Apple says some MacBook Pros affected by faulty Nvidia chips

[churchrd]

I bought the 15" 2.5 gHz MBP on clearance last week and it just arrived! I was aware of the gpu problems before hand. I couldn't afford a new mbp and the clearance price was just right (w/the education discount).

I just checked my s/n on that chipmunk site, and it said my mbp was just made in october. Does that mean i'm safe? Either way, i was willing to take the risk.
I didn't buy applecare either. I guess i'm living on the edge


Anyway, this is my first mac and i love it!!

 

[esphil]

I bought the 15" 2.5 gHz MBP on clearance last week and it just arrived! I was aware of the gpu problems before hand. I couldn't afford a new mbp and the clearance price was just right (w/the education discount).

I just checked my s/n on that chipmunk site, and it said my mbp was just made in october. Does that mean i'm safe? Either way, i was willing to take the risk.
I didn't buy applecare either. I guess i'm living on the edge


Anyway, this is my first mac and i love it!!

Made a good choice! I love this thing too!
I think the MBP made after september 2008 are safe and have the updated revision.

 

[-js-]

So mine was made in week 38 (late September). I wonder if that means I'm safe as well? Does anyone know for sure what the deal is? We seem to have conflicting information here.

 

[PDE]

Again, Apple really needs to step up and give us information. If they have revised the chip and logic board, they need to say so OFFICIALLY, otherwise I will assume that they haven't. Apple is deliberately making this ambiguous and we should ask ourselves why they need/want to do that if they have nothing to conceal.

 

[gr8bob]

i tried gpu-z i'm assuming the revision is under the "revision" tab.

mine is A2

My problematic board also reads "A2". So does my new "Rev 2" replacement board.

Apparantly no low-level info has been changed. So basically there's no way telling which revision of 8600M GT is used via software methods.

 

[Romanesq]

Hey don't do that...

Again, Apple really needs to step up and give us information. If they have revised the chip and logic board, they need to say so OFFICIALLY, otherwise I will assume that they haven't. Apple is deliberately making this ambiguous and we should ask ourselves why they need/want to do that if they have nothing to conceal.

You're absolutely correct and logical here. I called Apple on my MPB and they said it was made in the 41st week (I was skeptical of that anyway) and so I asked okay, so what's different.

The answer was so bad all I could tell the poor guy was that his superiors were not helping him any. I wasn't blaming him for the inadequacy of his answer, only pointing it out.

The answer to my question that I had to wait on hold for several minutes was that there was a "software patch."

I'm not kidding. I told him how lame that was and left it at that. It was very polite.

It gave me no assurance other than that Apple is kicking the can down the road.

 

[pavelbure]

my refurb says oct 6-12. so i should be good.

 

[Romanesq]

uh okay....

my refurb says oct 6-12. so i should be good.

Where does the refurb say that?
Oh and you should be good because of what exactly?

 

[gr8bob]

Update on the "Rev 2" boards.

I'm not sure what they've done to resolve the NVIDIA issue, but things still hasn't been resolved for me. Front Row and iTunes just gave me a nasty freeze and more NVChannel(GL) errors only after a week after the logic board replacement.

 

[chops42257]

After I applied the apparently notorious Airport Update 004 today, my MBP's graphic died
Whether it's coincidental or not is unknown.

Anyway, I was browsing through this thread and found out that most of the cases are

* Distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen

issue out of the 2 listed on the support page. I have the latter

* No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on

issue. Has anyone had this issue, the one I have, and had their MBP repaired because of it?

 

[MontrealMonger]

Has anyone had this issue, the one I have, and had their MBP repaired because of it?

They'd better stand behind it, lest Apple temp the fate of a class action suit against them. This is a $2100 and up piece of kit and if they installed faulty GPU's across the board, they need to do more than simply bump the warranty an extra year, imho. They should extend the warranty on the GPU (strictly on the GPU) for the lifetime of the machine. Anything short of that is not playing nice with very loyal customers.

 

[palebluedot]

Do they fix your exact laptop or send you a refurbished model?
I dont want someone elses laptop - I want mine

 

[ATimson]

They should extend the warranty on the GPU (strictly on the GPU) for the lifetime of the machine.

That would get you another year at best, as far as Apple is concerned; they're content to kill off support for the PowerPC architecture after about three years, if Snow Leopard is indeed going to be released next summer. That seems like a pretty good indication of their expectation of the machine's lifetime to me...

 

[ATimson]

Do they fix your exact laptop or send you a refurbished model?
I dont want someone elses laptop - I want mine

For something as complicated as a logic board replacement, I'd expect them to just swap the hard drive and give you a refurbished machine.

(Well, normally. On the other hand, given what a ***** it is to get at the hard drive on some MacBook Pros, maybe not. )

 

[benjs]

You're absolutely correct and logical here. I called Apple on my MPB and they said it was made in the 41st week (I was skeptical of that anyway) and so I asked okay, so what's different.

The answer was so bad all I could tell the poor guy was that his superiors were not helping him any. I wasn't blaming him for the inadequacy of his answer, only pointing it out.

The answer to my question that I had to wait on hold for several minutes was that there was a "software patch."

I'm not kidding. I told him how lame that was and left it at that. It was very polite.

