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

One more thing. Looking at my System Profiler I get the usual information on the Graphics Card and the display as follows:

"ATI Radeon HD 4850:

Chipsatz-Modell: ATI Radeon HD 4850
Typ: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe-Lane-Breite: x16
VRAM (gesamt): 512 MB
Hersteller: ATI (0x1002)
Geräte-ID: 0x944a
Versions-ID: 0x0000
ROM-Version: 113-B9110C-425
EFI-Treiberversion: 01.00.383
Monitore:
iMac:
Auflösung: 2560 x 1440
Pixeltiefe: 32-Bit Farbe (ARGB8888)
Hauptmonitor: Ja
Synchronisierung: Aus
Eingeschaltet: Ja
Integriert: Ja
Verbindungstyp: DisplayPort"

What means "Synchronization: Off" (fourth row from the bottom). Anyone knows what it says? Not that a user could or should change it, I suppose... Just curious.

Whooo!

Just now i received a little flick. So forget about the RGB. Maybe it helps but it don´t fix the problem.

Right now, goodnight.

The best and most complete answer is to always base your decision on information. I maintain that the process is as simple as; information - decision - action. With the one operative; if you can't decide then, get more information.

All that said; there is a website "Apple iMac (Late 2009) Issues: View Data" at URL http://imac.squeaked.com/results.php?id=p1 that is tracking IMac problems and displaying the data by manufacturing datecode. When datecodes start reporting without flicker or yellowing problems then I would wait a few weeks and then consider a purchase.

Understand that once the flicker and yellowing go away reporting on the other problems will slow or stop, so you need to access the risks with scratched CD, missing ISight pixels, dirt under the glass, etc. None of these would be an issue or be reported had not the flickering and yellowing become totally out of control and, more importantly, denied by Apple.

There is no doubt that is more than just an evolutionary product that all of us will have for years. It opens the 64 bit multi--core world that will sustain development for years. Personally I refuse to enter this era with anything but the best. That is why I bought an Apple II+ for $1200 in 1979, and want an I7 now. Good Luck.

It's a nice thought that going RGB fixes the flicker.
But as the days go by I bet it doesn't.
The fact is there is something very wrong with these machines.
I don't suppose Apple took much notice at first. (probably first 2 months).
You see they have started nailing the shutters to the windows, but the tornado's already in the back yard!

Good night. Sorry it didn't work out. Now I do hope I didn't unvoluntarily cast a spell or something by commenting on the RGB thing. But then who is superstitious here

I can only say from the short experience with the brand new iMac: Try to get a replacement. It is the best chance I see at this point.

With my last one I had the flickering right from the start a few minutes after I started to use it. That at least is not happening now.

A quick note of appreciation to the posters who are working hard trying to figure out a fix or solution! I read each new post and appreciate everyone who is keeping us up-to-date with their replacements, repairs, and troubleshooting news.

I started getting the flickering today after about a week of using it. I have a week 2 (2010) model with the firmware already up-to-date. The original iMac I got had a scratch under the glass or dead pixels so I returned that for a replacement. Took about 2 weeks to get a new one.

I'm reporting on the squeaked.com site. Noticed with the test there that I also had yellowing. Almost wish I hadn't done the test. I don't think I would have noticed it.

It's really too bad about the problems. I've been a pc->mac convert for the last 3 years. dont' plan on going back, but I really hope they fix it. Thanks to everyone who's been working hard at it.

Scooby71 wrote:
I find it funny and a bit ironic that I decided to convert from PC to Apple due to reliability issues and now I find myself having to make this decision again.....

Same here, and I "switched" ten years ago. Now I don't know what to do. I politely asked Applecare three times who I needed to complain to about the experience I had with exchanging my iMac (see my previous post about it here). I finally received a case number affiliated with Customer Relations. I called, explained the situation, and mentioned that this experience has made me question my long-standing commitment to Apple as a brand. I was told that my complaint will be read at the executive level. I recommend that any of you who are extremely dissatisfied with your experience contact Apple and ask to file a formal complaint with Customer Relations. As always, be polite - your bad experience isn't the fault of the person you'll be speaking with.

Regarding my replacement iMac i7 which I've had for three days, it has an intermittent backlight wavering issue. Occasionally the backlight wavers as if I adjusted the brightness up and down by a few notches, but in very rapid succession. It happens randomly and only for a second (compared to the flickering on my previous model which would keep happening until a reboot). The intake fan near the bottom is more noisy. The screen had a fingerprint on it when I removed the protective cover. The iSight camera has four dead pixels. The main display itself has one dead pixel. The speakers occasionally sound tinny for some reason. I could go on.

I have a new business idea for Apple. Sell a "perfection model" for a little extra fee. It would be thoroughly examined before it leaves the factory to be absolutely free of any defects. If they had this sort of program, and we all opted for it, odds are none of us here would have received a bad iMac (or two, or three). I know that my time is worth more to me than how long it takes to lug an iMac back to the Apple Store.

Wow.. big post.. Sorry to be rude but there is way too much info to go through here in order to get an answer to my question..

So I am planning to buy a new 27' iMac.. Is it safe to get it now or is this still and issue presisting in current models that are on sale?

Thanks for a reply..

No and yes

ok.. can you elaborate more?

What Bakes99 is saying is that there are still issues with the iMacs in circulation right now. It is possible that Apple has found the fix and are manufacturing new machines without all the problems because there is now a 3 week wait for a 27' iMac through the Apple online store. I would wait a month and check these posts to see if people are finding more success with new iMacs. I returned mine for a refund today and that is what I am going to do.

Yeah, what he said.

About ready to give one of the i5's a try.I know there are many with problems but also am aware of some who seem to be very satisfied. The local Apple store seems to usually have some in stock but I'd like to have my info together when I go in. Would one of you guys tell me how to get the date of manufacture from the SN.

The serial number (on the box near barcode) will be 11 characters long ... from recent posts, you want something like the following (or 04, 05, etc):

xxx03xxxxxx

03 = week 3 of 2010 ...