Imac 24" 3 gig screen flickering

over the last few weeks, my imac screen is flickering, and tonight quite bad, i thought it was going to go off at any minute, but after a while it seems to calm down with just the odd flicker. Ive heard story's of the inverters going down on these models, could this be whats happening? I work in IT as a technician, and the only other fault like this i have seen is on a Samsung V20 laptop (video link cable fault)
Christ Apple, i have a Trust 14" tft screen that i bought 5 years ago that still works perfectly!!!!
I think something like this should never happen on premium products like Apple computers. You dont want me going back to windows do you?
unit is just over a year old, i have mac warranty, so its another trip back to the shop.

These things do happen, they are a pain but at least you will get it fixed.
Hope you get it back quickly.
regards

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IMac 27" mid 2011 screen flickering and distortion

Hello,
About a week ago I started experiencing this issue. It appears mainly when I browse the internet using Safari. Suddenly the screen starts to flicker in different colors and the desktop image shifts and it ends in the middle of the screen and the left part of it starts right from the middle right after the left portion ends. At first I thought the video card is damaged but this ONLY happens when the OS loads, and when this whole screen distortion happens the cursor disappear and then appears a vertical dotted line instead of it. After this happens the iMac usually hangs and becomes unresponsive. I tried to do a Mountain Lion online restore but the system tells me that I do not have a connection to the internet and that the installation will not continue. I'm on wi-fi and I absolutely have an internet connection. The only thing I managed to do 4 days ago was to repair the disk permissions and repair the disk in recovery mode and the Mac was working perfectly fine until this evening when the problem appeared again. I really don't know what to do, can anyone please help?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
From what you say, your graphic card is damaged. It's normal that your graphic sometimes works correctly and others don't work properly. Make a backup of your data and take the computer to an Apple Store or reseller to get the graphic card replaced because you can't do anything more to fix this issue

IMac 21" late 09: Slow, screen flickering/tearing and odd behavior - the problem that puzzles everyone

PLEASE HELP!
My iMac 21" late -09, started acting a bit wierd a year ago. Things got worse rapidly, it got slower, the screen flickers/tears (see link below), short moments of lost internet connection, lost connection whit the keyboard (might be keyboard that is broken), almost overheats when gaming and odd behavior on some webbsites whit galleries and/or videos.
Let's begin whit the screen: it's not vertikal lines or major distortions, just a subtle horisontal line that "wanders" from bottom to topp and some lagging from time to time. Looks like this: http://cl.ly/3i2W2o3S1D2T
The wierd thing is that hi-res does not mean more "tearing". Yes the lagg and risk of tearing increases, but the connection seems to be: lots of movement=tearing. So a pixeld 240p video of people dancing can be way worse than a news debbate in1080p!?!
Lost connection whit internet and keyboard rarely happens and is probably due to something else, but thought that was good to have in mind.
Odd behavior: galleries ex: when browsing images on Facebook in fullscreen, the image sometimes jumps around in the beginning and when clicking on next the same picture might appear again or just nothing at all. When scrolling down overwiewing a gallery, the updating stops and you can't scroll down further. This problem appers mainly on FB, deviantart also acts a bit wierd but there is often small issues whit image sites. Doesn't help to switch browsers either!
Videos: Youtube is horrible to use, stops loading, dosen't start loading, erases everything loaded (grey bar disapears and reloads), refuse to switch ressolution and suddenly stops the video like it was done! "ehh.. wasn't this 2min long? Not anymore, now its 34sec!". Mainly a Youtube problem but many similar sites can be a bit problematic to use.
NO, it's not the HTML-5 problem or any standard flash issue and using a different browser dosen't help!
Worst is the fact that most of these errors are not constant! One day your watching youtube or mabey a movie in VLC, a bit laggy, but almost no problem. Next day **** brakes lose and after 2hours of struggling you are ready to stabb yourself in the face!
What i tried: Most easy buggfixes that might cause the above problems, updating most things, Switched from OS X SL to OS X ML, complete reinstall and some things i probably forgot by now. Then went to MacStore for repair, they didn't find anything wrong and said it worked fine after the standard diagnostic/repair program!?! Went home and everything was the same! Went a second time to MacStore, same result.
So I'v reinstalled a few times and it seems to improve the Mac. But 2-3weeks later every error is back, even if I barely installed or downloaded anything!?!
Any idea what this could be? Or is the graphic card broken and MacStore has a blind, inbred muppet as a technician?

