ThunderboltEX 4 + USB-C Dock issues : No display

[jfdoyon]

Hi all,

Running a B550-A Mobo + ThunderboltEX 4, I cannot get the external display to work via my Dock.

Setup:

- B550-A MB with ThunderboltEX 4 connected in the PIC 3x slot, and all cables connected, including the additional power.

- GTX 970 DP output to TBEX 4 DP IN 1 (Using the proivded cable).

- TB 4 Cable to ThinkPad 40AS USB-C Dock. It uses DP Alt Mode, NOT DisplayLink.

- My Work Laptop (Tecra A40-J) works fine with dock and the same TB cable.

- When I take that cable and plug it into my Deskop PC. USB devices work great, but Zero display.

- I have on accasion managed to see an "NV-FailSafe" display, at 640*480, but that's about it. Most of the time it detects nothing, even if I force manual detection.

- Device manager shows no issues. Latest driver.

- Display is a Dell S2716DG that supports DP 1.2 (Not 1.4)., but I'm not daisy chaining ... Right? Just one dock does not count? It's just one TB device?

The firmware on the TB card is more recent than what's available for download, I tried updating it ...

The MB BIOS is the most recent.

Saw an article about the NVidia driver and EDID CRC mis-match. Downgraded drivers to the recommended version. No change.

Did all this (Changed Mobo and bought TB card) so I can have all my perpherals, monitor included, connected to one thing, and then I can just easily toggle between my owrk laptop and my personal desktop. So far, not the best experience ...

I'm out of ideas ... Help????

[jfdoyon]

CPU is AMD Ryzen 5 3600X (No integrated graphics).

I dion't have a different Video Card to try with.

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @jfdoyon 

Could you clarify if your current setup involves connecting the TBEX4 to the ThinkPad 40AS USB-C Dock and then the Dell S2716DG monitor to the dock, resulting in an incorrect display?
If you connect the Dell S2716DG monitor directly to the GTX 970 via DP, does it display correctly?
Is the GTX 970 installed in PCIEX16_1, and the TBEX4 in PCIEX16_2? Are the other PCIEX1 slots in use?
Please provide a detailed description of your desired configuration or usage requirements, a complete explanation of the connected devices (for example, how the Tecra A40-J is connected to the Dell S2716DG and how the Dell S2716DG is connected to the ThinkPad 40AS USB-C Dock in the same time?), and the following information:
- the current BIOS version and the images of manually adjuesting items in BIOS, or whether it is the default
- the brand and model name of the RAM, SSD/HDD, and PSU currently installed
- are there any extensions or adapters used to connect any devices, such as GPU or SSD?
- the OS version and OS build

Thank you.

[jfdoyon]

"Could you clarify if your current setup involves connecting the TBEX4 to the ThinkPad 40AS USB-C Dock and then the Dell S2716DG monitor to the dock, resulting in an incorrect display?"

Precisely.

"If you connect the Dell S2716DG monitor directly to the GTX 970 via DP, does it display correctly?"

Yes.

"Is the GTX 970 installed in PCIEX16_1, and the TBEX4 in PCIEX16_2?"

Correct!

"Please provide a detailed description of your desired configuration or usage requirements, a complete explanation of the connected devices (for example, how the Tecra A40-J is connected to the Dell S2716DG and how the Dell S2716DG is connected to the ThinkPad 40AS USB-C Dock in the same time?)"

Basically: All my perpherals (KB, Mouse, Web Cam and USB headset) connect to the dock, inccluing the display. I then take the USB-C to host cable and connect it either to my laptop  (everything works), or to my TBEX 4 in my PC (all works except display).

"- the current BIOS version and the images of manually adjuesting items in BIOS, or whether it is the default"

Latest BIOS from the web site, and Thunderblot Chipset set to Maple Riddge (Which sets other things automatically, though I haven't touched those). Everything else is default.

"- the brand and model name of the RAM, SSD/HDD, and PSU currently installed"

G.Skill Ripjaws V - 16GB

Corsair Force MP600 1TB NVMe

Corsair RM650x or something like that. It's 650 watts for sure.

