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Level 1

10 points

NEC monitor + Nvidia graphics incompatible with 10.8?

I've spent the last several weeks trying to isolate an issue when booting 10.8 on my 2009 Mac Pro that seems fairly unique. Specifically, about 7 in 10 reboots will not get to the login screen (or autologin), instead getting stuck on a blank gray screen (after the Apple logo and spinning progress indicator are dismissed) with a moveable (and sometimes garbled) cursor. This is reproducible for me on a clean installation on (multiple) new hard drives.

After trial and error and research on threads concerned with similar (but not exactly the same) issues, I believe I've isolated this to 10.8 having trouble switching to my NEC 2490WUXi monitor connected via DVI, coupled with either an Nvidia GTX-285 or GT-120 graphics card.

I've tried each of the following to try to isolate the problem, with no success:

- Disk Utility repair permissions & repair disk

- PRAM reset

- SMC reset

- Unplugging all USB & firewire devices except keyboard & mouse

- Replacing GTX-285 card with stock GT-120

- Removing all other PCI cards

- Installing on different, brand new hard drive (with different partition ordering)

- Installing over clone of current Lion system

- Installing over fresh copy of Lion

- installing on drive with single partition

- Swapped monitor input from DVI-D to DVI-I, used different cable

If I have the monitor turned off (or switched to a different input) at the time the login window would appear, then login always proceeds normally, and the monitor can then be turned back on. The same configuration boots 10.7.4 (and 10.6) with no issue.

I don't have any other graphics card or monitors to test with, so I was hoping that someone with a similar display configuration could confirm or deny issues when logging into 10.8.

Mac Pro, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Aug 17, 2012 9:49 AM

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PaulM_FTS Author

Level 1

10 points

Posted on Aug 20, 2012 5:24 PM

Following-up on my own posting. I never did completely determine if the issue is the card, monitor, or both; however, I finally managed to resolve the issue (I hope). I purchased a Gefen DVI Detective and placed it between the card and the monitor. The machine has successfully restarted now seven times in a row (though I won't be fully convinced of the fix until I get over a dozen).

As an added bonus, the display no longer flashes to blue several times while trying to handshake upon waking from sleep (which was super annoying, as it blocked user input as well as display).

Hopefully this helps someone else who stumbles on this issue in the future.

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33 replies

Flexigem

Level 1

0 points

Mar 31, 2013 2:25 PM in response to PaulM_FTS

George, the trouble was with Nvidia cards. ATI was out of the game and for 10.8.2 and lower ATI was recommended. Apple screwed up communications for Nvidia cards through DDC.

Mar 31, 2013 3:12 PM in response to Flexigem

I can only say what I find.

PaulM_FTS Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 1, 2013 7:23 AM in response to Flexigem

I've confirmed that I am happily able to calibrate using my WUXi 2490 and the latest Spectraview software under 10.8.3.

Note that I had to disconnect the DVI Detective I've been using (for other reasons) in order to do so (which I also had to do under Lion). I believe I'll keep the DVI Detective in the chain, only taking it out to calibrate, as it still greatly stabilizes the signal, eliminating the blue "flashes" when the display awakens.

NEC monitor + Nvidia graphics incompatible with 10.8?