No I didn't. The first time i explained the problem thoroughly and thought that they just couldn't miss such a visual error. I was wrong. The second time the technician wasn't there so i showed the above clip to the salesstaff and explained everything onceagain. Later the technician called me and we talked for 10min.
Btw, the problems always "manifests themselves", just varies between strenght and frequence.
But all other issues aside, what could cause the tearing of the screen as seen int the above clip?

IMac 10,1 screen flickers

The screen flickers after I have been on the computer for 10-15 minutes. Back in January, the hard drive failed and was replaced. Is flickering a sign that the video display is about to die, or something less of a pain in the rear?

Unfortunately I cannot help, but I have the same issue. What I observe is that it tends to get better the longer the machine runs, i.e. heat becomes it. From Leopard to Lion the iMac would not go to sleep ever, only display sleep (black screen), but the rest would be running. During that time I hardly ever had any screen flickering issues. Only when I booted up after a prolonged period of rest (the machine, not me). Under Mountain Lion it seems it's gotten past its insomnia. So I have frequent screen flickering, but after some 30 minutes of activity it tends to bget better. But I seem to observe a slow digression. That's all I can say. My Harddisk was replaced years ago by an Apple Store. I am wondering whether it's financially wise to bother with an old machine like that. But I hate to throw things away...

24" iMac Silver - screen flickers

Just pulled it out of the box today. I can't operate at anything less than full brightness or the screen flickers. I can't find any other posts on this one. I see a lot of other related issues. Anyone having this issue? Did it go away?
I can't lose this machine to apple for repairs.

same for me, When I try and use the main system brightness control at the lower levels the display tends to have uneven strips that are lighter and darker.
its like if the monitor turns on and off very rapidly, like high speed blinks, i use an app called SHADE, it dims the monitor (dont now how) the screen dont flicker anymore and its free
http://www.charcoaldesign.co.uk/shades
Unlike other solutions, Shades doesn't change your display settings, and won't screw up your monitor's colour profile.
BY THE WAY, MAYBE ITS A PROBLEM RELATED TO THE FREEZING IMACS DUE TO THE ATI GPU
fine app, right price

2012 iMac Screen flickering

I just bought a brand new, but previous generation 27" iMac a couple of weeks ago, and today I have begun experiencing some noticeable screen flickering. It doesn't go black, and there is no yellowing. I have read reports of past iMac flickering problems from 2010, etc, but haven't found much info on those bought in 2012.
Aside from hauling the computer in for service, has there ever been a fix for this? I have done all software updates that are available. Worst case, I'll take it in, but I'm checking here first.
Thanks for any help.
2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
4GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB

I had screen-flicker and color-distortion issues on my mid-2011 27" iMac about two weeks back. The issue ended up being a bad video card (AMD Radeon HD 6790M 1 GB).
If you are still in your buyer's remorse period, you can exchange your machine for another one. If not, you can always have it serviced for free under warranty

New iMac 27inch screen flickering/tearing/shutoff (continued)

This thread is a continuation of [New iMac 27inch screen flickering/tearing/shutoff|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=22 12682]. The thread was becoming too long and was causing some browsers to time out. The older thread has been locked.

