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Does your iMac display suffer from image persistence?


  • Total voters
    83

accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
Well I finally did it. I pulled the trigger and ordered a 27" with the following specs:

  • 4.0GHz QC i7, TB up to 4.2GHz
  • 8GB 1867MHz DDR3L (2x4GB) (Already ordered 32GB upgrade on Amazon)
  • 1TB Flash Storage
  • AMD Radeon R9 M395X w/4GB
I only hope and pray that this machine does not suffer from the awful image persistence issues that all 3 of the last iMacs I tried had.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202580

I can't imagine for the life of me why this has been an issue that has plagued iMacs going on now for over 3 years. Surely Apple can fix this...? It does NOT happen on all devices as some people will argue, so why can't they get it straightened out? Obviously Apple acknowledges it, hence the support doc that I have linked above. I have noticed a few posts on here about it too, one being mine. Anyway, here's to hoping this machine does not have it (or any stuck pixels for that matter).

I am also posting a poll with this thread. Before you respond, please take the time to actually test your iMac screen using the following link:

https://marco.org/rmbp-irtest.html

Leave the checkerboard screen on your display for at least 10 minutes so that the results are accurate.
 
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maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Congrats on your new iMac.

I don't have any issues with image retention, though I'll not visit the marco page, as I see no reason. My usage habits have not produced or higlighted any issues, why do something that is out of the norm that will only possibly annoy me
 

accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
Congrats on your new iMac.

I don't have any issues with image retention, though I'll not visit the marco page, as I see no reason. My usage habits have not produced or higlighted any issues, why do something that is out of the norm that will only possibly annoy me

I suppose you have a point. I guess that is why they say ignorance is bliss. ;)
 
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maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
I suppose you have a point. I guess that is why they say ignorance is bliss. ;)
I've seen too many posts here and in the MBP forum about the smallest "defect" that they discovered by doing something so out of the ordinary that normal usage would never uncover it. I can be anal as the next guy, but in not sweating the small stuff, I'm finding more enjoyment and less stress :)
 

accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
I've seen too many posts here and in the MBP forum about the smallest "defect" that they discovered by doing something so out of the ordinary that normal usage would never uncover it. I can be anal as the next guy, but in not sweating the small stuff, I'm finding more enjoyment and less stress :)

Well I can agree and disagree with you at the same time. I am OCD and unfortunately I am one of those people who had 3 iMacs that all had this issue. When I say had this issue I do not mean barely noticeable either. I mean I could leave a window in the same spot on my screen for only ten minutes and then move the window and it looked as though the window was still there. Awful issue that need not even exist. I have experienced it first hand to the extreme. All 3 iMacs that I had back to back did this terribly bad. Is that bad luck, or is this an indicator of a real world issue that is very serious? That is what I would like to know and I am hoping to find out. Well, I guess when my new iMac arrives I will run the test and see... This is IMHO not an acceptable behavior on a machine that lots of people spend well over $2000 for. Telling users to use a screensaver or let their screen go to sleep is not a fix. Neither of those would work for me when just 10 minutes of leaving a window open on the same spot of my screen produced this eyesore. Sorry, but I do not see this as a "small" defect, nor by any stretch of the imagination is leaving an open window on your screen for 10 minutes "out of the ordinary" or not "normal" usage.
 
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redheeler

macrumors G3
Oct 17, 2014
8,657
9,324
Colorado, USA
Mine did have image persistence (late 2014 5K), but after several failed attempts at fixing the problem which just kept coming back, Apple has agreed to exchange it. Like the OP, I hope my new one will be problem free.

