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GeForce 320M dead; a warning to all 2010 13" owners

D

DLovett

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 23, 2010
79
0
So, the 320M in my 2010 MBP 13" died a few hours ago. It cannot render anything but basic 2D, this has been tried within Windows 7, XP and OSX with several applications and benchmarks.

My MBP had a annoying slight vibration through the chassis when the fan was running even at base 2000RPM. After the graphics card died, this has now stopped.

Also, I noticed that the fan was running far more often than on my old 2.26 GHz machine, but since iStat Pro doesn't display GPU temperature, I never bothered to check.

If your MBP has the same vibration, consider returning it or getting it checked out.

I honestly think Apple has a horrible track record, in regards to mobile GPU's, and if they can't provide me with a new laptop within 2 business days, I'm getting a PC of some kind(I have a exam Wednesday, and I need a computer for basic 3D rendering).

Take care all.
 
My friend has had this same issue with his 13"... But the computer had a weird, electrical current going through it and shocked people with a bright blue spark. The computer also had extremely high temperatures right above the F3-F6 keys. Apple's decision to use the NVIDIA 320M custom graphics chipset was a mistake... NVIDIA doesn't have drivers for the card, and a custom cards is more likely to fail than a tried and tested normal card.
 
DLovett said:
If your MBP has the same vibration, consider returning it or getting it checked out.
Click to expand...
Wow, Friday my friend bought a new 13" and was playing World of Warcraft that night and his GPU failed. I told him it was a fluke, I am not going to tell him about this because he will jump ship for sure and go back to PC's.
 
DLovett said:
My MBP had a annoying slight vibration through the chassis when the fan was running even at base 2000RPM. After the graphics card died, this has now stopped.
Click to expand...

Have the RPM readings on the fan changed? There are no moving parts with the GPU, only the fan which cools the whole logic board.

mbp13.jpg


So a stoppage of a vibration would most likely point to a fan failing. Unless you lost your hard drive, but then you'd have much bigger problems than just a failure to render 3D.

Also, I noticed that the fan was running far more often than on my old 2.26 GHz machine, but since iStat Pro doesn't display GPU temperature, I never bothered to check.
Click to expand...

That's odd, because there are GPU readings on iStat Pro for the 2010 15" MBP:

gpu.png


Maybe the 320M lacks a sensor?

I honestly think Apple has a horrible track record, in regards to mobile GPU's,
Click to expand...

Considering what they've done in terms of extending warranties on past known bad GPUs, and basically owning up to nvidia's issues, I think their track record is actually pretty good.

I doubt that if you take it back they will give you a hard time.

and if they can't provide me with a new laptop within 2 business days, I'm getting a PC of some kind(I have a exam Wednesday, and I need a computer for basic 3D rendering).
Click to expand...

Bye! (Though I'm sure if you're within your 14 days, they'll give you an exchange on the spot. However it seems you want a justifiable out, so, I suggest you use it and go back to PCs.)
 
DLovett said:
So, the 320M in my 2010 MBP 13" died a few hours ago.
Click to expand...

I suppose this is covered by warranty, right? Anything you buy can break, and if it breaks early enough it will be replaced under warranty. Plain fact of life. Nothing to "warn" people about. Did you have any problems with Apple getting a replacement?
 
gnasher729 said:
I suppose this is covered by warranty, right? Anything you buy can break, and if it breaks early enough it will be replaced under warranty. Plain fact of life. Nothing to "warn" people about. Did you have any problems with Apple getting a replacement?
Click to expand...

My friend got his replaced the next day so I can't imagine it is going to be and issue for the OP.
 
I dont see how this is a "warning" to 13" MBP peeps. There will always be failed components. Id say this is more bad luck than anything. Mine is working fine.
 
My problem is that there are no physical Apple stores in Denmark, where I live. I bought it through the online store, so I Will need to convince Them to give a new one through a premium reseller.
 
pricej636 said:
I dont see how this is a "warning" to 13" MBP peeps. There will always be failed components. Id say this is more bad luck than anything. Mine is working fine.
Click to expand...