citrus101 wrote:
Hi Brett L,
thank you for the coordination of this helpful thread. Are you Apple? If yes, please allow me to ask you three questions:
1) The Display Firmware stopped for over 90% the flicker issue, but what has this Firmware changed exactly?
2) Is Apple preparing a fix for the yellow tinge?
3) When will it be save to buy a new iMac?
Thank you for your efforts.
Hello Citrus.
Excellent questions.
I hope that Apple will authorize Brett L. to provide us with some clear, honest answers to them . . . although, as I pointed out before, it would seem by the latest messages that have been posted in this thread -- that is, the *original thread* -- that through their actions, Apple has already provided us with their answer -- and solution -- to the yellow tinge issue; and that is the replacement of the LCD panel.
As to what the most recent display firmware update did, I am doubtful that Apple will allow Brett to reveal that kind of information, but we can be hopeful.
As far as when it will be safe to purchase a new iMac, I seriously doubt that Apple will say anything which would suggest that it is not safe to purchase a new iMac now. What company is going to say "Don't buy our product now. It's not safe"?
For my part, I have now contacted Apple regarding the issues that I am having with my 27" iMac, and I will wait over the next few days to see how things play out. Based on the testimonies of others here, I don't expect Apple to disappoint. I have the confidence that they want to leave me a satisfied customer who will continue to purchase their products in the future.
Message was edited by: Warren Beasley

I have a late 2009 imac i am having issues with my screen flickering and getting dark

i have a late 2009 imac 21 inch i am having problems with my screen flickering ND GETTING DARK DOES THIS MEAN THAT MY COMPUTER IA FAILING

I have partly the same problem (Sceen blackening) sparodically.
2010 iMAC with I7 CPU and ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB Graphics.
If I lower the brightness to around (3 or sometimes 4 of the on screen squares F2) the issue does not happen at all. I prefer a bright screen.
The issue commenced immediately after instaalling OS X 10.8.2 update one year ago.
The current software is OS X 10.9 (13A603)
The graphics on this computer are always first rate when working properly even at maximum brightness
There are particular days and times when the problem routinely occurs.
Some of my neighbors with iMacs have similar problems.
I live adjacent to the City of London in an area where new building seems to be developing faster than the various utilities and there are known Power Network issues. Professional surge supressors make no difference.
I live in a large property with four independent ring mais. The issue is present on all four rings. I have yet to take the computer elsewhere to possibly eliminate power issues from the problem.
I am reluctant to replace an otherwise fine top of range iMac which otherwise serves me well since the same problems might be present.

My screen flickers on my imac 7.1

My screen flickers on my iMac 7.1, I have had this issue for the past two years. The screen has been replaced as well as some other hardware, I don't recall what exactly was replaced prior to the screen being replaced but once again it has returned. I once again have video of it but can't get it to upload to here but will load to youtube to view there. Any input is grately appreciated- thank you!
The link below is to the youtube video of the issue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdwN-VjVncM&feature=youtu.be

i called apple and they are sending me snow leopard so i should, *fingers crossed, be able to run the newer version of itunes. we'll find out for sure in a few days when it arrives

24" imac with second display that flickers on and off randomly

Hi, I'm a n00b here, I've read a handful of threads before posting this a I cant seem to find a definitive answer.
I have a 24" 2.4Ghz aluminium iMac and I've recently purchased a HP zr24w 24" IPS panel as a second display, connected with an apple miniDVI - DVI connector.
The screen flickers off, to totaly black every time the mac seems to be having a hard time doing something, be it fast scrolling, flash video, but someimes randomly.
I have boot camp installed with winblows vista (for work) the screen does EXACTLY the same thing, all be it less frequently. This for me rules out the Mac OS, i think it must be something video card/driver related.
Was there ever a fix for this? most of the threads seem to just die with no official answer, it would appear that MBP users were ok until the last 10.6.3 update, when the problem seems to have returned, although i think thats a different issue with the same net effect.
I have spoken to apple care and the very helpful girl I spoke to send me some logging software which I've run and sent the logs back, that may help them out someway.
Any help would be GREAT !!
many thanks
Michael

well, some time has passed, here's where I'm at so far.
I tried a friend's samsung 24" screen and all was good with the world, no flickering on and off, no black outs nothing, for days it was all fine. I swapped the HP monitor back on and it went right back to its old ways. I called HP tech support, they decided that the monitor was faulty, i returned it to where I got it from and they have sent me a new one. Which was fine, for about 7 hours!!
So, to recap, the mini-DVI to DVI adapter is fine as it worked on the samsung screen, the HP screen is brand new and exhibiting the exact same issue as the first one (cant be 2 faulty ones surely) The samsung screen was fine.
This leads me to think that there is some compatibility issue between the 24" imac and this particular (hp zr24w) monitor.
I have followed apple support's requests for data logging but they cant find anything wrong there.
I'm out of ideas, any help would be GREATLY appreciated !!!
thanks
Michael

Screen flickers then gets darker on top.

