Apple says some MacBook Pros affected by faulty Nvidia chips

[bushbaby]

No - I bought and received the old style 2.5 mbp. Has the problem definitively been linked to bad soldering? Because if it has, I agree, we are screwed... Probably just a matter of time. I didn't buy Applecare on this one, thinking about waiting until the end of the year. Do you think it would be prudent? Times are tough...

Never trust a computer you can't throw out a window.
Steve Wozniak

Yes, linked to the soldering. Which is why it's being reported that all of them will fail in time.

"In July, Nvidia informed the Securities and Exchange Commission that it would incur a $150 million to $200 million charge to cover repair and replacement expenses resulting from "a weak die/packaging material set" in certain versions of its previous MCP and GPU products employed by various notebook vendors.

"The previous generation MCP and GPU products that are impacted were included in a number of notebook products that were shipped and sold in significant quantities," the chipmaker told the Commission. "Certain notebook configurations of these MCP and GPU products are failing in the field at higher than normal rates."

Note that is the chipmaker stating this, the same company that at first tried to deny Apple was involved. The same company that hid this for months and is now being sued by their own stockholders. So that last sentence above is about as understated as possible.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ook_pros_affected_by_faulty_nvidia_chips.html

Nvidia didn't set aside 200 million dollars for a handful of failures.

Now Apple will cover this for two years from purchase (extending the normal warranty of one year to an additional year) as per their support page addressing this very problem. But there's a thread here now where someone in GB has a screen that's gone bad and he's being told it passes a "test" so they won't repair it for free. Hopefully as more of these fail in time, Apple store employees will be used to it.

 

[Atomic Ed]

Very hard situation. Problem is whenever there is a video problem of any kind most people will rightly believe that it's the video card. On this particular test, did they identify what the problem was and if it was say the screen?

My understanding is that Apple has set up a test that will show if the card fails but I don't know anyone who has something identical to test at home.

I would take it back to the Apple Store for another test and an explanation. You deserve to know what the problem is and how it can be addressed at a minimum.

This is not heartwarming either.

I also do not know what their test consits of but I would expect you could easily determine if the GPU is bad by hooking up an external display and if that display doesn't work either then you know it is the video card and not the panel.

 

[GeorgeD]

I am thinking about buying a previous gen MBP

I'm thinking about buying a previous generation MBP, should I just fork out the cash for the new one to avoid having any problems with the faulty GPU's?

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Now Apple will cover this for two years from purchase (extending the normal warranty of one year to an additional year) as per their support page addressing this very problem.

You may be saying it correctly but I'm afraid your wording will throw many newbies off.

They will only extend the 1 year warranty on parts and labor tending to this very GPU issue, nothing more.

If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within two years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.

If it were a full on warrenty extention there would be a huge outcry by APpleCare purchasers.

 

[jedivulcan]

You may be saying it correctly but I'm afraid your wording will throw many newbies off.

They will only extend the 1 year warranty on parts and labor tending to this very GPU issue, nothing more.



If it were a full on warrenty extention there would be a huge outcry by APpleCare purchasers.

I bought my AppleCare on the fact that the nVidia chips would fail in my system and it did happen. Not happy with warranty extensions.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

I bought my AppleCare on the fact that the nVidia chips would fail in my system and it did happen. Not happy with warranty extensions.

Yeah its pretty much a catch-22. Of course, these individuals don't get replacements for broken keyboards/hard disks/etc or telephone support for an extra year.

AppleCare is still worth it, in my opinion.

I predict alot of failing Penryn Macbook Pros in about 1 to 1.5 years

 

[bushbaby]

eddyisgreat, you are quite right. It is only the faulty nvidia gpu that has the extra year coverage. And someone posted their screen went bad but Apple told them it passed some test so they were not covering it under the "extra year for 8600 only." Ouch.

BTW, if you purchase your machine with certain credit cards, like the AE Platinum and others, your warranty is doubled. So the original year is two years. I wonder if that also would make the two years for the nvidia card go to four years (doubt it).

Yeah, there will be a lot failures -- one way or another. Wish they would just go ahead and replace for anyone wishing to get it over with now, at their own convenience, not when it fails.

You may be saying it correctly but I'm afraid your wording will throw many newbies off.

They will only extend the 1 year warranty on parts and labor tending to this very GPU issue, nothing more.



If it were a full on warrenty extention there would be a huge outcry by APpleCare purchasers.