It gave me no assurance other than that Apple is kicking the can down the road.

It does make me wonder... the issue at hand is the solder used in the nVidia chips, so what if Apple is actually limiting the power output of the GPU so as to reduce the heat output by it? It's unlikely, but has anyone moved from an "old" 8600 to a "new" 8600 and noticed any worse performances from their GPU?

 

[orpheus1120]

I'm sure if you mean software patch, it will only be a patch for the current 17" being sold. What's strange is that Apple could have easily issued a software update to all existing 17" mbps and contain the problem. The fact that it hasn't makes one ponder the existence of such a patch.

 

[Romanesq]

An answer so lame...

it didn't merit a second thought.

Sadly, that Apple had a rep put me on hold to reassure me of my machine made in the 41st week and then came back with the "answer" to the concern about the gpu was a "software patch" is beyond stupid.

If that was all it took, then EVERYONE with the problem would have had the solution not just a few machines made "after" September.

And that would include the 17" model.

I'm not happy about it but I have to accept facts.

 

[palebluedot]

So if your computer is broken with the 8600 you get a REFURB and a GPU that is slower to limit heat? is that what you guys are saying? if so that is BS. I am so sick of dealing with ******** with Apple. My Dell didn't have 1/10 the problems this company has and it was 1,000 dollars cheaper. Ridiculous. And yes I know that the 8600 is not an Apple specific thing but for a company that still charges 2,000 dollars for their hardware they should go above and beyond the other companies in placating their customers. I'm paying for service and image - not hardware.

 

[benjs]

it didn't merit a second thought.

Sadly, that Apple had a rep put me on hold to reassure me of my machine made in the 41st week and then came back with the "answer" to the concern about the gpu was a "software patch" is beyond stupid.

If that was all it took, then EVERYONE with the problem would have had the solution not just a few machines made "after" September.

And that would include the 17" model.

I'm not happy about it but I have to accept facts.

Here's what I'd like to believe:
nVidia is not confessing to the start/end date of the defects, and as such, Apple will not repair these outside of a certain date, out of fear of having to foot the bill. We all know nVidia has been vague, and probably with good reason, about which batches of the GPUs were affected. While this affects the consumers, it also affects Apple quite a bit, especially considering the fact that they have remained with nVidia in their new line of MacBooks and MacBook Pros. I have a gut feeling that nVidia is being drilled by Apple for facts, and that we'll have more news as time goes on. Like I said, though, it's just a gut feeling.

 

[Phrasikleia]

Update on the "Rev 2" boards.

I'm not sure what they've done to resolve the NVIDIA issue, but things still hasn't been resolved for me. Front Row and iTunes just gave me a nasty freeze and more NVChannel(GL) errors only after a week after the logic board replacement.

So much for "Rev. 2". This is terrible news.

 

[rishi13]

Am I doomed? Look at the top of the screen and the item left of "Picture 4". I never do graphic intensive work. I use my macbook pro primarily to crunch large data sets.

MBP SR 2.2 15" 128MB Nvidia 8600

Thanks!

 

[SolRayz]

They'd better stand behind it, lest Apple temp the fate of a class action suit against them. This is a $2100 and up piece of kit and if they installed faulty GPU's across the board, they need to do more than simply bump the warranty an extra year, imho. They should extend the warranty on the GPU (strictly on the GPU) for the lifetime of the machine. Anything short of that is not playing nice with very loyal customers.

I agree somewhat...but more importantly, Nvidia should remanufacture all new and revised 8600 chipsets so Apple, and others affected, can issue recalls. We should demand nothing less for our time and money.

 

[Atomic Ed]

I agree somewhat...but more importantly, Nvidia should remanufacture all new and revised 8600 chipsets so Apple, and others affected, can issue recalls. We should demand nothing less for our time and money.

I agree 100% and remember that not only Apple has this dilemma but all manufacturers who used the bad 8600m in them. I truly think this is the worst scam I have ever remembered seeing in the industry this widespread. Nvidia is ultimately going to be up the creek over this no matter what they do.

In the end the fiasco is nothing short of ridiculous.

 

[gr8bob]

Am I doomed? Look at the top of the screen and the item left of "Picture 4". I never do graphic intensive work. I use my macbook pro primarily to crunch large data sets.

MBP SR 2.2 15" 128MB Nvidia 8600

Thanks!

Welcome to the club?

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

They'd better stand behind it, lest Apple temp the fate of a class action suit against them. This is a $2100 and up piece of kit and if they installed faulty GPU's across the board, they need to do more than simply bump the warranty an extra year, imho. They should extend the warranty on the GPU (strictly on the GPU) for the lifetime of the machine. Anything short of that is not playing nice with very loyal customers.

For me, it was a $1444 piece of kit (with rebate on Amazon right now), but I agree they should stand behind their hardware PERIOD when they know there's a potential defect. It's scary buying something you KNOW might have a problem, but I do not like the new MBPs with the glossy super reflective glass screens and one less firewire port. Besides, who can pass up saving close to $600 on a brand new MBP? The thing is, if it's just a solder issue, you'd THINK that Nvidia would have quietly fixed the issue over 6 months ago, but instead they apparently not only hid the problem, but didn't address it either?