Graphics glitch on progress bars

[nobodynose]

Since I upgraded to a 4K monitor and an Nvidia GTX 750 graphics card (from a 1080p monitor and GT 640), I've been noticing a minor but annoying graphics glitch. All progress bars are rendered with extra thin lines above and below. Here is a screen capture that shows what I'm talking about.


I also see the same lines on the progress bar that's displayed as my system boots up (not the Chimera progress bar, but the one that's dark grey on a light grey background).

Is anyone else seeing this glitch? Any ideas on how to get rid of it? My first guess would be a graphics card driver bug (I'm using the Nvidia Web drivers, since the GTX 750 is otherwise unsupported), but I was using the same drivers with my old graphics card and monitor, and the lines were not there. So I'm at a loss for ideas on what's causing it. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter, but it's ugly.

 

[michust]

Hi

I am running a GTX 970 with LG 31MU97 4K@60Hz.
I just rebooted but I don't see the glitch.

If I remember right I had same while upgrading from my GTX580 with a 1920x1200.

Is GraphicsEnabler=Yes
should be =No

If Yes you will face while booting that this boot bar turns after 30% from dark grey into white while flashing short the whole screen.

 

[nobodynose]

Hi

I am running a GTX 970 with LG 31MU97 4K@60Hz.
I just rebooted but I don't see the glitch.

If I remember right I had same while upgrading from my GTX580 with a 1920x1200.

Is GraphicsEnabler=Yes
should be =No

If Yes you will face while booting that this boot bar turns after 30% from dark grey into white while flashing short the whole screen.

I believe that what I am seeing is exactly what you're describing. However, I already have "GraphicsEnabler=No" in my /Extra/org.chameleon.Boot.plist file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>DropSSDT</key>
    <string>Yes</string>
    <key>EthernetBuiltIn</key>
    <string>Yes</string>
    <key>GenerateCStates</key>
    <string>Yes</string>
    <key>GeneratePStates</key>
    <string>Yes</string>
    <key>Graphics Mode</key>
    <string>"3840x2160x32"</string>
    [B]<key>GraphicsEnabler</key>
    <string>No</string>[/B]
    <key>HDAEnabler</key>
    <string>Yes</string>
    <key>HDEFLayoutID</key>
    <string>01000000</string>
    <key>IGPEnabler</key>
    <string>No</string>
    <key>Kernel Flags</key>
    <string>darkwake=0 npci=0x2000 kext-dev-mode=1 nvda_drv=1</string>
    <key>Legacy Logo</key>
    <string>Yes</string>
    <key>Timeout</key>
    <string>2</string>
    <key>UseKernelCache</key>
    <string>Yes</string>
</dict>
</plist>

 

[michust]

My Boot.plist shows like

<key>EthernetBuiltIn</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>GraphicsEnabler</key>
<string>No</string>
<key>IGPEnabler</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>kext-dev-mode=1 nvda_drv=1</string>
<key>Legacy Logo</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>Timeout</key>
<string>2</string>
<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>"1920x1080x32"</string>
<key>GenerateCStates</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>GeneratePStates</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>UseKernelCache</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>Hide Partition</key>
<string>hd(1,2) hd(2,2)</string>
<key>Rename Partition</key>
<string>hd(1,1) Windows</string>


The difference could be the IGP enabler, I don't remember the setting before the upgrade...

Is this workg for you?
<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>"3840x2160x32"</string>

My 1920 setup is not working, it looks like I have a 1280x1024

 

[nobodynose]

My Boot.plist shows like
...
<key>IGPEnabler</key>
<string>Yes</string>
...

The difference could be the IGP enabler, I don't remember the setting before the upgrade...

Is this workg for you?

<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>"3840x2160x32"</string>

My 1920 setup is not working, it looks like I have a 1280x1024

IGPEnabler is for integrated CPU graphics (Intel HD xxxx). I'm not using (can't use, it's unsupported) the HD 2000 graphics on my i5-2500 CPU, so "IGPEnabler=No" is correct for my configuration, I believe.

"Graphics Mode=3840x2160x32" doesn't appear to work for my setup either, I think it's displaying some VESA mode until after I login.

What happens then is really weird. The Displays preferences pane says I'm at 2560x1440 @ 60Hz, and when I actually measure with a pixel ruler app it measures out to 2560x1440. On the other hand, the About This Mac - Displays tab says my display is 3840x2160; and the monitor's onscreen information, when I bring it up, also says 3840x2160 @ 60Hz.

Both cannot be right; it's displaying 2560x1440 or 3840x2160, it can't be both. Any ideas how to explain and/or resolve this discrepancy?

