Dead 2007 17" MBP (8600M GT), chances of replacement?

[ScottishCaptain]

Yeah, so, I have a feeling the answer to this is either "lol" or "no", but I said I'd ask so here goes nothin'.

I have a dead 2007 17" Macbook Pro. It is one of the affected units with the defective 8600M GT graphics card. It has, somehow, survived up until this day where upon the owner was greeted with a bong, a black screen (no LCD backlight), and a solid power LED indicator. Nothing else appears to happen, but their time capsule shows a recent backup from 1:36PM (several hours after the machine supposedly died), so I think the base system is still operational.

Anyways, I haven't even bothered to phone Apple because the recall for these computers ended in 2012 and I haven't heard of any success stories since then.

But, I said I'd ask on the net, so I'm wondering- has anyone had any kind of success getting these machines replaced in 2014? Again, I'm not really expecting the answer to be "yes" (nor do I expect a "free machine"). I just wanted to know if anyone, anywhere, has managed to get Apple to do *anything* at all, or if they're telling people to hit the road because it's past the warranty program by two years (which I completely agree with).

-SC

 

[wytwolf]

I would say your SOL. I too have seen many people denied for this dead GPU after the deadline for an extended warranty. At this point it's not even confirmed it's a dead GPU. Also you cannot expect any manufacture to fix a 7, almost 8, year old laptop under a warranty claim. Cost of fixing an 3-4 year laptop outside of a warranty claim would cost more then the laptop in most cases.

I doubt apple even has the parts for that laptop anymore as they stopped making 17 inch MacBook Pro's 3 years ago and they obviously would have different components then the one in question.

I would say you're better off sucking it up, realize 7-8 years for a laptop is about the max someone could expect, and buy a new/refurb.

 

[Fishrrman]

Seven years old?

Better start looking for something new, or "newer"...

 

[Samuelsan2001]

2 hopes and one of them is Bob

No chance at all 7-8 years for any laptop is fantastic time for a new one.

 

[cjmillsnun]

No chance. Not even in the UK (where we get coverage for 6 years under the sale of goods act)

 

[brdeveloper]

This Mac was quite high-end on its launch date and with a SSD I presume it would perform strong for non-video intensive applications... even in 2014/2015/2016.

It's like a failing Mac Pro after 7 years... unacceptable, in my opinion. It's not the kind of machine you think on replacing in less than 10 years. I know americans like replacing everything they own once a year, but as a foreign I cannot share your vision as if it should be considered "normal".

 

[cjmillsnun]

This Mac was quite high-end on its launch date and with a SSD I presume it would perform strong for non-video intensive applications... even in 2014/2015/2016.

It's like a failing Mac Pro after 7 years... unacceptable, in my opinion. It's not the kind of machine you think on replacing in less than 10 years. I know americans like replacing everything they own once a year, but as a foreign I cannot share your vision as if it should be considered "normal".

Most people replace their laptops after about 4-5 years. The UK has some of the best consumer protection legislation in the world and Apple extends cover to 6 years over here. 10 years would be nice, but you're talking about something that gets dropped, jostled, has components that get very hot in a very confined space.

If I got 7-8 years out of any laptop I would be more than happy.

 

[brdeveloper]

Most people replace their laptops after about 4-5 years. The UK has some of the best consumer protection legislation in the world and Apple extends cover to 6 years over here. 10 years would be nice, but you're talking about something that gets dropped, jostled, has components that get very hot in a very confined space.

If I got 7-8 years out of any laptop I would be more than happy.

I could agree with you in relation to cheap laptops like most sub-$1000 PC ones. Macbook Pro laptops are in the $1500+ range. They should last forever, unless dropped in the floor or something alike.

My mother has a 2008 Toshiba laptop which was serviced after 1-year of use, in 2009. After that, that POS is working flawlessly. It's barely unusable in terms of performance and actually it would be good if it stopped working as an excuse for an upgrade. Actually now she has another low-cost Samsung ultrabook, but the Toshiba one is still used as a "desktop" machine.

My point is that a $1500-2000 laptop should last like a oven, a fridge or a car. It has enough power for providing very decent internet browsing for up to ten years.

 

[Bending Pixels]

Seriously.......?

 

[cjmillsnun]

I could agree with you in relation to cheap laptops like most sub-$1000 PC ones. Macbook Pro laptops are in the $1500+ range. They should last forever, unless dropped in the floor or something alike.

My mother has a 2008 Toshiba laptop which was serviced after 1-year of use, in 2009. After that, that POS is working flawlessly. It's barely unusable in terms of performance and actually it would be good if it stopped working as an excuse for an upgrade. Actually now she has another low-cost Samsung ultrabook, but the Toshiba one is still used as a "desktop" machine.

My point is that a $1500-2000 laptop should last like a oven, a fridge or a car. It has enough power for providing usable internet navigation for up to ten years.

A car doesn't last without servicing it, ovens require cleaning or they lose efficiency, fridges require maintenance (cleaning and defrosting).

To make a laptop computer last you need to blow out the dust regularly, change the thermal paste on the CPU/GPU heatsinks every couple of years, basically keep the cooling system operating at peak efficiency.

 

[lionkin]

Wow, your laptop lasted 7-8 years and It's time to upgrade.