K_Rek

Q: Mid 2011 iMac Graphics Problems with Yosemite

I have a 21.5-inch, Mid 2011 iMac with an AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB that is locking up on me constantly since installing Yosemite.  Every time I reboot (which I have to do by pressing the power button on the back) it says that it has detected a graphics problem and do I want to report it.  I have done that multiple times, but want to find out if anyone else here is having a similar problem.  What appears on the screen are pixelated blocks in random areas and often the machine will work for maybe three or four minutes and then just lock up completely.  It worked like a champ with 10.9.5 and previous, but 10.10 is wreaking havoc on my computer. 

 

I have seen discussion threads about 27-inch iMacs that were recalled due to an AMD graphics chip problem, but haven't seen anything about the 21.5-inch machines.  At the time, this was the highest-end card I could get in the 21.5-inch display.

 

The machine has 8GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM. 

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Oct 21, 2014 5:58 AM

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Q: Mid 2011 iMac Graphics Problems with Yosemite

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  • by patscanlan,

    patscanlan patscanlan Nov 6, 2014 2:28 PM in response to deltone
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Nov 6, 2014 2:28 PM in response to deltone

    I just want to point out that the solution you are suggesting only applies to a specific AMD Radeon card, not all of them. Here is the Apple support article that details the replacement program you mentioned.

     

    iMac (27-inch): AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card Replacement Program - Apple Support

     

    I was having this issue with my 2010 iMac with a Radeon card. I am 100% convinced after all my troubleshooting that this is a driver issue with Yosemite and older iMacs. We will just have to wait for Apple to release a software fix for this.

     

    Patrick

  • by deltone,

    deltone deltone Nov 6, 2014 8:40 PM in response to patscanlan
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 6, 2014 8:40 PM in response to patscanlan

    And, Pat, I would agree that the card you mentioned is certainly suspect.....but, I, will point out that as I had stated, the Apple eng/tech gave me a CS Code (repair code) that was ALSO good for my Radeon 6770. Yup, 6770M 512! Under the CS code, THAT Radeon was replaced, as was the internal Super Drive. AND, almost 30 hours later, everything is running better than ever!

     

    (He said that the code he was giving me was going to be good for whatever it took to restore my Mac to optimum condition.)

  • by deltone,

    deltone deltone Nov 7, 2014 12:14 PM in response to deltone
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 7, 2014 12:14 PM in response to deltone

    ABOUT 10.10.1

     

    By Gregg Keizer

     

    FOLLOW

     

    Apple told developers that the first update to OS Yosemite will include changes to Wi-Fi, a hopeful sign for customers who have reported that the new OS crippled their Internet connections.

    Yosemite 10.10.1, which was seeded Monday to registered developers only, will include changes to the Notification Center and to Wi-Fi, according to several Apple-centric blogs, includingMacRumors. Computerworld confirmed the beta availability and its areas of focus.

    Apple may be working on a fix -- or fixes -- for the Wi-Fi connection bugs that have plagued some Yosemite users since the upgrade's Oct. 16 launch.

    Although Apple does not detail changes prior to publicly launching an update, the appearance of Wi-Fi on the short list may provide Yosemite users some solace if not an immediate solution.

    The discussion forums on Apple's support site have continued to accumulate large numbers of messages from users who say that their Wi-Fi connections haven't worked reliably since they upgraded to OS X Yosemite.

    As of late Monday, the largest thread dedicated to wireless networking problems contained more than 770 messages and had been viewed nearly 104,000 times, large numbers for Apple's peer-to-peer support.

    Reports of connectivity issues cropped up within hours of Apple releasing Yosemite on Oct. 16, and have continued to pour in since.

    "I am a Cisco- and Unix-qualified software engineer and have tried every trick in the book since Yosemite's release and I don't think I'm going to find a easy solution as I think this is a serious hardware-software conflict," said kevinski_uk in a Nov. 3 message. "Apple have basically rendered my [MacBook Pro] useless unless I downgrade to 10.9.3."

