Has the Apple firmware update fixed the graphics problems for those of you who have 17" Macbook Pros? I really want to buy one, but the negative experiences I read about on this forum give me pause.
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Macbook Pro 17" Graphics Issues Fixed?
- Thread starter jrnewhouse
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There are definitely still some issues. I have display 'tearing' and other problems - which can usually be fixed with a reboot, but I don't have such issues with any of my Windows machines. Seems to me that various display issues are down to partially heat and possible firmware issues - something which I don't hit that often as the Macbooks are nowadays far from my primary mobile machines - but also definitely driver problems.
I have some minor issues with the 15" so here's hoping that 10.5.7 fixes some of those minor things.
I dont have any issues with mine and i had one of the first ones, i dont think there ever was any issue, its just people with problems shout louder than people with perfect machines.
What an ignorant and obnoxious statement, do you hear yourself? Why would anyone make up a problem where there is none.
He's saying that actually defective MBP owners complain very loudly, making it seem like the problem is more common than it actually is. I would have to agree.
The past 3 MacBook Pros I've owned have supposedly had defective video cards. Not a single one of them has ever given me a problem.
There was a problem and Apple released a "fix" for it. So for the most part, the known issues should be fixed, but that doesn't mean there could be small isolated problems.
In addition to "tearing", what are the other problems that you experience? Did the firmware update fix the stage effect, green banding and uneven lighting I have read about?
No. People who know what to look for can say what they see.
People who don't have a clue but buy into the shallowest aspects of Apple marketing say things like you.
No, in that I didn't actually experience those specific problems - I waited for a bit before I ordered anticipating the inevitable-for-Apple-and-not-with-any-other-manufacturer-worth-a-damn teething issues, and the firmware update for the GPU turned up almost immediately after all of mine thudded on my doorstep. I did note with interest that I had similar issues on a very heavily used (and I mean heavy - high ambients, taxing 3D for something as puny as the 8400M) Sony SZ last year compared to what was being documented as being experienced by some users with the MBP17.
With NVidia especially right now it's hard to tell whether it's a hardware or driver issue, and add Apple's inability to adequately budget for thermal headroom when faced with actual professional users as opposed to people like Kastenbrust, and it means the problem could lie anywhere. Personally I suspect drivers in the main at this point with my specific issues - especially as the MBP17 isn't my primary 17-inch 'heavy lifting' notebook: The Dell M6400 Covet is in that role, so it doesn't get it's GPU stressed anywhere near as often. All of my issues are everyday irritations such as very slow-moving scrolling lists or tearing as mentioned before, or other problems after sleep & wake.
I have a masters degree in AI programming so i think i know what im 'looking for'. Its common sense that whenever a new computer is released people are going to look for faults, and people on this forum like to complain a lot, but i bet if you did a poll 90% of people wouldn't have had any issues.
With your mentality you'd be forgiven for thinking Apple purposely want to make broken machines just so people can complain about them, oh wait they dont.
Thanks so much for the excellent reply! From what you said, I would assume that you wouldn't recommend the Macbook Pro 17" to someone who wants to do a lot of gaming in addition to other, more mundane tasks. I suppose a PC laptop, such as an Alienware, would be better suited for that.
My guess - and it's only a guess - that the users who reported all the issues they did were probably eager beavers - i.e. it was their new primary machine and they were trying all sorts of stuff out with it. Whatever Apple did with the firmware update probably fixed some heat-related issues that they didn't fully address to start with.
No, you don't buy an MBP to game although it's a definite possibility of course - You don't really buy an Apple notebook for it's GPU prowess, period. In the MBP's the GPU is downclocked (so the GPU is not actually what it claims to be in effect) to maintain Apple's idea of thermal headroom - which in itself is not enough for intensive use that actual Intel-based professional mobile workstations and gaming laptops are put to.
No, you don't buy an MBP to game although it's a definite possibility of course - You don't really buy an Apple notebook for it's GPU prowess, period. In the MBP's the GPU is downclocked (so the GPU is not actually what it claims to be in effect) to maintain Apple's idea of thermal headroom - which in itself is not enough for intensive use that actual Intel-based professional mobile workstations and gaming laptops are put to.
I have a masters degree in AI programming so i think i know what im 'looking for'. Its common sense that whenever a new computer is released people are going to look for faults, and people on this forum like to complain a lot, but i bet if you did a poll 90% of people wouldn't have had any issues.
With your mentality you'd be forgiven for thinking Apple purposely want to make broken machines just so people can complain about them, oh wait they dont.
Sorry to butt in, but I do disagree slightly with your statement. Forking out £1700 for -admittedly a beautiful machine- I would expect it to function normally; but having to hard reset the computer just about everytime I put it to sleep is not on, and as far as I know nothing is done about it. And trust me I've been to just about every Forum and there are a lot of us with the same problem. I've been to 3 Apple stores and no one seems to know what I'm talking about. There where a few suggestions made how to resolve this issue on different sites but none would work. If you want I'll post the links to these forums so that you can see that this is not an isolated incident. So no, I don't think we make too much noise, just want a computer that works as expected.
I have a masters degree in AI programming so i think i know what im 'looking for'. Its common sense that whenever a new computer is released people are going to look for faults, and people on this forum like to complain a lot, but i bet if you did a poll 90% of people wouldn't have had any issues.
With your mentality you'd be forgiven for thinking Apple purposely want to make broken machines just so people can complain about them, oh wait they dont.
I know plenty of programmers who don't know one end of a computer from another - but like to think they do. Many of them seem to be happier with Apple.
Well i don't have a Master Degree in AI but I do have a video problem with my MBP
I bought my 17" MBP about a year ago. I also bought a 30" ACD at the same time. After about 10 days I began to notice small wavy red lines when the MBP was connected to the ACD. It was most pronounced in areas of white or gray within Safari, FireFox, MS Word, iTunes and the like. It reminded me of a video refresh rate issue commonly seen on PCs. The problem is not visible on the LCD only the ACD. And YES, I did calibrate the ACD. So....
I called Apple. They took my MBP and ACD and swapped out the logic board on the MBP and provided me a new ACD. And the problem persists. I have moved the hardware to a different plug in house to see if it was a power issue. Even as I write this message, the white box where I am typing has vertical red lines in it. The only way to totally remove the red lines is to dial down the WHITE to the point where it is almost gray. I am heading to a 'genius' tomorrow at the request of Apple support so they can see the problem 1st had. So...
YES, there is a problem with the video on MBPs and other have had similar complaints.
I bought my 17" MBP about a year ago. I also bought a 30" ACD at the same time. After about 10 days I began to notice small wavy red lines when the MBP was connected to the ACD. It was most pronounced in areas of white or gray within Safari, FireFox, MS Word, iTunes and the like. It reminded me of a video refresh rate issue commonly seen on PCs. The problem is not visible on the LCD only the ACD. And YES, I did calibrate the ACD. So....
I called Apple. They took my MBP and ACD and swapped out the logic board on the MBP and provided me a new ACD. And the problem persists. I have moved the hardware to a different plug in house to see if it was a power issue. Even as I write this message, the white box where I am typing has vertical red lines in it. The only way to totally remove the red lines is to dial down the WHITE to the point where it is almost gray. I am heading to a 'genius' tomorrow at the request of Apple support so they can see the problem 1st had. So...
YES, there is a problem with the video on MBPs and other have had similar complaints.