 

[madmaxmedia]

Yeah, there will be a lot failures -- one way or another. Wish they would just go ahead and replace for anyone wishing to get it over with now, at their own convenience, not when it fails.

My concern is not the convenience factor (though it's there.) My concern is that my MBP GPU will fail AFTER the extra warranty period has passed.

 

[GeorgeD]

is it for sure that 100% of these GPU's will fail?

 

[ATimson]

is it for sure that 100% of these GPU's will fail?

No. It may be the case (but has not been officially admitted) that 100% of GPUs are built with the defective solder that could fail. But there's been no public data on actual failure rates to date, either of the GPUs overall or the GPUs with the bad solder.

 

[Phrasikleia]

is it for sure that 100% of these GPU's will fail?

Well, here's the thing:

The same solder was used on all of the 8600m GT GPUs, which is why Apple extended the GPU warranty on every computer that contains one (that is, every MacBook Pro made in the last 13 months).

That solder is unable to withstand temperature variations properly and will fail when it has experienced too many variations. (Sort of like bending a metal spoon back and forth until it snaps.)

People who do GPU-intensive tasks will deteriorate that solder more rapidly. People who use their laptops as their primary machine will deteriorate that solder more rapidly. People who fall outside these groups may find that the solder lasts as long as they need it to (that is, until they're ready to buy a new computer anyway).

So all of those computers are affected, but usage patterns will determine which will fail while the computers they are in are still in use.

I hope that helps.

 

[gr8bob]

Has anyone actually gotten the "Rev 2" logic board replacements at all?

How does it fare compared to the previous board if you had experienced graphical glitches issues before?

 

[qsoundrich]

Good question. Does the rev 2 fix the problem, or just replace it with another faulty part?

 

[Atomic Ed]

Well, here's the thing:

The same solder was used on all of the 8600m GT GPUs, which is why Apple extended the GPU warranty on every computer that contains one (that is, every MacBook Pro made in the last 13 months).

That solder is unable to withstand temperature variations properly and will fail when it has experienced too many variations. (Sort of like bending a metal spoon back and forth until it snaps.)

People who do GPU-intensive tasks will deteriorate that solder more rapidly. People who use their laptops as their primary machine will deteriorate that solder more rapidly. People who fall outside these groups may find that the solder lasts as long as they need it to (that is, until they're ready to buy a new computer anyway).

So all of those computers are affected, but usage patterns will determine which will fail while the computers they are in are still in use.

I hope that helps.

Can I ask you where you got the information on "that is, every MacBook Pro made in the last 13 months" from? I have a SR MBP that was made in June 07 the very first batch of SR machines and I can not find anywhere info on whether or not this batch already had the defective solder yet or not. Anyway like you, I am very concerned about the GPU in my machine even though I never had a single issue with this computer. It would be great to know if it in fact has the issue or not. I appreciate any info you might have n this.

 

[gr8bob]

Good question. Does the rev 2 fix the problem, or just replace it with another faulty part?

I'm looking for users that had their machine replaced with Rev 2 boards. I'm still testing out mine. Logic board replacement seems to have screwed up certain things in Leopard and Boot Camp. Probably will need a wipe-n-install soon. Somehow certain scenes that used to render smoothly feels a bit jittery.. or maybe it's just me.

So far no graphic corruption, but one NVChannel(GL) error/freeze while scrolling through iTunes Cover Flow.

Things still doesn't seem too good to me.

Anyone that still has the "Rev 1" boards could you guys please post a screen report from GPU-Z via Boot Camp? It'll be interesting to see if they've changed anything in spec at all.

 

[Phrasikleia]

Can I ask you where you got the information on "that is, every MacBook Pro made in the last 13 months" from? I have a SR MBP that was made in June 07 the very first batch of SR machines and I can not find anywhere info on whether or not this batch already had the defective solder yet or not. Anyway like you, I am very concerned about the GPU in my machine even though I never had a single issue with this computer. It would be great to know if it in fact has the issue or not. I appreciate any info you might have n this.

Sure, it's in Apple's official support document:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377?locale=de_AT

Where it states, "These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008."

[Edit: I realize now that I should have written "every MacBook Pro made in the last 17 months".]

The generation titles they include in parentheses are causing endless confusion for people like you. Nevermind the exact GHz speeds or "early" designations in the parentheses. Those are generational identifiers, not specified subsets of the machines from those generations. So your SR MBP is officially "on the list".

