Can a GPU kill a pixel ?

[SephiRock]

Hello,

 

I recently move and brought with me my PC, and my two monitors. When we finally settled, i tried to plug my primary monitor in : an AOC Q27G2S. As soon as i connected to power cord, boom, power died in the house. The monitor wasn't even connected to the PC via any cable when it happened.
At first we thought something was wrong with the outlet or whatever.
So we tried another one, plugged the power cord in : power did not die this time. Great ! We plug the DP cable to my GPU, a 4080, and then to my monitor... but as soon as the metal part of the DP cable touched the monitor, power died again, and a spark appeared on both ends of the cable, even the one plugged in my GPU.

At this point, we concluded that the monitor was dead, and I ordered a new one, the same model, a Q27G2S.

Waiting for it to be delivered, i used my secondary monitor (i cannot use both at the same time in my new home : not enough room on the desk), a BenQ Zowie.
Everything works, but i notice that there's a dead pixel on it. Whatever, i'll not use it for a while as soon as my new monitor is delivered.

Today i received my new Q27G2S. It works fine, power doesn't die, so i'm fairly confident the previous one just broke.
But... there's also a dead pixel on it. Shit.

Now, i guess the most logical explanation is stupidely simple : it just has a faulty pixel from factory, deal with it, just return it.

But i started wondering... Maybe when the sparks occured, it damaged something in my GPU. And that, somehow, my GPU sends a "wrong signal" via its ports, and that this signal can maybe kill pixels ?

I know it sounds silly, i'm basically making this topic because i'm anxious and i wanna know if this is even possible. My guess is that it's not, but i'd like some inputs on that, from people that know how cables and monitors work better than me.

I should mention that, besides that, the GPU shows literally no sign of failure : i stress-tested it multiple times, 99.7% framerate consistency on 3D mark time spy stress test and everything. I'm just confused because i saw sparks on both ends when the power died a second time, and i'm wondering how that could literally not do anything to my GPU..

Anyway, thanks a lot for reading

[vanpuffelen]

After you returned/replaced your monitor, I suggest you hook up your monitor to your iGPU, or another device that you know doesn't cause these issues, just to be sure. Dead pixels are almost always because of broken displays.

[Mumintroll]

What you can do is to test that monitor with another pc just to troubleshoot and rule out if it is the monitor or not.

[SephiRock]

6 minutes ago, Mumintroll said:

What you can do is to test that monitor with another pc just to troubleshoot and rule out if it is the monitor or not.

I'm sorry i should've specified : I tested the monitor with another PC, and the faulty pixel is still there. Tried another cable as well.

I'm just like "I tested it AFTER using it on my own PC".
But like, it seems so weird to me, i'm practically sure a GPU cannot just kill a pixel. And if they could, i doubt they would just kill one and never another again.

 

[SephiRock]

Also, i'm confused about dead pixels. I've been told they are black, and that stuck pixels are just one color that doesn't change.

No faulty pixel i've had to deal with in my life matched that description. They were only... more faint than the other pixels. Almost like if it was some dust or crap, but exactly the size of a pixel. It's really weird.

[DoctorNick]

1 hour ago, SephiRock said:

Can a GPU kill a pixel

No. Not under normal circumstances. AOC on the other hand might not be the best quality monitors you can get, so maybe something is up with QC. The sparks you describe sounds like a grounding issue. Do you get zapped when touching the back of the case or PSU? You can test with a metal object if scared. If you see a spark, then your case is not grounded. If you don't see anything check with your finger, if you got a funny sensation when touching (a tickling in the finger, kinda) the case then its not grounded properly. If it happens, then check cables. Check cable connectors is not making contact with the case or panels. Check if motherboard is not touching case. If you forgot to install standoffs on the case for example or something else. 

[Godlygamer23]

1 hour ago, SephiRock said:

Also, i'm confused about dead pixels. I've been told they are black, and that stuck pixels are just one color that doesn't change.

No faulty pixel i've had to deal with in my life matched that description. They were only... more faint than the other pixels. Almost like if it was some dust or crap, but exactly the size of a pixel. It's really weird.

I imagine a stuck pixel can also be black(which is really just "off") if the entire pixel refuses to illuminate, though I'm betting that's a very rare occurrence.

[Mumintroll]

1 hour ago, SephiRock said:

Also, i'm confused about dead pixels. I've been told they are black, and that stuck pixels are just one color that doesn't change.

No faulty pixel i've had to deal with in my life matched that description. They were only... more faint than the other pixels. Almost like if it was some dust or crap, but exactly the size of a pixel. It's really weird.

 

Sometimes a dead pixel can be white.

I have one white dead pixel on an older monitor.

 

[Godlygamer23]

Just now, Mumintroll said:

Sometimes a dead pixel can be white.

I have one white dead pixel on an older monitor.

That sounds like a stuck pixel.

A dead pixel is one that does not illuminate at all. If it's white, then all three sub-pixels are lit, but not changing.

[SephiRock]

4 hours ago, DoctorNick said:

No. Not under normal circumstances. AOC on the other hand might not be the best quality monitors you can get, so maybe something is up with QC. The sparks you describe sounds like a grounding issue. Do you get zapped when touching the back of the case or PSU? You can test with a metal object if scared. If you see a spark, then your case is not grounded. If you don't see anything check with your finger, if you got a funny sensation when touching (a tickling in the finger, kinda) the case then its not grounded properly. If it happens, then check cables. Check cable connectors is not making contact with the case or panels. Check if motherboard is not touching case. If you forgot to install standoffs on the case for example or something else. 

Thank you for your answer.
My case seem properly grounded, i really think this spark was caused by something in the previous monitor. No idea what, tho.
It's just that sparks are really spooky, but in the end, my PC seems to be working just fine, i just ditched the faulty monitor.

I also agree that a GPU shouldn't be able to kill a pixel. I don't see how it could happen tbh. I guess this pixel on my new monitor is just bad luck.

[DoctorNick]

8 hours ago, SephiRock said:

Thank you for your answer.
My case seem properly grounded, i really think this spark was caused by something in the previous monitor. No idea what, tho.
It's just that sparks are really spooky, but in the end, my PC seems to be working just fine, i just ditched the faulty monitor.

I also agree that a GPU shouldn't be able to kill a pixel. I don't see how it could happen tbh. I guess this pixel on my new monitor is just bad luck.

I get a small spark when connecting my TV to the PC. It makes sense as the outlet isn't grounded and the PSU for the TV is a external brick with ungrounded connector. Is it the same case for your monitor?

[SephiRock]

2 hours ago, DoctorNick said:

I get a small spark when connecting my TV to the PC. It makes sense as the outlet isn't grounded and the PSU for the TV is a external brick with ungrounded connector. Is it the same case for your monitor?

Nope, my faulty monitor has a three phased power cord, classic.

I'll explain the whole thing so you get my reasoning better. Before moving, i went back to my parent's house for a few days and installed my setup there (so my current PC, and the monitor i'm talking about, the faulty one that made sparks).
I was playing normally, until someone switched the light on in another room : that caused my screen to flicker to black instantly, for like 1 whole second, before returning to normal. The audio was still fine, so it really was the screen.
At first i was flabbergasted, but then it happened soon after, when they switched the light off in another room. Same flicker.

My parent's house has poor electric circuit quality, and my theory is that, this day, something broke in my monitor.

It was after this flicker episode that i moved, and then got the 2 power cuts that i described in my first message (the second power cut was the one accompanied with sparks)

So yeah, definitely a faulty monitor imo...