MBP 15" video card problems while on battery power

I have a MBP 15" that I got about 3 weeks ago. I noticed that when I put it on battery power the video display becomes broken up laterally. I can drag the window or app window out of view then back into view and its ok. But if I start scrolling again, the text, image, video or whatever is on screen becomes distorted.
could this be a bad video card? should I try to get it replaced?
Any insights?
thanks!
T

I'm having the same issue--it looks like a tearing or smearing of lines of text, mainly in Safari, though I have seen it in Mail. I haven't noticed it related to running on AC or battery, but it may be...I had an older MacBook Pro (core duo) running 10.5.2 that was fine and recently upgraded to a 2.4 Core 2 Duo and this problem has popped up.
This issue looks suspiciously like a problem I was having on a Mac Pro with the ATI1900 card--it was brushed off for ages as a "heat problem" or the like with the card, and then miraculously after months of waiting a firmware update came out that completely cleared up the problem...

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Possible Video Card problem while running 3d applications on wine

Hello guys, I got an issue with wine running 3d games/applications on the netbook and I thought this was the right place to post, since I'm pretty new to Arch, sorry if I messed something up with the sections.
Long story short: The applications/games I "tested" are Football Manager 2013 (via Steam) and Nintendo64 emulator. I didn't post on the wine forums since I'm pretty sure it's not a wine related problem, due to the fact that on my desktop both work without any problem with same wine and Arch configuration.
The netbook as an integrated Intel video, while the desktop has a nvidia card.
So I'm assuming there something wrong with the video card/drivers/configuration even if X runs good and seem configured correctly.
When I run those games with wine i get the following error and I get a black screen on wine:
@ swapchain.c / 338
fixme:d3d:context_check_fbo_status FBO status GL_FRAMEBUFFER_UNSUPPORTED (0x8cdd)
fixme:d3d:context_check_fbo_status Location SFLAG_INTEXTURE (0x40000).
fixme:d3d:context_check_fbo_status Color attachment 0: (0x1b8cf0) WINED3DFMT_B8G8R8X8_UNORM 1024x768 0 samples.
err:d3d:wined3d_debug_callback 0x1b75b8: "GL_INVALID_FRAMEBUFFER_OPERATION in glBlitFramebufferEXT(incomplete draw/read buffers)".
err:d3d:swapchain_blit >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GL_INVALID_FRAMEBUFFER_OPERATION (0x506) from Swapchain present blit(EXT_framebuffer_blit)
and the thing is Football Manager doesn't need much graphics, since games can be played even in 2d.
I searched for the error but I didn't find anything, that's why I'm asking!
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MacBook Pro: Distorted video or no video issues . The affected computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008.
MacBook Pro (Early 2008): Dark bands showing intermittently on built-in display

MacBook Pro 15" video card problems (i think)

