Mac Pro random monitor black outs and other problems

[raymondthimmes]

So I have a

Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP11.005C.B08
SMC Version: 1.7f10
Serial Number:

ATI Radeon X1900 XT:

Chipset Model: ATY,RadeonX1900
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
Slot: Slot-1
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x7249
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-A52027-140
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.140
Displays:
Cinema Display:
Resolution: 1680 x 1050
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Rotation: Supported
Display Connector:
Status: No display connected



here lately the display cuts out, the white light on the display comes on and i can't get it back and have to hard restart...

also there are horizontal, very bright, lines flow accross the screen sometimes when i use safari or my indesign photoshop etc... they go away but come back often...

and my mac often completely freezes and i only have mouse control but can't click anything and have to hard restart... I'm a graphic design student and use Adobe products every day... so you can understand my frustration

i don't have the money for any huge repairs or even a new machine and i need this to last me at least another two years till im done with school...

I was hoping someone may be familiar with my problem as I can't seem to get this to go away

 

[surflordca]

here lately the display cuts out, the white light on the display comes on and i can't get it back and have to hard restart...

also there are horizontal, very bright, lines flow accross the screen sometimes when i use safari or my indesign photoshop etc... they go away but come back often...

and my mac often completely freezes and i only have mouse control but can't click anything and have to hard restart... I'm a graphic design student and use Adobe products every day... so you can understand my frustration

i don't have the money for any huge repairs or even a new machine and i need this to last me at least another two years till im done with school...

I was hoping someone may be familiar with my problem as I can't seem to get this to go away

Don't think this will help as I think it is a graphic card problem but process of elimination, can you try the monitor on another computer? At least this way you know it's not the monitor.

 

[rikoshay]

All of your troubles could be caused by your ATI 1900 video card overheating. Before doing anything else, get a can of compressed air & blow out all of the dust in your Mac, paying particular attention to the cooling/fan unit atop your video card. This is a VERY common problem with this card. The nVIDIA 8800 GT is a common replacement, as well as a much superior video card.

 

[raymondthimmes]

All of your troubles could be caused by your ATI 1900 video card overheating. Before doing anything else, get a can of compressed air & blow out all of the dust in your Mac, paying particular attention to the cooling/fan unit atop your video card. This is a VERY common problem with this card. The nVIDIA 8800 GT is a common replacement, as well as a much superior video card.

thanks, I am going go get some

question tho, is there a chance I've damaged the machine at all by not ever cleaning it out like that?

 

[rikoshay]

thanks, I am going go get some

question tho, is there a chance I've damaged the machine at all by not ever cleaning it out like that?

It's doubtful that you've caused any damage. Your monitor would probably black out first from the overheating of the 1900. IMPORTANT: Get smcFanControl (free) to control all of your fan speeds, and iStat Pro (free) to monitor all internal temperatures.

BTW, I noticed that you have only(!) 2 GBs RAM. You will get much better performance out of your beast if you increase the RAM to at least 6 GBs. If you're a heavy graphics user (i.e. Photoshop, movie-making, gaming), make sure that you fill ALL 8 memory slots for fastest performance (Apple's recommendation), & have a total of AT LEAST 10 GBs. I have 12 GBs memory in my beast & frequently peg the Activity Monitor RAM usage monitor (for 2 cores only).