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WoW ruined my screen, do iMacs have 2 video or graphics cards or something?

B

Blondie769

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 29, 2007
23
0
Chicago
Sorry I am not very savvy with the design of my iMac, but I just bought a laptop at best buy and I told the guy how my screen was ruined by world of warcraft (there are many vertical neon lines through the screen that do not show in screen shots)

This guy told me iMacs come with two of something, I can't remember what it might have been video card or graphics card... something to do with the display of my screen. I believe he said they are built right onto the hard drive. He said somewhere in my settings I can switch to the other default one which might resolve the problem. Anyone know what I'm talking about? And if so anyone know where I can switch?

And if you're not sure about that, once I switch to the other I'm planning on installing that app that lets you control your fan, it's supposed to help with WoW, any other suggestions on how to combat the effects of WoW?

Thanks for any help
 
The guy you talked to didn't know what he was talking about. They do not have 2 video cards, only one. I'm also not sure how WoW could have ruined your screen. I think it may have just been a bad display or bad graphics card.

To clarify, a video card is the same thing as a graphics card, just two different names.
 
alust2013 said:
The guy you talked to didn't know what he was talking about. They do not have 2 video cards, only one. I'm also not sure how WoW could have ruined your screen. I think it may have just been a bad display or bad graphics card.

To clarify, a video card is the same thing as a graphics card, just two different names.
Click to expand...

There are many, many people who've ruined their screens with wow. It is just too much for that graphics card it wasn't meant for heavy gaming.
 
Blondie769 said:
There are many, many people who've ruined their screens with wow. It is just too much for that graphics card it wasn't meant for heavy gaming.
Click to expand...

Where did you get this info from? Graphics cards in iMac's are perfectly capable of running games, even heavy games like GTA IV run perfectly well on a iMac. The issue you are describing is not software related but hardware.

Your problem with the iMac is likely not from playing WOW, but more of the fact that you probably have a bad video card. If it's still under warranty then take it in to get fixed or diagnosed.
 
Blondie769 said:
Sorry I am not very savvy with the design of my iMac, but I just bought a laptop at best buy and I told the guy how my screen was ruined by world of warcraft (there are many vertical neon lines through the screen that do not show in screen shots)

This guy told me iMacs come with two of something, I can't remember what it might have been video card or graphics card... something to do with the display of my screen. I believe he said they are built right onto the hard drive. He said somewhere in my settings I can switch to the other default one which might resolve the problem. Anyone know what I'm talking about? And if so anyone know where I can switch?

And if you're not sure about that, once I switch to the other I'm planning on installing that app that lets you control your fan, it's supposed to help with WoW, any other suggestions on how to combat the effects of WoW?

Thanks for any help
Click to expand...

The guy at Best Buy is an idiot, take your iMac to the nearest Applestore
 
Blondie769 said:
There are many, many people who've ruined their screens with wow. It is just too much for that graphics card it wasn't meant for heavy gaming.
Click to expand...

Your just wrong and so are those who you claim think they ruined their screens by playing WOW. Since I have had one iMac die on me from playing games I can point to two sources of the problem.

Bad components and bad location of the machine. Bad components from the stand point of, they pass all required testing but are on the low end of acceptance. They will work in any normal environment just fine. Bad location, these machines are air cooled and as such need to be in an area when the air at least circulates. Mine simply went black right after two flickers. Toasted the video board and main board (iMac with 7600GT).

There are all sorts of ways to cause problems for your computer. Not keeping its air vents clean, smoking while using it, putting it in a corner of a room, keeping it in a closet (yeah, seen that in some tiny apartments), covering when not in use but only when doing so immediately after use.

My current iMac gets really really toasty when I game. To alleviate any issues I turn the ceiling fan on. I also make sure there is nothing blocking the vents at the bottom of the machine and that the top vents are clear.
 
its a common issue with iMac's in white case (G5 and early intels ) , either the display goes or the GPU , fairly normal , mine got logicboard and display replaced under apple care among lots of other parts too ,
there is a small chance ,look here in the forum, there is a post about that apple is replacing for free if your iMac was produced in a certain chinese factory at a certain time , otherwise it gets expensive , go to a apple store ask nice polite and with tears in the eyes maybe yours falls into that batch and apple still is replacing for free
good luck
 
Apple screen are truly terrible (except on ios devices)......

But WOW ruining your screen, the man from best buy a. telling you there's 2 graphics card, b. telling you the graphics cards are attached to the hard drive........ Are potentially the three stupidest computer myths I've ever heard.

It sounds like a screen/cable problem to me.
 
sim667 said:
Apple screen are truly terrible (except on ios devices)......

But WOW ruining your screen, the man from best buy a. telling you there's 2 graphics card, b. telling you the graphics cards are attached to the hard drive........ Are potentially the three stupidest computer myths I've ever heard.

It sounds like a screen/cable problem to me.
Click to expand...

¿Por qué?
 
sim667 said:
Apple screen are truly terrible (except on ios devices)......

But WOW ruining your screen, the man from best buy a. telling you there's 2 graphics card, b. telling you the graphics cards are attached to the hard drive........ Are potentially the three stupidest computer myths I've ever heard.

It sounds like a screen/cable problem to me.
Click to expand...

