Mac display problems.

July 19, 2005 9:14 PM

I have a Mac mini and a 17" Apple CRT display (gray and white, matches the old G4). Help me diagnose a problem I am having since I moved.

I recently moved into a new house. At the old place, the Mini drove my monitor at 1152x870 with no problems. No flicker or jumpiness, lots of space and everything looked great (considering the equipment). At the new place, on the other hand, very frequently the whole screen seems to shake and flicker and it's very tough on the eyes. Of course when I down size to 1024x768 everything's solid and smooth - but I miss having the real estate on my screen.

So my question is this - what factors could be causing a new problem to appear. All other equipment is in the exact same place on my desk as before.

posted by mikel to computers & internet (7 comments total)

In addition to resolution there are frequency settings (e.g. 70 Hz, 75 Hz, etc.). You may want to check that the frequency setting in the Display system preference matches what your CRT can support. 1152x870 probably hits the limits of your CRT, and so your choice of frequencies will be smaller.

Failing that, Apple CRTs had a horrible record with deflector board failure that would lead to the kind of the symptoms you report. Cost of repairs is generally more than the cost of a new LCD display.
posted by Rothko at 9:35 PM on July 19, 2005

Start saving: that monitor's on the way out. I had two the same as you, and after those symptoms began they had about six months tops before they went. Downsizin in resolution always helped, for a while.
posted by bonaldi at 9:38 PM on July 19, 2005

Nearby magnetic fields such as tvs or refrigerators could have a slight effect...here is some more info. I remember a long time ago, when I actually read a monitor manual, it said that orientation (north-south-east-west) could even have an effect! Not sure if that's still the case now.
posted by edjusted at 10:53 PM on July 19, 2005

are there any florescent lamps near your computer in the new location? These flicker hundreds of times a second. Maybe some synchronicity between the monitor refresh rate and the flicker rate on the bulb might be the culprit? On that note, viewing the monitor while using an electric toothbrush (back massager, etc) can produce interesting results that might be similar to what you're seeing.
posted by roue at 3:45 AM on July 20, 2005

While I suspect bonaldi's right, what are the chances that it's inconsistent power, and a line conditioner might fix the situation? How could mikel rule that out without dropping the cash for a line conditioner?
posted by kimota at 9:22 AM on July 20, 2005

Are you using the DVI-VGA dongle that came with your mini? There were a handful of problems with them when they came out.
posted by blasdelf at 7:31 PM on July 21, 2005

[Followup almost a year later]

I just moved my desk and the monitor sitting on it and the problem disappeared when I re-tried the higher resolution.

I now hypothesize that there is some kind of wire that interfered with the monitor in the other wall.
posted by mikel at 7:56 AM on March 22, 2006