series have built-in graphics.
            Something like this would do what you need, and you should be able to rebuild it into your case, using your existing PSU. https://www.pccasegear.com/wish_lists/1364236
            CPU has a cooler with it that should be OK for what you are doing.
            It should run the display properly for you at 120Hz.
            I have included a new NVMe drive, but you could possibly reuse your existing drive, depending what it is. If you reuse your drive you will need to get a new Windows license as normally the license is linked to the motherboard. Windows licenses are available from various places, personally I tend to use HRKgame, but there are lots of options, including PCCaseGear. Officeworks, most online retailers etc.

            Note: I use PCCaseGear because I can create wishlists and share them. I find if you look around at other places UMART, MWave, MSY etc, you will get some parts a bit cheaper, some a bit dearer, but mostly it averages out, and I find it easier to buy from one place.

            • rzkman on 23/11/2024 - 13:45

              @Gregmond: Thanks for the info, really appreciate it.
              The SSD I am using is a Samsung 860 EVO 1TB.
              Is the $99 worth you think? The paper specs seem to be much faster for the NVMe M.2 SSD vs the SATA based SSD.

              Is it true that I can download/install WIN11 and use my system and buy the licence later? Not sure how that works. Is there a grace period before it stops working. I remember it used to have huge writing "Unlicensed" on the desktop to remind you.

  • Gregmond on 23/11/2024 - 14:14

    Yes, that drive is well worth the $99. If you are close to filling yours, then maybe the 2TB for $189 is worth it. If you Samsung is a SATA, definitely buy the KC 3000, it will be ~10x faster.
    Don't plug your old drive in as a secondary until after you have installed Win 11 on the new drive. It just gets messy if both drives are in there. Once win 11 is installed, then you can plug your old drive in and pull any data off it.
    So if you google 'win 11 download' and go to the Microsoft link for the download which should be https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11
    You then have 3 options, first one Win 11 Install Assistant is to upgrade your existing device, not what you want.
    You either want options 2 or 3.
    Option 2 Create Win 11 Install Media will download an executable which, when run, will let you download a version that will be put on a USB drive.
    Option 3 will download an ISO that you can then use something like RUFUS to create a USB.
    Any of the options requires a blank 8GB or bigger USB drive. It is going to erase any data on the drive.
    When you boot off the USB on your newly rebuilt drive, there will be an option to enter your Win 11 serial number, there is normally a link to skip entering it.
    If you skip it and Win 11 has been installed on a system using the motherboard previously, it will grab the correct serial number from an online database.
    If you skip it and Win 11 has not been installed on a system using the motherboard previously, it will put a watermark on the screen saying it is unlicensed. From memory, updates may not work correctly and a few other things won't work, but I can't recall what exactly, but it will still basically work, and you can add a serial number later in one of the Settings screens (right click start button, click on System, go down to Product Key and activation).

    • rzkman on 23/11/2024 - 14:31

      The license for Windows 11 OEM profession is $12 from HRKgame. Is that right? Its so cheap, just want to make sure it is the right one.
      The mb you recommended is mATX. My case is a full tower, any reason to go mATX if I am not constricted by my case?

      I shall get the 1TB SSD as suggested. I am only using 330GB for now.

      • Gregmond on 23/11/2024 - 17:02

        Yes that is about what I pay from HRKgame for Win 11. Win 11 Home or Pro is fine.
        I picked that board because I tend to like Gigabyte software over ASUS/MSI and it had 2 x M.2 slots, rather than 1. Make sure you get the right features such as m.2 slots, I tend to buy WiFi boards because whilst I normally use an ethernet cable to my router, if it goes down and I need to connect to my phone hotspot, it's easy to do.
        Only difference between matx and atx normally is size in case. So long as it fits.

  • rzkman on 23/11/2024 - 14:59

    OK I can see that ATX boards are quite more expensive that mATX ones. OK have ordered the stuff from centrecom as they are open till 5 today and closer to me. Thanks for your help.

    • Gregmond on 23/11/2024 - 17:07

      If you have any of the main players near you, buy from them.
      I live near Newcastle, and no major players here, so I order online. :)
      Good luck. Have fun. :)

      • rzkman on 24/11/2024 - 10:54

        Up and running on Windows11 now. Monitor displaying as expected now! yay!
        Only minor hitch is that I went from 4 sys fan connections on the old mobo to only 2 on the new one.
        Ordered a fan splitter which will give the problem next week.
        I would love to shout you some drinks as without your help this upgrade would have been much more drawn out. You have saved me heaps of time. DM me? Cheers.

        • Gregmond on 24/11/2024 - 12:02

          All good. Glad it is working as expected. Always a worry when giving advice online that something doesn't go to plan and is a major issue. :)

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