Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
So are all MBP owners with the 8600m GT cards screwed?
- Thread starter jjahshik32
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Man I would just keep calling so that I can talk to a different rep everytime and complain about it over and over and over again until I get the mbp covered under the warranty. Trust me there will be always a rep that is much nicer and helpful than the one you probably spoke to.
It sounds like major bs. Sometimes talking to the wrong genius/rep wont allow you to get what you want. Try keep calling back.
Whether or not they can find the gpu it should still be covered. They know that it has the 8600m gt card in that specific model and if the gpu has gone to s*its then you should no doubt get a new logic board.
Hell I wouldnt even settle for a new logic board, I'd ask them to replace it with a new unibody mbp especially for all this hassle.
I'm telling you man, keep calling you'll find one nice rep that will do an exchange for you.
Can someone summarize this thread for me in a couple sentences? I read the first pages but didn't get a lot out of it.
The 2007 and 2008 mbp uses a gpu by nvidia 8600m gt 128mb/256mb/512mb models.
Anyway they all use a bad package of substrate or bump in the gpu which over time going through a heat cycle of heating up and cooling down will break the gpu.
Apple extended an additional year for this specific issue and is covered even if you didnt buy the extended warranty.
All which means if you have one of these time bombs sell it before it goes bad!
Cheers,
That is absolutely unacceptable. That's exactly the way mine has died twice. You should demand they replace it. It's a documented real issue. Get on the phone with them and talk with one of the product specialists or something. Obviously politely yet firmly. That's ridiculous.
This might be one of those things where you just email Steve Jobs if you can't get anywhere with Tech Support.
When Apple replaces the faulty cards with new ones, the new cards will not have that same problem right?
I'm asking because mine failed as well and Apple is replacing it with the exact same 8600M 128MB RAM model. Did NVIDIA build the same cards but this time within specs or was there only a certain badge affected to begin with?
Anyone who had their card replaced suffering from the same problem again?
I sure hope not.
I had nothing but trouble with my MBP 3.1...battery and logic board issues, failed graphics card. Had it for weeks in repair...
Better luck next time I guess.
I'm asking because mine failed as well and Apple is replacing it with the exact same 8600M 128MB RAM model. Did NVIDIA build the same cards but this time within specs or was there only a certain badge affected to begin with?
Anyone who had their card replaced suffering from the same problem again?
I sure hope not.
I had nothing but trouble with my MBP 3.1...battery and logic board issues, failed graphics card. Had it for weeks in repair...
Better luck next time I guess.
The fact that you had the repair done makes resolution an upper level issue. A kind hearted genius may authorize a repair to be done, but reimbursements would be out of their control. Service supervisors and store managers MIGHT be able to champion the cause for you upstream, but short of swapping your mac for a replacement (which they wouldn't do since your machine is now repaired), I don't see what they could do. Try with AppleCare or Customer Service, even though I assume you don't have the extended warranty.
Good luck
The major concern is that the replacement logic boards do not really have a fixed video card and the problem can re-occur. I'm not aware of any solid evidence that NVidia ever really fixed the problem.
Yes, mine failed again and it wasn't even the same part (see my signature, started with 128MB, replaced with 256MB, died again.)
There was something said somewhere about the parts made after September 08 being okay, but I believe I've read a couple things here reporting evidence to the contrary. I'm not keeping my hopes up for this one to last.
Yes. The replacements fail as well.
My card died completely about 6 weeks ago, it was sent in under AppleCare and replaced with another 8600M GT, and now within the last week, it appears to be failing again. On about 3 occasions within the last week, my screen has frozen with the image distorted with vertical rectangles of various colors and "static" appearance. Luckily a restart takes care of it for now. I called Apple yesterday just to open a case# for it. I use it extensively for school, so I'm kind of waiting on taking it to the Apple store, because I'm sure they'll want to send it out. I know at some point it's going to become more frequent and eventually the screen won't turn on at all, but who knows when that will be.
So in summary, my originally 8600M GT failed without warning, Apple put another 8600M GT in, and 6 weeks later it looks like this one is on the way out as well. In my opinion, a second occurrence in such a short time warrants a replacement, especially if they're going to put yet another one of the lousy cards in there...but fat chance of getting a repacement...
I'd say that just like anything, so will last a long time. The individual's use patterns will also play a role. Like anything manufactured, you can have something that's made great and there are a few lemons and then a lemon where a few may do well. My MLB was replaced around June 2008 and mine's still fine. Of course, I don't game or push the video card real hard though.
When my Penryn MBP gets hot, the GPU gets hot as well even though no program should be using it which causes Finder to get laggy and have random graphics glitches. Is this a sign of a bad chip?
Also, I don't game often and if I do, I let the laptop cool down before shutting the lid. How long do you think the GPU will last with regular use (web surfing, word processing, iTunes)?
