Dueling Monitors: This really isn't the most critical problems I often deal with...but I finally added a second monitor for my desktop MacPro a few years back. At the time I had two...

Bob Werre

This really isn't the most critical problems I often deal with...but I finally added a second monitor for my desktop MacPro a few years back. At the time I had two older CRT units that I finally replaced. I bought a NEC high end monitor and coupled it with a junker Sony screen that I use mainly for bridge and other minor tasks. Whenever I would shut down for the weekend or have to reboot for any reason the old Sony wouldn't come alive for a really long time. I was finally offered another used monitor, another NEC. I was hoping that being from the same family they might come-up closer together, but the opposite is happening, The smaller older second monitor now takes the better part of a day to come up!
Is my problem based on it's age or there sometime else happening here?

Larry Powell Loc: Columbus OH

How does either monitor behave when it is the only one attached? Is one still an all day long to come up? I would suspect the graphics card is failing. You might try reseating the graphics card. I doubt it is the monitor. You might even have sketchy cables or contacts.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

A lot of things are like a lot of other things ...
Your computer may be only lighting up it's "primary" monitor at startup.
There's no signal being sent to the other monitor, so it's not recognized. Yet..
There are time slots allocated for device recognition- too much = too late,
Try turning the "dead" one off, then on again. I have USB drives that do this.

Bob Werre

Thanks, I've checked and swapped the cords and then exchanged the places they're plugged into with no effect. The former Sony screen would come alive after an hour or three, while this NEC guy has yet to beat 4-5 hours at best. I've turned it off and then on, I best I get is an amber pilot light which eventually turns to blue. If the #2 unit has come up (blue)and I flick if off and then back on it responds immediately. Reminds me of the old TV's or radios that had tubes that had to be warmed up!
It's a bit frustrating when you have to reset monitor options in the Preferences on Monday AM.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

Since two monitors are doing the same thing, I'd look for a common cause. Is it your graphics card? Can you connect the "sleeping" monitor to a different port?

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

I have 2 monitors.
The second won't start unless I start an app that uses 2 monitors.
If that doesn't work, I have to turn #2 off, then back on, with the app running.
And yes, kinda sorta, some modern electrical devices may seem to need "warming up".
Bad/ leaky capacitors don't charge up right away, so the system may not see it. If you have a PC that won't always turn on the first time, but hit the reset button and it will- that's usually a capacitor in the power supply. Rarely (but occasionally) the video card will do the same. Some older Seagate HDDs wouldn't spin up fast enough to always pass POST the first time. Reset- boots up.
AND I had a Ford Taurus with a radio that didn't always work. IF the radio was off when you turned the car off, @ 20% of the time it wouldn't later turn on. I had to "reboot" the car- pull over, turn it off, start it right back up with the radio on, and it'd work. The "fix" was to make sure the radio was on first, then goto the "start" position.

Jolly Roger Loc: Dorset. UK

I suspect your problem is with the graphics card or CPU. The internal workings of your computer may need updating.
I use Windows, I have two LG Ultra HD 27" monitors which start up immediately. My son upgraded the internal bits and bobs when I bought the second monitor. Sorry my knowledge on computers is on a basis of "Need to know" and I don't need to...

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I have been using 2 monitors on my dell XPS computer without any difficulty. My video card has 2 gb ram

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Bob Werre wrote:

This really isn't the most critical problems I oft... (show quote)

I'll start by apologizing, because I don't have the answer....
but when I read the title of your post, I was expecting a story about two monitors with swords swinging, or guns pointed at each other....
Then it clicked: "Dual", not "Duel" !
Thank you for the morning-chuckle, don't get mad at me, laugh with me instead!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Does your MacBook Pro support the total screen real estate you have connected to it? (There is a limit.)

Are you using an nVidia GPU, AMD GPU, or Intel on-board GPU? Does your version of Mac OS fully support it?

HOW are the monitors connected (Ports used)?

How are the monitor “spaces” arranged in the Display control panel of Settings and Preferences? Do you see all the monitors there while the troublemaker is dark?

Have you looked for answers in the Apple Support Forums?

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

Along with others here, I'd look at the graphics card. That may need to be updated. Good news is that they are relatively inexpensive. Make sure you get one made to drive the two monitors and has plenty of RAM. Good luck!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Gitchigumi wrote:

Along with others here, I'd look at the graphics card. That may need to be updated. Good news is that they are relatively inexpensive. Make sure you get one made to drive the two monitors and has plenty of RAM. Good luck!

Folks, updating the graphics card of a MacBook Pro simply isn’t done. It’s a processor chip and related components, all of which are soldered to the motherboard.

The only option is to add an eGPU chassis and card, connected via ThunderBolt. But that can get very expensive, since eGPUs are primarily used for high end 4K video editing.

Apple did have problems with certain accelerated video "cards." I had an early 2008 MBP with an nVidia processor. It went bad, and they replaced the whole motherboard free, under a recall.

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

burkphoto wrote:

Folks, updating the graphics card of a MacBook Pro... (show quote)

Oh, boy... I blew this one... I failed to read it was a MacBook and just assumed it was a PC. Sorry! Thankfully, there are others here that are much more able to help with that equipment.

ezslides

I have a cheaper Asus second monitor for my 2018 iMac, and it often takes 2-3 seconds to come on after a wakeup call, so some delay is to be expected, but not minutes or hours.

EdJ0307 Loc: out west someplace

Morning Star wrote:

I'll start by apologizing, because I don't have the answer....
but when I read the title of your post, I was expecting a story about two monitors with swords swinging, or guns pointed at each other....
Then it clicked: "Dual", not "Duel" !
Thank you for the morning-chuckle, don't get mad at me, laugh with me instead!

I think he meant what he said - Dueling monitors. They were fighting with each other or fighting with the computer. That's my take on it anyway.