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2011 iMac odd graphic corruption
- Thread starter Richdmoore
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- graphics high sierra imac
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It sounds like a nice apology discount for failing to fix the issue after a few attempts. I would have jumped on the 50% discount on a new iMac as well.
I am still just living with the issue, while I wait for 2018 models to come out and weigh my options then.
hey guys and gals, this is no questions asked a software issue. The high sierra update with the new apple file system created this bug. It only seems to affect the OS X side... as when it acts up I can swipe over into windows thru parallels and the issue is gone.... swipe back and its in OSX. I think we need a graphics driver update. I suggest we all submit bug reports to apple on this. Here is a link for it... https://www.apple.com/feedback/imac.html the more of us that complain the better odds we have at some fix coming out.
[doublepost=1518230165][/doublepost]If you want to cut and paste this into the bug report this will give you a good head start.
"Ever since the OSX update that included the release of the new Apple File system (high sierra) most of us with mid 2011 iMacs have been having random graphics issues. Its like checkerboard boxes that appear in blocks in random areas of the screen that flicker. I good thread on it with video can be seen here... https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2011-imac-odd-graphic-corruption.2080451/page-2
It seems to be a software issue no questions asked and only affects OSX as when it acts up when I swipe over in parallels to my windows 10 it goes away.... swipe back and it acts up.
Perhaps we need a new driver for the video card.
There has been several updates to high sierra since the initial release and none have fixed the issue."
[doublepost=1518230165][/doublepost]If you want to cut and paste this into the bug report this will give you a good head start.
"Ever since the OSX update that included the release of the new Apple File system (high sierra) most of us with mid 2011 iMacs have been having random graphics issues. Its like checkerboard boxes that appear in blocks in random areas of the screen that flicker. I good thread on it with video can be seen here... https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2011-imac-odd-graphic-corruption.2080451/page-2
It seems to be a software issue no questions asked and only affects OSX as when it acts up when I swipe over in parallels to my windows 10 it goes away.... swipe back and it acts up.
Perhaps we need a new driver for the video card.
There has been several updates to high sierra since the initial release and none have fixed the issue."
Hey! Confirmation I have the same issue and I replaced my card about 2 years ago. Same issue is occuring again there's no theory I have so far. It could be a few days or a few weeks when it starts occuring. Logging into safe mode it doesn't happen which is interesting.
I have found even starting quicktime to try and capture a screen recording will make it stop. Obviously not all the time (as I was able to make the screen recording above) but some of the time.
I am just taking a wait and see attitude for now, no need to run out tomorrow and buy a new computer, but I am still thinking of replacing the iMac with the next refresh with something else, hopefully with a 2018 model. (Mac Pro/Mac Mini/iMac, maybe MacBook Pro.)
My ideal computer would allow ram/hard drive/other internal upgrades being user installable (without breaking adhesive screens, complicated disassembly etc), but of course apple has mostly moved away from user upgrades.
I can't pass this computer down to my family members with known issues, which I usually do with my older macs, which is a shame.
If I get really lucky and it turns out to be a software glitch that has survived multiple macOS revisions, so much the better. I will still probably upgrade my setup, but I can pass this mac onto others who will use it.
I used to have this exact same thing happen on my 2010 27” iMac (11,3). Happened for years and nothing would fix it. I just assumed it was the graphics card getting ready to fail.
Since I upgraded to High Sierra it hadn’t appeared. So ironically HS seems to have fixed this software problem on the 2010 model, but created it for the 2011 model.....
Since I upgraded to High Sierra it hadn’t appeared. So ironically HS seems to have fixed this software problem on the 2010 model, but created it for the 2011 model.....
I'm still experiencing the issue in the latest High Sierra beta. I've filed a bug report with Apple.
Amazing to find this. I updated to HS yesterday and am getting the exact same artifacts on a 2011 iMac with Radeon HD. Updated to 10.13.3 and no change. I use several virtual desktops and find that the artifacts will go away ususaly if I toggle between them. Still I think I'll report this and Time Machine back to 10.12
Good catch.
Good catch.
Follow up: I reverted to Sierra 10.12.6 from Time Machine backup and the artifact problem is gone. So yes it's a driver bug.
That said...
I'd never really look for this articact before but now that I've seen it I can say that when switching virtual desktops in 10.12 I see the faintest "sparkle" of these same artifact but they go away almost instantly once the desktop appears.
That said...
I'd never really look for this articact before but now that I've seen it I can say that when switching virtual desktops in 10.12 I see the faintest "sparkle" of these same artifact but they go away almost instantly once the desktop appears.
I would suggest High Sierra to be the problem if you have only just upgraded from Sierra. I recall having a very similar issue a few years back on my 2008 iMac when upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion hence I rolled back to Snow Leopard and all was well.
