Q: New iMac 27inch screen flickering/tearing/shutoff

Sonic99, do you rule out a software problem?

Contrary to the (recently changed to) 2 weeks before shipping, my order placed on december 8th is now shipping. Which means 6 days, and not 2 weeks. Hope this translates to 'problem solved'.

That's funny, because my shipping date (ordered via a German vendor) was just moved from 17th of December to January 7th.

@Sonics Thanks for keeping us up-to-date!

Cheers,
Rudy

I doubt that you can ever completely rule out a software problem.

Sonic99 has gone to extremes trying to track down this problem, and put far more effort into finding a solution than most of us are either willing, or able to do, but, if I understand his last post, he hasn't been able to rule out anything.

Despite all of the components he has replaced, he has no way of knowing if the replacement parts had the same flaws as the original, that is, assuming that the problem is hardware related in the first place.

If it is software related, then it is probably limited to Apple software, and not third party software since the problem is widespread, being reported by many different users, and even after clean installs, the problem recurs.

These forums have established some things that seem to be consistent.

The problem is not temperature related, since many users experience the problem with a cold machine, and shortly after startup.

The problem does not affect data, and no one has reported any data corruption that corresponds to the flicker. I have personally rendered over sixty hours of video/audio, and even though the flickering occurs during the rendering, it does not appear in the finished product.

Doing a clean install, only temporarily fixes the problem.

Resetting the PRAM only temporarily fixes the problem.

Putting the display to sleep briefly seems to clear the problem much quicker, and just as effectively as doing either of the above.

Apple is aware of the problem, and since they are replacing the machines that show the defect, I think that would indicate that the problem is severe enough that repairing the unit in not a practical solution, or that they are still not sure of the exact cause of the problem.

Users with external monitors attached have reported that while the built in monitor shows the flickering, the external does not. That would seem to limit the problem to the output from the graphics card, to the internal monitor, or the monitor itself, at least, in most cases.

But you still cannot rule out a software problem.

The bottom line is, that the flickering is an annoying problem that has no real affect on most operations, other than gaming, and in fact, I have found that the intermittent blackouts can add a level of excitement (rage) to even the simplest games.

Keep your data backed up, report the problems to Apple, and be patient waiting for a replacement. The longer you wait, the more likely that the problem will be resolved by the time you get your new machine, or repairs made to your existing one.

Yup, I just checked my e-mail. I also got confirmation mine has been shipped. I ordered on the 3rd.

Hi All,

Well my 27" i5 was doing great until last Friday (I bought her on Wednesday) she started flickering.
At first I figured my eyes were playing tricks on me because it was 2am but no .. got the weird bar in the middle of the screen and my menu bar that is usually in the bottom was in the middle of the screen as well. To add to the the flickering would get worse if I was using iphoto and had safari on at the same time. Called Apple care and they suggested I reset the PRAM which I did .. no change. Then they suggested I do a straight exchange with the Apple store since it is not even 7 days old. Called the Apple store and they confirmed I can bring her in so will be lugging this very heavy 27" that I had just finished loading up with all my software and data (which I now have to remove) back to the store. Am I MAD no... AM I DISAPPOINTED yes! BUT Apple had never let me down and they have always replaced or repaired my mac's in the past (my G5 was replaced once and repaired 3 times before that). I went all out and got myself the i5 thinking she would have no issues but I guess it is luck of the draw. Looking forward to testing my new one this evening.

Thanks Pazuita

Your respons is very clear.

We just have to wait it out...no matter what we do..we'll never find the sollution before apple does. We're no experts (exept Sonic99, but he fails too).

Look at this article: http://news.techworld.com/sme/3208609/apple-imac-graphics-problems-delay-release /?cmpid=TD1N6

Look at this article: http://news.techworld.com/sme/3208609/apple-imac-graphics-problems-delay-release /?cmpid=TD1N6

just received the new iMac today and guess what... the box had quite a big hole in it. The delivery driver was very confused when i discovered it. Anyway after some examination the computer seems to be OK. It's just seems less perfect for some reason than the first one... that hole in the box worries me and makes me think about the way they are being handled by the UPS.

I am using for a few hours now. I have run the screen tests and did not notice any dead pixels or flickering. It seems to work fine and the hard drive looks to be more silent than on the first one. I cannot see any clear indication of it being yellow. It does seem to be a bit warmer at the bottom of the screen, but it may be just my imagination.
hope it will stay fine
I'll let you know guys

Add me to the list of this very same issue since day 1. Received the computer Dec 4th, serial is week 48. After an hour on the phone already and now running some kind of 2 hour "advanced diagnostic test", I feel this is a waste of time, considering this appears to be a KNOWN issue (to some Apple techs anyways) and that the only current solution is replacement. I sure hope I am not sent all over the place getting parts and such when eventually they will just need to replace. Can anyone offer me any tips that will allow me to get to the end process quicker? Like, should I mention that I have heard many others with the same issue, or is that futile?
~N

Same problems - flicking, screen tears, goes black or shuts down... Frustrating!

Unfortunately I think you'll find at the end of the diagnostic it'll tell you everything is OK - it did for me when I was asked to do this. I've already taken my Build to Order to an Apple service centre to have the DisplayPort cable reseated as that is what Apple suggested after getting me to do a 'capture' of my system with software they provided. They've now authorised me to get the screen and LCD cable replaced which I was optimistic about until Sonics99 on this forum just reported back that this fix hadn't worked for him, after initially being optimistic that it had. I'm currently waiting for the service centre to let me know when they've got the bits.
It now seems that this problem is at last being very widely reported so hopefully Apple will come up with a definitive answer soon. I'm just hoping that it ends up being a software or firmware issue that will be addressed soon as I'm getting a bit fed up with all this.

Same problems here, at least the flickering, menu bar suddenly in the middle of the screen, short blackenings.

Seems that putting the iMac to sleep and awakening it shortly afterwards makes it better - for a while. I tried testing with TechTool Pro but that found no faults in the video sector - but found one in the "SMART" testing section: It says the test failed in respect to "temperature change". No idea what this means but could that have anything to do with it?

I hesitate to let the machine be replaced since there is no guarantee that this makes any sense - they still ship the same models, don't they? But if I wait until there is a known cause for these problems, I might have no right to get a replacement, true?

I really don't know what to do. Seems like I'm in good company, though...

Thanks pazuita for your summary.
I'd add what has been said by betronic:
replacement W8950:
OS X -> no problems in 12 hours of use
XP -> no problems in 6 hours of game and os testing
Windows 7 -> no problems in 12 hours of internet, programming and gameplay

I'd ask to betronic to keep us updated on his tests and results: a replacement with multi OS tests.
Interesting