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daveedjackson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 6, 2009
400
262
London
So I’ve posted about this before but I’m running out of patience. I’ve had my Mac Pro 6,1 trash can since release. Ironically in the first few weeks of owning it I had a fault., naturally 7£k is a big chunk of money, so with it being so new it was replaced outright by Apple. This in recent months I’ve been told voids any consumer law claims against a unit because it doesn’t have a valid purchase date: or so I was told by Apple when they tried to put through a subsequent claim through the stores system. Even though on the paperwork I have it states “date of purchase” again something which seems odd, a system replaced by the manufacturer. I was also never informed of this when they replaced it outright.

Which leads me into my issue. In 2016 I decided to upgrade my display from the old school Apple Cinema Display. Worked like a dream but I needed more resolution. I’d been working in an agency using an Asus 4k without issue on a similar setup so decided that would be perfect. Within a few days of use I had noticed a flicker in the top corner of the display. Spoke to ASUS and they swapped it for another unit. Same issue with that so I booked it in with Apple. Was told it was down to a graphics card issue and they would replace the D700’s. Got it back after the CPU riser and GPU had also replace and same flicker was present. Changed the display, ordered a Dell, approved for use with the MP Thought maybe it was a manufacturer problem as at the time Apple only worked with certain thunderbolt displays. Same issue. At this point I’d tried several cables and configurations dual cable, single cable etc. Subsequently fast forward to now, on my second Dell (different model). Flicker remains. I had some down time where I had some family problems to deal with. Early 2019 I start looking back into it. At this point constant flicker has started giving me headaches.and honestly I have to use the system for work so just get in with it. Go through various tech calls which result in taking the Mac to the Apple store. Visit the Apple store 4 times, all of which have never been able to verify the issue because they have always used an adaptor to thunderbolt or hdmi. My issue only occurs directly from thunderbolt to system. The third time, I’m told I have to pay for the repair as it’s out of warranty even though at that stage they don’t know what /If the repair will work because they haven’t seen the issue they are trying to fix. So were willing to charge me and replace something which was not even known if it wold fix the issue. It was just bonkers. Also a legacy issue reported many times. I was told then that it would be doable under consumer law, which led to their internal system saying my system was invalid because it didn’t have a purchase date (back to my comment earlier about that)

at this stage my only option to verify the problem was to lug my 32inch display to store, almost instantly the issue was witnessed by the store manager and tech. At this point I’m told by the genius the stores now have to pay for replacements apposed to when it used to come out do the big Apple pot so they don’t just replace anymore. It must now be budgeted at each store. Not my concern as the customer. And to think they won’t replace it because it’ll bump the stores spending, well, go figure. The store keep my display to do whatever they need and call the next day, telling me they had fixed it. It was an issue because the display was running in scaled resolution. So nothing repaired. Now I’m pretty technical. And had tried it in scaled, default and any variation to see if it fixed it. And of course the tech guys on support would have checked that too. But they were adamant it was that. I also at the stage asked them to check any of the macs in the store, none of theirs flickered, in scaled pr not but they also didn’t have any identical configurations in. So I went to collect it, I should have checked In store, alas I didn’t and collected and took it home. To my amazement, I had been totally lied to. Fobbed off. Plugged it in and there (the flicker) was. At this point my levels of anger/disappointment were pretty high. I’m over it. I’ve literally bent over backwards. Done several clean installs. gone back and forth with logs. Back in the technical support department over the phone who have referred it higher and higher and higher with no answers. I joked with my super tech guy who is amazing, who has taken the project under him, but I guess he still has to deal with the internal politics, and hands are tied to some extent. I joked with him in April yes APRIL it’d be great to sort it before Christmas- and here we are.

When does someone from Apple customer service step in and say enough is enough. It has a fault. Fix it, replace it. I’d just like a system which works without fault. It’s now been verified, seen by apple. Is that too much to ask? It was reported under warranty. I have been fobbed off for months/years. And I’m stuck. No one seems to give a crap it has just been referred to higher up folk in management but they also don’t seem to care. Organise calls and then nothing. At the time it was the companies most expensive system. And I really feel utterly disappointed and taken advantage of. gone are my rights. They have taken my money and don’t want to know.