I Think the warning consists in that you should pay extra attention if your MBP is giving out vibrations Like mine was.
 
The problem has taken a new development.

It seems that what really is in question is a faulty temperature sensor, failing to raise fan speed.

I ran some synthetic benchmarks, and suddenly I had the "old" performance back. I ran HWMonitor(this being in Windows 7) in the background.

The benchmarks would loop for a few minutes, then slow down to 1-3 FPS for a minute or so, and then return to regular performance.

During this, HWMonitor got a reading of 255 degrees celcius on the GPU(obviously faulty, I hope), while the fan would be either on 2000 or 6000RPM(which I could tell by ear).

I'm trying to force the fan to run at a constant 5000RPM with smcFanControl, and running some benchmarks in Windows 7 and OS X again.

EDIT: Ofcourse, the temperature sensors on the GPU are giving out false readings(255 degrees celcius), and as a consequence of that it is throttling down.
 
entatlrg said:
I thought their was an Apple Store in Copenhagen, no?

I'm originally from Kolding.
Click to expand...

We've got Humac and Eplehuset as Premium Resellers.

When you take your Mac in for repair, you are usually directed to Eplehuset(I have been anyways).
 
You should have named this "Are all Macbook pro owners with 320m screwed?"

I think you just have a defective one... usually they'd realize if the graphics card can't last more than a week.
 
This thread is an illustration of what seems to happen to early adopters more often than not. When you become The First Kid on Your Block to buy the latest, greatest upgrade of a product as complex as an MBP, you risk having to suffer from sly bugs that weren't identified and corrected during beta testing. Too bad but there it is.
 
gwsat said:
This thread is an illustration of what seems to happen to early adopters more often than not. When you become The First Kid on Your Block to buy the latest, greatest upgrade of a product as complex as an MBP, you risk having to suffer from sly bugs that weren't identified and corrected during beta testing. Too bad but there it is.
Click to expand...

One of my biggest pet peeves. As appointed is excusable when dealing with companies like ACER or HP but when we are paying a substantial premium for a machine which is 1) underclocked 2) Under performant (compared to price range in PC), this shouldnt really be happening, there shouldnt be any early adopter phenomena. I wish apple would spend more time on R&D rather then on design and product placement. For the price im paying, i expect something flawless in terms of functionality. For the price im paying i expect EXTENSIVE testing. For the price im paying i shouldnt have to deal with any hit or miss scenarios.
 
DLovett said:
We've got Humac and Eplehuset as Premium Resellers.

When you take your Mac in for repair, you are usually directed to Eplehuset(I have been anyways).
Click to expand...

I think Fona in Copenhagen has been stated as a "real" apple store, but i don't think they are any better than Eplehuset.

I had a failing 2008 MBP bought on the online store, and it took 3 buissnesdays before i got a new one. But this was within the 14 days return period.

Btw, i'm from Aarhus :)
 
Apple have given me the option of returning and getting a new one, or sending it in for service.

As mentioned above, the delivery time is 3 days for a new machine.
 
DLovett said:
Apple have given me the option of returning and getting a new one, or sending it in for service.

As mentioned above, the delivery time is 3 days for a new machine.
Click to expand...

Take the return and getting a new one. That should mean they send you a new machine first which should also mean you can swap your drive over, so you do not need to reinstall everything.
 
alphaod said:
Take the return and getting a new one. That should mean they send you a new machine first which should also mean you can swap your drive over, so you do not need to reinstall everything.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I'll do just that.
 
alphaod said:
Take the return and getting a new one. That should mean they send you a new machine first which should also mean you can swap your drive over, so you do not need to reinstall everything.
Click to expand...

When i got an exchange, they picked the old one up 2 days before the new one was delivered. So don't count on that :(

They just ship a new one from china and orders a pickup by a local company.
 
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