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Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57" (G95NC) shows no picture over HDMI at 240 Hz after an NVIDIA driver update

Last verified October 2026Tested against NVIDIA Release 615 branch drivers before 617.14 - confirmed failing on 616.56, 616.64, 616.86 and 616.92, Fixed in GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.14 WHQL (22 September 2026), NVIDIA bug 6771206, Still fixed in GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.42 WHQL (6 October 2026) - not re-listed as open, Last known-good earlier driver: 610.88, Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57" (G95NC) at 7680x2160, 240 Hz over HDMI, Windows 10, Windows 11Well documented

This is an NVIDIA driver bug, not a dead monitor or a bad cable. NVIDIA acknowledged that its Release 615 drivers produced no picture on the Samsung Odyssey G95NC over HDMI - bug 6771206 - and listed it as fixed in Game Ready 617.14, released 22 September 2026. Update to 617.14 or later and the 7680x2160 240 Hz HDMI mode comes back. If you cannot update, the 120 Hz mode and DisplayPort both keep working on the affected drivers.

Start here

  1. Check which NVIDIA driver you are on
  2. Update to Game Ready 617.14 or later

The giveaway is that the failure is tied to one specific mode. The panel stays completely black at 7680x2160 and 240 Hz over HDMI, and no amount of rebooting, power-cycling the monitor or re-seating the cable brings it back - but drop the monitor to its 120 Hz mode, or move the same 240 Hz mode to DisplayPort, and the picture returns immediately. That pattern points at the driver's handling of the heavily compressed HDMI link rather than at the hardware, and NVIDIA's own release notes name this monitor.

Symptoms

  • The monitor is completely black over HDMI - not dim, not flickering - while the PC is clearly running
  • It started after an NVIDIA driver update, on a driver version beginning 615. or 616.
  • The black screen survives a restart, switching the monitor off and on at the mains, and unplugging and replugging the HDMI cable
  • 7680x2160 at 120 Hz or 60 Hz over the same cable and port works normally
  • The same 7680x2160 240 Hz mode works if you connect over DisplayPort instead
  • Changing output colour depth (8/10/12-bit) or dynamic range (limited/full) makes no difference
  • With a second display attached, the failed output shows as greyed out in Windows

Why this happens

A Release 615 driver regression on the G95NC's HDMI path

NVIDIA logged this against the monitor by name: "No picture on Samsung Odyssey G95NC monitor when connected via HDMI after updating to R615 drivers", bug 6771206, closed in 617.14. The vendor has not published a technical explanation. The owner who reported it notes that the failing mode is the one needing the most Display Stream Compression - roughly 2.9:1 for 7680x2160 at 240 Hz over HDMI, against about 2.3:1 for the same mode over DisplayPort and about 1.4:1 at 120 Hz - and that only the high-compression HDMI mode breaks. That is a reporter's inference from which modes fail, not an NVIDIA statement, but it matches the behaviour and explains why the workarounds below work.

Update to Game Ready 617.14 or later · Use the monitor's 120 Hz mode until you can update · Move the monitor to DisplayPort and keep 240 Hz · Roll back to 610.88 if you must stay on an older driver

Fixes

Check which NVIDIA driver you are on

about 3 min

This bug only exists on one driver branch, so the version number tells you immediately whether this page is your problem.

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11, GeForce GPUs

  1. You will need a picture to do this. If the screen is black, set the monitor to its 120 Hz mode from the on-screen menu, or move the cable to DisplayPort, so Windows comes back up.
  2. Open the NVIDIA app from the Start menu and look at the Drivers tab. If you have the older NVIDIA Control Panel instead, open it from the Start menu and choose Help > System Information.
  3. Read the Driver version field. Versions beginning 615. or 616. are the affected Release 615 branch - 616.56, 616.64, 616.86 and 616.92 are all confirmed to fail. 617.14 and later carry the fix.
  4. If you are already on 617.14 or later and still have a black screen at 240 Hz, this page's fix has not worked for you - see "When something else is wrong" at the bottom.

Confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA, NVIDIA Developer Forums

Update to Game Ready 617.14 or later

about 15 min

NVIDIA lists this exact bug, by its own bug number and by the monitor's model name, under the fixed issues for 617.14.

