External monitor stopped supporting Full HD via HDMI under Windows 11 with Intel UHD

[bohdans]

Last summer after a system update of my Lenovo ThinkPad T16 laptop, the external monitor – ASUS ET2311I, an all-in-one solution,– has stopped supporting Full HD.

I contacted Lenovo and followed all their instructions – modifying system settings and manipulating device drivers,– but to no avail: the resolution is 1024 x 768 (Recommended) or 1280x720 maximum.

Their final recommendations were:

1. Wait for newer system updates and recheck the laptop whether the issue has gone.
2. Reset the system.

Till yesterday I followed recommendation number one – plus applied latest graphics drivers from Intel,– but to no avail.

Yesterday, I have finally reset the Windows 11 system, but, amazingly, to no avail.

Additional information:

1. The problem laptop works perfectly with another external monitor, Dell P2423DE, via HDMI in WQHD mode even.
2. The problem external monitor works perfectly with another laptop – Lenovo ThinkPad T14 but under Windows 10,– with the same HDMI cable in Full HD mode.

I would be very thankful for your advice on how to mate my devices for Full HD mode. IGCC and SSU reports are attached.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello bohdans,  

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities. I understand you are having issues with your laptop and Asus monitor, I will happily assist you on this matter.

I would like to let you know that our support on Lapotp is limited, this is because the manufacturer decides which features can be added/removed/blocked with their updates. Based on your issue and the information you shared, this looks like a compatibility issue between this specific laptop model and your monitor. 

At this point, I recommend you to revert any recent updates, check for any pending updates for Windows (even the optional ones), and try to update the graphics drivers from intel (ver: 31.0.101.5084/31.0.101.5122).

If the issue persists, get in contact with Asus to confirm if there are any known issues on their side.

Regards,   

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello bohdans,  

Were you able to check the previous post and get the information requested? Please let me know if you need more assistance.   

Regards,  

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[bohdans]

Hi Deivid,

I am thankful for your prompt response to my query.

According to your recommendation, I have registered an ASUS Support query on the subject. It is dated of December 30, 2023. To date, the status of the query is In Progress.

Apart from that, I have:

• For the ASUS AIO computer, reset the BIOS settings to optimized defaults.
• For the Lenovo laptop:
  • Checked for Windows updates. It was revealed a dozen of optional updates; all have been applied.
  • Updated the graphics driver from Intel (ver: 31.0.101.5084/31.0.101.5122) as you recommended.
  • Purchased a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter – the laptop allows connecting external monitors via USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports,– to check if it could work around the issue.

All of this was unsuccessful.

Your recommendation on reverting recent updates has been omitted since, as I have mentioned, the Laptop system was reset.

I would like to emphasize that there were no similar compatibility issues for about six months. It looks like the compatibility was destroyed last summer in some software way on the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 operating system.

I hope to hear back from ASUS soon and would appreciate any further guidance on this matter.

Thank You,

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello bohdans, 

Thanks for your response. In this case, if this is a limitation from the laptop manufacturer, there is not much we can do. At this point, you can try to check your "Restore Point" and select one from before the issue starts.

Steps: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-system-restore-a5ae3ed9-07c4-fd56-45ee-096777ecd14e

Also, you can check this Microsoft forum where you can find useful information:

• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-doesnt-detect-correct-display/d919291b-e1cb-4b30-abd4-0e96466d33be

Regards,  

Deivid A. 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[bohdans]

Hello Deivid, 

The Asus representative provided no information about known issues on their side. He isolated the possible cause to the laptop itself, and, perhaps, to its power options.

What was done with the laptop:

• The Balanced Power Plan was restored to default settings.
• Uninstalled and installed Intel UHD Graphics display adapter according to the recommendations from the forum you recommended.
• Applied the oldest Intel UHD Graphics driver available on your site, Version 31.0.101.4953.

None of this helped to get the Full HD mode.

I have also connected the following monitors to the laptop:

• HP EliteDisplay E242.
• HP ProDisplay P240va.

All of them worked perfectly in their native Full HD mode via the same HDMI cable. It indicated that there should not be any hardware issue with the laptop and the cable.

