Q: MacBook Pro screen blinks

Finally got a video of it, albeit with my crappy phone camera. I've sat in front of my computer for about an hour, doing random things. Took one last take and caught it about 5 seconds in! I hope this is good enough for my service center.

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=10cp89f&s=5

I, too, have found that the flicker/blink is completely eliminated by using SMCFanControl to run the fans at full speed. Of course, it's noisy, and drains the battery, so it's not really a solution, but shows that heat is a factor in the cause of the problem.

I am helping a colleague with a brand new intel i5 MacBookPro with NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M video, running 10.6.3 and all Apple updates.
His Mac screen flashes every 10s or so when using MS Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition, 13.0.4, with 12.2.4 update installed for Office 2008. Email works fine - its just very annoying screen flashes, and so far, no other app is affected. ???? Very odd indeed. After re-installing, deleting plist files, with no change, in desperation I connected an external LCD monitor via the new Minidisplay connector - and lo - screen flicker disappears! Perhaps it is a bug in the built-in video - perhaps it needs a small current drain as in an external monitor?
Simple observation shows absolutely stable video when using an external monitor with the MacBookPro

DEtails:Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro6,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Processor Interconnect Speed: 4.8 GT/s
Boot ROM Version: MBP61.0057.B05
SMC Version (system): 1.58f15

System Software Overview:

System Version: Mac OS X 10.6.3 (10D2094)
Kernel Version: Darwin 10.3.1
Graphics/Displays:

NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0a29
Revision ID: 0x00a2
ROM Revision: 3532
gMux Version: 1.9.21

Dropped my computer off at the service center today. Tech said it would need a logic board replacement. Has anyone's problem been fixed after a single logic board replacement?

I have had a logic board replacement a month ago and so far I have not had flickering issues. It was the first and only fix on the machine. So far so good!

ign11 wrote:
I have had a logic board replacement a month ago and so far I have not had flickering issues. It was the first and only fix on the machine. So far so good!

Sounds good then. I'm hoping its also the end of my issues as I'm just tired of dealing with service centers here. I've been to a service center every month since November with numerous issues.

For those with recurring problems, how long did it take for the flickers to pop up post-repair?

After my first logic board replacement I restored from a Time Machine backup (took about two hours); after restarting the screen blinking re-appeared after half an hour of use. It got quite hot during the restore, which might have helped make the problem appear...

The second logic board replacement worked for three days, so it may well have not had the blink issue, but I sent it back to be changed again because the headphone socket was broken (so make sure you check that first when you get yours back!)

With the third replacement logic board, I used it for a whole working day with no problems, but after putting it to sleep overnight the blinking returned 10 minutes after waking it up the next day. This fits my old observation that it only happened after putting the machine to sleep, a shutdown & restart would fix it temporarily, until the next sleep/wake. Also - the blinking got really bad with this logic board, but using a hot corner to manually put the display to sleep for a few seconds fixed it for at least a few hours (it did return).

So I'd say if you don't see any blinking during the first week of use it's almost certainly fixed... Good luck!

Update: Blinking is about the same as before 10.6.3. Oh well.

charlie

any news?

Update. I reported the bug with description to Apple. Apparently someone else did as well. Here is the status:

Hello William,

This is a follow up to Bug ID# 7817312.  After further investigation it has been determined that this is a known issue, which is currently being investigated by engineering.  This issue has been filed in our bug database under the original Bug ID# 6617498. The original bug number being used to track this duplicate issue can be found in the State column, in this format:  Duplicate/OrigBug#.

To request the status of the original bug, please update your report directly via the Apple Bug Reporter <http://bugreporter.apple.com>. Thank you for submitting this bug report. We truly appreciate your assistance in helping us discover and isolate bugs.

Best Regards,

Apple Developer Support
Worldwide Developer Relations

I've been having screen issues for the past 6 months. First, my screen would become very choppy and now my screen is blinking. After some intensive research, I came across this on apple's support page and feel that it would serve as a great starting point to those with these issues.

I stumbled on this by accident and am very happy i did because god knows Apple could care less.

Feedback for Apple : with billions in the bank, it would be nice for your company to start offering free unlimited phone support or maybe invest some of that money on educating your support staff. Being opportunistic during times of crisis is no excuse to devalue your own customers for an extra 30 bucks. It's very cheap and distasteful, especially when it's me having to educate your own staff on trouble shooting procedures and protocols.

On better thought, just pay me... for 30 bucks... I have no problem telling customers that a.) I'm a moron 2.) The Genius Bar is free, and 3.) "would you like me to book a time for you"!

MacBook Pro: Distorted video or no video issues
Last Modified: March 29, 2010
Article: TS2377

Symptoms
In July 2008, NVIDIA publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect. At that same time, NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics processors were not affected. However, after an Apple-led investigation, Apple has determined that some MacBook Pro computers with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor may be affected. If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within three years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.

What to look for:

Distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen
No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on
Specific products affected:

MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz)
MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008
Products Affected
MacBook Pro, models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
Resolution
If your MacBook Pro is exhibiting any of the symptoms listed above, please take it to an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) for evaluation, or call your nearest Apple Contact Center. Before visiting the Genius Bar at the Apple Retail Store, please make a reservation (available in some countries only).

Apple is issuing refunds to customers who may have paid for repairs related to this issue. Please contact Apple for details on the refund process.

Note: If your MacBook Pro is not experiencing any of these symptoms, you do not need to contact Apple.

Apple will continue to evaluate the repair data and will provide further repair extensions as needed.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple’s recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.

Message was edited by: Chit Chat

Has this worked for you? Because the symptoms on this letter is not what we are experiencing. Screen is not distorted or scrambled. It just freaking blinks randomly when we change better battery settings.

"Distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen
No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on
Specific products affected:"

i've try to submit the bug, but i can't log in with my user...

The problem continues? This is really affecting my work.. Apple Care or Apple Doesn't Care?.. I read all pages till I started to write my own reply.

I have the same problem with a MacBook Pro Late 2008.. But I think it started only 1 month ago. It's very annoying as someone said before.

I already tried to contact Apple but they just ignore this issue, saying that they doens't know what it is and they say that they reported it and will search for it, is it possible that so many Mac employees use the same models has we do and they simple don't care about our problem? I bought this computer for 2.580€ with all extras, he is on perfect condition outside and inside, and this is getting me all stupid..

I read out there that with the logic board the problem seems to be solved, is that right? If so, please tell me, cuz I really can't continue with this blinking problem.. It blinks every 4min.. I can use the 9600 graphic, but my battery will problably end faster..

Cheers to all people here..

And I really don't know how is it possible that this thread is already solved if no one from Apple came to give us an proper anwser to the problem..