Has anyone noticed a random flash or flicker on 27" i7 imac?....it seems like just a microsecond but enough to notice. The screen just visibly goes black occasionally and thought not too annoying gives me the feeling that nothing good can come of this. Any advice? thanks
iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.6), i7 8G ram 1G HD
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2212682?answerId=10908045022#10908045022
what year is that mac hine of yours?
should have mentioned it in the post....late 2010.
ATI Radeon HD 5750
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac11,3
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.93 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Processor Interconnect Speed: 4.8 GT/s
Boot ROM Version: IM112.0057.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.59f2
thanks for the reply, d;^D
Yes I have the same iMac and same issue only now mine has devleoped into a situation where it flickers, then half of the screen goes a bit darker. Like uneven brightness across the whole screen.
Any ideas?
Late 2010 iMac 27inch i5
ATI Radeon HD 5750:
Chipset Model: ATI Radeon HD 5750
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 1024 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x68a1
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-B9710C-238
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.417
Displays:
iMac:
Resolution: 2560 x 1440
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
Connection Type: DisplayPort
Display Connector:
Status: No Display Connected
more info on my machine...seems that nobody is answering ...hard for me to take to an Apple Store as it is so intermittent. Does yours fail more often?
ATI Radeon HD 5750:
Chipset Model: ATI Radeon HD 5750
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 1024 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x68a1
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-B9710C-238
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.417
Displays:
iMac:
Resolution: 2560 x 1440
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
Connection Type: DisplayPort
Display Connector:
Status: No Display Connected
Yes, after about 5 mins from start up I get a small flicker, then the brightness dims on one side of the screen. I called Apple and was told to take to an Apple Store as its still under warranty. However its 60 mile round trip and hard to get parked and heave a 27 inch iMac around. However of course if I buy Applecare, they will collect it.
Does anyone know if I do get a replacement, do they copy all my apps, software and files over for me to the new machine?
I'm probably heading for my Apple Store for the same problem....the flicker is getting more frequent: it's a matter of time. 60 mile round trip for me too! I always get AppleCare and it has been worth it just for phone support. My daughter's laptop went back to Cupertino 4 times and needed and new screen, battery, keyboard and airport...at least with laptops, they send you a box and it's back in a few days.
More specifically on your issue, backup all your files and apps before going to the Apple Store. Apple cannot guarantee they won't just send you a refurb or new machine, depending on the cause of the problem. They also will not take responsibility for your data. The same daughter did take hers to an Apple Store in Baltimore and they charged her $ to do a backup. I don't know if they still offer that service. External hard drives are worth the investment...and the peace of mind.
Hi,
I'm just going though this exact same problem on an iMac 27inch i7, bought at the end of 2010.
At first the screen flickered a little. Then it flickered, and the left half of the screen would be much dimmer.
I took it to the Apple store and explained it was a display issue. Their diagnostic showed nothing wrong with the machine -- however, the diagnostic does not test the display. While there, the screen flickered a little.
So they replaced the logic board and the video card, all under warranty.
I take the computer home, start it up and the same flickering problem continued. Only now, it would occassionally black out entirely. This was annoying, plus the fact that the Apple tech people had scratched the case of the computer.
I went back to the Apple store. The problem is much worse now, so it's not hard to replicate at the "genius" bar.
Now they are replacing the whole display. It better work.
The whole process has taken 3 weeks. Now they have the part in stock (the new display) but say they won't be able to get to my machine for 5 to 7 days because of other repairs waiting.
It's quite disappointing.
NOTES:
So, if your screen flickers and greys out -- first they will try and replace internal hardware, which is likely a waste of time. Try and get them to replace the display right off the bat, or try and get a new computer.
Good luck!
I'll update when my iMac finally returns.
Hi,
Just got mine back from the mac store. They replaced the entire screen panel including glass under warranty.
Display is perfect now.
One thing that bugged me a bit was that they seemed surprised by this fault and acted like it was very very rare to have any screen issues. When I told them that actually there are a lot of cases documented online regarding screen issues for this model I got a blank look....
Either Apple is to proud to admit the issue, or their staff are ignorant to it, I cant decide which
Anyhow, got it fixed under warranty in less than 4 days, fingers crossed its good to go now.
Well ...
8 days later. Not a word on the repair.
Hi all on this thread...
My screen flicker is still random and not getting worse. It is very disheartening to read that apple can be both responsive to some and the opposite to others. tomacta should receive a new machine at this point!
I hope mine fails before AppleCare is over. With my luck, that won't be the case.
It seems to me that along with a check mark for a helpful answer and a star for a helpful answer, there should be a third alternative: as small apple icon with "read this apple!" next to it.
I have exactly the same iMac and it too is having display problems. Mine shifts brightness randomly more than flickering. It's not a serious problem yet, but it seems to be worsening. I will wait to take it in until it is bad enough that the Apple Store can easily see the problem.
The following process seems to have resolved this issue on my setup - 2011 i7 with ACD.
You have all the latest updates applied right...of course you do.
1. shutdown machine
2. pull all USB devices etc
3. pull power cable and leave disconnected for 30 seconds or so
4. reboot with PRAM reset (opt/cmd/R/P) important to hold for two startup chimes - please google if your unsure
5. shutdown the machine - important to do for my setup
6. re-insert all devices with one exception - do not insert the Cinema Display USB cable
7. Restart - complete
NOTE: I find that having the USB cable for the display connected causes flicker/blanking to return on my machine.
Hopefully this works for someone else too - simple things can send one insane!
Gnube,
I tried your suggestion, but it did not help with my iMac.
My screen started acting up again a bit today too. I seem to get a day or so of reasonably glitch free screen between PRAM resets so will keep resetting mine. I am going to log a call with Apple support.
I got mine a few days ago:
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac12,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 3.4 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Memory: 16 GB
This morning I noticed a bit of a flicker and came to these boards and it didn't take 10 seconds to find others with the same issue. I have Apple care but that package hasn't arrived yet. Hope this goes away.
iMac i7 screen flicker