My original thread from last year, which I have just marked resolved:
Retina iMac Image Retention
 
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ljonesj

macrumors 6502a
Oct 20, 2009
945
63
Kingsport TN
i dont have the image retention that i can find but i do have a wierd issue were if im watching a 4k youtube video and then go back to a normal resolution on the imacs settings and the youtube vidoe is playing the screen will spaz out like the vido card is dying with pixelation then go back to normal and is fine and it only does it switching back from a 4k youtube vido playing
 

accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
i dont have the image retention that i can find but i do have a wierd issue were if im watching a 4k youtube video and then go back to a normal resolution on the imacs settings and the youtube vidoe is playing the screen will spaz out like the vido card is dying with pixelation then go back to normal and is fine and it only does it switching back from a 4k youtube vido playing

Yikes! Well that is not good. Have you spoken to Apple about this?
 

phrehdd

Contributor
Oct 25, 2008
4,515
1,467
Congratz on your new new Mac. Though I am not an iMac fan, I have had 2 in the past and didn't have the problem you mention. I hope you get excellent usage and no issues.
 
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accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
Congratz on your new new Mac. Though I am not an iMac fan, I have had 2 in the past and didn't have the problem you mention. I hope you get excellent usage and no issues.

Thanks! I truly hope this one doesn't have the issues that I have seen with my last 3. Honestly, it's those issues that made me give up on iMacs altogether until now. I thought, what the heck why not give it another shot. I will be reporting back what I find. And unlike maflynn above, ignorance is not bliss to me, so I will be running the marco checkerboard test immediately. I want to KNOW if the issue persists.
 
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ljonesj

macrumors 6502a
Oct 20, 2009
945
63
Kingsport TN
no i have not and it only does it with the youtube videos i think its were its set at 5k resolution watching a 4k vidoe on youtube and i take it from the 5k drop to the retina settings the video on youtube is still playing at 4k for a second before youtube redoes its thing to 1080 it spaz if i do the switching before the rez switch its fine
 

accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
no i have not and it only does it with the youtube videos i think its were its set at 5k resolution watching a 4k vidoe on youtube and i take it from the 5k drop to the retina settings the video on youtube is still playing at 4k for a second before youtube redoes its thing to 1080 it spaz if i do the switching before the rez switch its fine

Well at the least, please report it to Apple so that they can implement a fix. If we don't report these types of issues then we are not helping other Mac users by possibly getting Apple engineers alerted to existing problems.
 

accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
ok just submited the bug

Very cool! Thanks for helping further the cause ;) I need to start practicing what I preach and reporting more issues as I find them as well. Just think, if more people participated in reporting issues, bugs like these would most likely be squashed much sooner.
 
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maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
i do know i hate the new disk utility maybe the more of us complain they may finaly fix it
Doubtful, I think when they dumb things down like they did, they never reverse course. I'm not saying I like the new DU, but rather I'm not expecting any changes :(
 

ljonesj

macrumors 6502a
Oct 20, 2009
945
63
Kingsport TN
thats true but they need to realize not all of there customers are dumb like they think we are some people do like the simplify of the apple ecosystem but would liek to keep better control and make decisions themselves whether or not to do some things a certain way
 

accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
Use it and enjoy!

Looking for faults is crazy making.

Besides, if there are faults, they'll jump out at you. So... Until then, just use the bloody thing. :D

The faults will jump right out at me, you got that right! Here's to hoping Apple has secretly fixed the issues with image persistence.
 
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AFEPPL

macrumors 68030
Sep 30, 2014
2,644
1,571
England
I double clicked into the topic and selected no, i don't have a device so -1 from the no list.
 
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accentaudio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 4, 2012
359
110
Kansas City
Is there an issue with image persistance. I understand some folks have it, but I'm not quite sold that its an issue with the 2015 iMacs.

I hope it is not an issue with 2015 iMacs, but it is an issue that has gotten much attention. Have a Google of it. Also, I don't think Apple would have a support doc about it if it wasn't an issue. I have even seen a couple threads on this forum where people say their 2015 model does it. Now whether that was early 2015 or late, I do not know.
 
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maxsix

Suspended
Jun 28, 2015
3,100
3,731
Western Hemisphere
Is there an issue with image persistance. I understand some folks have it, but I'm not quite sold that its an issue with the 2015 iMacs.
We have 20+ (2015) units in our Art Dep. at work, not one displays the issue being reported here. iMacs have, and continue, to serve us very well. :D
 
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