My new MacBook Pro display screen is blinking or flickering every few minutes now. I've only noticed it when I've switched to the integrated 9400M graphics processor. I don't recall seeing any blinks when using the discrete 9600M GPU. Usually it is only the top half or so of the display that blinks or flickers for a split second. Anyone else having the same problem?
MacBook Pro (Late 2008),
Mac OS X (10.5.5),
tv, iPhone, iPod Touch, et al
Its about backlight.flickering. i recognize it, when having my macbook in battery.mode and scrolling through my tabs or having a flash.animation on the screen. even when i have the browser with the flash.animation in the background the screen is flickering.
It's about the screen turning black for a split second (but sometimes only the top part of the screen goes black), or at least that's how I interpreted the original post, and is the problem which my MBP has.
I have same problem, which is the blinking (or flickering) macbook pro screen, every now and then, when using the integrated graphics card.
I took it to genius bar. I was told that the issue has been recognized by apple now, and basically they are collecting data about laptops with the issue, in order to try and come up with a fix.
So basically just hold tight :P hopefully will be resolved soon!
Until then, keep using the dedicated graphics card if the flickering gets annoying.
Hi,
I get the same problems with the screen from time to time, usually after starting the computer from being asleep or turned of. Anyway, what seems to help almost all the time is to shut down the screen, and open it again, and usually the quick lines or black screen flashing thing would have dissappeared. Haven't tried changing the graphics card.
I'm having the same problem with my late 2008 MPB when using the 9400 chip. I'm going to switch over to the 9600 and see if it occurs there, and if not, switch back to see if that fixes it, as some users have found.
What ever happened to Apple being the quality manufacturer they claim to be? My late 2008 MPB has already been repaired once due to a hardware problem that kept it from booting properly. I don't mean to be irrational about this, but there isn't a peep from Apple with any acknowledgment that there even is a problem, although there are pages and pages of posts from users who have this problem. Users might feel better about the end experience with Apple if Apple acknowledged the issue and communicated that they were working on a fix to resolve it.
Mine is blinking even in XP/Vista, which runs under full 9600m gt mode, and is intermittently blinking in Mac OS even when I use 9600m GT. Surely it does flicker full-time when I use 9400m under brightness level 2~5.
I have formally raised this issue to Apple, but they are reluctant to offer any immidiate reaction.
Thus, I'm still anything. I just want to know what's going on with other folks and other countries.
I have this flickering issue at low brightnesslevel...its stronger if a flash.animation is at the website.
but i can´t tell with what this issue have to do. i recognized it when open my book up from sleep, but also if the book runs 3 hours.
apple couldn´t help me with my problem. now i have the 5th book.
3 of them had the flickering issue
2 of them had horrible backgroundlightcones at the bottom of the display
i have to send my macbook now to apple to geht my money back, because they would send me a 6th mbp, but if there is anything wrong with it i could not change it anymore.
look at the following links....there you can see a bend batterycover and the problems with the display i had so far.
if the background is dark or nearly dark you can see the cones which come from every single led at the bottom, which is really disturbing if i work on a dark photograph in photoshop:
Well, let's see. Mine is now in repair. I hope for the best. By the way I waited for three months to send it in, but finally when I noticed that the black antenna suddenly cracked at the rear of the laptop I sent it in.
Just my two cents on this issue. I have a Gateway FPD2485W 24" display at home and a similar 24" Samsung display at work. Both are 1920X1200 native resolution. I also have an HP 21" LCD.
When I first got my 15" MacBookPro, I was excited to plug it into my existing setup at home with the FPD2485W display via a DVI adapter. The Mac and the Gateway really complement each other well, being about the same brightness. (The FPD2485W is quite a bit brighter than my old MacBook Pro.)
I noticed right away that there were some artifacts on the screen, and that the amount of dark or black content really increased the effect. I also had the flickering issue. I rebooted into my boot camp Windows 7 and had the same effect. (That rules out drivers.) I also switched between the 9400 and the 9600 - no effect.
I was immediately alarmed and scheduled an appointment with the Genius at our local Apple store. While I was sitting around waiting to go to the Apple store, I plugged in the HP LCD via DVI adapter. The display was perfect. I couldn't get any artifacts or flickering. I tried various things like rebooting, but it was perfect. That display has a gold plated DVI and it got me thinking. My main setup goes through an IO Gear DVI KVM switch. I plugged the display directly into the DVI adapter. It was perfect. I cancelled my Genius appointment.
I have since spent a lot of time on my Samsung at work, and it's perfect.
For my experience, I can easily create all the issues being talked about online with my KVM, bad DVI cables, or with a Display port adapter not fully plugged in. I am glad this worked out, because I love my Mac. I am just trying to figure out how to use the KVM now.
Bottom Line: I don't think most people need to get their MacBooks fixed unless they have tried it on more than one display. And dark content will make it happen pretty fast. If it happens on the displays at the Apple store, then by all means get a new motherboard. Otherwise, you may wait only to find it was your cabling.
I recently removed a 4 port Belkin USB hub that had an extenal power source from my MBP. I have not run into the flickering that I had in the past. I am still in wait and see mode, but so far so good. I am using a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display running on a Late 2008 MBP with 10.5.6 with all latest software updates.
So I've had the screen replaced (again) and a new logic board. I've been using my MBP for 24 hours now and haven't noticed any blinking yet. Fingers crossed that this is now fixed!
This 3rd screen has an odd tinge to it though, which I can't quite get rid of, despite calibrating it. Oh well.
Took it to the apple store genius in Omaha. Polite as always, but a 'new issue' to them. They sent in a report and got back to me saying that they are going to replace my screen. I'm skeptical it will fix the issue but what else can I do? Going go drop it off next weekend and will let everyone know if it works. If it doesn't work, I'm going to ask for a new machine, but the genius said because mine was a refurb (bought from apple's website) they couldn't give me a 'new' replacement. Has anyone heard of this? If this is the case, I'm definately going to whine since Apple says refurbs have the same one year warranty! Other than this screen flicker (which I think is getting slightly worse and more frequent over time) it is a great machine. I'm loving the touchpad!
