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iMac owners report graphics problems with ATI Radeon card

20 April 2009 19:48 by James "Dela" Delahunty | 8 comments

Owners of new Apple iMacs, equipped with an ATI Radeon HD 4850 video card, are reporting problems with freeze ups during normal usage, forcing them to reboot the machine. The problem doesn't appear to be caused by software running at the time of the freeze in Mac OS X, and some users have noted that the problem persists using Windows in a Boot Camp partition where drivers or Mac software wouldn't be an issue.

Threads have popped up on Apple's support forums about the issue and the company is aware of it. Some users report being told that a fix is expected to be rolled out with the Mac OS X 10.5.7 update while others have been offered replacement systems when a troubleshooting session has been unsuccessful.

This isn't the first experience of this kind of problem for Apple systems. In March, some users of MacBook Pro machines reported graphics issues during use, related to the NVIDIA 9600M and 9400M GPUs. Back in 2007, when the aluminum iMac machines launched, another freeze issue surfaced. That time, it allowed some programs to continue running, whereas the latest issue freezes up the entire system.

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Discuss this article!
salocano (Newbie) 20 April 2009 22:43
Wait What??? Apple having problems? User having to reboot? Wow Apple is going down !!!!!! [ + quote]
Morreale (Member) 20 April 2009 23:46
Ahah White Power! My white iMac and it's Radeon X1600 has never given me issues. It's definitely not the best GFX card but it plays San Andreas and Most Wanted and that's all I need :) [ + quote]
KillerBug (Senior Member) 21 April 2009 1:05
I'm a PC, and my ATI card works! [ + quote]
ripxrush (Junior Member) 21 April 2009 1:08
[ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 21 April 2009 1:14
ripxrush (Junior Member) 21 April 2009 1:13
*Quote:* *Quote:* I'm a PC, and my ATI card works! good point! I'm a PC and my Nvidia card works! (i also have an ATI tuner installed at the same time) WTF i thought a Mac was perfect! I thought it didn't have windows issues? I thought you didn't heave to deal with OS patches(they just let the holes be) No software driver issues (NO backwards compatibility & limited hardware options) No Frozen screens! I couldn't help it! i keep my computer on for 30-40 days @ a time, play wow, surf www, rip & encode movies watch movies no issues! I will reboot on some updates & other than that not unless i am cleaning all the dust out of my case! God damn dell's with 75% upgraded parts! Ok Mac fan boys ya had to know this was coming! you shoot your mouth off about PC issues well this is just too funny! If it where a PC issue there would at least be a HACK to fix it by a 3rd party & within a week the whoel issue would be fixed by the MFGR! [ + quote]
xnonsuchx (Member) 21 April 2009 1:23
I'll reserve judgment until it's discovered to be an inherent hardware flaw (all-inclusive or just sporadic) or fixable via a firmware update. [ + quote]
bobiroc (Member) 21 April 2009 20:10
No NO, this is obviously an ATI problem because Apple is perfect and never has hardware issues. If this was a PC with the same card it would be a Windows Problem because Microsoft Sucks. Apple can never admit they are proned to problems as well just like any other computer manufacturer. I write this on my Windows Vista PC that has never had a hardware issue, software crash, or major issue in 4 years. And the only time I have to reboot is when I update something and I have only had to reformat once when I upgraded from Windows XP to Vista. The only time I opened my case was to add more ram and to blow the occasional dust that gets in there. But apples probably have some secret force field to block dust so they never need regular maintenance either. [ + quote]
mjassim (Newbie) 22 April 2009 5:24
*Originally posted by KillerBug:* I'm a PC, and my ATI card works! [ + quote]