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Resolved Question

Mac display problem - the Matrix effect!

Jul 13, 2012 5:36AM PDT

Hi all,

I have a Mac Pro running dual Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors. I use two displays, an Apple 30" cinema display and a 27" display, which I use side-by-side. Recently, my 27" display has been having difficulties that are reminiscent of the special effects used in the Matrix movies when the character is dodging bullets - when moving an open document or window on the 27" display, it suddenly begins leaving a trail of ghost images behind that completely muck up the screen. Generally, I can correct the problem by grabbing another open document and moving it all over the screen - in effect using it to "wash" away all the duplicate images. I'm trying to figure out if this is a problem that can be easily corrected (perhaps a memory or cache issue) vs. some sort of fatal hardware or video card issue. I have a screenshot of this, but I'm a newbie to this forum and unsure if I can easily link it to my post. I'd be grateful for advice with this problem.

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mcgjim has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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This sounds like a video card issue.
Jul 13, 2012 5:41AM PDT

Given the machine story so far can you reveal how long since you did the usual canned air on the heatsinks (maintenence)?

I find many users never do that.
Bob

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Thanks!
Jul 13, 2012 6:46AM PDT

Thanks for your reply, Bob. I realized that I have four video cards in this machine, so I switched that display to one of the other cards and it seemed to solve the problem.

Regarding the heat sinks, I recently vacuumed out the the entire unit, but prior to doing so, it had accumulated a lot of dust. Poor maintenance might have overheated my video card prior to the recent cleaning..

Regards,

Jim