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Thanks for that mate.

In my case, I'm propping up my MBP for as long as I possibly can by using smcFanControl, and setting the fans to their maximum level.

I've had 2 crashes/failures related to the 8600M - the first one was a total blank screen but the machine was still working (I could use Screen Sharing to access the MBP from my Mac Pro), but the 2nd time it was distorted video + kernel panic...

Since running smcFanControl at max, the MBP hasn't failed once. Obviously not a long-term solution, but hopefully it gets me through until the next MBP refresh.
 
yea crank those fans out!!!
mine has become soo noisy and disturbing putting the fans to max, silly we have to take these extra measures to ensure our Macs won't die on us.
But if mine dies again, im surely doing up the letter writing skills and try and get me a free consistent working machine.
Question.
What max temps are you getting even with fans cranked up?
What are the extreme limits that the MBP should get to ?

Cheers
 
Depends on the environment really... right now it's sitting at 44C, but earlier today it was hovering at 39/40C
 
My mid-07 15" mbp's video died two weeks ago. No video to external and internal monitors. Everything else worked fine - was able to get data out by using firewire.

So, are the replacement logic boards/gpu's actually the same as the defective ones? They're not a "rev B" or something with fixes for the actual issue? Does this mean I'll eventually have the same sleep/video problems as before?
 
My mid-07 15" mbp's video died two weeks ago. No video to external and internal monitors. Everything else worked fine - was able to get data out by using firewire.

So, are the replacement logic boards/gpu's actually the same as the defective ones? They're not a "rev B" or something with fixes for the actual issue? Does this mean I'll eventually have the same sleep/video problems as before?


How are the Nvidia chipsets on the new mid-2009 MBP 17"?
 
My mid-07 15" mbp's video died two weeks ago. No video to external and internal monitors. Everything else worked fine - was able to get data out by using firewire.

So, are the replacement logic boards/gpu's actually the same as the defective ones? They're not a "rev B" or something with fixes for the actual issue? Does this mean I'll eventually have the same sleep/video problems as before?

Yep.
 
Depends on the environment really... right now it's sitting at 44C, but earlier today it was hovering at 39/40C

That's nothing! Mine sits at 74C with the fans whirring regardless of what I'm doing. I'm running OS 10.5.7. Before my motherboard was replaced (Nvidea thing) it behaved normally and only got hot when it had to do serious video decompressing. Running windows on my other partition is much cooler. Should I take it back in?
 
Wish me luck at the bar today

First post but been following this thread for 4 months and the other related (and also insanely large) one in Apple's forum. I've booked my appointment at the bar today and am hoping to get my board swapped without too much arguing. :mad:

Only problem I've had is the magenta distortion some other users have reported and that was one instance and 4 months back...but Apple's Technical Bulletin states if you've experienced the symptoms listed bring it in (and I have...namely "distorted" video). Other then that, no problems whatsoever with my h/w.

I've considered taking a gamble and NOT swapping my logic board considering some posts have mentioned their replacement board has failed relatively quickly and mine seems to be holding up pretty good...my last chance for the free swap will be July 17, 2010. Considering I had that one odd case of magenta hued screen, figure best bet will be take it in and argue for the swap. Probably only a matter of time until the thing dies on me completely...

I'll let everyone know how it goes :eek:

MBP 2.2GHz Santa Rosa - Mid 2007 MA895LL
 
My 8600 in the MBP SR, July 2007, failed on me late November ' 09. The service from the MacMe Store in Groningen, The Netherlands has been brilliant. But I'm a regular at the technical support department...

Now only my outer casing, HD and keyboard are original. Everything else has been replaced with brand new parts for free either on warrantee or on their leniency program.

In total they have replaced over € 1.800,- worth of replacement parts but now I know my MBP will last me another 3 years at least I couldn't be happier. (knock on wood)

So, even though the SR had terrible quality control I can still safely say that it's the last good-looking MBP with a proper matte screen. Wouldnt change it for a new one untill this one is totally worn out.
 
Success

Only problem I've had is the magenta distortion some other users have reported and that was one instance and 4 months back...but Apple's Technical Bulletin states if you've experienced the symptoms listed bring it in (and I have...namely "distorted" video). Other then that, no problems whatsoever with my h/w.