What was not done:

• There were no restore points in System Restore, so it was not possible to restore the system to the state prior to last summer. As I already mentioned, the system was reset on December 27, 2023, so there were no such late restore points, and System Restore is disabled in Windows 11 by default. A screenshot is attached.
• There were no Intel UHD Graphics drivers dated earlier last summer, neither on the Intel site, nor on the Lenovo site. Therefore, it was not possible to apply drivers dated earlier the issue being revealed.

winver says that Windows 11 on my Lenovo ThinkPad T16 is of Version 23H2. Does it mean I should roll back Windows 11 to Version 22H2 prior to its third update codenamed "Moment 3" (May 24, 2023) – which I suppose has eventually destroyed the compatibility of my devices,– to solve the issue? If so, what version of Intel UHD Graphics driver should be applied, and does it mean the operating system should remain in such a state for ever to keep compatibility with the external monitor native resolution?

In addition, I noticed that Intel Arc & Iris Xe Graphics driver includes Windows 11 September 2022 Update (22H2) as a supported operating system. Does it mean that latest Intel UHD Graphics drivers do not fully support Windows 11 23H2?

Thank You,

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hello bohdans, You are very welcome. Thank you very much for your response.

We are sorry to hear the issue persists after trying the suggestions provided previously.

For this scenario, it is important to mention that the Intel® graphics drivers are generic. Meaning they do not contain the customizations done by Lenovo so they may or may not work properly with your device. For that reason, we always recommend to install the graphics driver provided by the manufacturer of the computer, since that driver was customized by them to work with your specific platform.

Since the problem remains after installing Lenovo driver version 31.0.101.4575, if you have the option yes, go ahead and try to roll back Windows 11 to Version 22H2, please save any important information you may have on your system before trying this step.

The Intel® graphics drivers are fully compatible with Windows* 10 and Windows* 11 and all its versions, so after the rollback, you can test any of our drivers. Still, we mainly recommend the driver provided by Lenovo 31.0.101.4575.

If the issue still occurs after that, then as the ASUS representative mentioned, the source of the problem will be the laptop itself and perhaps its power options which is why we suggest to contact the OEM of your computer again. They might be able to reproduce the issue using the same exact machine you are working with, provide a fix for it, do a physical inspection of the computer if needed, suggest further troubleshooting steps or technical assistance, confirm if this is a compatibility problem and ultimately to replace the laptop under their warranty policies:

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[bohdans]

Dear Albert,

Rolling back to Windows 11 to Version 22H2 didn’t work: the default display adapter driver from Microsoft didn’t support connecting external monitors. With Windows Update, the driver from Microsoft was immediately replaced with Lenovo (Intel Arc & Iris Xe Graphics) driver version 31.0.101.4575.

In the result, Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 failed to support the ASUS ET2311I external monitor in its native Full HD mode via HDMI under Windows 11 Version 22H2, similarly to Windows 11 Version 23H2.

Since Intel and Lenovo web sites do not provide an older graphics driver for my device—dated, say, year 2022, —I proceeded at my own risk with Intel graphics driver version 31.0.101.3790 dated October 17, 2022, which was found on the internet. Amazingly, Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 supported—not perfectly, but supported, —ASUS ET2311I in its native Full HD mode under both Windows 11 Version 22H2 and Windows 11 Version 23H2. Screenshots are attached.

The bottom line is that starting in 2023 the Intel Arc & Iris Xe Graphics driver obtained a bug that broke the compatibility of my devices. I suppose that such destruction of compatibility also occurs between the whole class of 12-th+ generation Intel processor-based devices with integrated graphics and a (sub-)class of AIO external monitors, via HDMI. Please deny or confirm.

The presence of such a bug was confirmed by the Asus representative, who informed that they observed it on older devices from different vendors, when working with Intel Iris and RTX2000/RTX3000 series graphics cards. He claimed that for these series of video cards the driver kernel seemed to have changed in the latest update, which made the monitor incompatible with its native resolution. The solution was to uninstall the latest video card driver and install a version dated 2022 and not later. In this case, even Intel Iris and RTX2000/RTX3000 could make the monitor work in native Full HD mode.

This Intel Arc & Iris Xe Graphics driver bug is being perfectly inherited by Lenovo regardless of their one or another customization.

I have to throw my fully functional Asus AIO ET2311I external monitor away - at best, replenish my fleet of monitors with a device tested for Arc & Iris Xe Graphics compatibility – because Intel will not fix the bug.

Thank You,

[bohdans]

Intel® Arc™ & Iris® Xe Graphics, Windows driver Version 31.0.101.5522 – the bug not fixed.