Can anyone tell me if this is indeed a video card problem?
MBP 15" info (Dec. 2011)
Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 3000 384 MB
OS X Lion 10.7.5
This is what happened:
I use my mbp heavily because I edit a lot of videos with Premiere. I also use lightroom / photoshop alot + games. I also installed Parallels desktop late 2013. I don't know if that is relevant but anyway. Everything started late 2013 (a little after installing parallels actually) when there are moments when the audio wouldn't work and I couldn't adjust the volume. It would come back anyway so i didn't mind it. Then the fans were on high speed for little activity. After that the keyboard backlight couldn't be adjusted and wouldnt work. I ignored all of these cuz i wasn't troubling me at the time. In January i left for france to study - I use bike all the time and once stupidly placed my laptop on the basket going to school (rough roads). I had a class with html so I had to open Parallels, my teacher pointed out the fans and how loud they were. That day, parallels desktop said i must upgrade to windows 9 or it will restart every 2hours. I didn't of course. I didn't have time to.
After that (a few days later i think) my laptop would randomly turn into a black screen but it's still on (the power LED is on) I tried turning it off by pressing down the power button and then turning it back on. It worked the first time. During the first week, the frequency of it happening grew. It would do it almost 3 times a day. during that same week I tried to do an SMC reset. It fixed the keyboard light, fans and audio but not the black screen thing. It just keeps on happening around 1-3 times a day. It only happens when I'm using it btw, never when I just leave it. ALSO, after a few days, it would take longer hours to open my mbp again. I mean, the screen would turn black. i would turn it off, then on again. I will ONLY hear the hard drive moving but no startup sound and no grey screen and apple logo. nothing.
The following weeks after that, I asked a friend to help me out. He suggested that I install gfxCardStatus because he said it might be my video card. He instructed that I keep it on intergrated only. So I installed that and did what he said I thought it worked for a while because the black screens stopped happening (even when gfx keeps on going back to dynamic) BUT NOW, MY LAPTOP WOULD FREEZE (not turn black). I'd shut it down using the power button but it still takes me hours to open it again. Sometimes, I'd wait for the battery to drain because it would startup when i charge it (sometimes)
I tried doing AHT as well to confirm the video card problem, but the results are no problems found. I really don't want to replace my logicboard here in france. everything is more expensive here. ;__;
Today I uninstalled parallels to see if that might have had anything to do with my problem now but i think that's just wishful thinking.
Can somebody tell me if this is really about the video card? Thank you

Your appointment at the genius Bar in an Apple Store (anywhere in the world) for an evaluation is FREE, in warranty or out. Those guys put their hands on these Macs all day every day, and they are especially good at Physical and Power problems.
Ask them.

MBP simply switches itself off while on battery

Hope to get some idea of what's going... basically yesterday while I was using my MBP on battery alone, the computer simply switches itself off out of the blue. So I check the temperature and everything seems fine. I was using it with video card in the "better battery life" mode, so I didn't think it was overheating. So I switched it on again. After starting, after a few minutes it went off again. I gave up and didn't switch on again until connected to the mains, and it is on until now without any problems.
Has anyone experienced this before? Any ideas of what's going on?
Thanks

I have experienced this before. I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but this is a sign that the battery is dying. You may well find that the time before this happens reduces until eventually you will get a few minutes at best.
You do not say how old the MBP is or if this is the original battery. My old one (recently replaced) went through the first battery in just over a year; and then a year later the second went too. I changed how I used the third one. I had relied on mains power when I could before. With the last one I used battery whenever I could and charged when necessary.
Make sure the battery is calibrated but I am not sure that is going to help.

Video card problem ?

I had this problem 4-5 times
http://img.skitch.com/20081219-e1t87if23rjbhf66gy2dj2aux4.jpg
can someone help me ? could it be a video card problem ? anyone had this problem ?
I have to force shut down and it's quite annoying
thanks

Restart your MacBook and hold down on the "d" key for "diagnostics". This will startup the MacBook into the Apple Hardware Test. Run the extended tests. Let's see if you don't get an error when it checks the video system.
-Doug