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11, GeForce GPUs on Release 615 drivers

  1. Get a picture first, using the 120 Hz mode or DisplayPort, so you can run the installer.
  2. Download the current Game Ready driver from NVIDIA's driver page, or use the Drivers tab in the NVIDIA app. Anything from 617.14 onward carries the fix; 617.42, released 6 October 2026, is the current release and does not list the bug as open again.
  3. Install it and restart when prompted.
  4. Set the monitor back to its 240 Hz mode and re-select 7680x2160 at 240 Hz in Windows display settings. The reporter who raised the bug confirmed on 27 September 2026 that 617.14 restored this mode over HDMI.
  5. Be aware that one other owner of the same monitor, on an RTX 5070 Ti, reported on 4 October 2026 that HDMI was still black at 240 Hz for them. They did not say which driver they were running, so it is unclear whether they had the fix. If updating does not help you, treat the 120 Hz or DisplayPort workarounds below as the durable answer and report it to NVIDIA.

Confirmed by the vendor, though some users report it does not help.

Source: NVIDIA, NVIDIA, NVIDIA Developer Forums

Use the monitor's 120 Hz mode until you can update

about 5 min

The 120 Hz mode needs far less compression over HDMI and is unaffected on the same driver, cable and port.

Applies to: Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57" (G95NC) over HDMI

  1. Open the monitor's on-screen menu with the joystick behind the panel and switch the HDMI input's mode from 240 Hz to 120 Hz.
  2. In Windows, open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display and confirm the refresh rate now reads 120 Hz at 7680x2160.
  3. The picture should return straight away. This costs you half the refresh rate, so treat it as a stopgap rather than a fix.

Reported to work by one user; not confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA Developer Forums

Move the monitor to DisplayPort and keep 240 Hz

about 10 min

The same 7680x2160 240 Hz mode runs over DisplayPort 2.1 on the affected drivers, so you keep the full refresh rate.

Applies to: Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57" (G95NC), GPUs with DisplayPort 2.1

  1. Connect the monitor to the GPU's DisplayPort output with a DisplayPort 2.1 cable, and select the DisplayPort input on the monitor.
  2. Set the monitor's mode back to 240 Hz, then choose 7680x2160 at 240 Hz in Settings > System > Display > Advanced display.
  3. If you need the HDMI port free for a console, this is the better workaround of the two - you lose nothing but the port.

Reported to work by one user; not confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA Developer Forums

Roll back to 610.88 if you must stay on an older driver

Check before applyingabout 25 min

610.88 predates the Release 615 branch and is the last version confirmed to drive this mode over HDMI.

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11, GeForce GPUs

Before you do this

Rolling back puts you on a driver from before the Release 615 branch, so you give up every security fix, game-ready optimisation and bug fix shipped since - including the Assassin's Creed Shadows and Judgement launch fixes. Treat it as temporary, and move to 617.14 or later as soon as you can.

First:

  • Download the 610.88 installer before uninstalling the current driver
  • Know which GPU you have, so you fetch the right package
  1. Only do this if you cannot move to 617.14 or later and neither workaround above suits you. Updating forward is the supported fix.
  2. Download 610.88 from NVIDIA's driver archive before you uninstall anything, so you are not left without a driver.
  3. Uninstall the current driver through Settings > Apps > Installed apps, or use Display Driver Uninstaller if the installer leaves anything behind.
  4. Install 610.88 and restart. The reporter found this restored the 240 Hz HDMI mode immediately, every time they tried it.
  5. Turn off automatic driver updates in the NVIDIA app afterwards, or Windows will offer you an affected version again.

Reported to work by one user; not confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA Developer Forums

Known issues

  • No picture on Samsung Odyssey G95NC monitor when connected via HDMI after updating to R615 drivers (NVIDIA bug 6771206). Listed under fixed issues in Game Ready 617.14 of 22 September 2026, and not re-listed as open in 617.42 of 6 October 2026. One owner of the same monitor on an RTX 5070 Ti reported the 240 Hz HDMI black screen persisting on 4 October 2026 without stating their driver version, so the fix may not cover every configuration.

