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Fix the error: "AMD: The system has detected a link failure"

Written by Petteri Pyyny @ 01 Mar 2021 6:11

Fix the error: "AMD: The system has detected a link failure"

One of the dreaded error messages with no apparent logical reason must be the AMD graphics adapters error about problematic signal.
The error message reads exactly like this: System has detected a link failure and cannot set the requested resolution.

We hit the same problem recently and had to investigate the problem bit further. Down the line, it is about DisplayPort connection from PC to monitor that causes this error message. More specifically, error relates to DisplayPort 1.2 connection.

We found out three different ways to debug and possibly solve the problem.



Power off your display completely


In most such cases, thhe right way to solve thhe issue is to unplug your monitor entirely. Remove its DisplayPort cable, its power cable and let it cool down a little bit. Then plug everything back and see if this helped. For most cases, this solved the problem.

Check your monitor cable connections


This is kinda no-brainer, but do it anyways. Check that the monitor cable is connected properly to both, PC and display itself.

Switch off DisplayPort 1.2 support from your display


Some displays allow you to switch off DP 1.2 support from its menu. This downgrades the display to use previous DisplayPort methods, but wont hinder the picture quality at all. Check your monitor's manual if this is possible - and test it.

Uninstall your Radeon drivers and reinstall them


Again, a very basic Windows trick, but worth trying. Uninstall your AMD Radeon display drivers completely, boot your PC and install the drivers back again. This obviously only works if you have another display to work with.

It might be worth testing also the Windows' own drivers for Radeon. Even though they are old (very old) compared to AMD's official ones, they might do the trick here.

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