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Diagnosed to have a ticking time bomb

daneoni

daneoni

macrumors G5
Original poster
Mar 24, 2006
12,092
2,029
I got a refurb MBP Classic a few days ago but the 8600GT issue kept lingering at the back of my mind. So to put my mind at ease, i made an genius appointment to get it tested. Well...it turns out the MBP FAILED the GPU test...twice and therefore my card will die eventually

The guy offered to fix it i.e. have the logic board replace but i declined because there's no guarantee the issue won't come back again given that all 8600GT cards seem to have this problem. So is it really worth it being without a computer for up to 7 days for a issue that isn't guaranteed to be fixed?...i think not. Some have had their MLB replaced and still have the issue

Its just not worth the hassle which is why i am gonna be calling Apple to return it and buy something else. Sigh...shame cos i actually loved this machine. Oh well...
 
I'm sorry to hear about your MacBook Pro having graphical issues. I agree with your statement in regards to not knowing if the replacement board will have issues as well, all of the GeForce 8600M's seem to be, for lack of better words, doomed.

What are you looking to do with the computer? I would recommend the 13-inch Aluminum MacBook, the GeForce 9400M is quite good for most uses, it has more than enough processing power under the hood, and you can always connect it to an external display if you require a higher screen resolution. They have really closed the gap between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro with the new line-up.

If you're concerned about the glare on the screen, from my experience, it isn't actually all that bad and you get used to it. I love how the color just "pops", it seems a lot better than the matte screen on the previous generation MacBook Pros and it beats the glossy screens found on any other laptop I've used (Dell, HP, etc).

Good luck!
 
I am very tempted to buy an aluminum MacBook instead of a refurbished MBP, but you have to consider the MacBook's display. The displays Apple uses in the MacBook are decidedly awful compared to that of the MBP or MacBook Air. When I had a MBP, I used to find myself watching movies on it, simply because of how gorgeous the display was. With my current black MB on the other hand, I can barely stand to look at its display for more than an hour or so. My $500 bottom-of-the-line HP notebook from 3 years ago still has a MUCH better screen than my current MacBook.
 
DMC-12 said:
I am very tempted to buy an aluminum MacBook instead of a refurbished MBP, but you have to consider the MacBook's display. The displays Apple uses in the MacBook are decidedly awful compared to that of the MBP or MacBook Air. When I had a MBP, I used to find myself watching movies on it, simply because of how gorgeous the display was. With my current black MB on the other hand, I can barely stand to look at its display for more than an hour or so. My $500 bottom-of-the-line HP notebook from 3 years ago had a MUCH better screen than my current MacBook.
Click to expand...

Amen. I actually owned the GlassBook but sold it because of the display issues, which is why i got the MBP in the first instance but now i dunno what to do. I guess i'll be sticking with the Air after all.

Then again i might go back to the MacBook maybe i'll luck out and get a 9C8C screen or better although thats unlikely
 
I think that these pictures are self-explanatory. Could Apple possibly have found worse LCDs to put into the MacBooks?

IMG_0883.jpg

IMG_0878.jpg


(Sorry to not link to the original thread where I found these images, but I couldn't find it.)
 
DMC-12 said:
I think that these pictures are self-explanatory. Could Apple possibly have found worse LCDs to put into the MacBooks?

*Snipped*

(Sorry to not link to the original thread where I found these images, but I couldn't find it.)
Click to expand...
I wonder what panel that is, that doesn't look right.

To the original poster, you could try going to an Apple Store and see what they have there, and maybe you'll get one with a display that suits your preferences, or if you can hold out a little longer you could pick up a base model MacBook Pro (Late 2008).
 
Drumjim85 said:
i thought only cards made between april and june were bad.... not ALL of them
Click to expand...

Thats what i thought but apparently that's just Apply trying to make the situation seem less bad than actuality
 
apple has a 2 year warrantee on the notebooks affected by the Nvidea problem. If you wait for two years and replace it then there is a fair chance they run out of replacement parts by then and you could end up with a brand new MBP. I'm in the same situation but haven't tested my MBP yet. I probably buy Apple care at some point and then I have three years.
 
I mean no disrespect, but why are you so concerned? I, like you, purchased a Classic MBP recently knowing full well about this GPU problem. I have no desire to get it checked because if it does die I'm confident Apple will remedy the problem. You had them test it to likely ease your mind, but the result wasn't what you wanted. I completely understand, but why not allow them to fix your computer? It might not be the final fix, but at least you will have the peace of mind knowing they have taken steps to correct the problem.
 
Yeah that really sucks. My friend is struggling right now to get apple to pay him back for repairs that they did to his machine because of a faulty card.
 
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