Black horizontal lines on iMac M1 Ventura

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Level 1

16 points

Black horizontal lines on iMac M1 Ventura

Hello, I see black horizontal lines on display iMac M1 2021 Ventura ( 18 months from purchase , 6 months out of warranty). Factory reset done but issue persists. Its out of warranty so have to bear the massive repair expenses of changing the display but I also hear that Apple conducts repair camps if the issue is pervasive and related to product ( as against usage). Are we expecting any repair camps for M1s ? Its hard to believe that a top of the line product like M1 has a life of only 18 months.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iMac (M1, 2021)

Posted on May 16, 2023 7:58 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 29, 2024 2:35 AM in response to ihrushi

I saw this one comment from this thread that was experiencing the same problem as you:

thread:Persistent horizontal lines appear on iMa… - Apple Community

I tried to research teardown videos of the IMac 2021 and I think the author does have a point. The LCD screen was like screwed shut? It only has like 2 ports for the camera and screen itself from the outside. I haven’t seen a single video wherein they tried to open the screws from the LCD. So if you even want to know whats causing the problem, it’s impossible since it’s inaccessible.

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

239,927 points

May 16, 2023 9:01 PM in response to ihrushi

I haven't heard of others with this issue.:(

Take a screen shot & view that in Preview, move the Preview window around, if you see double lines it's a Video card/VRAM problem, if the lines do not move moving the pic around then it's the LCD or cable.

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Answer 3

ihrushi Author

Level 1

16 points

May 17, 2023 6:29 AM in response to BDAqua

Wonderful guidance. Extremely grateful. No one could break down the diagnostics so simply and elegantly. Can I further enquire what is meant by "cable" ? Does this cable lend itself to repair with resorting to outright LCD replacement ? ( It's strange that most folks/repair shops simply advise change of display unit without trying to systematically isolate the faulty component.)

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

239,927 points

May 17, 2023 11:27 AM in response to ihrushi

I have no idea where you'd get another cable if that was the case...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WtGjkgIXGM

And since Apple designed it not to be serviceable, for more info Google for...

imac m1 takeapart

PS, I was pretty proud of that diagnostic when it came to me in my sleep around 20 years ago. :D

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Answer 5

ihrushi Author

Level 1

16 points

Jun 5, 2023 11:10 PM in response to BDAqua

You are a very genuine person BDAqua. Thanks for asking. I was so heart broken and felt so cheated that and I did not pursue repair. Meanwhile I had other life emergencies to attend to. Now that I have logged in after 3 weeks I see that the black lines have moved down much to the bottom of the screen ( & now flickering with a low pulse). I am going to watch the pattern for some more time. The screen looks good for the couple of seconds between the flicker pulse and so surely I am not keen to spend upwards of $700 just becoz a half educated apple store guy has no better ideas. I am back on my iMac and with a bit of prayer and research and guidance ( from genuine folks like you) i should make headway soon. Will keep you informed.

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