    Affects NVIDIA Release 615 drivers before 617.14, Confirmed failing: 616.56, 616.64, 616.86, 616.92 · Status: fixed

If none of this worked

This page is about one specific failure: a G95NC that is black only at 7680x2160 and 240 Hz over HDMI, on a 615- or 616-series driver. If your monitor goes black when the PC wakes from sleep and it is connected over DisplayPort, that is a different NVIDIA bug (6757568) with its own fix - see the DisplayPort wake article linked below. If the screen flickers or flashes dark rather than staying black, or the picture drops out during gameplay and comes back, neither bug fits and you should look at the cable and the monitor's firmware first. If you are on 617.14 or later with a clean driver install and 240 Hz over HDMI is still black, you are in the same position as the second reporter above: use DisplayPort or 120 Hz, and add your configuration to NVIDIA's forum thread, because the fix may not cover every GPU with this monitor.

Common questions

Is my monitor broken?
Almost certainly not. A failed panel or backlight does not care which refresh rate you select, and it does not come back the moment you switch to DisplayPort. If 120 Hz over the same HDMI cable gives you a picture, the hardware is fine and you are looking at the driver bug.
Will a different HDMI cable fix it?
No. The reporter who raised this with NVIDIA was using a certified HDMI 2.1b cable on the monitor's 48 Gbit/s port, and the same cable carried 120 Hz without trouble. Replacing the cable is a reasonable thing to rule out in general, but it does not address this bug.
Which driver versions are safe?
617.14 of 22 September 2026 and anything newer, including 617.42 of 6 October 2026. Going backwards, 610.88 also works. The versions to avoid on this monitor are the Release 615 drivers between them - 616.56, 616.64, 616.86 and 616.92 are all confirmed to fail.
Did NVIDIA actually admit to this?
Yes, by model name. The 617.14 release notes list "No picture on Samsung Odyssey G95NC monitor when connected via HDMI after updating to R615 drivers" as a fixed general bug, with NVIDIA's internal reference 6771206. That is unusually specific for a release note and is the strongest evidence here.

Did this fix work?

If a step is wrong, outdated, or did not help, telling us is the fastest way to get it corrected. Reports are reviewed before new articles.

Report a problem with this page

Related problems

Sources

  • Release 615 Driver for Windows, Version 617.14 - Release Notes (RN-08399-617.14_v01)Official

    NVIDIA · Release notes · checked Oct 13, 2026

    • NVIDIA lists "No picture on Samsung Odyssey G95NC monitor when connected via HDMI after updating to R615 drivers [6771206]" under Fixed General Bugs in version 617.14 WHQL
    • Version 617.14 WHQL is dated 22 September 2026 and belongs to the Release 615 driver branch
    • The only issue left open in 617.14 was the Assassin's Creed Shadows crash, so the G95NC HDMI bug was closed in this release
  • Release 615 Driver for Windows, Version 617.42 - Release Notes (RN-08399-617.42_v01)Official

    NVIDIA · Release notes · checked Oct 13, 2026

    • Version 617.42 WHQL is dated 6 October 2026 and is the current Release 615 driver
    • The 617.42 open-issues list contains only bug 6007998 ("Prefer Maximum Performance" power management mode) and does not re-list the G95NC HDMI bug, so the fix carried forward into 617.42
  • RTX5090 [REGRESSION 610.88 -> 616.x] HDMI: permanent black screen at 7680x2160 @ 240Hz (high-ratio DSC), Samsung Odyssey G95NC. Same mode works over DPCommunity report

    NVIDIA Developer Forums · Forum · checked Oct 13, 2026

    • An RTX 5090 owner reports that 7680x2160 at 240 Hz over HDMI gives a permanent black screen on 616.56, 616.64, 616.86 and 616.92, while 610.88 restores the mode every time
    • The same 7680x2160 at 240 Hz mode works over DisplayPort 2.1 on the same affected driver
    • 7680x2160 at 120 Hz and 60 Hz over the same HDMI cable and port are unaffected
    • The black screen survives a reboot, a monitor power cycle and re-plugging the cable, and output colour depth and dynamic range make no difference
    • A clean DDU reinstall of 616.92 did not help
    • The reporter confirmed on 27 September 2026 that 617.14 restored 7680x2160 at 240 Hz over HDMI
    • A second owner of the same monitor, on an RTX 5070 Ti, reported on 4 October 2026 that HDMI2 and HDMI3 still showed a black screen with 240 Hz enabled and that resetting the monitor was needed to get a picture back