MacPro Early 2008 Display/Video Card Problem

*Hello, I have a Dual Quad-Core 2.8Ghz MacPro (Early 2008) with the stock ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB Video Card. I believe I am having the exact same symptoms listed on the topic "Mac Pro 2008 Video Card Problem".*
*MacPro has been working fine. Until one day, I power it on and the display stays black. There is nothing you can do besides holding down the power button and rebooting the computer. I have tried to do this many times and the display will not come up. I have also tried resetting the VRAM and PRAM settings - still did not work. I have had my MacPro for about one year and a half. It is in very good condition (no damage/no liquid/no overheating). From time to time, you power on the computer and the display works! It is very random. I am scared to turn off the computer or put it to sleep as this can also trigger the problem.*
*I did not get the extended AppleCare (the MacPro itself already cost me about $3400!) I tested the Cinema Display and it is fine, therefore the problem is not coming from the display.*
*I went to the Apple Store and they kept my MacPro for one night. Called me the next day telling me it was going to cost me approximately $800 in order to fix this problem. They claimed that either my Bluetooth module or my Main Logic Board was causing the display not to show. I am out of warranty, and I think it is very expensive. I am doing my research online in order to try and find a cheaper solution. After reading the discussions and checking out some other websites. I have a few questions:*
*If I buy a NEW* ATI Radeon HD 2600 and install it in my MacPro - will it fix my problem?*
*OR - I also heard about the ATI Radeon HD 4870 - Is that graphic card compatible with my MacPro - will that resolve the problem?*
*Do you think I should give it a shot? Are there any other things I can try?*
*I am thinking that I should try to replace the graphic card first and see if that is causing the problem instead of replacing the Main Logic Board right away (which will cost me over $500)*
*Please let me know of any thoughts that come in mind. I really need some support. I am a college student studying Audio Engineering and I use my MacPro everyday on Pro Tools and Logic. This machine is my life.*
*Thank You,*
*Kevin C.*

Glad you solved your problem Gaunja. Here's an update on my own.
When last heard from I had diagnosed the failure of my displays to boot up to graphics card problem in my early 2008 Mac Pro with my stock ATI Radeon HD 2600 by swapping out the same card from my son's Mac Pro and seeing the displays boot up fine. Before heading off to the Apple store for a new card I reinstalled my suspect video card just to see what would happen. The displays booted up fine. Now, two weeks later, again no video display--black screens--no signal from the graphics card. I rebooted the computer several times to no avail and was, again, about to head off to the Apple store for a new card. This time "just to see what would happen" I moved the graphics card to another slot and bingo, the displays are up. What can be determined from my experience to date?
1. The graphics card is flirting with death. Like a patient unwilling to die, through a mysterious force, it rallies to live another day.
2. The slot the card came installed in is unreliable--it's dirty, there's a spec of dust in there, a contact has degraded after two years, or some other slot related fault. Note that, until the card failed for the first time, it had never been removed from it's slot, the computer was treated gently, and it operated in a very clean environment.
If anyone has another theory about what may be happening here please feel free. I fully expect the displays to go dark again at some point as my suspicions are that it's the card itself that is the problem. The two replacement cards I'm considering are the ATI Radeon HD 4870 or the Nividia Geo Force GT120. I've read that both work with the early Mac Pros. Some complain that the ATI card is noisy and expensive. Based of Gaunja's post and others I think the Nividia card will suit my needs, be quieter, and cost less. But, for now, my stock ATI Radeon 2600 lives!
Just one man's experience with the "Mac Pro display, black screen" problem.

MBP Retina "wake for wifi network access" while on battery power?

I have USB printer connected to Airport Express, and i can print from iPhone using "Printopia" while MBP on, but cannot print when the lid is close (sleep mode) & unplugged, so is there any way to activated "wake for wifi network access" while on battery power? Thanx...

Hi,
I am coming from the MacBook faction, but there were similar posts in there, regarding at least your picture#2, the vertical colored lines.
The consensus was (and I cannot write from own experience here, just relaying the message) that this has something to do with system parameters. To rewrite these parameters, one has to set a different screen resolution than the current one and save the settings and then go back to the old resolution again and save the settings as well. We were told, this would prevent the colored vertical line issue, at least for the MacBook.
Worth a try, it is easy enough to do.
Regards,
Woelund

T510 Suddenly Restarting/Rebooting while on battery power.

My 1 year old T510 suffers from sudden restarts.
When the notebook is booting up and Windows is loading, the screen will suddenly go black and then restart itself a couple of seconds later. This happens at different times during the process, sometimes while the screen is still black with the animated windows logo and sometimes when it is on the desktop and the system is 99% finished loading.
When connected to the AC power, the issue does not occur.
The one and only way I can stop it from occurring while using battery power is by running windows in safe mode.
Because of this I was hoping it would be a windows/driver related issue however...
I have two hard drives with a different operating system on both. One has Windows 7 and the other Linux Mint. They both suffer the same restarting issue on power up (using the battery as power source). They can both run without a problem using AC wall power.
When the problem occurs don’t get a blue screen and have unchecked the 'Automatic restart' option in case I was missing it.
I am at a loss as to what could be causing it.
Thank you to anyone who can give me some advice on this.