What’s interesting is was told it wasn’t hardware but a software issue. But over the course of my fault since 2016 I’ve upgraded to every version of OSX yet issue has remained. I’ve called hire facilities, spoken with agencies and not one other with the same spec has the same issue, suggesting it not a software issue but hardware.

As a huge Apple fanboy, and having a whole mac ecosystem, this does make me question my brand loyalty.
 
Last edited:

w4rmk

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2006
286
84
I have been using a 2013 Trashcan Mac Pro with dual D300 video cards for a few months and was very happy with it. I had been searching around for another Trashcan so I could have one in my upstairs business office and one downstairs in my personal office. About a month ago I ran across a good deal on Craiglist for a used 2013 Mac Pro. It has the 6 core CPU and the dual D700 video cards. The owner who I purchased it from was using it with dual Apple Thunderbolt displays and I checked everything out at his office prior to the purchase. I get it home and plug it into my AOC 40" 4k Display and do a transfer of all my software/settings from my MacBook Pro. I adjusted the resolution to 2304x1296 which is my preferred resolution on this monitor with all my Apple products. To be clear I have never had any issues with the AOC monitor with my D300 Trashcan. Immediately after the full restore on the D700 trashcan I start using the Google Chrome browser (which is my browser of choice) and my display starts going crazy. Weird lines, video cutting in and out, screen would actually go dark and then come back on. Just all kinds of whacky stuff. It appeared that Chrome was what made the display really go crazy. When using Safari or other apps I only got mild and occasional lines that show up in the top right corner of the display. I don't like Safari and even then the display was still having issues. To be clear the display has weird vertical lines that show up at random times in the top corner in ANY app, but Google Chrome really makes the issue evident as you can see in the video.

Here is a video I shot showing the issue using Google Chrome on the D700 trashcan:


I figured it was likely the D700 video cards that were causing the issue. So I performed the following test: I took both of the D700 cards out of the Mac Pro and moved the over to my first Mac Pro with the D300 cards (yes this is a pretty extreme test). It wasn't an issue for me as I am completely familiar with the disassembly process. And I confirmed that the issue was now present on the older Mac Pro and it was doing the same thing. So that confirmed that it was definitely an issue with the D700 cards. I put the D700 cards back into the 6 core Trashcan and contacted Apple through online chat and requested a repair. I paid the flat-fee repair cost of $490 and shipped the Mac Pro to Apple with a detailed description of the problem and a link to the video above showing the issue. It came back 3 days later with a repair order that listed the following:

We replaced these parts:
661-7547 B-Graphics Board 6GB VRAM D700 AMD FirePro
923-0684 Bus Bars Graphic Board
923-0500 Cable Flex Graphics Board
923-0500 Cable Flex Graphics Board

I was very happy and excited to have the D700 trashcan back and all fixed. I quickly hooked it up to my display, adjusted the resolution, transferred all my files/settings over and fired up Google Chrome.. And guess what!! Exact same issue! I figured ok maybe these D700 video cards have a compatibility issue with my AOC monitor. So after a lot of research I ordered a brand new LG 43” 4k display (Model 43UD79). I waited a week for the new monitor to arrive. In the meantime, I went back to using my old 2013 Mac Pro with the D300 video cards which has never given me any issues what-so-ever. The new LG monitor arrived and I quickly plugged in the D700 trashcan via DisplayPort and guess what!! Exact same issue! I contacted Apple Support and explained the whole story. They arranged for me to ship the D700 trashcan back for another round of service. I was told that this time it would receive what they call “white glove” service. Which they said means that their technicians would go over every part with a fine-tooth comb. I packed up the D700 trashcan and sent it back to Apple via Fedex. A few days after they received it I got an email saying they couldn’t find anything wrong and could I please answer a slew of questions. I answered every question they asked in the email and again forwarded them the video showing the issue. A few days later I got an email saying it was on its way back to me. The repair summary included in the box said they could not find anything wrong with it. So that is where this story is now. The D700 trashcan has been sitting in the corner of my office waiting until I have enough time to setup an in-person Genius bar appointment so I can show them exactly what is going on because I am not getting anywhere with mail-in service. I have a 90 day warranty period to have them fix the issue (if they can figure it out). I paid Apple $490 for service that did nothing. The D700 trashcan has the same issue now that it had before I paid them and sent it in for service the first time.

