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Unibody Macbook Pro Screen flicker/flash.
- Thread starter jbussiere
- Start date
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I too just recently started to have this issue but mine started after a logic board swap to fix a sleep issue. I got my late 2008 2.4 15" unibody back and the flickering started. I called apple care and they sent me a box saying they needed to swap the logic board (AGAIN!). Got the computer back with a description of "Changed 1gb mem module". WTF!?!?!
So I called apple care back that night after I got home and discovered the issue still persisted (do they even check their work?) and they are sending out another box.
I have installed my own hard drive and 4 gb of memory and the issues happens on this and the original hardware (I always send the machine in with the original HW though).
I told them I was extremely unhappy as this is my work computer thart I use to maintain my company's website. They profusely apologized, but that doesn't help me do my job.
So I called apple care back that night after I got home and discovered the issue still persisted (do they even check their work?) and they are sending out another box.
I have installed my own hard drive and 4 gb of memory and the issues happens on this and the original hardware (I always send the machine in with the original HW though).
I told them I was extremely unhappy as this is my work computer thart I use to maintain my company's website. They profusely apologized, but that doesn't help me do my job.
So do the Mid 2009 MacBook Pro's flicker like the Late 2008 ones? My flickering is getting so bad that I can't stand it anymore. The Apple rep I spoke with last week was as helpful as he could be, but clearly the issue didn't get resolved.
I have a Mid 09 MacBook Pro that had pulsing AND screen flicker. After 2 trips to Apple and 2 logic board replacements it has finally stopped. I think what helped the Apple rep's understand what was going on was telling them as we spoke how many times it had flickered. Sending it in twice was a pain but as long this new board holds (2 months so far) I am a happy customer.
I started noticing this maybe 1/20th of a second black flash or flicker on my Late 2008 Unibody Macbook Pro that I bought in Jan. of this year. The flickering started yesterday....maybe coincidentally, the day after I installed Snow Leopard. I had never noticed the problem before I switched over to Snow Leopard. Yesterday I noticed a flickering on the top 1/4 of my screen but today I have already seen a couple of full screen flashes in the maybe 10 minutes I have been using my computer today. I hope that there is an easy solution to this but judging from previous comments it may be a trip to the apple store for me. Problem is I recently moved to Japan so this might be a little trickier than a trip to my local SF store would have been. I am looking forward to hearing what other people find out about this; I am considering waiting this out for a bit as long as I am still under the 1 year warranty.
I have the same notice (also flickering and occasional black flash). With 10.5.8 it was ok and with snow leopard i have the same issues. It might be connected with cooler control - sometimes it seems CPU reaches 90 deg. and fans are quiet for longer time. Northbridge temperature just follows CPU. It seems to be cooling problem. With 10.5.8 fans started to increase speed above 55 deg. in Snow Leopard it does not happen for a very long time. It can reach 90 deg and above (according to iStat). After i have installed coolbook it black flash is very occassional, but blickering is more visible when I start to work and it is when CPU and northbridge temps are below 38 deg.
To resume. When northbridge temp is very low screen will flicker when it gets higher black flashes will appear. The temperatures get to high because coolers do not react at all to increasing heat. The behaviour of coolers was changed by Apple because users claimed that the noise was too high - and it was too high because of cpu load (or cpu and northbridge) maybe flash?
I think if they will restore cooler behaviour to the state like in 10.5.8 it will be back to normal othervise they will replace a lot of logic boards and the issue might appear again after time. I think developers should report it to Apple.
J
I hope that fixes it for you. Please post back when you get a feel for if it fixed (or didn't fix) the problem.
On my machine, the problem seems to have largely disappeared. I've been keeping a log of every "event", every sleep/wake, and every restart, update, etc.. Over the last week, I've had the longest contiguous stretch of sleep/wake cycles without any symptoms. My usage hasn't changed a bit. Same room temps, too. I just put the Mac to sleep, and wake it up normally - only now (over 8 contiguous sleep/wake cycles) *poof* no more flashes on wake (I still never see them during normal usage - only immediately after waking).
So, I await with great interest any news on your machine. I'm still hopeful I won't have to send mine in - especially now that there's an improvement. On the other hand, I hate to have any change happen without knowing why. Arrgh...
I'll post my feedback as soon as I know something.
I understand your frustration. It took me longtime to decide to bring it to Apple. There were days/weeks where I didn't get flashes at all and then it started again. I could live with it since it wasn't more that 3-4 a day but I told my self that if I paid 2300 for a notebook, it should not have such issues.
Now I really hope that when I get it back, there won't be other "new" issues which could lead into a endless back and forth between me and Apple care. At least there is a Apple store where I live
Tex
They knew the problem? Interesting. Did they say anything about it? Did they tell you what they're going to replace?
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A400 Safari/528.16)
Well the guy just called me and said that thry could not reproduce the problem with their software ...
