Totaly Crazy Display

Tech Support
1

Hi,
the display of my MacBook pro, and 2013, which is still working very well, is suddenly going crazy. Look at this video:


When I take a screenshot at the same time it looks totally normal:

When I close the lid it recovers and works for a while without any problems. Sometimes quite a while.
In 30 years of working with Macs I never experienced this and I have no idea what it is. Is it a hardware problem with a display or a software problem? And what do I do?

I would love to hear from you!
Keep safe, Per

2

I would suspect the video cable for your display is broken. I’d get it booked in if it’s under warranty.

3

Do you have an external monitor that you could connect to for troubleshooting purposes?

1 Like
4

I’ve seen this on a Windows laptop and it was indeed the video cable.

5

Do you mean the cables connection between display and motherboard? No warranty, the MacBook Pro is 7 years old. Is the replacement expensive? Is it worth it in the age of seven?

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6

No, in which way would it help troubleshooting?

7

Do you have any idea how expensive the replacement would be?

8

If you connect to an external monitor and it works fine, then it’s not a software problem. It’s most likely the laptop monitor or video cable as mentioned by @geoffaire and @ChrisEdwards.

9

No it was a company laptop so I wasn’t involved in paying for the repair

10

The only way you’ll know is to book it in.

11

Not worth the cost of repair for a 2013 model…

The video cable is part of the Retina display assembly. Those assemblies are not meant to be taken apart. Apple would only offer a complete display assembly as a repair option. 13" MBP would run $600US and the 15" MBP at $800US. Since the computer is currently Vintage and will become Obsolete (by Apple’s Standards) at the end of the year, you are also crossing your fingers that the display is still available in Apple inventory.

IMHO you would be much better off investing that money into a new MBP. May I suggest looking at the Refurb section on Apple’s website?

1 Like
12

Thank you Guys for your answers, they help my decision. As I discovered that the problem only occurs by a certain angle off the display, I will go on until it gets worse and then take a step to towards a new MacBook Pro.
Keep safe and kind regards Per