"- are there any extensions or adapters used to connect any devices, such as GPU or SSD?"

Nope straight cables, all known to work. There's the DP to mDp adapting cable that came witht he TBEX 4 ... which I have no other ways to test.

Latest stable Win 11 Home with latest updates (Don't have the details right now).

UPDATE: I discovered there was a firmware update for the GTX 970 for DP 1.3/1.4 support.

I applied this update, and now things are a little better:

When I boot up I see the BIOS POST screen (Press DEL to enter BIOS, etc.). But it seems that once Windows loads, the screen goes black. Eventually, I get the NV-Failsafe device and I am stuck in a 640*480 display.

[jfdoyon]

Windows Build: 22621

[jfdoyon]

So, it occurred to me that the Dell Display has NVIDIA hardware it for G-Sync support, and that maybe that could cause compatibility issues.

I did have another monitor lying, a fairly ordinary Philips 273V, so I plugged that in.

At first it seemed to be OK. Then I installed the Nvidia driver, and it started doing the NV-FailSafe again.

I removed the driver, things came back to normal for a bit,, but then in the middle of using the PC, the screen goes off, and things go back to NV-FailSafe.

With my Dell display, kind of similar, I tried a fresh windows install, everything looks good, then at some point in the middle of using Windows (WITHOUT the Game Ready Nvidia drivers), boum, back to NV-FailSafe,

Thing is:

- The dock works fine with my laptop.

- The videocard in my PC works fine with my display without the dock.

- It's not the display.

I'm starting to wonder whether I have a bad TB EX 4 card ... thoughts?

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @jfdoyon 

According to the ThunderboltEX 4 user manual, there are limitations when connecting Thunderbolt devices and a monitor simultaneously:

You currently have devices connected, including a keyboard, mouse, webcam, and USB headset.
If you remove other devices and connect only the Dell S2716DG monitor to ThunderboltEX 4, does it display correctly?
Additionally, have you updated the Intel Thunderbolt Driver to version V1.41.1340.0?
Also, the ThunderboltEX 4 website released TB & PD Firmware Version 1.3 on February 20, 2024, please consider updating and checking again.
*Thunderbolt 1/2 devices will no longer be supported after this FW update due to a change made by intel regarding the update of Thunderbolt firmware to NVM 36.

Thank you.

[jfdoyon]

The devices are not thunderbolt, but regular USB ... so not sure that logic applies, but I will try nonetheless.

I don't think I have eveninstalled the thunderbolt driver in my latest attempts, since it's actually a DP ALT MODE thing ... not Thunderbolt specific. Either way I see the problem with or without the driver.

And yes the firmware in the card was already at its most recent. In fact it appears it's MORE recent than what's on the web site. Again, these are USB devices, not thunderbolt devices. I really got the TB EX 4 card for DP ALT MODE support more than anything else. Otherwise Thunderbolt is supposed ot be backwards compatible with USB ...

I'll try unplugging everything else but the display though ... never tried that.

Right now I thnk the problem is the Display is not DP 1.4 ...

[jfdoyon]

I tried switching the Dock -> Display to HDMI, but the problem remained BTW.

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @jfdoyon 

Thank you for troubleshooting and providing updates.
Could you please confirm the following scenarios and information?
- If connecting the Dell S2716DG monitor directly to the TBEX4 instead of using the USB-C Dock, would it still not display?
- Please share a comprehensive video recording of the issue, including the devices connected to the USB-C Dock, the connection to the motherboard, and the circumstances when the Dell S2716DG monitor goes black.
If possible, document instances where the screen displays correctly after a Windows reinstall but goes black at some point.
Based on your description, is it probable that automatic system updates or driver version are causing the no display issue?

Edit: After consulting with the relevant department, we would like to further confirm:
- If remove the GTX970 GPU, use a CPU with integrated graphics, connect TBEX4 via on-board DP, and check if the display works correctly (make sure to install CPU graphics drivers).
- Do you have a newer model of GPU for cross-verification?
Additionally, we would appreciate it if you could provide detailed connection information and a video demonstrating the failure for reference.

Thank you.