I still have some additional tests I want to try including checking the issue connected over HDMI, checking the issue at full 4k resolution and checking the issue on a 27” lower resolution monitor that I have laying around. In the end it really doesn’t matter if the issue doesn’t appear in these scenarios because it’s clear the D700 graphics cards have a real problem at 4k.

At this point I am tempted to ask them to downgrade the graphics and swap out the D700 cards for D500 or D300. Not sure if that is an option but I am going to ask.

Meanwhile my low-end D300 trashcan hums along happy as can be with no display issues at any resolution.

Thanks,
Richard
 
Last edited:

daveedjackson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 6, 2009
400
262
London
Hmm very interesting, at this stage, the system for my is not fit for purpose if it is an issue they know about. The store in my case had tested the d700’s on another of them systems, without fault. and I’ve asked many people if they have issues. There was a graphics repair programme which is what my initial repair was.
Thanks for your comments :)
 

now i see it

macrumors G4
Jan 2, 2002
11,225
24,160
it's not uncommon for Apple techs to give customers the runaround- denying a problem exists when it absolutely does. There's no "white glove" service treatment from Apple. It's Turn em & Burn em.
 

w4rmk

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2006
286
84
Did some additional testing this afternoon:
  • The issue does occur when connected by DisplayPort at 4k regardless of scaling. Even at full 4k resolution with no scaling the display issue occurs.
  • I tried connecting over HDMI to my LG 4k display. The mac pro will not support 60hz even though I had it connected to one of the 60hz HDMI inputs. The refresh rate doesn't have 60hz as an option in display settings. I could not get the issue to occur connected over HDMI at 30hz.
  • I tested with an Asus 27" monitor at 2560x1440 connected over DisplayPort and I could not reproduce the display issue.
 

daveedjackson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 6, 2009
400
262
London
For me this makes no difference. Any and every display I’ve been through. Two Asus, 3 Dell all do it. All via thunderbolt only. Nothing to do with any other connection.
 

Snow Tiger

macrumors 6502a
Dec 18, 2019
854
634
I have been using a 2013 Trashcan Mac Pro with dual D300 video cards for a few months and was very happy with it. I had been searching around for another Trashcan so I could have one in my upstairs business office and one downstairs in my personal office. About a month ago I ran across a good deal on Craiglist for a used 2013 Mac Pro. It has the 6 core CPU and the dual D700 video cards. The owner who I purchased it from was using it with dual Apple Thunderbolt displays and I checked everything out at his office prior to the purchase. I get it home and plug it into my AOC 40" 4k Display and do a transfer of all my software/settings from my MacBook Pro. I adjusted the resolution to 2304x1296 which is my preferred resolution on this monitor with all my Apple products. To be clear I have never had any issues with the AOC monitor with my D300 Trashcan. Immediately after the full restore on the D700 trashcan I start using the Google Chrome browser (which is my browser of choice) and my display starts going crazy. Weird lines, video cutting in and out, screen would actually go dark and then come back on. Just all kinds of whacky stuff. It appeared that Chrome was what made the display really go crazy. When using Safari or other apps I only got mild and occasional lines that show up in the top right corner of the display. I don't like Safari and even then the display was still having issues. To be clear the display has weird vertical lines that show up at random times in the top corner in ANY app, but Google Chrome really makes the issue evident as you can see in the video.