 

[michust]

IGPEnabler, I know (it works not for me either because my I980 is a old 1366 socket type without any GPU in it) but this was the graphic related difference between our setups.

The display issue I saw in other threads also, here in the forum, but don't remember where.

How is the Monitor connected? HDMI, DisplayPort?
Only with DisplayPort and V1.2 enabled in the Monitor you will get native 4K@60Hz.
If you have to change the setting in the monitor you have to reboot, seems that the change will discovered only while booting.

The 2560x1440@60Hz is the highest resolution @60Hz without a DisplayPort V1.2 connection.

Display prefs:
Did you check the Options in scaled? Use "Option/Alt" click to see all resolutions.

Is the resolution changing between login (login screen) and after you logged in?
The NVIDIA driver is active if it comes to the login screen.

 

[nobodynose]

IGPEnabler, I know (it works not for me either because my I980 is a old 1366 socket type without any GPU in it) but this was the graphic related difference between our setups.

The display issue I saw in other threads also, here in the forum, but don't remember where.

How is the Monitor connected? HDMI, DisplayPort?
Only with DisplayPort and V1.2 enabled in the Monitor you will get native 4K@60Hz.
If you have to change the setting in the monitor you have to reboot, seems that the change will discovered only while booting.

The 2560x1440@60Hz is the highest resolution @60Hz without a DisplayPort V1.2 connection.

The monitor is connected via DisplayPort v1.2.

Display prefs:
Did you check the Options in scaled? Use "Option/Alt" click to see all resolutions.

Oh! I didn't know about this! When I option-click, I get all resolutions, I'm able to select 3840x2160, and it works. Unfortunately, I don't know if I can use this resolution long-term - it's possible to make system fonts and icon sizes larger in many places using Finder preferences and utilities like Secrets and TinkerTool; however I can't find any method for enlarging the menu font (this applies to all menus system-wide). Thanks to my 47-year-old eyes, I have to strain to read the menus at this resolution. So I think I'll go back to 2560x1440. More about this in a moment.

Is the resolution changing between login (login screen) and after you logged in?
The NVIDIA driver is active if it comes to the login screen.

Yes, it is changing. Next time I reboot I'll have to check the monitor's info panel to see what resolution it's displaying at. EDIT: The monitor shows 3840x2160 on the login screen as well. Which means that OS X is doing the below-described screen object resizing there too.

While searching for a way to change the menu font size, I ran across an enlightening article about how Apple implemented the Retina display. They use a pixel mapping of 2:1 (vs. 1:1) to draw some UI elements and other screen objects. This results in a display that's larger and clearer, without sacrificing legibility. Here's a link to the article: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review. I don't fully understand everything in the article, but I got enough of it to be satisfied that my display system is working as expected.

I think the pixel interpolation and screen object resizing talked about in the article explains the discrepancy between the Displays preferences pane, the measured on-screen resolution, the About This Mac, and the monitor's own information. I guess Mac OS X sees my 4k monitor as a Retina display and does the interpolation automatically; but since I don't have an Apple branded monitor as far as it's concerned the display signal IS 3840x2160; it's just the content of the signal that has been "altered".

 

[michust]

Apple is identifying only Apple displays as Retina displays.
If you like to see Retina resolutions in Displays Prefs.:

Open a terminal session and enter the following:

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist DisplayResolutionEnabled -bool true

After logoff, Login you should see after "option-klick" the scaled button all possible retina resolutions.

Option 1:
x,y (HIDPI) -> this is a Retina resolution

Option 2:
x,y (lo resolution) -> this is not a retina resolution, but the other ones without this info.

I have Option 2 and the 3200x1678 looks even better then before.

 

[nobodynose]

Apple is identifying only Apple displays as Retina displays.
If you like to see Retina resolutions in Displays Prefs.:

Open a terminal session and enter the following:

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist DisplayResolutionEnabled -bool true

After logoff, Login you should see after "option-klick" the scaled button all possible retina resolutions.

Option 1:
x,y (HIDPI) -> this is a Retina resolution

Option 2:
x,y (lo resolution) -> this is not a retina resolution, but the other ones without this info.

I have Option 2 and the 3200x1678 looks even better then before.

Thanks for the info - I'll give it a try and see how it works.

 

[nobodynose]

I ran the defaults write command, logged out and logged back in. Now when I option click the "Scaled" radio button I get a long list of resolutions - some are marked "(low resolution)", the rest are not labeled. None labeled "(HiDPI)". However, the unmarked ones appear to be Retina resolutions because when I select "2560x1440" I get the same crisp display as before, with my monitor reporting "3840x2160".

The difference now is that all the higher resolutions, while not marked "(HiDPI)", are displayed by just clicking the "Scaled" button, I don't have to option click to see them.