    Some users have had success implementing one or more of the seemingly endless suggestions that have piled up on that thread, others on Apple's support site and on third-party blogs. Turning Bluetooth off on nearby Macs and iOS devices has worked for some, for example, but not for all. Others reported having Wi-Fi connectivity problems with OS X Mavericks as well, but that conditions sharply deteriorated once Yosemite had been installed.

    "Tried everything in the book ... many things seem to provide a temporary respite, which is even more peculiar," said OceanDrifter.

    Those who had contacted Apple support have reported that they've provided system and connectivity data to the company's engineers, with some concluding that meant Apple was working on a fix.

    But Apple's secrecy -- it rarely acknowledges bugs or discusses fixes-in-progress -- has infuriated many. "Honestly, they need to start by admitting there's an issue. It's seriously upsetting that they have said nothing!" asserted janiceva.

    Among Computerworld staffers who ran Yosemite developer previews prior to the launch, some encountered no Wi-Fi problems while others had serious issues through the first several iterations of the summer's beta, with Wi-Fi connectivity becoming stable late in the preview process and remaining so with the final code.

    It's impossible to predict when Apple will release Yosemite 10.10.1 to the public, as the company declines to disclose dates. The first update to 2013's Mavericks appeared eight weeks after the operating system's debut; in 2012, Apple shipped the first update to Mountain Lion four weeks after that edition's release.

  • by Dasa Graphics,

    Dasa Graphics Dasa Graphics Nov 7, 2014 12:26 PM in response to K_Rek
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 7, 2014 12:26 PM in response to K_Rek

    I upgraded from Mavericks last night to 10.10 on my Mid 2011, 27-inch iMac with AMD Radeon 6970M, 2048 MB.

     

    I have 2 thunderbolt-adapter secondary displays at 1920x1080 each.

    So far I've experienced no display issues.

  • by Auzzie23,

    Auzzie23 Auzzie23 Nov 7, 2014 10:22 PM in response to enricoclaudio
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 7, 2014 10:22 PM in response to enricoclaudio

    EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH 27' MID 2010 IMAC. HAD THE SAME PROBLEM LAST YEAR WITH MAVERICKS, AND TOOK OVER 2 MONTHS TO GET FIXED WITH SOFTWARE UPDATES.

  • by AlphaDisco,

    AlphaDisco AlphaDisco Nov 8, 2014 1:15 AM in response to K_Rek
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 8, 2014 1:15 AM in response to K_Rek

    Imac 2010 graphics problem: Generic RGB was my (so far) temporary saviour.

     

    Quick facts:

    - Updated to Yosemite and was able to work for a day or so (photographer).
    Some photoshop tools run very slow! - Computer is very slow on start up - expected after upgrade, but still annoying.

     

    - Upgraded Java runtime (but not sure problems are related, might just have been the restart?)

     

    - After this my Imac started acting very weird, displaying all the problems mentioned above: - artefacts on screen, weird freezes, and so on.


    The solution (for me).

     

    Someone else posted this simple temporary bug fix - and it worked for me - Im now able to work again! VERY NICE!! Just wanted to share.


    Go into Screen adjustments - change BG color to a solid color (not sure why) - and then change your screen color adjustment to "generic RGB". Disc

     

    Run "Disc Utilities" to repair disk, just in case you haven't after update.

     

    Restart.

     

    I did this - and now I can work on my computer - some photoshop tools are acting very weird (can't use lassoe tool... pretty big problem, but I manage). But besides from that - computer is functioning now (48 hours) - with no freezes, and no artefacts.

     

    NOTE - I had to use Quicksilver / Spotlight to even get into system adjustments - just a hint if your machine is that bad

     

    NOTE 2 - colors are not quite as vivid - recalibration is needed if you do print work (just another reminder).

  • by Auzzie23,

    Auzzie23 Auzzie23 Nov 8, 2014 1:33 AM in response to AlphaDisco
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 8, 2014 1:33 AM in response to AlphaDisco

    OMG!!!! TOTALLY WORKED!!!!!  THNX

    Was constantly freezing and displaying weird boxes on screen etc...  And as soon as i installed latest Java and restarted, it has magically healed.

     

    Dont know what Java has to do woth the graphics card. but Thumbs up.