Here is a video I shot showing the issue using Google Chrome on the D700 trashcan:


I figured it was likely the D700 video cards that were causing the issue. So I performed the following test: I took both of the D700 cards out of the Mac Pro and moved the over to my first Mac Pro with the D300 cards (yes this is a pretty extreme test). It wasn't an issue for me as I am completely familiar with the disassembly process. And I confirmed that the issue was now present on the older Mac Pro and it was doing the same thing. So that confirmed that it was definitely an issue with the D700 cards. I put the D700 cards back into the 6 core Trashcan and contacted Apple through online chat and requested a repair. I paid the flat-fee repair cost of $490 and shipped the Mac Pro to Apple with a detailed description of the problem and a link to the video above showing the issue. It came back 3 days later with a repair order that listed the following:

We replaced these parts:
661-7547 B-Graphics Board 6GB VRAM D700 AMD FirePro
923-0684 Bus Bars Graphic Board
923-0500 Cable Flex Graphics Board
923-0500 Cable Flex Graphics Board

I was very happy and excited to have the D700 trashcan back and all fixed. I quickly hooked it up to my display, adjusted the resolution, transferred all my files/settings over and fired up Google Chrome.. And guess what!! Exact same issue! I figured ok maybe these D700 video cards have a compatibility issue with my AOC monitor. So after a lot of research I ordered a brand new LG 43” 4k display (Model 43UD79). I waited a week for the new monitor to arrive. In the meantime, I went back to using my old 2013 Mac Pro with the D300 video cards which has never given me any issues what-so-ever. The new LG monitor arrived and I quickly plugged in the D700 trashcan via DisplayPort and guess what!! Exact same issue! I contacted Apple Support and explained the whole story. They arranged for me to ship the D700 trashcan back for another round of service. I was told that this time it would receive what they call “white glove” service. Which they said means that their technicians would go over every part with a fine-tooth comb. I packed up the D700 trashcan and sent it back to Apple via Fedex. A few days after they received it I got an email saying they couldn’t find anything wrong and could I please answer a slew of questions. I answered every question they asked in the email and again forwarded them the video showing the issue. A few days later I got an email saying it was on its way back to me. The repair summary included in the box said they could not find anything wrong with it. So that is where this story is now. The D700 trashcan has been sitting in the corner of my office waiting until I have enough time to setup an in-person Genius bar appointment so I can show them exactly what is going on because I am not getting anywhere with mail-in service. I have a 90 day warranty period to have them fix the issue (if they can figure it out). I paid Apple $490 for service that did nothing. The D700 trashcan has the same issue now that it had before I paid them and sent it in for service the first time.

I still have some additional tests I want to try including checking the issue connected over HDMI, checking the issue at full 4k resolution and checking the issue on a 27” lower resolution monitor that I have laying around. In the end it really doesn’t matter if the issue doesn’t appear in these scenarios because it’s clear the D700 graphics cards have a real problem at 4k.

At this point I am tempted to ask them to downgrade the graphics and swap out the D700 cards for D500 or D300. Not sure if that is an option but I am going to ask.

Meanwhile my low-end D300 trashcan hums along happy as can be with no display issues at any resolution.

Thanks,
Richard

Shame Apple didn't replace both graphics boards with new units at the same time . The D500 and D700 cards suffer from thermal fatigue issues due to the poor cooling the small chassis provides . The rough PCIe discrete version of the D700 - the AMD 7950 - is a gorgeous and powerful card even today when installed in a more traditional workstation chassis , like a Mac Pro 5,1 . Your best option might be to use an eGPU now .
 

w4rmk

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2006
286
84
Shame Apple didn't replace both graphics boards with new units at the same time . The D500 and D700 cards suffer from thermal fatigue issues due to the poor cooling the small chassis provides . The rough PCIe discrete version of the D700 - the AMD 7950 - is a gorgeous and powerful card even today when installed in a more traditional workstation chassis , like a Mac Pro 5,1 . Your best option might be to use an eGPU now .

I am going to perform a test and run with only 1 graphics card connected and try each card individually to see if one is failing and one is not.
 