How to downgrade from macOS High Sierra back to macOS Sierra
https://www.imore.com/how-downgrade-macos
In order to restore your data from a Time Machine Backup it MUST be one that was made from Sierra as you cannot carry out a reverse Time Machine Backup.
How to downgrade from macOS High Sierra back to macOS Sierra
https://www.imore.com/how-downgrade-macos
In order to restore your data from a Time Machine Backup it MUST be one that was made from Sierra as you cannot carry out a reverse Time Machine Backup.
FWIW, I also filed a report with Apple. Been working with a Technical Support Advisor for a couple of months on this and although he was very sympathetic, they would not admit to a software issue. Even though I have pointed him to this site for confirmation that others are having the same issue he could find no internal record of anyone else reporting it. We finally reached the end of the road and his supervisor claimed I would have to pay for a video card replacement before they would go any further. Of course, replacing the card WOULD probably fix the issue since this bug apparently only affects SOME (older?) Radeon 6770 cards. But we all know that our cards worked just fine until OS 10.13.
If anyone wants to reference my case number 100427279948 when contacting Apple (or call Jeff at 877-388-0879 ext 1112197) and add your voice perhaps we could get a better response. They just need to hear from enough users to know this is not an isolated case.
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FYI, I discovered that if I cold boot (after the iMac is powered off overnight, the graphics glitch (so far, tested this two times so far) appears right after boot up.
If I leave the computer on awhile, and restart the issue sometimes appears and sometimes not for days.
EDIT: 4 for 4 times now I have had the graphics issue after a cold (room temperature) power up.
If I leave the computer on awhile, and restart the issue sometimes appears and sometimes not for days.
EDIT: 4 for 4 times now I have had the graphics issue after a cold (room temperature) power up.
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Yeah, I thought it might be heat related. But it doesn't seem to be. Even though I replaced the HD with an SSD and have to run a Fan Control app to keep the fans from running full blast. Still wish more people would report this to Apple (using my incident #) so perhaps they might come up with a fix.
50 dollars and eBay will fix your problem. Buy a new graphics card. If it is not that, it’s your power supply, another 100. My modded 2011 iMac still outperforms by brand new MacBook Pro 2013 i7 in benchmarks and real life. If I didn’t need a laptop that’d still be my primary computer. It’s worth keeping imo.
It's most likely the graphics card. We have the 27" iMac from mid-2011 and the graphics have had to be replaced a multitude of times. One thing I dint have knowledge of at that time was the controlling the heat by a software application. If this happens to take place during heavy load times, it might be heat related. Try installing macfanscontrol and monitor the temps and adjust accordingly and see if that helps prolong your use of the machine. It won't cure the ailment, but it might stave off the replacement.
Actually it appears to be the other way around. The problem gets less/goes away the more I heat the console. I ran some benchmarks to make the GPU as hot as I could, no problems while benchmark was running. I power the iMac down overnight, and power it on in the morning and the problem comes back. Reboot while the machine is warm, problem is intermittent.
My educated guess is that the expansion (due to heat) of the components (probably the graphic chip, possibly the motherboard) is temporary fixing the issue. Apple Service Diagnostics USB drive that I found online still can't find anything wrong.
After I get my new system up and running (I just bought a 2017 refurbished iMac from Apple), I may try to fix the 2011 iMac with a new graphics card, then give it away to family. I can't find any for $50, a lot closer to $150, which makes me hesitant to spend that much to try an fix. I am not sure what I am going to do.
No way this is a "thermal expansion" issue. The fact that these boards all worked fine until MacOS 10.13, show no problem when run in safe mode, virtual machines, diagnostics, etc. proves that it is not a simple hardware issue. Now the chips themselves could be temperature sensitive or unable to support some timing requirement of the latest driver but this just proves that the problem COULD be fixed with a software update. If only Apple were willing to devote the time to address this.
Whatever you do, don't toss it or recycle it yet, as there are probably a lot of people on macrumors or Craigslist in your local area that might snap it up for parts if the price is right. That display it has, if it's still in good condition is worth at least twenty five to fifty dollars to someone who knows its value (i.e. someone who's had to replace a display before), plus there are other salvageable parts inside I'm sure.
Yes, display (as far as I can tell) is perfect. I am assuming there is the typical minor scratches on the aluminum case, but I haven't noticed any. DVD SuperDrive is inoperative, I tried to use a cleaning disc without success.
After I set up the new iMac I ordered (may take a bit, my wife and I are expecting our second child any day) I will wait at least for 1 more macOS update before figuring out how best to deal with this computer.
Yeah, I finally got tired of waiting for Apple to address this. So after the 10.13.4 update didn't help, I reverted back to 10.12.6. Unfortunately THE ISSUE IS NOW PRESENT IN 10.12! I know I NEVER had an issue before upgrading to 10.13. So I had good reason to think the downgrade would put an end to this. I know the last update did a firmware flash -- now wondering if the video card was changed in some way. Anyone else try this?