So I will get it back without any replacement damn that sucks. What shall I do ? I also cant reproduce it since it is VERY random.
jomama7366 said:
Well the guy just called me and said that thry could not reproduce the problem with their software ...
So I will get it back without any replacement
damn that sucks. What shall I do ? I also cant reproduce it since it is VERY random.Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A400 Safari/528.16)
Well the guy just called me and said that thry could not reproduce the problem with their software ...
So I will get it back without any replacement
Mine was fixed without needing to reproduce the issue. It seemed as though they were aware of the problem occurring although they didn't admit to this of course. If it makes any difference I brought my machine back to the Apple store in White City (London, UK)
So I have it back. They said that they made a software test with a kind of Apple utility but could not find any error.
If the problem persist I have to bring it back ....
so this was a total useless story
EDIT: 30 mins later .. flash. So on monday I will again spend 1h in the traffic jam ..
If the problem persist I have to bring it back ....
so this was a total useless story
EDIT: 30 mins later .. flash. So on monday I will again spend 1h in the traffic jam ..
So I have it back. They said that they made a software test with a kind of Apple utility but could not find any error.
If the problem persist I have to bring it back ....
so this was a total useless story
EDIT: 30 mins later .. flash. So on monday I will again spend 1h in the traffic jam ..
Wow. Sorry you have to go through that. It's one other reason I don't want to bring it in: Murphy law says it'll perform perfectly in front of someone who can do something about the fault.
So far, still no flashes here through a couple more sleep/wake cycles.
So I have it back. They said that they made a software test with a kind of Apple utility but could not find any error.
If the problem persist I have to bring it back ....
so this was a total useless story
EDIT: 30 mins later .. flash. So on monday I will again spend 1h in the traffic jam ..
This is EXACTLY why I have been so frustrated with this problem. The closest Apple store is in an town an hour away. The last thing I have wanted was to waste my time by bringing it to the store, or sending it to Apple, just to have them not see any evidence of the problem, and send it back to me or send me on my way. That totally stinks, Tex. I, too, am sorry to hear that they put you through that.
I want to report, though, that an Apple Certified Tech in my town is willing to perform a logic board replacement---he believes me that I have the flash (without seeing it himself---this seems to be a key in getting something done about this problem we're having), and agrees that a logic board replacement is in order. So, I'm brining it in tomorrow. Crossing my fingers. I'll report back.
Oh, the tech tried to run a hardware test on my machine, and the test wouldn't even start! He said that 8 times out of 10 that suggests a hardware problem, which made him even more willing to order the logic board. Strange. Not sure if it was my machine, or if it was something with the test, or them using the wrong test?, or what. Anyway...
I would recommend that you either try to find a Certified Tech near you and try what I got going, or talk again to Apple, tell them about our experiences, and insist (politely of course---anger usually gets one nowhere in situations like this) that they give you the benefit of the doubt, ESPECIALLY since they've already wasted your time on this already.
At least, that's my 2 cents.
You may find this interesting, but when I have my apple cinema screen hooked up, my MBP LCD screen will flicker, but the cinema is fine.
Maybe an LCD screen issue? If so, that could be an expensive recall, one that apple would try to keep in the dark.
Maybe an LCD screen issue? If so, that could be an expensive recall, one that apple would try to keep in the dark.
I had the strobing (flickering) problem on the 9600 only. Despite the Genius' best efforts not to, he ended up sending it in for repair for me. I had told him that it was the Logic Board. He said that there is no issue (even though he clearly saw it).
It came back. Logic Board was replaced. No strobing on the 9600!
Now there is strobing on the 9400.
It came back. Logic Board was replaced. No strobing on the 9600!
Now there is strobing on the 9400.
Hello,
so I made a clean install of SL but the problem is still there. I contacted AppleCare and here is what the store said:
...
it must be a cover-up. How could Apple not know about the flickering issue by now?
Left mine at The Apple Store last Thursday. They gave me the same 4-day estimate. Tech said he had one with the same problem before it was fixed. Missing my MBP.
I am sorry to read about your experience, Tex-Twil. I hope the same will not be true of mine, and that your vindication and resolution will come soon.
I am sorry to read about your experience, Tex-Twil. I hope the same will not be true of mine, and that your vindication and resolution will come soon.
In the last days, the flashing became very rare so I will do nothing now. If it starts again I will bring it to another AppleStore. The one that refused to fix it wasn't a real "AppleStore". It was a Apple reseller or something. How they reacted really pi**** me off.
Good to hear. I'm still very interested in seeing how many are actually fixed by parts replacement.
I still have the issue upon wake, from time to time. Consistently fixed by switching to 9400, then back to 9600. I won't see the issue until [usually] many sleep/wake cycles. I'm betting it won't show up the minute I take it in or ship it to Apple. Since it's fixable, and doesn't happen during normal use, I'm still in the "wait and see" boat - especially, as I've mentioned, everything else is perfect (especially zero dead pixels).
Hope yours is fixed for good. Please post back results (good or bad) after you've run it for a bit.