Q: display anomalies

Have to be systematic to separate hardware from software. Your problem sounds worse than mine and could be GPU.
Step 1 is to run Apple Hardware Test from original disks - a passed test suggests hardware is fine; also can run it in loop mode for an extended time
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509

Step 2 is to safeboot and see how it behaves

If it looks like software, suggest following directions in this post:
http://discussions.apple.com/post!reply.jspa?messageID=12702258

Just did a painful rollback to Tiger from Snow Leopard and the problem still persists.

Still getting the freezes and horizontal line glitches.

Passed apple diagnostic test at genius bar. This really seems like a problem with the ATI 1600 card. This needs to be addressed by apple.

What did the Genius say?

Others have had motherboard replacements which appear to have fixed the problem, though not sure if those machines failed Apple Hardware Test.

I logged a bug report with Apple, who have then closed my bug because it is an old bug, apparently still open or at least reopened. Have got no more news from Apple on the bug. My bug has a number in the 8 millions, the linked bug has a number in the 5 millions. Proprietary bug reporting is a pain.

Does anyone know a way to make a 1,1 mbp not use vram and use ram instead?

Thanks for the info and idea virgilaug

Sent an official report to Apple and requested the same consideration as
owners of the 1900XT, citing the suspect R520.
While similar display issues are attributed to software by knowledgeable people
perhaps everything on a computer is a combination of HW and SW.

My 2,2 started substituting red vertical lines alternating within all (desirable) black fields
on the built in screen. This happens under 10.4.8 and 10.6.5. External monitoring is perfect.
The anomaly had become increasingly frequent and severe since about September.
The November 20th Safari update had no apparent effect or improvement at all.

Oddly, after the iTunes 10.1.1 and Airport 5.5.2 update on 12/20/2010 there have
only been one or two instances of the anomaly, and it's snapped back to normal
all on it's own fairly quickly. Strange.
Not sure how or why, but's it's certainly an improvement.
Maybe someone can suggest if or why updates of these two programs might affect display behavior.
Perhaps it's coincidental but hopefully not.
tnx

Exactly the same here, ATI X1600...

Wow this just blows my mind how popular this issue is. I've been having this exact same trouble for the past couple of month with the exact same ATI Radeon Graphics chip as everyone here. (I have a 2.16Ghz intel core 2 duo that I bought in late 2006) The symptoms that everyone have been describing are described to a 'T'. The strange lines across applications or the screen itself and the complete freezing of the entire computer. I knew it was a graphics issue after noticing that the freezing only occurred during intensive processes that directly taxed the graphics chip but because the audio of the video i was watching kept playing while the screen was completely frozen. The only way to remedy the situation was to do a force reboot by holding down the power button.

Initially with a laptop being so old, taking it to Apple themselves was out of the question. I am now in limbo and debating about buying a used logic board and installing the sucker myself as that I'm quite comfortable with working with computer hardware and have installed a new Hard Drive in this exact Macbook early 2010. But even that route is quite expensive. A used Logic Board can cost anywhere between $300 - $600. For a $2k+ machine I bought 4 years ago this laptop should last me at least another 2 - 3 years. So now I'm looking into the heating issue.

I think the only reason I hadn't noticed this issue earlier like a lot of people here is because I've always used a cooling pad for my laptop as that it's always been a tradition of mine to do so with any laptop I've bought. It seems like now it's gotten to a point where unconventional cooling is now out of the question and I will have to pry open my laptop once again to clean the GPU and apply new thermal paste and clean out whatever other dust and junk that has kept my computer from operating at optimal temperatures.

I just wanted to add my story to this disturbingly sickening thread so that it can't be ignored.

I'm having the same problem here with a Macbook Pro2,2 with this same X1600 card. Running SL all updated.

For whatever reason I thought it might be the hard disk, so I've just replaced that with a Seagate Momentus XT. At the same time I reapplied the thermal paste ( second time I've done this ) and cleaned fans/exhaust. This hasn't made any difference. Still experiencing graphics lockups and horizontal line glitches, I'm reasonably sure when this happens, the machine itself hasn't locked up, just the graphics, as music will continue to play if I've got itunes on.

Very disappointing for this to happen as this laptop should have alot of life left it in.

I beleive it is a known bug in the ATIRadeonX1000.kext driver.

My MacbookPro is up about 2 months now with no problems excepting some software which misbehaves without it.

Follow directions here:

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=12538979#12538979
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=12584182#12584182

I've a Macbook Pro 2.2 (2.16Ghz 3Gb Ram ATI X1600) with SL-10.6.6 and some days ago the display problem started also to me.
I was playing with Ableton live an intensive set, cpu was about 80° for a long time.
At some point the audio continued to go but the monitor started to display an oblique pattern of pixels and the system freezed.
So i've restarted my laptop and the oblique pixel patterns appeared immediately on the boot, and after the apple logo, with the loading circle finished his cycle, an empty gray screen, without pixels, freezed on my laptop, snow leopard wasn't loaded.
Then i've tried to reset PRAM and SMC, then i've started the laptop in safe mode with shift button pressed.
Snow leopard loaded correctly but always with these oblique pixel patterns.
In the meantime i've checked the temperatures that were around 48-50° for cpu and gpu.
I've restarted in normal mode and the oblique pixel patterns disappeared.
So i've downloaded the Maxon Cinebench to strees the cpu to see if it is an overheating related problem.
I've started the cinebench test and in around 3-4 minutes the oblique pixel patterns reappeared.
I've re-did the first procedure, PRAMSMCSAFE BOOT, but this time without success.
I thought then to replace the termal compund, i've disassembled the laptop, cleaned the logic board cpus, applied the new silver thermal compound and restarted.
Same temperature and same behaviour, the oblique pixel pattern still remained.
The only working boot was the safe one, that of course included also the oblique pixel pattern.
So i've booted in safe mode and reverted back to 10.6.0.
The system now boot also in normal mode, but the oblique pixel pattern still remain.
I've deleted the X1000-X2000-X3000 extensions into the system library and i've done a permissions repair but all without having success.
To be clear, i've done also the Apple Hardware Test with the OS dvd, and also with the deep test mode the result was that no problems were found on the machine.
At this point i don't know more what i can do and i suspect that the only thing can be a fried X1600 Gpu.
This will need a logic board replace that @ifixit will costs 599$, around 460€.

Someone experienced my same problem or have to give me some advices?
Thank you all!

PS
I'm thinking also to buy a new imac 27, but as it have also an ATI video card i'm a bit afraid to spend around 2000€ for a machine that if stressed with high intensive tasks could go in hardware breakings.

Message was edited by: RiccardoRics

My display appears like the display pictures posted in this thread:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=690920

You can add me to this long list of people who now have a macbook pro (2.2Ghz 2008 era) that's got these graphic card problems. Wierd flashing screen, random blocks of pixels appearing all over the screen.

Of course it's out of warranty... 3 years old.. no apple care.

But look at how common this problem is... it's enough to put anyone off buying a macbook ever again. Where are Apple helping their customers here?

They're not. It's out of warranty. Bad luck!

You'd think with the amount of customers who have the same issue with the same defective graphics card that Apple would either step up and take responsibility or alternately pressure the card's manufacturer to initiate a recall replacement for their product.

When visiting the Genius Bar with my laptop, the Genius stated that he'd never heard of this issue before. I pointed him toward this thread.

I'm super disappointed with Apple regarding this matter, and definitely hesitant to purchase a laptop from them ever again.

Here's my post on the issue (in another thread):

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2570597&tstart=0&messageID=129 32980#12932980

If the well know hardware issue is true it's a shame.
I hope, without too much trust, on an apple official reply on this.