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daveedjackson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 6, 2009
400
262
London
I have been using a 2013 Trashcan Mac Pro with dual D300 video cards for a few months and was very happy with it. I had been searching around for another Trashcan so I could have one in my upstairs business office and one downstairs in my personal office. About a month ago I ran across a good deal on Craiglist for a used 2013 Mac Pro. It has the 6 core CPU and the dual D700 video cards. The owner who I purchased it from was using it with dual Apple Thunderbolt displays and I checked everything out at his office prior to the purchase. I get it home and plug it into my AOC 40" 4k Display and do a transfer of all my software/settings from my MacBook Pro. I adjusted the resolution to 2304x1296 which is my preferred resolution on this monitor with all my Apple products. To be clear I have never had any issues with the AOC monitor with my D300 Trashcan. Immediately after the full restore on the D700 trashcan I start using the Google Chrome browser (which is my browser of choice) and my display starts going crazy. Weird lines, video cutting in and out, screen would actually go dark and then come back on. Just all kinds of whacky stuff. It appeared that Chrome was what made the display really go crazy. When using Safari or other apps I only got mild and occasional lines that show up in the top right corner of the display. I don't like Safari and even then the display was still having issues. To be clear the display has weird vertical lines that show up at random times in the top corner in ANY app, but Google Chrome really makes the issue evident as you can see in the video.

Here is a video I shot showing the issue using Google Chrome on the D700 trashcan:


I figured it was likely the D700 video cards that were causing the issue. So I performed the following test: I took both of the D700 cards out of the Mac Pro and moved the over to my first Mac Pro with the D300 cards (yes this is a pretty extreme test). It wasn't an issue for me as I am completely familiar with the disassembly process. And I confirmed that the issue was now present on the older Mac Pro and it was doing the same thing. So that confirmed that it was definitely an issue with the D700 cards. I put the D700 cards back into the 6 core Trashcan and contacted Apple through online chat and requested a repair. I paid the flat-fee repair cost of $490 and shipped the Mac Pro to Apple with a detailed description of the problem and a link to the video above showing the issue. It came back 3 days later with a repair order that listed the following:

We replaced these parts:
661-7547 B-Graphics Board 6GB VRAM D700 AMD FirePro
923-0684 Bus Bars Graphic Board
923-0500 Cable Flex Graphics Board
923-0500 Cable Flex Graphics Board

I was very happy and excited to have the D700 trashcan back and all fixed. I quickly hooked it up to my display, adjusted the resolution, transferred all my files/settings over and fired up Google Chrome.. And guess what!! Exact same issue! I figured ok maybe these D700 video cards have a compatibility issue with my AOC monitor. So after a lot of research I ordered a brand new LG 43” 4k display (Model 43UD79). I waited a week for the new monitor to arrive. In the meantime, I went back to using my old 2013 Mac Pro with the D300 video cards which has never given me any issues what-so-ever. The new LG monitor arrived and I quickly plugged in the D700 trashcan via DisplayPort and guess what!! Exact same issue! I contacted Apple Support and explained the whole story. They arranged for me to ship the D700 trashcan back for another round of service. I was told that this time it would receive what they call “white glove” service. Which they said means that their technicians would go over every part with a fine-tooth comb. I packed up the D700 trashcan and sent it back to Apple via Fedex. A few days after they received it I got an email saying they couldn’t find anything wrong and could I please answer a slew of questions. I answered every question they asked in the email and again forwarded them the video showing the issue. A few days later I got an email saying it was on its way back to me. The repair summary included in the box said they could not find anything wrong with it. So that is where this story is now. The D700 trashcan has been sitting in the corner of my office waiting until I have enough time to setup an in-person Genius bar appointment so I can show them exactly what is going on because I am not getting anywhere with mail-in service. I have a 90 day warranty period to have them fix the issue (if they can figure it out). I paid Apple $490 for service that did nothing. The D700 trashcan has the same issue now that it had before I paid them and sent it in for service the first time.

I still have some additional tests I want to try including checking the issue connected over HDMI, checking the issue at full 4k resolution and checking the issue on a 27” lower resolution monitor that I have laying around. In the end it really doesn’t matter if the issue doesn’t appear in these scenarios because it’s clear the D700 graphics cards have a real problem at 4k.

At this point I am tempted to ask them to downgrade the graphics and swap out the D700 cards for D500 or D300. Not sure if that is an option but I am going to ask.

