Strange display effects

[LaurentR2D2]

Hello,

I've experienced some strange problems on my display. I've launched an application and its window was filled with a patchworks of pictures. Only the application window was affected. I've tried to launch another application, and the problem has occurred the same way. In fact all the parts of the screen I wouldn't touch didn't have any problem. The problem would occur only if I launched an application, or in a safari tab I would reload. I've tried on the two screens attached to my computer. The problem has disappeared after a reboot of my computer. I have a Mac Pro rev 1,1 with Mavericks installed using the Tiamo boot.efi and an ATI Radeon HHD 4870 / 512 Mb VRAM. Should I worry for my graphic card ? If yes, what should I look for as replacement ? It seems difficult to find this card second hand.

Thank you

 

[Macsonic]

Hello,

I've experienced some strange problems on my display. I've launched an application and its window was filled with a patchworks of pictures. Only the application window was affected. I've tried to launch another application, and the problem has occurred the same way. In fact all the parts of the screen I wouldn't touch didn't have any problem. The problem would occur only if I launched an application, or in a safari tab I would reload. I've tried on the two screens attached to my computer. The problem has disappeared after a reboot of my computer. I have a Mac Pro rev 1,1 with Mavericks installed using the Tiamo boot.efi and an ATI Radeon HHD 4870 / 512 Mb VRAM. Should I worry for my graphic card ? If yes, what should I look for as replacement ? It seems difficult to find this card second hand.

Thank you

You may try removing the GPU and blowing off any dust on the card and inside your Mac Pro. Then reinstall the card and see if the problem goes away. Best to have an extra GPU on hand for future troubleshooting. The Ati Radeon 5770 or 5870 would be fine.

 

[LaurentR2D2]

You may try removing the GPU and blowing off any dust on the card and inside your Mac Pro. Then reinstall the card and see if the problem goes away. Best to have an extra GPU on hand for future troubleshooting. The Ati Radeon 5770 or 5870 would be fine.

Thank you. I've made a big cleaning of my Mac Pro, and now I wait to see if the problem occurs again. Meanwhile, I'm going to look for the cards you mention. I've seen some cards with this mention :

"Since it has a native EFI Rome you can see the normal gray Apple boot screen when connected to a DVI monitor to the VGA input operates the> VGA adapter (adapter included). The boot screen is not digital (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort) output, so that the monitor only appears from login screen / desktop."

I guess it is because they are not genuine, but have been flashed. Is it safe to buy such cards ?

 

[Macsonic]

Thank you. I've made a big cleaning of my Mac Pro, and now I wait to see if the problem occurs again. Meanwhile, I'm going to look for the cards you mention. I've seen some cards with this mention :

"Since it has a native EFI Rome you can see the normal gray Apple boot screen when connected to a DVI monitor to the VGA input operates the> VGA adapter (adapter included). The boot screen is not digital (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort) output, so that the monitor only appears from login screen / desktop."

I guess it is because they are not genuine, but have been flashed. Is it safe to buy such cards ?

Welcome LaurentR2D2. Hope your Mac Pro is running smoothly. It's okay to buy flashed GPUs as long as the seller is highly skilled in flashing for a long period of time and offers some kind of return option in case there are problems with the card. Properly Flashed PC cards perform just as good as a Mac Edition card. As far as I know, Radeon cards are both 32EFI and 64EFI capable so they also work on 1.1 to 2.1 Mac Pros. The flashed Radeon cards I also see for sale are 5850 and 6870. Have a good weekend