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4870 Occasionally shows snow-screen when coming out of sleep

slughead

slughead

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Apr 28, 2004
3,107
237
Sometimes when coming out of sleep mode, one or both of my monitors shows a screen full of snow (see below).

It's not a problem, I can just powercycle the affected monitor, however, it's slightly annoying.

I just upgraded from a 8800GT to 4870 (flashed). The 8800 did not have this problem.

PS: I also get the same thing when my Macbook is hooked up to my monitor, so I know this is a common issue not a real problem with the 4870.

Edit: Samsung 22" widescreen monitors, different models and they both do it--looks like this is the problem.

SNOWSCREEN.JPG
 
I've had this problem as well with the 4870 and the Dell 2408wfp it's connected to. Doesn't happen very often and my fix is the same as yours. I'm not sure whether it's the display or the card, but my secondary display is plugged into a Matrox MXO box that's connected to the 2nd Displayport and that display has not experienced the same symptoms.
 
I've had the same issue with my gt120 and my acer display... had the since I got my mp in march 09... When I talked to apple about it they said they knew of the issue and it would be fixed in the next update... never was, I've just learned to live with it, maybe i should complain again...;)
 
I have 2 Acer monitors connected to my flashed XFX 1GB 4870, and it happens to me to. Very, very rarely.

There's info about this somewhere in the 4870 MONSTER thread. Not sure if it happens on Apple OEM cards, but it's a known issue on flashed 4870s.

No solution that I'm aware of.
 
It's a driver issue somewhere, not the monitors.

I have an OEM 4870 card and it happens on my Dell 3007WFP (and used to happen on my 2707FP as well when I had it).

Since I password-protect my screensaver and easier-out for me to correct it is after I wake it up, if its static-ish then I just hit ESC in the password window to let it go back to sleep, wait for it to sleep, then wake it up again...
 
+1 same here on the 2nd HP display connected to the 4870. It doesn't happen too often, and when it does, I just turn off/on the display, and voila... Seems like a driver issue, but not a critical one IMO.
 
Did this get fixed with 10.6.6? the snow flashes but goes away now.. hrm...
 
Last edited:
Had the same problem on my 4870 on my second screen the Dell 24", never had this problem on my HP 30". Funny enought the problem showed up when I switched my 5770 on my new Mac pro to a Quadro 400: the Dell got a snowscreen (maybe it is the snow leopard?!?! huh huh:eek::confused:) but no prob with the HP. Turning screen of and on solved it, sometimes it switches to normal image by itself.
 
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My Samsung f2380m hooked up to a 5770 does the same thing.
 
Same thing on my 2408wfp hooked up as the secondary model. Happens maybe once a week at most. I've got the 5870. It's never happened on my primary LG monitor. Always assumed the monitor was just finicky :confused:
 
5870 does it too.

My flashed Sapphire Vapor-X HD5870 does the same when I leave my Iiyama monitor on and the Mac Pro goes to sleep, if I turn the monitor off before it sleeps it doesn't happen. Cycling the power on the monitor fixes it too. My previous Sapphire HD4870 did the same.
I assumed it was the PC card being non standard, guess this is a more common issue than I thought.
 
gpzjock said:
My flashed Sapphire Vapor-X HD5870 does the same when I leave my Iiyama monitor on and the Mac Pro goes to sleep, if I turn the monitor off before it sleeps it doesn't happen. Cycling the power on the monitor fixes it too. My previous Sapphire HD4870 did the same.
I assumed it was the PC card being non standard, guess this is a more common issue than I thought.
Click to expand...

99% the cause of the snowscreen is HDCP. HDCP encrypts all data going out of the computer and decrypts it in the monitor; if anything goes wrong with this you will get snow. When the computer comes back from sleep, this encryption will go wrong, that is quite inevitable, but the computer should notice this very quickly and fix it. The problem would most likely be in the graphics driver.

All of you, go to www.apple.com/feedback and tell them.
 
gnasher729 said:
99% the cause of the snowscreen is HDCP. HDCP encrypts all data going out of the computer and decrypts it in the monitor; if anything goes wrong with this you will get snow. When the computer comes back from sleep, this encryption will go wrong, that is quite inevitable, but the computer should notice this very quickly and fix it. The problem would most likely be in the graphics driver.

All of you, go to www.apple.com/feedback and tell them.
Click to expand...

ugh!! that totally figures. I don't run any HDCP media, can I turn that off or something?
 
At work, I have a Mac Mini 2.26GHz connected to a Samsung 22" display. Occasionally this happens when I turn the monitor off, leave if off, and turn it back on again, I will get this "snow." Usually turning the monitor off and turning it back on (cycling it) will fix it, pretty much always fixes it. I think it's tied to the Samsung monitor. It never happens on my Apple 23" ACD at home.
 
lannister80 said:
I have 2 Acer monitors connected to my flashed XFX 1GB 4870, and it happens to me to. Very, very rarely.

There's info about this somewhere in the 4870 MONSTER thread. Not sure if it happens on Apple OEM cards, but it's a known issue on flashed 4870s.

No solution that I'm aware of.
Click to expand...
Yup, same thing with me (flashed XFX 1GB 4870, reference design). I have Acer monitors.

Happens very rarely, just turn the monitor off/on and it goes away. No solution I'm aware of.
 
This happens occasionally to me sometimes (with both the GT120 and the apple 5870).
MP 2009 with an HP monitor.
 
Never had this happen at home, but it happens on my work Mac Mini (2010) with an HP LA2405wg.

(I have a Mac Pro at home, hence the post. :) )
 
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