Meanwhile my low-end D300 trashcan hums along happy as can be with no display issues at any resolution.

Thanks,
Richard
Also they have issue with 5k as one of my Dell displays was a dual cable 5k. One of Apple’s so called supported displays.
 

bosozoku

macrumors regular
Feb 23, 2018
227
112
Tokyo
I am going to perform a test and run with only 1 graphics card connected and try each card individually to see if one is failing and one is not.
It will be wise action
Also, have you tried connecting it to Apple Thunderbolt Display?
 

w4rmk

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2006
286
84
It will be wise action
Also, have you tried connecting it to Apple Thunderbolt Display?

I don't have an Apple Thunderbolt display, however I suspect that it would work fine since that display is not 4k. Also the guy I purchased it from had it hooked up to dual Apple TB display's and I didn't see any issues when I was testing it prior to purchase.
 

bosozoku

macrumors regular
Feb 23, 2018
227
112
Tokyo
I don't have an Apple Thunderbolt display, however I suspect that it would work fine since that display is not 4k. Also the guy I purchased it from had it hooked up to dual Apple TB display's and I didn't see any issues when I was testing it prior to purchase.
I think it is because 4k monitors were not such a common thing in 2011 when desktop analog of D700 (7950 on Tahiti XT) was released!
D300 work swell because it is Pitcairn XT chip rom 2014!
Do not blame Apple, just concern using monitor with slightly less resolution or use some kind of upscaler
 

w4rmk

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2006
286
84
I think it is because 4k monitors were not such a common thing in 2011 when desktop analog of D700 (7950) was released!
Do not blame Apple, just monitor with slightly less resolution

The D300 (lowest end video card available) works great at 4k with no issues what-so-ever so I disagree that we should expect anything less from the models with the higher end video cards. Also Apple officially states that the 2013 Mac Pro supports 4k displays, so this is clearly an issue that should be acceptable.
 
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bosozoku

macrumors regular
Feb 23, 2018
227
112
Tokyo
The D300 (lowest end video card available) works great at 4k with no issues what-so-ever so I disagree that we should expect anything less from the models with the higher end video cards. Also Apple officially states that the 2013 Mac Pro supports 4k displays, so this is clearly an issue that should be acceptable.
have you tried https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HMUB2LL/A/lg-ultrafine-5k-display this one?
Also, I suggest checking in windows under bootcamp
Maybe it is macOS issue
 

bosozoku

macrumors regular
Feb 23, 2018
227
112
Tokyo
So you basically have 2 solutions:
If 4k is not critical just use it with 3k-2k dispalay
If it is critical just get rid of this trashcan Mac Pro or use D300 version

Topics closed
 

w4rmk

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2006
286
84
So you basically have 2 solutions:
If 4k is not critical just use it with 3k-2k dispalay
If it is critical just get rid of this trashcan Mac Pro or use D300 version

Topics closed

I disagree, I paid Apple $490 to repair the issue and the original issue is not resolved. So I am not done with Apple by a long shot.
 

bosozoku

macrumors regular
Feb 23, 2018
227
112
Tokyo
I disagree, I paid Apple $490 to repair the issue and the original issue is not resolved. So I am not done with Apple by a long shot.
The truth is, EVERY product from Apple has issues, and newer ones have more of them.
As my MBP has screen de-lamination issue, 2016-2019 mbps have kb reliability issues and so on, your Mac Pro also not an exclusion. It is sad by true.
I suggest you check in windows under Bootcamp to see if this bug is present there.
If its not, so problem is in macOS, and it likely could be fixed if you submit this issue to them.
If it is also present in Windows, so bad news, likely hardware design related issue
[automerge]1577249138[/automerge]
Personally I was considering purchase D300 version, and now I want to learn more about issues with this machines.
[automerge]1577249282[/automerge]
Go through various tech calls which result in taking the Mac to the Apple store. Visit the Apple store 4 times, all of which have never been able to verify the issue because they have always used an adaptor to thunderbolt or hdmi. My issue only occurs directly from thunderbolt to system.
SO why not to use the same adaptor?
 

