YIKES!!! That's not right!

[UltraNEO*]

Has anything like this happened to anyone else?
Cause I don't know and I'm not sure what happened... I'd thought maybe some folks here might be able to shed some light on it's possible causes? It's just it's a bit odd, cause it didn't affect any other application, other than those which used core-image... such as Photoshop & LightRoom.

Initial Load


After a restart!


Don't worry though, I've managed to solved it. After a few restarts, deletion of the applications, associated prefs and support files.

 

[GoCubsGo]

What graphics card do you have?

 

[UltraNEO*]

What graphics card do you have?

ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT:

Chipset Model: ATI Radeon HD 2600
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
Slot: Slot-1
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x9588
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-B1480A-252
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.252
Displays:

Cinema HD:
Display Type: LCD
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
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

 

[zmttoxics]

Looks like something got corrupted like a library. So hard to tell, because that could also be a graphics driver issue or a graphics card issue. Glad its working now though!

 

[AdiosVista]

I just had a very similar issue! I have a Mac Pro 8-core less than a couple months old and within the first month it did this same weird graphics problem about 3 times. It seemed completely random and not tied to any one application. I thought it might have been the OWC ram but all hardware tests passed (extended apple test and Rember test). When the issue occurred, I would restart and then everything was back to normal. Very concerning not knowing the issue though. I eventually sent out for a replacement 2600 since it is still under warranty and Apple didn't charge me anything because I mailed the original back. I'm not positive the problem won't happen again but if it does, at least then I can rule out the video card.

Here is the thread I started when I ran into this. You can see pictures on there as well to compare if this is similar to your issue. Please do keep us posted on what happens.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/584687/

 

[Chaszmyr]

The Radeon X1900 is known for this kind of problem (it overheats, causes horrible artifacts), I don't know about the 2600 though...

 

[NewSc2]

Just FYI I had that problem on my MBP a couple times. I think it's an overheating thing.

 

[UltraNEO*]

OK... Seems the problem isn't limited to my applications. Now I' seeing those graphic corruptions when the system's screensaver is active. What should I do? Get it checked by Apple or wait till something dies?

 

[AdiosVista]

OK... Seems the problem isn't limited to my applications. Now I' seeing those graphic corruptions when the system's screensaver is active. What should I do? Get it checked by Apple or wait till something dies?

I think that is already a good sign something is on it's last leg. Have you added any RAM or do you have multiple modules? I would start by taking all but one out, see if the problem persists. If yes, swap that module out and try a different, see if problem disappears. Keep repeating until you have tested all your RAM. If that's not the issue, then I would definitely call Apple Care and have them ship you a DIY video card kit, swap those, send the old card back. Those would be the two likely culprits. If neither of these fix the problem, bring it in.

 

[pyramid6]

I've seen this kind of problem before. It usually means the graphics card is getting corrupt, either through heat, or damage on the card. It happens in Windows with games, too.

If you can reproduce the problem reliably, take it to Apple, they'll fix it. If you can't reproduce the problem every time, wait for it to break, then take it to Apple. Or just take it to Apple. Especially, if it is easy and under warranty.

 

[ntrigue]

This occurs on my MBA during intense heat.

 

[UltraNEO*]

I think that is already a good sign something is on it's last leg. Have you added any RAM or do you have multiple modules? I would start by taking all but one out, see if the problem persists. If yes, swap that module out and try a different, see if problem disappears. Keep repeating until you have tested all your RAM. If that's not the issue, then I would definitely call Apple Care and have them ship you a DIY video card kit, swap those, send the old card back. Those would be the two likely culprits. If neither of these fix the problem, bring it in.

The entire machine is barely five months old. I think it's passed the burn in process with flying colours as it's always on!

I've added lots of system ram, upgraded it from the initial 2Gb to a massive 20GB! From daily usage, I know it's not the system RAM!! Cause various applications including FCP, Compressor, Motion, Photoshop even the OS has been completely stable!! I just get Random and very annoying screen corruptions.. Each and every time it occurs I have no choice but to save what I'm doing and restart! If anything it's time consuming!