I have an early 2008 20"Imac, and I also have the 10.8. Hmm, I wonder if that is the problem, I thought it was my invertor board. No warranty on this either.
My screen flickers then the top stays a litter darker.

Have you read for possible solutions over in the "More Like This" thread over here?----------------------->

Screen flickers after boot camp 2.1 upgrade

I have been running boot camp 2.0 and WinXP for a few weeks on my iMac 24" 3.06 Ghz 4 Gb running 10.5.5. I had installed the nvidia 177.98 drivers and they improved gaming performance and work great.
I installed the boot camp 2.1 upgrade and the video drivers changed back to the boot camp 2.1 drivers. I re-installed the nvidia 177.98 drivers.
I now have two issues:
1. the monitor is listed as generic plug and play. Is there a driver for the iMac 24" display?
2. My room is dark so I use F1 to reduce the screen brightness. The whole screen flickers or flashes continuously. IF i have the brightness up near make the flickers or flashing stops. Anyone sen this or have any thoughts?
If i can't stop the flickering and flashing, I will eventually delete the WinXP system and re-create it and stick with boot camp 2.0.
..Bob

Before you re-do everything consider other options.
This is the procedure for uninstalling and installing drivers. A program called driver sweeper is required. To uninstall your old drivers you must boot into safe mode, uninstall your old drivers, use driver sweeper to eliminate any remaining fragments of your driver and then install new driver.
http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/
http://forums.guru3d.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29
Maybe you need to do 2.1 first? or use later drivers?
nVIDIA ForceWare X 179.13 for Windows XP/2K 32bit
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/drivers/xp/179.13
In the future, you might want to use something to regularly backup, but for now, WinClone can take a full snapshot image for restore, and runs in OS X. DataBackupPC from Prosoft Engineering (Data Rescue II folks) or similar backup / cloning software (Acronis doesn't support GPT and EFI, so no Mac support).

Screen flickers black

We purchased an IMac late 2010. Love the reduction in popups from our PC. Just recently noticed the screen "blanking out" during light use. Very quick reaction, no loss of power. Any advice?

I've had the same problem where my MacBook screen flickers. You need to bring it to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store and have the inverter replaced. You have to check it in though for them to do the repair, so you will be without your MacBook for a few days.

Screen Flickering Issue

When I run Java applications or games, approximately 75% of the screen flickers and the computer has to be shut down manually in order to get it working again. I have all the latest updates.
Any ideas on how to fix this?
Message was edited by: Erebus_E

3gs LS,
I don't know if it is a hardware problem. My mid-2011 MBP does the same thing when connected to an external display as your iMac. It started the moment I upgraded to Mountain Lion.
An identical MPB running Lion attached to this monitor does fine (no flickering). If I attach mine to another Cinema Display - flickering.
That almost certainly means it's a software issue (or in my case I suppose the MPD external video hardware could be faulted), because the monitor is completely fine. The timing of my update, however, makes the software highly suspect.
And one more thing - I am unable to reproduce this unless Safari is running (it does not have to be the active app). Perhaps it is something in the Automatic Graphics Switching, although I have it disabled, as well as the option to "Automatically adjust screen brightness."
Please let us know how your visit to the Apple Store goes. If they fix it, I'm taking mine back in with a printout of this discussion.

Screen flickering, then solid grey

Ugh, hopefully someone can help. My 2012 IMac running 10.9.3 all of a sudden today, screen began to flicker like crazy. I then turned it off, tried again and for a few minutes worked as it should. Then, screen flickered again and then solid grey. Turned off again and it repeated the cycle. I do not have applecare so am hopeful it's something basic. Any ideas. thoughts? Thank you

I would start troubleshooting by going to Apple's Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup article located at:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
Follow the steps methodically and if the machine still will not work correctly after going through each and every steop then the last step says to take it into your local Apple Store or AASP.

Imac 24" 3 gig screen flickering

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