JDay wrote:
CorkyG wrote:
When I have my T510 at home in desktop mode, I remove the battery completely and store it in a cool, dry place.
That does nothing for your battery. Removing the battery when not in use (for long periods of time) only helped increase the life of the older NiMH and NiCAD batterys that are no longer used in laptops. That was due to those batteries having cell memory. LiION batteries do not have cell memory, they have charge/discharge cycles.
Humid air promotes discharge into the air, and higher temperatures increase reaction speed. So, all in all, there should be an effect, but how effective it is is dependent on how long you plan to store your battery. Overnight shouldn't be anything significant, but since it's usually fairly easy to find a cool and dry place, you might as well.
W520: i7-2720QM, Q2000M at 1080/688/1376, 21GB RAM, 500GB + 750GB HDD, FHD screen
X61T: L7500, 3GB RAM, 500GB HDD, XGA screen, Ultrabase
Y3P: 5Y70, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, QHD+ screen

Macbook randomly shuts off while on battery power.

I have a 13-inch Macbook, Late 2008 model, using iOS Mavericks. While on battery power, the laptop will randomly just turn completely off, despite still having plenty of battery power left. I know it's not a calibration issue where the battery is dead but appears to have charge left, since I'm able to turn the computer back on again and continue using it.
Battery info:
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh): 606
Fully Charged: No
Charging: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 2609
Health Information:
Cycle Count: 157
Condition: Service Battery
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1265
Voltage (mV): 10855
Message was edited by: airheadoh

First try the SMC reset appropriate for your model: Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
The information you posted says "Condition: Service Battery" - that likely means you will need a new battery sooner, rather than later, especially if an SMC reset doesn't help the situation at all.
In any case, when new, your battery likely had about 4400 mAh (milliAmphours) Full Charge Capacity.
The Full Charge capacity is down to about 60% of original capacity 2600/4400
A direct replacement from Apple is $129, installed.
Any popular search engine will provide a list of less expensive suppliers, but I cannot recommend any, simply because I haven't used any non-Apple replacement batteries recently. My single experience with one lower-cost supplier for my polycarbonate 2007 MacBook (replaced in 2010) was that the cheaper battery needed to be replaced again within a year. Your mileage may vary.

Is this a display problem, video card problem, OS problem, or ???

Sorry for the long post, but it is needed for background...
I spent the better part of the past 2 hours trying to figure out why my G5 wouldn't boot up. It had been off for around 4 days while I was out of town and up to this point I only had sporadic power up problems, usually having to push the button on the front of the G5 instead of the display which seemed to go to pot after a repair (under warranty) in December. Here's where the display comes in.
After running DW, resetting PRAM and SMU, and unplugging everything, I still could not get it to boot past the initial blueish screen (no login prompt). So, on a whim, I unplugged the keyboard from the back of the 23" Cinema Display (clear case) and plugged it into the front USB port of the G5. It booted right up.
So now I start wondering if the power button on the front of the display which has been very spotty and now seems almost toast is a possible culprit. Or if the USB hub in the monitor is a culprit. Or if it could possibly be the X800 XT causing the problem. Keep in mind it was upgraded 1.5 years ago and I never a problem till now.
To make matters more interesting, this monitor has been in for repair twice in the last 6 months for the same problems - the LCD panel keeps going wonky (pinkish coloring on top or sides or bottom or all round) and as such, the LCD panel itself has been replaced twice. The first time I ever had a problem turning the system on via the front monitor panel was after the first repair. So....
I'm thinking the monitor is on it's way out, but I am leery of having Apple try another repair on this since each time it gets repaired it seems to have something else wrong with it. I'm am terribly close to the end of my AppleCare, too. So if I need to do something it needs to be soon.
Or do you folks think it could be the video card? Which would suck just as bad considering how much that cost when I bought it. Let me know your thoughts on this so I can make a decision on which avenue to explore next. I dread going through AppleCare again, though.....any way to skip right to level 2 or higher support???
Thanks.
Anthony C.

