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Is apple replacing the defective Nvidia GPU's?

My MBP has an nVidia card and it has not experienced any problems.

It is not the latest rev though
 
Ok so I went to the apple store today and they did some checks and said it required a new logic board. I told them, that they had previously already done that. The guy replied by saying, only part of the logic board was replaced. Now I'm pretty sure you can't replace part of a logic board, but the guy assured me that macs are build modular! He called over his buddy and he said the same thing, and so winning the arguement wasn't going to be worthy of my time.

I told them off the defective GPU's and he said his colleagues who repair the macbooks, have only seen a dead GPU once in the two years he'd worked there!

I obviously wasn't going to win in this conversation, so I just said fine and it has gone in for a repair. I left with the "genius" thinking I was his friend, and that I was ill informed about the GPU problems (I want my mbp back in a few days and not weeks :D ) But if it comes back with further problems, I will be furious!
 
Say i buy a MBP now and the GPu fails rite after the new models come out. Will they replace my MBP with the new model??
 
If you're having white flickering, try resetting your PRAM.

Shutdown your computer and then while holding down Apple-Option-P and R hit the power button.

Keep the above four buttons pressed until you hear the second boot chime, then release.

Your PRAM has been reset.
 
to the people that are saying that apple is going to hope for the gpus to fail outside warranty. thats not going to work because there will be a class action lawsuit and something of this magnitude with so many people being affected apple will lose. same thing happened to audi with the timingbelt failing outside warranty. they ended up covering all costs to fix the timingbelt and damages from that.
 
Just for the europeans here...

Although stores in many countries advertise otherwise, according to european legislation you are entitled to 2 years of warranty. Many stores only give you a year and require you to take problems in the second year to the manufacturer.

Take this into account if and when you are considering Applecare.
 
Until they resolve this problem with a recall, I'll be looking at a Falcon Northwest. Maybe they'll admit to the problem.

I'm just really annoyed about this to be honest. I wish Nvidia would just come clean. Every PC I built uses an Nvidia chip, and this just really annoys me. (then again, my GeForce 6800GT has been playing up as well)

Time for us to get together and sue Apple/Nvidia?
 
peterdevries said:
Although stores in many countries advertise otherwise, according to european legislation you are entitled to 2 years of warranty. Many stores only give you a year and require you to take problems in the second year to the manufacturer.

Take this into account if and when you are considering Applecare.
Click to expand...

Not only is the warranty period 2 years, but if it's a problem that was there from the beginning (and that's sometimes tricky to show), thus making the product not fit for its purpose, the manufacturer is obligated to repair for 3 years from date of purchase. In this case, it will be particularly obvious that the problem was there from the beginning.
 
peterdevries said:
I honestly don't believe there will be a recall. Most likely Apple will have an internal process to replace defective GPU's as longs as within warranty and/or applecare. They will cross their fingers that most of the GPU's will hold until warranty runs out. It would for both NVidia and Apple be a financial and operational disaster to do a recall.

Remember, this is not an exploding power supply or broken kids chair which need to be recalled. The worst thing that can happen is that your screen goes blank, so noone is essentially harmed physically as in the other two examples.

This is a problem that they will most likely take on quietly without issuing a recall and alerting incestors etc.. You can bet that there are internal memorandums flying around Apple HQ and Apple stores with detailed descriptions of how to handle GPU failures.
Click to expand...

That is called FRAUD and it is a serious offense that can cost a business a lot of money!
 
They wont give you a new MBP... my GPU fried 2 weeks out of warranty... Apple replace the board for free. True the GPU is not user swappable, that does not mean that it is not swappable at all... I was told by the apple rep that if apple chose not to do my repair under warranty that there was a flat $330 fee to swap the logic board. What this says to me is that my logic board is then refurbished with a new GPU somewhere, somehow.
Click to expand...

lol apple can replace the gpu's in thier factories/manufactories when you get a refurbed mac it will have every part checked and all the bits (even the broken bits) will be recycled or used in some way.
 
I keep repeating this, and I've asked the mods to put this as a permanent notice:

If you bought your MBP with a credit card,which I assume many people do, there is a good chance that you have a free second year of warranty through the CC company - MC, VISA and Amex all have this feature. YOu don't need to have registered the product before the first year is up - it's automatic and you're eligible as long as you keep the receipt and a copy of the credit card slip or statement. After the second year, VISA (not MC or AMex though) allows you to purchase an extended warranty for a good price and that service contract has a no lemon clause and free battery replacement for laptops. If your computer fails three time, the fourth time it needs repair, they will replace it automatically with a new one. So, if the GPU fails repeatedly because Apple keeps replacing with faulty ones, chances are you'll get a new model from VISA. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover the HASSLE though, but at least you won't have to shell out for the repair if Apple decided to abandon its customers.

that's my plan of action anyway!
Click to expand...

Great info! The only reason I bought AppleCare was because I thought VISA could only cover up to the 2nd year. I didn't know you could buy warranty after that... and the warranty terms seem a lot more generous than Apple's! I guess the only real advantage of AppleCare is that you don't have to go through the hassle of getting a quote for repairs and waiting for it to be approved by VISA and then waiting for VISA to reimburse you. There's also Apple technical support, but honestly after having called them a few times, I find these forums (and the Apple Support forum) to me much more helpful. But still, VISA warranty looks like a really decent option -- indeed, perhaps better than AppleCare, if you don't need your MBP repaired as quickly if it fails.
 
prism said:
That is called FRAUD and it is a serious offense that can cost a business a lot of money!
Click to expand...

it is very difficult to discover if NVidia and Apple keep their mouths shut. If it would get discovered it would cost much less than a complete recall if you take the plummet in share price also into account.

This happens all the time without us (the customer) knowing about it. I'm sure there is a team of Harvard graduated lawyers in a room next to Steve's working these kinds of things out. And so it is the same in each company in the same or similar business.
 
Re. European Warrantees

PDE said:
Not only is the warranty period 2 years, but if it's a problem that was there from the beginning (and that's sometimes tricky to show), thus making the product not fit for its purpose, the manufacturer is obligated to repair for 3 years from date of purchase. In this case, it will be particularly obvious that the problem was there from the beginning.
Click to expand...

So basically if you live in Europe - as I do - buying Apple Care to guard against the Nvidia GPU defect is a pointless expense? You're covered anyway?
I haven't bought my MBP yet, possibly waiting for the new release, but this might sway me into buying sooner rather than later. Because surely if it's proven to be a defective part from the beginning they can't replace it with the same thing, as they have been doing?!

Thanks, just wanting to clarify :)
 
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