I've considered taking a gamble and NOT swapping my logic board considering some posts have mentioned their replacement board has failed relatively quickly and mine seems to be holding up pretty good...my last chance for the free swap will be July 17, 2010. Considering I had that one odd case of magenta hued screen, figure best bet will be take it in and argue for the swap. Probably only a matter of time until the thing dies on me completely...

Well Bangorang Peter! Back from the Calgary store with a work order for a new logic board for free...will be a couple days for them to receive the part (661-4955 "PCBA MLB 2.2 GHZ REV2") and then a day to do the work. My genius was a bit hostile compared to the other geniuses I was watching - he certainly wasn't keen on a free replacement considering my display was working fine in-store, passed the video test, and had only one isolated incidence of magenta hue 4 months back.

Here's some tips that may help those still using a failure-delayed card get a free replacement in addition to those already posted:
1.Print TS2377 and highlight "If the NVIDIA gp in your MBP has failed, or fails...a repair will be done free of charge." I underlined "has failed" and "repair will be done" as the genius was first implying he couldn't authorize a repair if the display wasn't failed at the time. Get Apple with their precise wording...has failed implies past-tense and that the display doesn't currently have to be failed. Is failed would be more correct.
2.Point out distorted/scrambled video is also a symptom, not just no video.
3.Let the genius know you've read the massive forums and are well aware of the extent of the problem and the variety of symptoms. I was the third person to bring in a computer to the Calgary location with the NVIDIA issue that day.
4.Insist that the video test be ran multiple times...esp if the video test passes the first run.
5.If the genius still says "no we need a definite failure", tell them your concern is your board will fail outside the 3-year window, so tell them you want a guarantee for a free replacement once the inevitable does occur. This was the turning point in my negotiation. The genius called his supervisor over and she authorized the work almost immediately.
6.Lastly, document your visit regardless of the outcome. I asked my genius if the new logic board is the same and will eventually fail, he said "No, the logic board is the same but NVIDIA has fixed the issue so it won't fail again." My documentation will be my leverage with Apple if my Rev 2 dies...esp if the failure is relatively quick. I'll be putting that in a letter to customer service asking them to train their employees better, and suggest they at least inform them to not give product guarantees unless they'll stand by them.
 
Mine was manufactured 7/07 and just started showing problems two days ago.

It started with a hard crash followed by booting up to green "fuzzy" pixels on my browser screen. After another crash or two, the green vertical stripes started. They were sometimes pink or a combination of green/blue. I usually never made it past the gray startup screen before crashing but sometimes could use the computer as normal for up to an hour before a crash.

It's at the shop now and I am hopeful this 8600m free repair from Apple is what happens. I won't hear until next week but I did print out the defective 8600m info from the Apple site (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377) and slid it into the notebook before I gave it to them so, at least, they know I know. ;)

UPDATE: Took it in yesterday and received a call this morning that it was indeed the 8600m and would be replaced for free. Bad news is that the part is on back order and will take until 2/5. Since this is my business computer, that poses some problems but I can't complain too much. Maybe it'll be shipped sooner.

This forum has, once again, saved my posterior. I'd never known about this had I not Googled the symptoms as a search here. Though I know Apple would never go as far as to contact MBP owners on this, I am pleased that they have made some effort to make things right. I wish they'd done the same when a security update fried one of my RAM slots on my G4 Powerbook.

UPDATE (Part 2): Got a call yesterday saying everything was ready. It took only four days to repair so hats off to MacAuthority in Nashville for their handling of this. Of course, the faulty 8600 was replaced with... another 8600.
 
I had a power failure last June and took it to the Apple Store and they had to replace the logic board. Do you think it's more likely, less likely or about the same, of failing due to video card problems? I have an early 08 MBP.
 
Hi,

Has anyone had the orange box test fail on them and then pass on another attempt? My macbook pro has the exact same symptoms as people have listed on here and the apple recall page, but it failed the test twice when I brought it into the Apple store in Calgary - I was about to list it on eBay but I thought I would see if there have been any false-positives with this test? Should I bring it in again?

Thanks for any help.
 