Also, I don't game often and if I do, I let the laptop cool down before shutting the lid. How long do you think the GPU will last with regular use (web surfing, word processing, iTunes)?
It sounds like its already on its way out if glitching so maybe a few months
My 07 MBP has a 128 MB 8600M GT and it has never given me a problem. I don't really turn the laptop off though, I just put it to sleep (over night, when traveling). But I don't think that should matter.
Although, if the GPU does die, I will get it replaced and sell the MBP and buy a PC laptop. I love my MBP, but I'm not going to go through this crap, especially if it's toward the end of my warranty period. I already had the display replaced two or three times (the first one had horrible backlight bleed, the next one was damaged from shipping, the third one had a ton of dead pixels and stuck pixels everywhere, and the current one is fine).
I swear, if the GPU dies, I should be entitled to a brand new MBP. Someone should definitely sue Apple though. It's not right that they replace the logic board with a GPU that's going to die shortly anyway. It sounds me that they're just hoping it dies after the owner's extended warranty, which is pretty unethical, and it should be illegal. But I guess Apple is lucky that they have so many loyal sheeple that will never do anything that might step on their toes.
Although, if the GPU does die, I will get it replaced and sell the MBP and buy a PC laptop. I love my MBP, but I'm not going to go through this crap, especially if it's toward the end of my warranty period. I already had the display replaced two or three times (the first one had horrible backlight bleed, the next one was damaged from shipping, the third one had a ton of dead pixels and stuck pixels everywhere, and the current one is fine).
I swear, if the GPU dies, I should be entitled to a brand new MBP. Someone should definitely sue Apple though. It's not right that they replace the logic board with a GPU that's going to die shortly anyway. It sounds me that they're just hoping it dies after the owner's extended warranty, which is pretty unethical, and it should be illegal. But I guess Apple is lucky that they have so many loyal sheeple that will never do anything that might step on their toes.
It's simply unbeliebable that Apple would replace faulty graphics cards with the same line suffering from the same problem.
Of course if you think about it, because of the nature of the error (multiple heating and cooling phases over a period of time required for failure) it will usually take some time for the card to fail again. Like others said before also depending on your usage pattern and on if you were just lucky with your particular card.
So when the cards fail again most people will be out of warranty, even if they bought Apple Care. And then Apple will not replace them anymore.
They sold laptops with clearly faulty graphics cards and should have replaced them with properly working ones. If they don't they should have to cover that indefinitely as it clearly is not the customers fault if they fail.
Apple even could have put this on NVIDIA. But instead we, the customers are taking the hit for it.
Sometimes I think the advantage of having the OS and the hardware coming from the same corporation is offset by the fact that then one is completely dependent on them. If I don't like Acer, or Toshiba, I can go to Sony or Dell...with Apple it's take it or leave it.
Good luck to all of you with your cards...I hope mine will last a while now.
John
Of course if you think about it, because of the nature of the error (multiple heating and cooling phases over a period of time required for failure) it will usually take some time for the card to fail again. Like others said before also depending on your usage pattern and on if you were just lucky with your particular card.
So when the cards fail again most people will be out of warranty, even if they bought Apple Care. And then Apple will not replace them anymore.
They sold laptops with clearly faulty graphics cards and should have replaced them with properly working ones. If they don't they should have to cover that indefinitely as it clearly is not the customers fault if they fail.
Apple even could have put this on NVIDIA. But instead we, the customers are taking the hit for it.
Sometimes I think the advantage of having the OS and the hardware coming from the same corporation is offset by the fact that then one is completely dependent on them. If I don't like Acer, or Toshiba, I can go to Sony or Dell...with Apple it's take it or leave it.
Good luck to all of you with your cards...I hope mine will last a while now.
John
I'm not trying to find humour in your situation at all by suggesting this but if Apple are showing no signs of being reasonable about a situation that's entirely caused by a broken component, have you suggested letting Microsoft's marketing department know about it?
It's a genuine case of the Apple "Tax" taken to the extreme.
You're getting screwed and it's not fair, it's not fair that Apple aren't being victimised for their "computer for the rest us", "think different" and every other misleading load of marketing garbage they've spouted over the years to imply product superiority.
They've got a fantastic OS.
Some of their products are pretty.
The iPod range is excellent.
That's where it ends...
Any 4 year old Nokia smart phone craps on the basic functionality of the iPhone from a great height regardless of what Apps you buy to affectively patch the features into the device. Cut and Paste? is that it after 3 revisions?
They're computers are overpriced and given the availability of the Core i7 range, underspecified in all but the Mac Pro range and they're obviously not above screwing their customers after they've paid over the odds for standard PC parts in a well designed enclosure.