Q: 24" LED Display with 2011 15" MPB

Tried it... didn't work.

24" ACD + newest (mid-2011) MBA.

MBA firmware update didn't work? Go figure.

HI everyone.

I would really like to get a 24" because of size, but reading this thread has made me doubt that the problem would ever be solved. But from reading around the web, I get the impression that not every 2011 macbook pro - 24" cinema display combination exhibits this problem. Is there any quick way of finding out whether I would have the problem with a particular display? Is the flickering completely random, does it exhibit itself within the first couple of minutes or being hooked up, or does it take longer? (I know 44 pages is warning enough, so I'm not optimistic. Just wanted to see.

It is pretty random. The first day I didn't notice anything, the second it was terrible. It's just random.

Bear in mind that this problems the thunderbolt chip on all the new machines, it's got nothing to do with the display.

Hey nordic_expat,

My 4 day old second hand 24"ACD works great with my 2011 15" MBP. It flicks once a minute or two after first plugging it in, then 90% of the time it word fine till I'm done with it 1-6 hours later. But about 10% of the time, after that first flick it will continue to do so, so I just unplug the Mini Displayport and plug it back in, and then it will work fine till I'm done with it.

So far mine is completely useable and I'm very happy with it. I know my problem is not as bad as some other peoples, but this should give you hope. I guess you won't know till you try out the screen your looking at with your computer. Good luck with it.

nordic expat, You probably could find a 24" ACD that works just fine with a 2011 15" MBP if you can shop around and try some with your MBP..

I have two 24" ACD of similar age and similar amount of use. One ACD has never flickered with the my 2011 MBP the other ACD always begins to flicker and blackout always, without fail within 5 to 10 minutes of turning on the MBP. It then usually, after about 20 minutes of screen show, settles down and does not flicker anymore even after hours of use or unfortunately goes an alternative route and blacks out and requires the MBP to be rebooted whereupon it then works just fine as long I keep everything on.

My new 11" MBAir (with thunderbird )works just fine with either ACD monitor so things are not as simple as merely a thunderbird chip problem alone.

Apple, despite numerous calls to them, has been of no help whatsoever.They keep telling me, since February, the a fix is on the way.

I returned the two iPad 2's that I had back to Apple after going through numerous swaps, repairs, and all that wasted fun.  Both displays had image retention on the LCDs so I was fortunate enough to have the stores take care of me and allow me to get the 11" Air for my wife to use since the iPad 2 quality is poor.  Tried the new Air on one of my cinema displays... No surprises there.  Saw a shift once and a screen blink too. 

Since the thunderbolt displays are being pushed back again I wonder if there are other issues goign on as well?  I noticed a firmware update when I ran auto update on the new Air last night for thunderbolt compatability.  Obviously this didn't fix the preexisting issue though. 

New EFI firmware update: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1450

Apple wrote:

 

This update enables Lion Recovery from an Internet connection and includes fixes that resolve issues with Apple Thunderbolt Display compatibility and Thunderbolt Target Disk Mode performance on MacBook Pro (early 2011) models.

Give it a try. I'm not very confident that it'll solve the issue, but you never know

That page says it requires 10.7 but I was able to install it with 10.6.8, although I haven't restarted yet.

Here's hoping it fixes the issues for all of you.

Bad news, as expected, it doesn't fix the issue. It might be slightly better, but it's definitely not fixed.

Very disappointing. I just installed and it still blinks. GGGEEEEESSSS!

Im not sure if i should use it or not, My 24" ACD works quite well with my 2011 MBP, hardly every flashes. Could this make my not very bad situation worse?

Can anyone confirm that this fixes the issue? Any success cases out there?

I just installed it but unfortunately not near either one of my monitors which exhibits the issue today. I will test it tonight.

Also, people who still have the issue - can you confirm your Boot ROM version is now MBP81.0047.B1E?

I don't have a MBP, so that's not the Boot ROM version I have.

I have Mac Mini, and this is the new Boot ROM version:

Boot ROM Version:     MM51.0077.B0A

The new firmware updates did not resolve the Cinema Display blackout and flickering.