Don't sell yet

Hi,

Has anyone had the orange box test fail on them and then pass on another attempt? My macbook pro has the exact same symptoms as people have listed on here and the apple recall page, but it failed the test twice when I brought it into the Apple store in Calgary - I was about to list it on eBay but I thought I would see if there have been any false-positives with this test? Should I bring it in again?

Thanks for any help.

Correct me if I'm wrong anyone, but I take "pass" in regards to the video test (orange box test) to mean all is good, no problems detected, etc. "Fail" would mean a confirmed faulty nvidea board, as the h/w isn't able to make it through the h/w test. In your case I think you mean the opposite, but regardless, yes, I read several posts stating false-positives and hence why some people insist the genius run the test over and over.

I'd recommend not posting your machine on ebay and still trying to get a free replacement, as apparently the Rev2 board is fixed. In my case, I was successful with the free replacement even though I "passed" the video test (ie everything looked all ok...which was indeed a false-positive). I was just able to convince the genius that, unquestionably, there was a problem with my board.
 
ok nvm i think this thread is about 8600 i have the 9600 and 9400 so I assume it doesnt quite apply to me or does it?
Only the 8xxx series are affected.

Altho that's not to say 9xxx won't fail on its own. We didn't find out about 8xxx for months. I think the 9xxx are fine.
 
RIP MacBook Pro 2.2GHz [11/12/07-2/4/10]. It was a good time. I will be calling AppleCare tomorrow. After more than 5 Kernel Panics this week and constant freezing, beachballing, and flashing/distorted screen...my MBP has died.
 

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Hi,

Has anyone had the orange box test fail on them and then pass on another attempt? My macbook pro has the exact same symptoms as people have listed on here and the apple recall page, but it failed the test twice when I brought it into the Apple store in Calgary - I was about to list it on eBay but I thought I would see if there have been any false-positives with this test? Should I bring it in again?

Thanks for any help.

Just to follow this up... I brought my MBP in for a second run at the tests which it still passed (had my fails/passes mixed up above) - but the guy this time agreed to do a "triage" (spelling?) on it in the back. They told me they would let me know within a few hours whether the replacement would be covered or not...never called back, but when I called them they said it would be covered.

When I finally went in after the repair (week and a bit later) they had replaced the HD (old HD was working fine...just wiped - they gave me back the old one as well tho), replaced the logic board, and replaced my non-working superdrive as well. This is all well out of warranty and they did it all for free...pretty amazing service really. It's essentially a new computer inside.

So I'm guessing from this (and other posts) that the orange box isn't the most reliable test..and they seem to know it. It didn't take much pushing to get them to "verify" with the triage in the back...so at bare minimum if yours passes the test I'd get them to do this..
 
Well my MBP video went out last Thursday, finally called Apple today and had a great talk with my customer service rep and supervisor.They are sending a shipping box asap to get the ball rolling.
Basically, I have to wait for Apple's response on coverage(no Applecare).If they pay, I will hope the repair holds my 3rd year ends in June so not much time to really test it out.After following this thread since the Nvidia scandal, I am pessimistic at the repair holding.I will update as this mess continues...
 
I will hope the repair holds my 3rd year ends in June so not much time to really test it out.After following this thread since the Nvidia scandal, I am pessimistic at the repair holding.

I too am somewhat skeptical - some of the replacements have failed. That said, I haven't read a post indicating a Rev2 version has failed. It does sound like Nvidea has addressed the issue with a solder process but these changes do take some time to roll out, and faulty GPUs could still have existed on shelves that were used as replacements. This means those that had their GPUs replaced when the problem first surfaced are perhaps more susceptible to having their replacement board fail. You who should by now be getting the "Rev 2" version are likely at lower risk - I'd bet on it since it's been a couple years since this surfaced.

See: http://www.tgdaily.com/hardware-fea...nts-at-a-disadvantage-over-ati-scientist-says
 
Ok, time for an update.

Got my overnight box from Houston,TX depot and sent it yesterday (@ 1 pm 2/8) was received today and repaired with estimate arrival of 10:30 tomorrow.As far as promptness, I cannot ask for more and downright appreciative.

Tomorrow, I will be testing out all aspects of my MBP to be sure that all systems are go.I am hoping that my problems are solved for the time being till I decide whether to sell it after all.

Just adding some hope and positive to a rough thread, last week I was NOT HAPPY.
 
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