Well I called AppleCare yesterday and, believe it or not, we actually got the USB ports acting normally - well at least I can boot up with the keyboard plugged into the back of the monitor.
They had me reset the Open Firmware and that seemed to do the trick. Of course, the night before I updated to 10.4.10 so that may have had something to do with it, too. No idea.
As for the power sensor button thing, they wanted me to plug the monitor into a different system, either at a Genius Bar or a friend or whatnot to see if it would behave in the same manner - not wanting to activate. I took it to school with me and hooked it up to one of my teacher's G5 and it behaved the same way. It took like 15 times touching the sensor to bring the system up.
So I'll be calling them back and see where they want to go with this. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a new shiny monitor - or not...

Lenovo G510 video card problem

Hi there! Since a while I'm having some problems with my laptop's Video card.When I try to launch a game using the AMD Graphic card by going to 'Switchable Graphics', the game is not working, I mena I can hear the background sound of the game but the screen is black.When I switch to Intel Graphic Card the game is working perfectly.
When I go to Device Manager, I can see both Intel and AMD graphic card.But When I use FurMark I can only see the Intel Graphic Card which is the only one which works.
When I launch TechPowerUp GPU-Z I get an error which tells me to update my OPENCL and my video card driver.
Any ideas, please?
Thank you!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi,
Just delete both Intel and AMD graphics drivers in Device Manager and make sure to delete softwares of the respective graphics too (can be done in Programs and Features, found in control panel)
Then first install Intel Graphics driver and then install AMD graphics driver from support site respective of your OS.
And do not update your Intel drivers from Windows Update and neither directly from AMD website.
It is prefered to install manufacturer drivers as they may be customised according to our machines.
Im using G510 on Windows 8.1 Pro x64
AMD Radeon HD 8570M, Intel HD 4600

Upgrading G4 Video Card Problems

I have two G4 computers that I have tried to upgrade to System X. Both of them basically crashed.
1) My tech replaced the hard drive in one, but it still doesn't work: If you leave it for a while and start it, it seems to boot fine, but as you work on it, patches of squares, partial windows appear, and then everything starts to go crazy. If I restart it right away, it never completely reboots, the screen develops vertical lines and it tells me to restart my computer.
2) This one (a friend's computer) I downloaded System 10 and it was fine. He had very little RAM, so he went and bought more. We installed the new RAM and then went online to upgrade to the newest version of X. It locked up and when I try to restart it, the screen gives me lines and then locks up again.
What is up with this? Another friend had the same thing happen. I have spent $350 on a new hard drive, CD burner and the tech to install it all, and now he says there is something wrong with either the video card or the logic board. I feel like a poker player who is "pot commited" and betting on a losing hand!
My friend said screw it and went out and bought a new one. I can't afford a new one, but now I have his and mine and I was hoping that between the two of them I could make one work. His is older but is still a G4. Ideas?

Hi and welcome to Discussions.
Depending on the exact G4 model(s) you have, a firmware update may need to be applied if it hasn't already been:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117
The following link should help you identify exactly which G4 model(s) you have and whether a firmware update may be applicable:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58418
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42739
OS X also seems to be quite picky when it comes to RAM and memory that's slightly out of spec may cause problems. If you have any third party DIMMs (memory modules) installed, you could try removing them, assuming you'd still meet the minimum requirements for OS X.
For future reference, hard drives and CD burners etc are considered customer installable parts in the G4 towers and installation instructions can be found here (depending on the model):
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75312
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75313
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75314
I assume the computers were okay running OS 9 before hand?
Do you still have the Apple hardware test CD that probably shipped with the computer(s)? This should include a VRAM (video RAM) test etc.