daveedjackson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 6, 2009
400
262
London
The truth is, EVERY product from Apple has issues, and newer ones have more of them.
As my MBP has screen de-lamination issue, 2016-2019 mbps have kb reliability issues and so on, your Mac Pro also not an exclusion. It is sad by true.
I suggest you check in windows under Bootcamp to see if this bug is present there.
If its not, so problem is in macOS, and it likely could be fixed if you submit this issue to them.
If it is also present in Windows, so bad news, likely hardware design related issue
[automerge]1577249138[/automerge]
Personally I was considering purchase D300 version, and now I want to learn more about issues with this machines.
[automerge]1577249282[/automerge]

SO why not to use the same adaptor?
They have always used an adaptor to go into their 4k display in store/the test display. Not sure if it was even 4k. I was told on one visit the store didn’t actually have a 4k display to test it with. So having an issue specifically with a 4k display seems stupid not to actually have the ability to check properly.

What you seem not to grasp is: I bought a powerful Mac for a purpose one of its biggest selling points was that it could run several 4k displays. It doesn’t. I can’t get one to work successfully never mind 6. I want to be able to use the Mac as intended. It’s like buying a car, and the manufacturer turns around and says, of course it has a sunroof, but you can’t use it. I chose more powerful graphics because I need them, which is irrelevant. What kind of statement is: use the d300 instead.

respecfully if the product your purchasing had an issue it’s upto you to get it fixed. The delaminstion thing is a known fault. They will repair that.
 
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daveedjackson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 6, 2009
400
262
London
Spoke to my tech just before Christmas. He’s escalated the case as engineering don’t seem to have anything to say now. Some “senior management” are now involved in the case. They asked to schedule a call with me for Monday (before Xmas) he called on the Monday with nothing. The customer service folk hadn’t been in touch with him. It’s like their arsehole doesn’t know what their elbow is doing. Where the hell is the customer support.

I mean it’s not like I’ve had this issue since 2016.
 

axantas

macrumors 6502a
Jun 29, 2015
955
1,334
Home
I remember this fault ages ago with my 2013 MacPro D300. Using a Dell P2415Q 4K monitor. Unstoppable flicker, just the way, seen in the video. For my setup, the problem is solved now, might have been a firmware/driver issue. It runs the way it should.

The temporary solution which worked immediately: Run the display at 50 instead of 60Hz. There is a Utility for Mac to override the fact, that you cannot choose 50Hz.
No idea, whether this is of any help for your machine, but I got rid of all problems at 50Hz.
 

astrorider

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2008
593
127
Also they have issue with 5k as one of my Dell displays was a dual cable 5k. One of Apple’s so called supported displays.
I’ve been using a dual cable Dell in 5k on a D700 Mac Pro for the last year with no issues. I thought Apple’s repair program was for issues with these video cards manufactured during 2015, at least that’s what I remember when I was researching 2013 Mac Pros before I got mine.
 

daveedjackson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 6, 2009
400
262
London
I’ve been using a dual cable Dell in 5k on a D700 Mac Pro for the last year with no issues. I thought Apple’s repair program was for issues with these video cards manufactured during 2015, at least that’s what I remember when I was researching 2013 Mac Pros before I got mine.
The graphics cards were changed in early 2016. Which didn't fix the issue I was having. Generic response that my issue was the same. Which it wasn't.

My Dell dual cable 5k had the flicker, just as my Dell display now has the flicker, to be clear 5 displays I've purchased and tested have the flicker.

the issue is I think maybe the exact spec I have - the 12 core, with dual d700's.

The bottom line is, It's either a product wide issue affecting every exact build as I have. Which from what I can gather isn't the case as I've spoken to hire facilities/post houses, people who use them in agencies. Or it's a problem with my hardware only, in which case it needs to be fixed/replaced. I suspect it can't be a whole product line issue - otherwise apple would be getting hundreds/thousands of these complaints. To which currently there doesn't seem to be a fix - as they have been unable to fix it at all.
 
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