 

[sinser]

I was thinking about upgrading my PBook G4 1.25 Ghz, but I don't like the new MBP (mostly for the mirror display) so I was thinking about a new old MPB 2.5 Ghz which I can find for good prices. But then I take notice of this Nvidia GPU problem. What should I do??? Will my MPB be affected? I know, maybe there isn't a real answer, but I'd like some advice...

 

[-js-]

Ah, well that sucks. I was hoping that mine was manufactured late enough to avoid this problem. Oh well. Guess I'll get that AppleCare after all.

 

[KC2]

Ah, well that sucks. I was hoping that mine was manufactured late enough to avoid this problem. Oh well. Guess I'll get that AppleCare after all.

I actually think it's just one more reason to get AppleCare, and it shouldn't be THE reason to get it. I'm coming up on my one year in a few months, so I was planning on getting it anyway. From everything I've read, replacing ANYTHING in these beasts isn't cheap. So for me, I was already planning on getting AC before this whole nVidia fiasco. Now I'll just rest slightly easier at night knowing everything's covered (within reason).

 

[imac9556]

Sure, it's in Apple's official support document:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377?locale=de_AT

Where it states, "These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008."

[Edit: I realize now that I should have written "every MacBook Pro made in the last 17 months".]

The generation titles they include in parentheses are causing endless confusion for people like you. Nevermind the exact GHz speeds or "early" designations in the parentheses. Those are generational identifiers, not specified subsets of the machines from those generations. So your SR MBP is officially "on the list".

Hi,
Thank you for the insightful reply. However, my Macbook Pro (not the "brick" MBP) was BTO and made in the 1st week of October. However, I expressed my concerns about this issue because this was a replacement MBP from AppleCare...this is what my representative said:
"I double checked the manufacturing date and yours was built after September."
that was a reply from my message that said:
"I am glad that the Macbook Pro is NOT under the "affected" models for the defective Macbook Pros.
You are stating that, since my machine is a custom-to-order and it was built in October, it is probably not "flawed" or defective?"

I can only hope for the best....any comments?

 

[sinser]

Hmmmm, I'll see. I just ordered one. It was too tempting to get one before they disappear. For sure I'll also get Apple Care before warranty expires.

 

[Atomic Ed]

Sure, it's in Apple's official support document:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377?locale=de_AT

Where it states, "These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008."

[Edit: I realize now that I should have written "every MacBook Pro made in the last 17 months".]

The generation titles they include in parentheses are causing endless confusion for people like you. Nevermind the exact GHz speeds or "early" designations in the parentheses. Those are generational identifiers, not specified subsets of the machines from those generations. So your SR MBP is officially "on the list".

Thanks for the information on this I appreciated it. For a moment there I had a shred of hope my GPU just might have been made before the defective solder. But anyway I guess I couldn't get that lucky. Oh well I feel like this whole GPU thing is my only issue with my current MBP and would simply replace it with a new one if they hadn't destroyed the design now so I find myself in a situation where I really don't know what do. I believe the majority lack of acceptance with this new MBP design will most likely force Apple to redesign it by next refresh but that would mean being without a Mac if I sell this one now and have to wait. What a mess.....

 

[Phrasikleia]

Hi,
Thank you for the insightful reply. However, my Macbook Pro (not the "brick" MBP) was BTO and made in the 1st week of October. However, I expressed my concerns about this issue because this was a replacement MBP from AppleCare...this is what my representative said:
"I double checked the manufacturing date and yours was built after September."
that was a reply from my message that said:
"I am glad that the Macbook Pro is NOT under the "affected" models for the defective Macbook Pros.
You are stating that, since my machine is a custom-to-order and it was built in October, it is probably not "flawed" or defective?"

I can only hope for the best....any comments?

Machines made in October of 2008 are not "on the list", so you probably have a "Rev. 2" GPU. Those are supposedly OK.

 

[henhowc]

Powered up my MBP this morning and my logon screen looked like this

By henhowc, shot with iPhone at 2008-10-23

Went away after a bit though.

 

[Phrasikleia]

Powered up my MBP this morning and my logon screen looked like this

By henhowc, shot with iPhone at 2008-10-23

Went away after a bit though.

My condolences. Would you mind telling us which model you have and when you bought it?

FWIW, here is a gallery of NVidia failures on MacBook Pros. It looks like that's what's happening to yours.