     

     

    https://java.com/en/download/mac_download.jsp?locale=en

  • by AlphaDisco,

    AlphaDisco AlphaDisco Nov 8, 2014 3:29 AM in response to Auzzie23
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 8, 2014 3:29 AM in response to Auzzie23

    I think my problem came AFTER installed Java - but I might actually have gotten the wrong update (not specifically for Apple).


    Not sure - there could be some relation.

     

    I tried rolling back to normal setting after I restarted a few times with Java - and now I have no problems - though still some problems in photoshop, with lassoe tool!?

     

    Anyway glad you found a solution!

  • by enricoclaudio,

    enricoclaudio enricoclaudio Nov 8, 2014 4:41 AM in response to AlphaDisco
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Nov 8, 2014 4:41 AM in response to AlphaDisco

    This didn't work for me. The only solution for my mid 2011 27" iMac was turning Transparency OFF. I have been working totally fine without any display issue for about 5 days only after turning transparency OFF. As soon I turn transparency ON the issue is back in less than 2 min.

  • by AlphaDisco,

    AlphaDisco AlphaDisco Nov 8, 2014 6:07 AM in response to enricoclaudio
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 8, 2014 6:07 AM in response to enricoclaudio

    Yea I guess none of us has the correct answer to the problem - but nice that people add different solutions to get a computer that works... at least until (hopefully) theres a fix of what is really causing the problem.

  • by JoeCoder,

    JoeCoder JoeCoder Nov 8, 2014 3:47 PM in response to AlphaDisco
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 8, 2014 3:47 PM in response to AlphaDisco

    For my 27" Mid 2010 iMac, I had to turn off Transparency AND upgrade the Java runtime to the latest version (as of this writing, 7 update 71). After several hours, no longer do I see random blocks of pixels nor has the GUI locked up. Otherwise, random blocks would occur within a minute. We'll see how long this lasts...

  • by Auzzie23,

    Auzzie23 Auzzie23 Nov 9, 2014 1:22 AM in response to JoeCoder
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 9, 2014 1:22 AM in response to JoeCoder

    So, 24 hours after i installed Java, i only got the random blocks once when trying to view a video. So thats a great imporvment because before it was constantly doing it. Also turned off transpreancy, and hasnt done it at all. Mac is also stable now.

  • by Prof. Poirot,

    Prof. Poirot Prof. Poirot Nov 9, 2014 8:03 AM in response to kocojim
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 9, 2014 8:03 AM in response to kocojim

    Thanks to everyone in this thread. I found a solution to my problems: turning off transparency in the Accessibility preference pane.

     

    My system: mid-2011 iMac 21.5 inch with Radeon 6770 graphics. Also, home-rolled Fusion drive.

     

    After I installed Yosemite, the green/red glitches that I regularly had with Mavericks came back in force, sometimes getting so bad that the screen was unreadable. So I tried swapping out the AMD6000controller.kext as suggested by someone near the top of this thread. It worked great for about 8 hours. Then my system crashed and wouldn't reboot. It got stuck in a loop when booting: would get up to 1/3 startup, then have a kernel panic. The system was completely unusable.

     

    After a couple of clean installs (and a few anxiety-filled and intensely frustrating days), I turned off transparency. Problem solved. My system boots, is stable. Occasionally, I get a few green/red blocks flash. I just force the screen to redraw that window (say, by swapping spaces, then swapping back again).

     

    I was in deep despair until I tried reducing transparency. Thanks to everyone who suggested it.

  • by Auzzie23,

    Auzzie23 Auzzie23 Nov 9, 2014 9:03 AM in response to Prof. Poirot
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 9, 2014 9:03 AM in response to Prof. Poirot

    Also install latest Java.  Thats makes its completely stop doing the grenn red flashes. 

  • by Prof. Poirot,

    Prof. Poirot Prof. Poirot Nov 9, 2014 3:06 PM in response to Auzzie23
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 9, 2014 3:06 PM in response to Auzzie23

    Done. But it didn't solve my problem of green/red flashes. I still get a few now and again. They just don't seem to lead to a whole system crash (freeze) as before.

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