Macbook Pro (Unibody) Screen Blips/Flickers/Graphics Glitches

Issue #1

Specifically 15" Late-2008 models (first of the Unibody range) running on the integrated 9400M graphics mode; where the the top 1/3 of the screen blacks out for a few millisecond ever so randomly with no obvious way of reproducing it. Sometimes the whole screen blanks out instead of the top 1/3 part.

Video samples of those that are lucky enough to capture it on film.

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/xJMuYneBLLE&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/xJMuYneBLLE&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='425' height="344"></embed></object>

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/EATI_kh6GOw&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/EATI_kh6GOw&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='560' height="340"></embed></object>

Mind you, I've performed multiple SMC/PRAM resets, fresh system installations with full updates (10.5.8) and they don't seem to go away.

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Issue #2
Weird graphic glitches on the same machine, best described with the following video and text:

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DVvrX7EZufg&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DVvrX7EZufg&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='425' height="344"></embed></object>

Several observations to reproduce the glitch:
- Happens only on battery mode, regardless of which graphics card (9400M or 9600M GT)
- Happens on a freshly-installed, fully updated, SMC-resetted system with 10.5.8
- Only happens when you scroll very quickly (i.e. using the two-finger scroll on the touchpad) on a long list (refer to next point)
- Drop down list/menu has to be extensively long that requires at least two or three screen's worth of real estate. An example would be the 'Fonts' folder (/Library/Fonts), drop this into the dock as a stack and view it as a list.
- Reported to happen occasionally with the Spotlight search menu.


Anyone is having similar issues or am I just hallucinating?

 

Time to excise the warranty plan, assuming you have extended warranty. The 9400m most likely is failing

 

Would like to hear if anyone have any substantiated evidence of such events themselves getting repair from Apple?

 

I have this exact problem with mine. (Issue #1)

 

My MBP's backlight sometimes flickers when it is one tick above lowest brightness. I got my MBP back in July, so maybe I should bring it in before the warranty is out.