[MUC]

I understand that this is an annoying problem, but I think the cause lies elsewhere. The ASUS ET2311I was manufactured in week 48 of 2012 according to diagnostic data. That was 12 years ago. Since then, standards regarding interface compliance have evolved and I assume that newer Intel drivers have been adapted to meet this compliance.

The monitor shows inconsistent data via the HDMI cable:

GTF = VESA Generalized Timing Formula

The resolutions you describe as functional are below 90 MHz pixel clock. So is 1080i (interlaced = 148.5 / 2 = 74.25 MHz). In my opinion, this is an "error" on ASUS' part, but they are unlikely to correct it with a firmware update for a 12 years old device that was designed to run Windows 8. Simply due to cost reasons.

If you wish, we can use a third-party tool to verify whether my hypothesis is correct.

[bohdans]

Hi MUC,

Thank you very much for the workaround.

I can confirm that the custom resolution utility works as you described, and I managed to get 1920 x 1080 resolution on the secondary HDMI-connected monitor under Windows 11 23H2.

Then, let us be specific:

1. Which interface compliance standards do you mean? Any references please.
2. What prevented the newer Intel Graphics Command Center (IGCC) utility to find the inconsistency in data via the HDMI cable you mention? A screenshot with IGCC in the original post shows that the secondary monitor supports both 1920 x 1080 (60p Hz) and 1920 x 1080 (60i Hz) modes.
3. Does adapting to new standards mean rejecting such thing as backward compatibility?

I apologize for the verbosity and possible misunderstanding of the topic.

Again, many thanks for your assistance,

[MUC]

I can reproduce the problem in my environment and also resolve it. Please follow the steps below.

• Download Custom Resolution Utility (CRU)
• Run CRU.exe
• Make sure the active EDID is that of the ASUS monitor connected to your laptop. If necessary, select from the drop down menu.
• Remove the GTF range limit data:

Close all windows with OK and restart the computer. You should then be able to drive the display with 1080p @ 60 Hz 148.5 MHz RGB 8-bit.

Background: Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) is sent from each display device to the graphics card to communicate the monitor's capabilities. The method described above overrides the data stored in the Windows registry, i.e. the Intel graphics driver ignores the original GTF data. So you have to run this procedure on every computer you want to connect to the ASUS. The better solution would be a firmware update from ASUS that removes these GTF limits from EDID that this device sends. But that is unrealistic.

[bohdans]

Hi MUC,

Thank you for your job on reproducint my issue. Your screenshots are identical to mines.

I will try to contact Asus to get clarification on their GTF limits.

Regards,

[MUC]

1. To check whether a digital interface works according to the intended standard, there is always a so-called Compliance Test Specification (CTS). This is a document in which many, many test cases are listed to enable manufacturers to ensure that functionality and interoperability are guaranteed with the interface in question. These standards change over time and are usually not publicly available, but are instructions for developers. An outdated version from 2011 can be found in the appendix. See page 213 for the Monitor Range Limits.
   
   
2. The graphics hardware reads the information (Extended Display Identification Data = EDID) that the monitor specifies for its operation via the HDMI cable on the so-called Display Data Channel (DDC). I am not a developer in this area, but it seems logical to me that current driver tests in this case look like this:
   
   - The monitor sends that it can handle 1080 @ 60 Hz both Progressive Scan and Interlaced. A pixel clock of 148.5 MHz is necessary for Progressive Scan.
   - At the same time, the monitor sends that it only allows a maximum pixel clock of 90 MHz.
   - So the least common denominator wins (90 MHz) and 1080p is not allowed because it would mean violating the global pixel clock limit of the monitor. It is unlikely, but theoretically violating limits can also lead to damage. If that were the case, Intel would be accused of breaking monitors. The monitor manufacturer has the final say on what their device is allowed to do and must unambiguously define this via the EDID.
   
   
3. The whole issue is a chicken-and-egg problem and one can of course argue who is to blame. ASUS, because they send that the monitor can only run at a global maximum of 90 MHz, or Intel, who previously ignored this limit but now stick to it, which is probably intended in the current CTS. It is impossible to maintain backwards compatibility forever. At some point one just has to update hardware. The cheapest ASUS Full HD monitor, released in 2023, costs less than $100.

Please note that I am not affiliated with Intel in any way. I am only trying to help here out of personal private interest.