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

hey guys,

if i go on apple order status, i can already see an invoice:

IMAC 27"/4850-512MB
Serial Number:
W8002****

Is that week 02 of 2010? .-.

Message was edited by: theMcFly

Crowis,

That apple rep doesn't have any idea hes blowing smoke without a public announcement we cannot buy any Imacs. My company refuses to buy them again unless they announce something about it.

Crowis wrote:
I heard from an Apple representative here that the screens have been updated on the Imacs produced after the 2 week delay. He didn't give me any specifics, but mentioned something about a display chip.

Now that would be interesting. Not the graphics card, or the internal connectors, but an "LCD Display Chip" problem?

Alas, neither Google nor Bing could help me with that term. If it's not a mangled description of a graphics card then it's presumably a secondary controller of some sort.

Another poster claimed a 2nd firmware update was coming. I doubt one could upgrade the firmware for such a secondary chip, so perhaps there's a way to reprogram the graphics card to compensate for a display chip problem.

I've not had any flickering for weeks now, but I live in Minnesota and I'm keeping my computer room very cool (window open a wee bit). Heat makes most computer problems worse, cold makes most problems better.

I suspect there's more than one cause of these diverse range of problems. It does appear there's a reason 30" computer displays cost a fortune.

Looks like you got one from the second week of this New Year. That's a good Sign. Better than anything from last year. Let us know. Hopefully since yours is new & just made, they fixed the issues.

Would a Display Chip be in the actual Graphics Card ? Because what most people on here are forgetting, is the iMac with the NVidia Card is having the same symptoms as the iMac with the ATI Card. 21.5 Screen Included. I know because I have a 21.5 NVidia model & it has Yellow Tinge & Screen Flicker.Everyone talks about the 27" w/ the ATI but these issues effect ALL versions of the new iMac. That's probably why Apple came up with the update for the 27" ATI version. They too forgot completely about all the 21.5 NVidia iMacs. Not that the firmware fix helped anyone, but why was no effort made to help people with 21.5 NVidia iMac?

But did you receive an Imac that was produced before or after the delay?

Otherwise Mac mini with an 26-27" inch display is starting to look more and more like an option...

Got my 27inch iMac i7 on december 2. After som screen-flickering and vertical shifting I contacted Apple Support in Denmark a couple of days before Christmas. Apparently they did not know anything about the problem - and I was guided through a standard procedure including PRAM-resetting etc. But of course this did not fix the problems.
Today I called Apple support again. After I had described the problems I was immediately told that this was a hardware issue and that I should return the machine and get a new one. TNT will pick up the defect iMac and in about two weeks I will get a replacement.

Crowis wrote:
I heard from an Apple representative here that the screens have been updated on the Imacs produced after the 2 week delay. He didn't give me any specifics, but mentioned something about a display chip. Someone else heard anything similar?

Sorry, but we have heard so much different stories from single Apple "representatives" that all point in a different direction and that never have been doubled by any one else from Apple, that I just think these sales and support people are telling just something to make people feel confident. I won't believe any of these stories before Apple officially has acknowledged that there is an error and that they have a fix for it. Normaly support and sales are the last to get informations in a company like Apple.

i did the cmd option p r restart thing and the problem went away! two days later it's back.

this is not cool

I have to agree with you. But I think between Yellow Tinge, Screen Flicker & Blackouts, Screen Audio Noise, it would most likely have to be Hardware. It would be great & make us all very happy if there were a software fix, but in the real world, that is probably not the case.

I ran Onyx & Flicker went away for 3 days but now it's back. Did PRAM last night & good so far but I know in a couple of days it'll be back, just like yours.

Perhaps this is a stupid point but if we check INSIDE the imac we might consider some things that might be the cause of a) flickering and b) the tint / light leakage.

A)
In the right hand bottom corner there is quite a large fan loccate. This could be a cause of a large amount of warm air circulating in this area and at the bottom of the screen, areas where the leakage/tinting seem to occur the most.

Image: http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/6LVAy2QcVfaY2q2x.large

(top left hand corner in the image)

B)
Considering the same image, we see that the cable connecting the screen with the logic board is also crossing this fan area. This micht cause this cable to be the "victiim" of heat and thus disturbing / interfering with the connection between screen and logic board.

C)
Another factor that might be worth to consider is that the new Imac seems to include alot larger speakers that are located in both the left and right hand bottom corners.

Image: http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/TLfSqZEZWnTwKylR.large

(visible as the black object in the furthest bottom right corner, below the fan)

These speakers reasonably include some form of magnet and might also affect either the logic cable and/or the screen itself.

I do not claim that these are or could be affecting the current problems but what do you think?

Very nice. Thanks for the Pictures also. Your fan theory could be the issue but I though Magnets (Speakers) only affected CRT Screens? Am I wrong?

Update: LCD and cable connector replaced in my 27''. Will see if it resolves the issue. Fingers crossed...

Yea definitely let us know. Did they change it out at The Apple Store ? Or did you send yours out?