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Green screen issue

Imonline -  
So here are the symptoms:

- Sometimes, and increasingly, small pixels appear on my screen that turn green. Sometimes it stops by itself, other times the entire screen freezes in green and I have to restart my computer to regain control. Even upon restarting, sometimes the screen splits into a number of vertical gray lines that I have to restart again... anyway.

- My Mac is almost four years old and this problem has appeared recently (a month or two) and is becoming more frequent. My warranty has expired, and I bought my computer in France but I'm no longer there.

- I think I may have exposed my computer to various temperature changes recently.
For instance, Peru-France last year (winter-summer)
Then this winter in Montreal where I carried it between -20°C and +20°C indoors in the space of 5 minutes
Recently in Hong Kong where it was over 90% humidity + 30°C in Thailand...
And I am currently in Australia...

I have heard that humidity and sudden temperature changes can be a source of problems for a computer...

But maybe it has nothing to do with it...?

My question is not how to try to get a refund from Mac, but rather an attempt at an approximate diagnosis... is it a screen problem? graphics card? cable and whatever?

I don't know if I should wait for it to resolve itself (because sometimes it works fine for a week without issues) or go to a repair shop and if it would cost me a fortune.

Thank you for reading, I know it's long but I really love my Mac!!!

Configuration: Mac OS X / Safari 525.22

1 answer

  1. Anonymous user
    Hello

    There have been several discussions about similar issues. Problems that were first denied by Apple, then ultimately addressed after the warranty, due to pressure and court rulings.

    For example, see this "long discussion"
    https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-5928484-appel-aux-utilisateurs-mac-mecontents

    So, one piece of advice, go to an authorized center and ask them to cover the repair. Use this page to find the nearest center
    https://locate.apple.com/fr/fr/

    Good luck
    --
    Sanspseudo - Francis - iMac Intel Mac running OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 running Mac OS 10.5
    Always specify your exact configuration: Mac model and Mac OS version!
    1. Imonline Author
      Thank you very much, but as I mentioned above, that is not the answer I am looking for, but rather a diagnosis.

      My problem is almost always triggered when I watch videos either on the internet or on my computer. So I imagine we can make connections and assumptions with all of this.
    2. Anonymous user
      My message is to suggest going to an authorized service center because the issue is, in my opinion, a hardware problem. A hardware issue never resolves itself, on the contrary. What I will do, therefore, is back up everything that needs to be backed up. Then have the Mac examined by an authorized center. Through a forum, you will get opinions, but nothing more. In any case, not reliable diagnostics. (although it can indeed be assumed that the video card is involved). Whereas a service center can do this and possibly inform you about Apple's stance on the matter. It would be a shame to waste time on this issue if Apple covers the repair costs.
      It's up to you to follow up with whatever you see fit regarding what is just a suggestion.

      Sincerely.
    3. Imonline Author
      Yes, thank you very much!!! I do plan to have it checked, but I was curious to know what the causes might be and to suppose that it could be the video card.

      How does a video card work?

      (I'm not going to try anything myself, but I just want to understand, and the title of the website seems appropriate for my question)
    4. Anonymous user
      There is not enough space here to explain how a video card works. But according to what you describe, the problem mainly occurs when a display that is more "intensive" than simple text is requested. At that point, the video card is more heavily utilized. A video card is always more engaged for fast videos with a lot of movement and color. Its circuits and components are therefore more taxed than for displaying a black and white text page, for example. That is why not all computers are equipped with the same video cards. A graphic designer or video game player has different needs than someone who is just typing a letter. It turns out that on the vast majority of Macs, this card is not a "daughter" card simply connected to the "mother" board, but more often it is actually a video circuit integrated into the motherboard. We commonly refer to "video cards" like Nvidia, Geforce, ATI, etc., but these cards are, on iMacs and Mac laptops, in most cases, completely integrated and bonded to the motherboard; and thus impossible to replace on their own. On a PC in a "tower" form, these are generally individual cards connected to the motherboard and therefore more easily replaceable.
      It may be that one of the components of the video circuit is faulty. I understand that you do not want to attempt anything yourself, but even if you did, you would not be able to. You would have to replace the entire motherboard.
    5. Imonline Author
      Oh yes!!!

      Is a graphics card and a video card the same thing?

      Actually, I’ve been using my video editing software quite a bit recently...

      Well, I think I'll probably stop by Mac this week... but I'm still skeptical about the idea that they won't charge me anything for that.

      But thank you very much for the explanation, I already have a better idea of the situation. :)