Q: MacBook Pro screen blinks

LOL nevermind. The Apple Care person I spoke to over the phone got the wrong graphics card. The geniuses said that it'd be $310 and I was like "woah, he told me it'd be free!"

I'm very close to never buying another Apple product again. And not recommending them to anyone like I have been doing for the past three years. GG Apple.

Hasseo, according to Apple this problem will be solved with a firmware update.  They said to switch to "Better Performance" mode to temporarily solve the issue and just hold tight for the update.

Where did you hear this?

But, I cannot switch to the 9600 because my computer is loud enough/overheats enough with just the 9400... it's worse with the 9600 =/

Hasseo,

The Genius at the Apple store just told this to me a couple days ago when I brought my computer in for the same reason.  Your loudness problem when switching to 9600 sounds like a completely unrelated issue.  Do your fans need to be cleaned?  I have no problem at 9600 except for the increased battery drain.

That's funny... I was told by an upper-level support rep that they had a hardware fix that was only doable by sending it into the Apple Repair Depot (not fixable in store he said, as it is a much more advanced repair than simply swapping out a logic board or screen).  This was less than a week ago.  I'm about to send my MacBook in to have this repair done.

Don't know where you heard your information, but I would assume a senior support rep would know the most.  Sounds to me like someone was feeding you a canned answer.

No, it's not an issue at all actually. It's just the fans overheating to try to cool my computer down since these Macbook Pros have overheating issues as well that no one seems to be able to address.

But, also, my battery life has decreased so much anyway so I can't really switch to the 9600. I'm taking it back in to Geek Squad today to hopefully get it escalated to the point where I get an exception lemon.

In reply to you MonoMatt, no one at Apple has any idea. Everyone that was affiliated with Apple that I talked to has totally different views and opinions on this whole issue.

I finally got rid of mine because of this issue. I was told at the time (2009) that there would be a firmware update.....sad to see nothing has changed in nearly two years.

I still have a vid of the flickering that I sent to Apple here.

The last thing I was told when this happened was to use the 9600GT card instead, that it was "normal...for that vintage."

Having the same problem. Logic board has been replaced 2 times now and it is happening again.

I know they are actively trying to create a solution. If you've had the logic board replaced multiple times, ask to speak to a store manager.

I just had my 2nd logic board replaced on my MBP 5.1.  I don't really expect this to resolve the issue.  I don't believe Apple has a solution, or is even close to one.  I'd be surprised if they're even looking at this issue anymore considering how old the systems are now.

I fully expect the screen flashing to come back in the next few days or so.  This is what happened after the first time I had the logic board replaced.

I coped with the blinking problem for a couple of years, simply by using the discrete GPU (i.e., selecting Higher Performance in the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences). The main annoyance was the resulting fast battery discharge.

A couple of weeks ago my MBP started occasionally freezing completely. I scheduled a Genius Bar appointment, and had the good fortune to have the freeze happen just before the appointment, so I was able to show it to the genii in its completely frozen state. I also mentioned the blinking problem, which was also listed on the repair order. The machine was shipped off for repair, and returned a week later with a new logic board. Since then the integrated GPU has been performing without any blinking.

So, I just got my MBP back from the mail-in repair center.  The turn-around time was about 36 hours from the time I dropped the box off at FedEx until FedEx had it out for delivery back here.  Pretty impressive!  Faster than going to the Apple Store, funnily enough.

Anyways, here are the repairs they did on mine:

"We replaced these parts:

Main Logic Board 2.4 Ghz - Symptom: Video Flickering

Left Fan - Resolved issue identified in the test/repair process

Thermal Assy - Resolved issue identified in the test/repair process"

So if the specialist on the phone is to be believed and they do now know about this problem, based on the repairs done to my MBP, it looks like it is some sort of cooling issue.  Or something.

I dunno, but everything is working perfectly right now.  Hopefully it holds up.

You have to be kidding me... it just did the flicker.  On the 9400M.

This is absurd.  Utterly ridiculous.

I feel for ya man. You should call Customer Relations and see what they can do for you.

Good luck.

Well, after 1 year of screen blinks (3 months from when it started blinking almost nonstop), 2 months of repairs (1 logic board and display assembly replacement, and another logic board and thermal assembly replacement) I now have a brand new 2011 i7 MBP.

After I called Applecare back and told them that the problem was persisting even after sending it into the repair depot, they offered a replacement, no questions asked.  I didn't even have to suggest it.  For whatever reason, I couldn't just swap the computers out at one of my two local Apple stores, so they sent it all the way from Shanghai (via 2nd day air, no less... must have cost them a fortune!).

Overall, I'm very pleased that we were able to come to a solution that solves the problem for me.  My advice to anyone else who is experiencing this problem and who still has Applecare:  keep sending it in for repairs.  We all know the repairs won't fix it, but keep sending it in until they agree to replace the MacBook for you.  It's a hassle, takes a lot of time on the phone, a fair amount of time without your computer, and you may have to prod them in the right direction, but be persistent.  And most importantly, do it all well before your Applecare is up so you're not stuck with a defective computer.

I'm still rather perplexed as to -why- the problem keeps happening, though.  The repairs made it better for me (it was only blinking a few times every day, versus almost nonstop before the repair), but it clearly wasn't a complete fix and it seems to get much worse over time.  I really wish we could know for sure what's causing it... but I'm guessing it's NVIDIA's fault, given their track record.

Best of luck to everyone else out there...