Graphics Driver Update on an old MBP? (GeForce 9400M)

[phased]

I'm running a very capable 2009 MBP (3.06Ghz, 8GB RAM, SSD) but I'm very suddently having what appears to be graphics related problems in a modelling program I use (SketchUp).

I've never before updated my graphics card drivers (not sure if this is needed or done automatically?. If I should have been doing this, I guess the drivers are 4+ years old now.) Hopefully it'll fix my issue but I don't see any available drivers on the NVIDIA website.. strange. I'm running NVIDIA GeForce 9400M.

Any idea on how I should go about doing this? Or perhaps even checking to know if my driver is out of date?

 

[phased]

Does anyone have any input here? I'm really perplexed as to why this is happening, especially the sudden onset.

I've never used system restore before, but if I restore to say last week, when SketchUp was running fine, is this likely to solve my problems? At least in the short term?

 

[dusk007]

Nvidia doesn't provide drivers for OSX and in Windows you need modified ones or they will refuse to install (laptopvideo2go.com).
OSX updates drivers with OS updates partially but they generally just stay the same. There is just no GPU driver updates outside of buying OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion.

If you still run Snow Leopard you can try upgrading to Mountain Lion but that might create more problems than it solves. I feel 10.7 and above isn't to great on anything that doesn't have at least an HD 3000.

 

[robvas]

Does anyone have any input here? I'm really perplexed as to why this is happening, especially the sudden onset.

I've never used system restore before, but if I restore to say last week, when SketchUp was running fine, is this likely to solve my problems? At least in the short term?

You haven't even told use what the problem is? Chances are your video hardware is dying and you would need a logic board replacement.

Do any of these demos have similar problems?

http://www.chromeexperiments.com/webgl/

 

[phased]

Sorry, perhaps I should have been clearer. I'm not sure my video hardware is dying. I'm currently up-to-date, running 10.8.5.

Basically everything is running as it should, only the graphics in aforementioned modelling program - SketchUp - have suddenly become jagged. See attached. The night before those lines were as near as smooth. It looks to be an anti-aliasing issue but I hadn't messed with any of the settings. Nevertheless, I have since gone through all of the settings and none have an rectified the situation.

FWIW, I also run Bootcamp occasionally and decided to open SketchUp in that to see if the problem was common and indeed it was.

If Mac does indeed run graphics card updates automatically through it seems that can't be the issue. Maybe SketchUp has is no longer supported by my card? I'm clasping at straws here as I'm quite confused.

Advice is appreciated!

 

[leman]

If it happens in both Windows and OS X, maybe its just a bug in SketchUp?

 

[phased]

If it happens in both Windows and OS X, maybe its just a bug in SketchUp?

Nope, works fine on my sister's (newer) MBP and on my Windows machine at work.

 

[phased]

bump

 

[bobnugget]

You CAN get NVidia updates for the 9400M in Windows, but not Mac OS. In Windows, try http://www.geforce.com/drivers/. Use Manual Search and select options "GeForce","GeForce 9M Series (Notebooks)", then your Windows OS and type, language, etc.

I updated these drivers several times on a 2008 MacBook with a GeForce 9400M - the page reports the current drivers are the "GeForce 327.23 Driver - WHQL - Version: 327.23 - Release Date: Thu Sep 19, 2013" for Windows. These drivers are NOT apple certified and some older versions caused issues with sleep in Windows - worth a check though!

The OS X driver updates come bundled with the OS and there weren't many. I seem to remember you can manually update ethernet/other drivers in Windows using the nForce 980 driver download too, but these didn't do much.