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MAJOR graphics issues with unibody 17" MBP

bronksy

bronksy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 5, 2006
735
469
London
Seems like i'm not the only one here to have issues using the 9600 card on the 17" Unibody MBP's.

I get those shimmering green/purple bits.. noticed especially on the desktop when i set it to one of my favourite photos.

I cant screen grab it because it's on the display card.. but it's the verticle green lines/purple lines.

Is this likely to be solved in firmware upgrade?
How many people are having these problems?
 
bronksy said:
Seems like i'm not the only one here to have issues using the 9600 card on the 17" Unibody MBP's.

I get those shimmering green/purple bits.. noticed especially on the desktop when i set it to one of my favourite photos.

I cant screen grab it because it's on the display card.. but it's the verticle green lines/purple lines.

Is this likely to be solved in firmware upgrade?
How many people are having these problems?
Click to expand...

I just sent my MBPU back to apple yesterday because of this same problem. From what I can tell it won’t show up under normal use and only when the GPU is taxed.

Could you try and run a screen saver like Arabesque for 15 minutes and then switch between the 9400 and 9600? Do the artifacts show up by doing this?


The only other way I can think of would be to run a screensaver as a desktop background and then switch the graphics mode.

Try the below and then switch modes. Tell us if the artifacts come out.


How to Use a Screen Saver as a Desktop Background in Mac OS X:

Your Mac OS X desktop does not have to be just another still picture. With just a simple terminal trick, you can use any of your Mac’s screen savers as a moving desktop background.

Select your "Apple Menu" icon from the menu bar in the upper left-hand corner of your screen and navigate to and open “System Preferences."

Select “Desktop and Screen Saver” and select the screen saver you wish to use for your desktop background. Close the “System Preferences.”

Navigate in an open Finder window to “Applications/Utilities,” double-click the “Terminal” application and launch it.

In the new “Terminal” window, type in the following command and hit "Enter/Return":

/System/Library/Frameworks/ScreenSaver.framework/Resources/ScreenSaverEngine.app/Contents/MacOS/ScreenSaverEngine–background

The screen saver you selected in Step 2 will now be running on your desktop.

Running a screen saver on your desktop can be processor-intensive and may slow down your Mac. To return your desktop to its original state, close the “Terminal” window and your desktop will revert to its original desktop picture.


Thanks
 
quick update...

I've been posting in another forum..
BUT.. when the machine returns from being blank.. the artifacts disappear..
Here's some JPEGS of the screen that I took with a digicam..

L1000221.jpg

L1000222.jpg

L1000223.jpg

L1000224.jpg

L1000228.jpg
 
Can a firmware update or driver update fix this issue?

I have run into this problem when playing games on windows but its less noticeable. I tried different drivers until I settle on one BUT what I noticed was that the color lines showed up more on thr 180 drivers than the 178 drivers.

The problem either lies within the video driver or the video card.
 
bronksy said:
Seems like i'm not the only one here to have issues using the 9600 card on the 17" Unibody MBP's.

I get those shimmering green/purple bits.. noticed especially on the desktop when i set it to one of my favourite photos.

I cant screen grab it because it's on the display card.. but it's the verticle green lines/purple lines.

Is this likely to be solved in firmware upgrade?
How many people are having these problems?
Click to expand...

Take it back it back right now :)
i had that issue with my 15 inch actually, right on the side of the screen - instantly replaced the logic board and display for me :D
 
No idea but what other plan is there?

Next Tuesday said:
Just a question. If all or most of the 17's have faulty cards, whats a replacement going to accomplish?
Click to expand...

Well. What is the situation here?
Are we seeing 'forum syndrome' where a few unlucky souls with damaged laptops give the impression that every or most units are faulty?

Is there a massive batch of damaged cards that are installed?

Either way, I've encountered at least 5 people who have had the same problem. Trust me. I'm praying it's a firmware issue. I can't face setting up a new machine again.
 
Next Tuesday said:
Just a question. If all or most of the 17's have faulty cards, whats a replacement going to accomplish?
Click to expand...

We don't know if it's "all or most" at this stage quite yet, it's too early to tell. There are plenty of people posting that they've got good laptops. Although if it is a native problem to all, it could be just that it will take time to appear. Or that the people who have problems are in the minority, but vocal.

Have to wait to see.

Though as I said before - I'd be extremely dissapointed in Apple if there is a problem. As the 17" MBP uses the same chipsets as the 15" MBP and there hasn't been problems reported like this since it's release. That's why I didn't consider the 17" MBP a Rev A product as such, as the 15" paved the road and there didn't seem to be problems with the unibody or components inside. I would have thought, given more space inside and lower temps - that the 17" would be even more rock solid. Hmm
 
I guess what I don't understand (and this isn't meant to bash anyone here) is why people are so quick to find the problem, but so slow to diagnose it?

What I mean is, what are we doing as consumers to troubleshoot this issue? We know that some (perhaps all) are having these issues, but no one has given any explanation as to why.

I find it hard to believe that this is the only case of this happening in a computer, yet I have seen nothing to help bring it into perspective. Everyone keeps saying, "I hope its a firmware issue!" yet they pack up the laptops and send them back without a second thought.

I have this same issue with my iPhone. I have had the plastic crack on 3 phones now, but I am done sending them back. I have an apt. tomorrow morning at the Apple store and all I am doing is making them aware of the problem so I have record of it if and when they make a change.

I guess what I am saying is, lets sit down and do as much research into this as we can before we go off half cocked. I'm not defending Mapple here just to be clear as this shouldn't even be an issue, but I am thinking about this from the perspective of the user. If it turns out that the chip just needs a firmware upgrade then it's a lot less trouble to just wait.

Also, I would like to see a poll put up...lets get some numbers going perhaps.
 
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