Video card problems, monitor distortion

Hi, I have a 17 inch Apple Studio Display (ADC Connector). It's about three years old now. Just recently after I woke up my computer, the monitor suddenly had this crazy distortion that's a kind of banding that goes down the screen. I took a picture and posted it here:
http://www.kickinthehead.org/temp/monitor_distortion.jpg
It actually looks a lot worse now. It's not just limited to the bands, really the entire image has crazy weird artifacts everywhere. Plus if I have a finder window open and then drag it around the screen, the window will be a nonsensical mess of randomly colored pixels. If I minimize the window and bring it back it will refresh somewhat and only be distorted like the rest of the monitor. Same goes for if I'm on a web page and scroll using smooth scrolling
I've tried reseating the card a number of times. The first time it worked for a few hours, but the last time I tried it was only working for a few seconds then went back to being heavily distorted. I tried also dusting out my computer and the card itself in hopes that would do something, but my monitor now probably looks worse than the picture I linked to.
I jiggled the connection, and at one point it looked all right if I put downward pressure on the cord (the screw wasn't in the slot so there was some room to move). My dilemma is I don't know if a new card will solve this problem, or if the connection problem is on the side of the motherboard. I can't really test it unless I get my hands on another card.
has anyone run into this problem before?
Thanks
Dual 2Ghz Power Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

I am experiencing the same exact problems and anomolies as Derek with my 9800 pro 128mb and I am having the same conclusions while trouble shooting. I can tell you for sure that it is not a display conection problem for I am seeing it on 2 screens with a dual monitor set up on both a apple 23" lcd and an analog CRT.
During start up the boot screen displays clusters of virtical white lines running the length of the screen. While on the desktop I see this same blocky checkerboard type pateren that randomly changes but is also affected by on screen movement.
The problem first occured Saturday afternoon upon waking from sleep and got progesivly worse within minutes eventually rendering the computer unusable. The distortion flickers about randomly but also seems to be affected when the card is touched. I seem to recall waking from sleep to this problem in the past but it was fixed by a reboot. No such luck this time. I also tried reseating the card to find the distortion temporarally fixed, but then it came back worse then before.
The card is 2 years old now and has never been modified but has been overclocked by 5% for the past year or so using ATIcellerator II with no other problems.
Also, I am a bit concerned about the heatsink being burning hot to the touch within minutes of boot up.
So far this is the only forum I have been able to find concerning this problem. Any comments would help. In the mean time I am going to go shopping for a new card. Hopefully this is not more serious then a bad card.

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MacBook Pro 15" video card problems (i think)

Can anyone tell me if this is indeed a video card problem?
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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.

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.
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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.*
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*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)*
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*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.

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.
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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.
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http://flickr.com/photos/93443832@N00/932593412/
Message was edited by: fontlover

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Is it video card problem?pls help...tnx

i have an hp pavillion /p6355d home pc... one day when i open my pc, the original setting has change and i dont know how, and my pc cannot identify its monitor(hp2009f), its only in the default monitor setting, there is also no information about the adapter in the monitor properties...also, i cannot play games beacuase of the directx issue...when i go to the device manager, i cannot find my display adapter in the list..i think my video card is sapphire radeon hd 7750 1gb ddr5..is it a software or a hardware problem?...tnx a lot...

Krazyjad, welcome to the forum.
I believe that it is a software problem. If you haven't done so recently, I suggest doing a System Recovery. This will not only solve your problems, but will boost performance. You should back up your personal data before beginning. I do this at least once per year because I like the feeling of having a new computer again.
Also, it appears that you have upgraded the video card. You will want to go to the manufacturer's website to get the latest driver for it.
Please click the "Thumbs up + button" if I have helped you and click "Accept as Solution" if your problem is solved.
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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???
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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...

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