Flickering after 10.10.3 upgrade

Did you install SSD instate of the original HDD?

No I still use the apple HDD

• Did you try the clean install with the original OS X version (10.8.x for most), or perhaps 10.9?
• IF YES: Did you do a SMC reset and a PRAM reset at the first boot (sometimes they have to be repeated once to work properly)?
  (NO: The OS may still be the problem)
• IF YES: Did you experience any of the following afterwards (before upgrading any further!) FLICKERING and/or KERNEL PANICS?
  (NO: The problem was solved by the downgrade and the reset: the most likely problem would be the OS version)
• IF YES: Did you try the same with just a single memory module?
  (NO: We cannot exclude that the amount of memory addressed is an important factor. It could simply be too much)
• IF YES: Have you checked the FIRMWARE VERSION?
  (NO: Mac OS X may still be using the new - bad - way of addressing various areas of memory)

System Information.app -> Hardware: Hardware Overview: Boot ROM Version

- If the firmware version is MM61.0106.B09, or similar, i.e. the one installed after upgrading past 10.10.2, then that is the cause. In combination with the way the Intel HD 4000 is addressed (causing the flickering), you might have found the culprit and have some hard evidence that the cause lies within the Apple update.

- If the firmware version has also returned to the original version, which is unlikely, then the problem could have been there from the start. With the "Millennium Bug" we only found out shortly before 2000 that some systems might be at risk...

Lastly, the Intel HD 4000 uses shared memory, which means that certain areas allocated on your SODIMM may be reserved for video purposes only. If there is a glitch in the driver (not knowing what to address), or in the firmware (forgetting about the allocation), the video system may try to occupy the same areas of memory as other systems. With a mere 4GB, the system only allocates the default minimum of 256MB video memory. With a larger available amount, an algorithm has to check - constantly - if that same amount is available and addressable. If not, the system should default to a lower specification (dropping quality, or speed), or killing the system as a result of a panic. I think that could be what we're experiencing.

Sorry for the wordy posts 😉

Thank you MoreFood.net for your good detailed answer I am sure it's a software bug that Apple will address soon as the number of users who complain about it growing more and more! I did submit a bug report to Apple and if you have access to tow mac computer you can make core dump server as described at this link https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/technotes/tn2004/tn2118.html

this will capture the result at the moment kernel panic will happen and can show the cause then you can make bug report here :

https://bugreport.apple.com/

Another update (see included image)!

After using the settings "Reduced Transparency" and disabling "Font Smoothing" I had no more crashes in OS X 10.10.5. So that worked.

I installed OS X 10.11 ("El Capitan") today to test. The new video interface should fix the crashes. I did not do a clean install on purpose, to test (for everyone!) if this fixes the Yosemite video issue.

• After 12 hours, there hasn't been a crash yet.
• I turned the transparency back on, including font smoothing - no crashes.
• I checked the new specifications, and here's what I found (more below the image):

Using the maximum amount of memory (16GB) for this computer and possibly all systems using the Intel Core iX processors with onboard Intel HD Graphics 4000, OS X 10.11 allocates a considerably larger amount of memory for the GPU. An additional 80MB per 1GB of memory above the original 256MB. That is more than 50% more than the allocation under 10.10.

I'm not using a secondary display at the moment, but will test that soon.

El Capitan hasn't been released yet so I'm still waiting for that release and I am not trusting any false hope and misleading developers beta copy of it.

My problems have been going on since I have purchased (20/12/12) this mac it has been the same through out the three years I have had it has been in and out of the shop so many times (that I beginning to think mac is a farce) and keeps coming back the same, I have a Mac mini (Late 2012) 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 Intel HD Graphics 4000 1024 MB with thunder bolt 27" cinema display 3 months into the first year I bought it the screen would turn off by it self and the machine would shut down when I took it to an authorised dealer repairer for apple they said it is a common fault with apple products to insure you go and buy there latest product sure the latest update fix it for a bit but then it will keep reoccurring (His words were its a band aid) that fixes the problem periodically.

When I bought this mac mini it came with OSX lion I bought it new from Apple. I very much doubt that any up date or upgrade is going to fix these problems when I took this in to a repairer he said that the machine was working with in its proper parameters and said to take the machine to Apple, all the repairer did was turn the mac on checked a couple of things run a diagnostic program om it gave me a print out and said this will let them know what was wrong with the mac I took the mac to apple they said it was all fixed I took it home and it was good for another 2 years, then the problem reoccurred as original repairer said it would this did not cost me any thing as they did not have to replace any thing just run a diagnostic program on the mac and I got it back 1 hr later.

Believe me I love Apple products but I just wish Apple would give us a decent fix for this problem if that's all it needs. But I really don't think there is.

Although I am not sure that your problems are similar to the other ones, here is the solution:

1. Make a backup from your entire system. If you use Time Machine, remove all previous backups (if you're certain you won't need them) and make a complete new backup.
2. Check if you are using any applications that may not work in 10.11 in the MacRumors Forum.
3. If the backup went well and your current applications will still work under 10.11, wait until Friday, 2 October 2015 (= next Friday) to upgrade to 10.11. Do a normal upgrade first - no need for a clean install yet.
4. During October, use your computer normally. You may notice glitches in some software.
5. Update when needed, as much as possible.
6. If you're completely satisfied, do a clean install. By then, chances are that update 10.11.1 is out.
7. Your problem is solved. If not, either your memory needs to be installed or replaced properly, or other hardware is broken.

Regarding the beta status of the current release: the ways in which video and memory are addressed have been changed completely. OS X 10.10 problems no longer exist. New problems do, that's why step 1 & 2 are so important.

Just a heads up: Although I haven't had any crashes, I have noticed some flickering in 10.11.1 Beta (15B30a). This was only when using Firefox, with Flash and a memory load of 99%. This happened a couple of times. I will return to 10.11(.0 - non-beta) soon, but still: no crashes!

Unfortunately the flickering appeared on my Mac mini (Intel 4000 Graphics) after the update to OS X 10.11.5; before that i never had trouble. 10.11.6 didn't fix the issue 😟

I also have a Mac Mini bought in 2015. Worked fine until latest update (Sierra 10.12.2). Chrome flickers, but Safari does not. Turned off "Acceleration" in Systems folder to no avail. Restarted computer in safe mode three times before anything was working, gradually everything came back EXCEPT Chrome. Pages will not complete and there is flickering no matter what website I load...