Sithspawn1969

Q: 30" Cinema display fuzzy lines with Retina Macbook pro 15"

I just got an Apple 30" Cinema Display and tested it with the previous owner's 13" non-retina Macbook pro, with the Apple Thunderbolt to Dual-link DVI adapter. Everything worked fine and, in fact, that was his home setup. 

 

I took the monitor home and that very same adapter and tried running it on my rMBP 15" running Mavericks and it had fuzzy bluish lines displaying like there was a cable problem or something.

 

I hooked it up to my PC with a normal DVI output and the signal was clean (although it will display only at a low res of 1280 x 768 or something, which is correct. Mine is an Intel Haswell based motherboard which doesn't have support for dual-link dvi and I don't have a VGA card with a dual dvi output to test it with yet.)

 

I have tried:

a) software update to no avail.

b) taking the Thunderbolt cable out and plugging it back in and the same with the USB while the monitor was on.

c) restarting the rMBP, putting it to sleep and waking it up.

d) shutting the monitor off and on.

e) taking the dvi cable out and back in.

f) Changing the resolution to a lower res and back to default high res.

 

So it seems that it doesn't work with my rMBP 15" but it does with the adapter on another non retina MBP and on my PC. Any ideas to solve this issue?

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9.1), 30" cinema display,

Posted on Jan 19, 2014 8:39 AM

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Q: 30" Cinema display fuzzy lines with Retina Macbook pro 15"

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  • by sterling r,

    sterling r sterling r Jan 21, 2014 11:58 AM in response to Sithspawn1969
    Community Specialists
    Jan 21, 2014 11:58 AM in response to Sithspawn1969

    Hello sithspawn1969,

     

    It sounds like you have isolated the issue to a specific computer and have done some great troubleshooting on the connectors. I would recommend the troubleshooting in the following article that you haven't done yet:

    Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays

    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573

    Check connections

    When using an external display be sure to check the following:

    1. If you're using an Apple notebook, confirm the AC power cable or adapter is securely connected to the computer and the cable providing power to the display is also secure. It is always good to have your notebook connected to AC power when an external display is in use.
    2. Confirm display adapters are fully seated in their respective connections and that they are supported models and for the computer and display. Refer to these articles to assist you with adapter compatibility and further configuration information:
    3. Remove all display cable extenders, KVM switches, or other like devices and retest to determine if the issue is resolved.
    4. Try unplugging the video adapter or cable and then plug it back in.
    5. If more than one video adapter is in use (or "daisy-chained"), troubleshoot by using only one adapter.
      • Example: A mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter connected to a DVI to HDMI adapter is an unsupported configuration because there is a series of adapters in use.
    6. If available, try using a different display and or adapter (or use a different connector by using DVI instead of VGA, for instance).

    Reset the systemYou can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC.Reset the resolutionStart by resetting the Mac's parameter RAM. If the display does not come up, was previously set to an unsupported resolution, and still results in no video:

    1. Start up in Safe Mode.
    2. From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
    3. Choose Displays from the View menu to open the preferences pane.
    4. Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.
    5. Restart your computer.

     

    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

    All the best,

    Sterling