I LOL'd at that first part. My early intel iMac's screen is tough to beat. The monitor I use next to it doesn't even compare(only use it because it's bigger).

Where do you get that the screens are truly terrible from? Graphic designers the world over love Apple displays...so I'm a bit lost.
 
leman said:
Its a obvious troll, don't feed it.
Click to expand...

OK:
I am not "trolling" I'm looking for help I am a girl and not very tech savvy i thought maybe someone could help

The whole question is DO macs have 2 video cards I AM NOT SURE that is what he was telling me about I stated that right away. It could be a totally different piece of hardware that could effect my screen that I don't know the name of. My father had the exact same problem because he played WoW a lot and he went to the apple store and they said world of warcraft does this a lot, probably other factors, but without wow I don't think this would happen

SO now that thats cleared dr dunkel mentioned a MBP what is that? are there two of them? Can i switch from one to another? That's essientially my question because the guy at best buy has many macs and was pretty intelligible i don't think he was way off base its just I can't remember the exact name of what he was describing!
 
i guess he does not mean the picture quality which is really good , but the build quality of the displays seems not to be of a very high standard, as the lines are really common and usually come up after around 2-3 years , just go on ebay and look for yourself , lots sold with that display issue 1 line, 2 lines,...
 
Last edited:
MacHamster68 said:
i guess he does not mean the picture quality which is really good , but the build quality of the displays seems not to be of a very high standard, as the lines are really common and usually come up after around 2-3 years , just go on ebay and look for yourself , lots sold with that display issue 1 line, 2 lines,...
Click to expand...

I have 9 lines, the more i play wow more appear
 
As the others who have replied to you already stated there is no specific game or application that ruins your iMac. iMac's are well designed all in one computers and although well cooled they have comparable issues as laptops have as all components are tightly squeezed into the same chassis. Defects may come (besides manufacturing issues) if one max out the CPU and GPU for many hours and day's without letting the system cool down. And moving the system around a lot doesn’t help neither. In most cases you with overheated systems you will notice a slowdown and eventually breakdown of the harddrive prior to chip defects. But this can happen with any application that maxes out the system. It would help if you can tell us the iMac version you own to determine if it can be production related.
So advice is see if there are any know production errors with your iMac version and bring it to the store to get it fixed. If the unit is over 3 years old and out of warranty it will most likely not be worth replacing the logic board.
 
The problem is not the softare (WoW in this case), its more likely related to the consecutive hours at a time you are running this software.

As stated before the only way software can negatively impact your iMac is by overheating the hardware components from extensive use.

Your iMac has one video card, and if it is damaged it is due to the heat from your 11 hour farming sessions.

Go to the Apple store and find out the REAL problem, not the theory of a Geeksquad ninja shower spy.
 
Blondie769 said:
OK:
I am not "trolling" I'm looking for help I am a girl and not very tech savvy i thought maybe someone could help

The whole question is DO macs have 2 video cards I AM NOT SURE that is what he was telling me about I stated that right away. It could be a totally different piece of hardware that could effect my screen that I don't know the name of. My father had the exact same problem because he played WoW a lot and he went to the apple store and they said world of warcraft does this a lot, probably other factors, but without wow I don't think this would happen

SO now that thats cleared dr dunkel mentioned a MBP what is that? are there two of them? Can i switch from one to another? That's essientially my question because the guy at best buy has many macs and was pretty intelligible i don't think he was way off base its just I can't remember the exact name of what he was describing!
Click to expand...


I think what the guy at the store was referring to was that MacBook Pros have two video cards... a separate video card on a chip and one that is built-in by Intel. He is basically saying to reboot using the other video card.
But this will not work with your situation because iMacs only have the separate video card. The two-video card system is on the portables only because it provides the user with the option to conserve battery life or enable better performance. Either way though, it has nothing to do with your system.
In other words, you'll need to get the system fixed; probably at an Apple Store. If you make an appointment and bring it in, they can at least look at it and confirm what components are damaged and in need of replacement. Not sure if WoW is to blame or not, but any application that uses a disproportionate amount of graphics horsepower to run is going to strain the system. Not excusing it at all (it still shouldn't happen), but that may be what caused the issue.
Hope that you can get it resolved. Take care!
 
Blondie769 said:
OK:The whole question is DO macs have 2 video cards I AM NOT SURE that is what he was telling me about I stated that right away. It could be a totally different piece of hardware that could effect my screen that I don't know the name of. My father had the exact same problem because he played WoW a lot and he went to the apple store and they said world of warcraft does this a lot, probably other factors, but without wow I don't think this would happen
Click to expand...
Some Macs do have two graphics cards - namely the MacBook Pro laptops. The iMacs, like yours, don't have two, because they don't need to save power by switching between cards depending on usage.

iMacs are also very sensitive to heat problems. Games, such as WoW, place the computer under a heavy load, and intensive use will cause a lot of heat - and some models may then fail due to long-term heat damage, causing symptoms exactly like you're describing.
 
Best Buy Idiots

CaoCao said:
The guy at Best Buy is an idiot, take your iMac to the nearest Applestore
Click to expand...

Nice! But I would hasten to add the the guy at the nearest Applestore is only a notch or two up from BB idiot. What would the terminology be, I wonder? Dolt? UnGenius?

:)


-Iamthinking
 
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