Bad video RAM causing dots and lines

Hi,
For some days there is a rendering error on my iMac G5 1.5 GHz (Tiger 10.4.11) : Dock, all menus, all message boxes are displaying with strange pattern overlayed on top. See http://snowflakejoins.com/forumhelper/desk.png and http://snowflakejoins.com/forumhelper/pattern.png
The Hardware test confirmed there are problems with the VRAM (Error code 2ATI/1/4 113-xxxxx-117)
The iMac's serial number is not one of those affected by the bad capacitors problems. To be sure, just opened the computer, and capacitors are ok.
Temporarily, found a workaround to disable Quartz Extreme here: http://discussions.apple.com/profile.jspa?userID=1606440. All the desktop icons, the dock etc are ok. There are small artifacts around the mouse pointer, but basically the computer is usable. Some eye-candy is gone, for example the topsites in Safari
Any ideas if VRAM will continue to degrade ? Could this be fixed by re-soldering the GPU and/or VRAM on the logic board ?
-Alex

Hi
harware test is on the "apple disk 1". Reboot and hold "option" key (the one near the apple logo). Select "harware test" . For 1.5 gb of ram complete test takes about one hour...
To disable Quartz see here: http://felipecruz.com/g5-freeze-ups-problem.php
Alex

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http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/694/picture001vn.jpg
The refresh distortion makes it a bit hard to see, but there's definitely an "x" shaped distortion running through the center.
Now that I'm halfway through writing this response, however, the problem seems to have spontaneously fixed itself. It's been only a few hours after I first noticed it. I'm wondering, could it be related to some other problems I've been having? I've been having issues on and off for the past few months. For example, after reading this article, I've seen all of the problems illustrated in the first three images at least once. I've seen much fewer problems after getting brand new drivers a few months back, but I've still had problems here and there. Usually it'll work fine, but occasionally the screen will freeze for two seconds during a game, then all the textures in the game will shuffle themselves around. At this point, spiking sometimes appears, and the problems will persist until I either restart or the computer crashes.
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Quote from: Svet on 10-August-11, 02:47:54
Can you show how it should look to compare it to yours?
Also it could be some kind of monitor issue, have you tried with other one?
I apologize that imageshack seems to have drastically lowered the quality of my images. It does seem very hard to distinguish between what's refresh distortion from taking a photo of a computer, what's jpeg artifacts, and what's the actual issue, but I assure you the problem is still visible.
Here's how it should look
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/3350/picture003wt.jpg
Here's a copy of the original picture with the 'x' shaped lines emphasized. I have drawn arrows pointing to the problem, which manifests as two straight diagonal lines forming an 'x' across the color picker.
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3558/linesx.jpg
I'll point out that this problem appeared to be linked to specific colors. I noticed it in both 2D images and 3D games. The photo is just there to show that with all the available colors displayed on a color picker, the problem manifested itself in a distinct pattern relative to some colors.
And no, I haven't tried it with another monitor. Like I said, the problem spontaneously fixed itself halfway through writing the original post so I couldn't test it. I'm posting here mainly because it's the third video problem I've seen so far that's been listed in this article as a symptom of bad video ram. Of course it's hard to isolate these problems because they seem to come and go. Occasionally it'll get really bad, then after a restart it'll be fine for a week or two.
Quote
Also check cables and connections, especially if you use VGA - digital cabling shouldn't be impacted.
I'm using a DVI connector, so no VGA.
Quote
also what PSU you use?
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Beaneebar wrote:
I don't have AppleCare and my computer is no longer under warranty, so if I have to take it in, how much do you think it will cost me?
If the machine matches your profile, Mac OS X (10.7.4), iMac 27', 2012 model, refurbished, then it should be covered under the first year of use. Contact Apple's Express Lane and verify. If it is, then after getting it fixed, purchase AppleCare—the cheapest insurance policy available for Macs.

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Last edited by Zonqt (2013-01-11 17:10:49)

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Hi Drago
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- Restore to factory settings/new iOS device.
If still problem, make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store since it appears you have a hardware problem.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar
Apple will exchange your iPod for a refurbished one for $99 fr a 16 GB 4G. They do not fix yours.
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Hello,
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Hello all.
About three days ago, I purchased a laptop (Toshiba L350D, released about July '09 I believe) second hand on a good deal.
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[http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/philkensebben/Capture4.png|http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/philkensebben/Capture4.png]
You can see them to the right of words and if you look close enough, also surrounding various letters in the Google logo.
[http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/philkensebben/Capture2.png|http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/philkensebben/Capture2.png]
Not especially clear here (sorry), but the greyed out words in the address bar are very ghosted.
Also, it appears to have replaced solid areas of colours like grey, with a 'dotty' green colour.
[http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/philkensebben/Capture1.png|http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/philkensebben/Capture1.png]
It appears this issue has also spread onto video, where areas of green are now appearing at random points.
[http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/philkensebben/Capture5.png|http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/philkensebben/Capture5.png]
I have updated the display drivers with the latest ones available from here, which sadly made no difference.
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Toshiba L350D
AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Ql-65 2.1GHz
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250 GB HDD
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If an external display (a monitor plugged into the laptop) shows no sign of the fault you can presume the the graphics chip is not at fault, after all it's working fine on the external monitor! If this is the case you don't need a new motherboard. I have repaired many graphic chip faults on laptop motherboards, and find that toshiba are usually quite good at not getting this type of fault.
I would suggest that the problem is more likely to be related to the cable that connects your screen to the laptops board (this is if the lines are vertical). Try moving the screen about on it's hinge and see if the problem goes, you can also slightly twist the screen and see if the problem goes. If you are not confidant to do the job yourself take it to a confident repair shop and they will be able to diagnose the problem. If the lines are horizontal it may well point to a capacitor problem which once again is not a new motherboard, just a decent repair centre which can identify the fault and repair it by replacing new capacitors on your board.
Hope this helps.

TechTools Deluxe (Re: Video RAM and reinstall)

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Video RAM
Failed
Video RAM, as all components of your video circuitry, must be fully functional for graphics to be properly displayed. Damaged VRAM can cause missing bits, screen noise, system lock ups, or freezes. TechTool Deluxe tests the VRAM on the Macintosh main logic board, as well as some third-party video cards.
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o Quit all other applications.
o Restart the system.
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as for 10.4.6 I downloaded it the other day.
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Bad video RAM causing dots and lines

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