I've seen this kind of problem before. It usually means the graphics card is getting corrupt, either through heat, or damage on the card. It happens in Windows with games, too.

If you can reproduce the problem reliably, take it to Apple, they'll fix it. If you can't reproduce the problem every time, wait for it to break, then take it to Apple. Or just take it to Apple. Especially, if it is easy and under warranty.

That's the problem.. I can't force it!! It just happens unexpectedly. I've try restarting my system a few times, rebuilt the entire system cache, both of which seemed to help for now.

 

[waffle911]

That looks like what happens when I tried to play the Mac version of EVE Online on my old GMA950 MacBook. Basically, it happened because A. It got too hot which was a result of B. It just wasn't nearly powerful enough to handle it.

If you're doing heavy video-intensive tasks on a 2600 on a 30" monitor, I'd say that could be a potential problem right there. The 2600 is a basic mid-range card from two generations ago and is mostly only marginally useful for powering a resolution no higher than, say, 1680x1050 for 3D or 1920x1200 for 2D. To be honest, its a shame Apple even allows a Mac Pro to ship with something so wimpy. I wouldn't recommend running less than two for anything graphics-oriented. Better yet would have been the 8800 GT, which was a generation ahead of the 2600 XT, and should be at least powerful enough for anything short of rendering 3D animation.
Then again, I could be dead wrong in my analysis. It wouldn't be the first time.

 

[UltraNEO*]

That looks like what happens when I tried to play the Mac version of EVE Online on my old GMA950 MacBook. Basically, it happened because A. It got too hot which was a result of B. It just wasn't nearly powerful enough to handle it.

If you're doing heavy video-intensive tasks on a 2600 on a 30" monitor, I'd say that could be a potential problem right there. The 2600 is a basic mid-range card from two generations ago and is mostly only marginally useful for powering a resolution no higher than, say, 1680x1050 for 3D or 1920x1200 for 2D. To be honest, its a shame Apple even allows a Mac Pro to ship with something so wimpy. I wouldn't recommend running less than two for anything graphics-oriented. Better yet would have been the 8800 GT, which was a generation ahead of the 2600 XT, and should be at least powerful enough for anything short of rendering 3D animation.
Then again, I could be dead wrong in my analysis. It wouldn't be the first time.

From various online tests, the 8800 GTS is actually slower than the 2600 XT when it comes to Core-image calculations, even with double the RAM it's still slower! Your absolutely correct in thinking it's a faster card, it is... but only for OpenGL based applications, the most likely scenario where you'd use OpenGL is in games. But for anything else, the default card is better! And the FireGL cards are only useful for 3D work I believe.

I am thinking of upgrading to the Mac version of the ATI HD 3870. However, they're not readily available here in Japan, atleast not where I am... Maybe I'll pick on up in Tokyo this weekend.

 

[nanofrog]

IIRC, OWC does ship internationally.

No idea if it would be worth it considering the shipping involved.

 

[AdiosVista]

The entire machine is barely five months old. I think it's passed the burn in process with flying colours as it's always on!

I've added lots of system ram, upgraded it from the initial 2Gb to a massive 20GB! From daily usage, I know it's not the system RAM!! Cause various applications including FCP, Compressor, Motion, Photoshop even the OS has been completely stable!! I just get Random and very annoying screen corruptions.. Each and every time it occurs I have no choice but to save what I'm doing and restart! If anything it's time consuming!

Just because it's "only" five months old doesn't mean a thing. My new mac Pro was less than a WEEK old and I was having these same issues. And one or more of your RAM modules can still be bad even though some apps seem to run fine. You should do the Apple hardware test (Extended) and also download Rember to test memory.

I had this same exact problem and after replacing the video card, never happened again. Test your RAM, replace video card (it's free if you have Apple Care, just send back the old one). You just need to start testing the hardware and eliminating possible culprits.