Cintiqs, Monitors, and Video card problems.

Hi all,
Alright so first of all. I have a 2008 MacPro 3,1 QuadCore.
I'm an animator so I have a duel monitor setup. They're both pretty crappy but run really nicely with my graphics card. I currently have just one ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024 MB video card. It has three outputs, two mini display ports and one DVI-I port. So I always have an extra output.
Alright now that I've set the scene, one MacPro, two monitors. Enter one Cintiq. I finally pulled the trigger on getting a Cintiq. I know! Its awesome, I love it.
It works great I couldn't ask more from the machine.
Just one problem. Even though I have three video outputs, I'm not able to connect all three (2 monitors 1 cinitq) all at once. Its super annoying to have to swith out the cords everytime I want to do anything with the cintiq. I've had 3 monitors plugged in at the same time so I know its not a faulty card.
I would love to be able to have my cinitq and the other 2 monitors all running at once. From what I've read online it looks like I'll have to get a second graphics card that I can connect the cintiq into.
Any recomendations on a new card? is there any way I can avoid paying the extra $150 for a new one?
Another thought on that. Is it even possible to connect two different types of video cards into the same machine? I'm assuming its just by brand so the drivers don't get mixed up?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
-Dann

No need for a different video card, just some different plumbing.
In order to get all three ports going, you need active adapters on the mini display ports. The Apple part most of us have is passive.
I was having the same problem you discribe except my "CinTiq" was a HD color grading monitor for my post-production work. I got a pair of these: Accell B087B-006B UltraAV Mini DisplayPort to DVI-D Single-Link Active Adapter ATI Certified (Black) and my problems were over.
Your CinTiq may have additional requirements, so check it all out, but I think this'll get the job done.
good luck

Adobe Photoshop CC Video Card Problem

Hi all, I've had a problem with the new Adobe Photoshop CC and is that I open so just do not do anything or open any document, makes me the video card to its maximum Load as when I play on the PC. This did not happen in previous versions as CS6 or other. I would like to know why this happens and if there is solution. Thank you.

Hello, no, they are not the drivers of my video card, the design team have a configuration of 2 Radeon 7970 Crossfire and everything was perfect with Photoshop CS6, but using the new Photoshop CC but accelerate and increase the temperature and no task is done in Photoshop, just enough to open it and it happens. We have tried several drivers from AMD but same thing happens. ¿Any solution?

How to deal with video card problem on Thinkpad E420

thinkpad E420 has GMA and a Special video card ATI READON HD 6630
I installed Archlinux and xf86-video-intel
then I go to the AMD offical web site and download video driver for linux64bit 11.8
after I installed it
I cannt login
and report me the gnome was crashed
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Maybe not out of the woods yet. I ordered a new video card and installed it today in slot 1 after removing the original one. When booting up I thought I was pressing the PRAM reset but had mistakenly held the "control" key down as well. Needless to say - no monitor start-up.
After restarting a couple of times to no avail I realized my mistake and the next time correctly held the CommandOption+PR keys but interestingly it took a couple of restart chimes before it correctly brought up a gray screen. I then didn't release the keys in time and the next restart chimes the monitor stayed black - after one or two more continuous restart chimes I got the gray screen and everything booted up OK. I no longer have an error message for PCI Cards at System Profiler.
But given that it seemed that the PRAM reset didn't consistently activate a signal to the monitor, I am a little anxious that I have been chasing the wrong problem - that maybe it's been a PRAM or other problem all along and not necessarily the monitor. I do have that case where the System Profiler gave me an error message for the PCI Cards selection under Hardware in System Profiler, but I'm left wondering if problem solved.
Any easy way to debug PRAM - where is PRAM data stored?
I will report back if I get another black screen on restart or wake up...

MBP 15" video card problems while on battery power

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