Hey guys,

I recently bought myself a gaming rig with an Intel 3.0GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, an ATI Radeon HD 4870 512mb and a 22" Widescreen HD monitor. I put it all together myself and everything was going just great... Until a few days ago when I noticed that my monitor would occasionally have fits where it would flash sporadically, changing the color pallet of the image on my screen seemingly according to the colors that were on screen at the time (i.e. when I'm using Google Chrome viewing a white page the monitor will flash causing a white website background to look blue because the task bar and Chrome menu bars are both blue)... At least that's the correlation I've found, I'm not 100% sure this is true. After a few minutes of spazzing, the image will stabilize, showing the proper colors of all the items on screen.

I don't think it's the monitor because during one of the sporadic flashing sessions, I pressed the menu button on the monitor to bring up the little menu overlay and its colors didn't change, only the background colors were affected, which makes me think that my problem may be due to an overheating GPU or a loose cable, but my fans don't seem to be going crazy and I think all the cables are put in right...

Ideas?

I think all the cables are put in right...

You need to make sure they are right, and securely fastened.

When troubleshooting display problems, it is typically best to swap monitors. If the 2nd monitor has the same problem, you know the problem is with the computer/graphics solution. If the problem follows the monitor to the second machine, the problem is with the monitor.

If you suspect heat, remove the side panel and blast a desk fan in there and see if it still happens.

Did you size the PSU correctly for your hardware?

I'm at my college dorm right now and thusly I can't really easily get another monitor to swap with. I'll disconnect and reconnect all of the cables when I get home from class, and try removing the side panel if that doesn't work. I'm pretty sure my PSU is sized properly; I got an Antec 600W PSU... I don't think I'd need much more for what I'm running.

600 sounds fine, and Antec is a reputable maker, so unless you got a lemon (it happens) that should be ok.

Hey guys,

This problem is still plaguing my setup and I really don't know what to search for on the interwebs to fix the issue. I was hoping you guys could point me in the right direction. It seems like the issue becomes more noticeable after the monitor/computer have been off for a while; when they get turned on again, the image on my screen goes bonkers until after a little time something causes it to stabilize. Ideas?

You still need to try another monitor. The fact the OSD displays fine does not tell us anything as that signal is generated internally. After re-reading your first post and your comment above that it seems to clear after it has warmed up means it is not likely heat related. But we still don't know if the graphics card (or the motherboard's on-board graphics) is having problems syncing with the monitor, of if the monitor is having problems syncing with the computer's graphics solution. You need to try another monitor. This assumes you have ensured all cables are securely fastened. If you have a graphics card, it too needs to be fully seated in its slot, and secured in place with the retaining screw.

If not sure if you have a card or on-board - that's easy to tell by where the monitor's data cable attaches. If it attaches in the rear I/O panel area - that rectangular cluster of connectors where you also connect your mouse and keyboard - then it is on-board and you only need to make sure the cable is securely fastened. If a card, then the monitor's cable will connect to a connector in one of the slots and in that case, you will have to power down, unplug from the wall, open the side panel, press on the top edge of the card to ensure it is fully seated, then ensure the screw holding the card to the slot is snug.

I can't image there's not another dorm dweller that's not willing to help you out with this. It is not like you are swapping hard drives or motherboards. The greatest risk of anything getting damaged is from a bent pin - and that's easily avoided by just watching what you are doing. No need to unplug the computers from the wall when disconnecting swapping monitors, but they should be powered off.

Alright. This weekend I'll devote some time to figuring out exactly what's going on here. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Keep us posted. We all may learn something new.