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My MBP story is kind of an horror story...

I got my Santa Rosa MBP in august 2007 when they updated.

After a year the USB controller started to act weird. My keyboard, iSight, trackpad and infrared sensor were disconnecting and reconnecting at random times (I was seeing it thanks to growl) and my left USB port was completely dead. At the same time my superdrive was rejecting DVDs. I got my MBP to the apple store and they replaced the logic board, the LCD assembly and the superdrive.

A few months later, I started to have a random problem when my machine wouldn't boot back from sleep after I left it idle overnight or when I was carrying it in my backpack to school and it was cold outside. I went to the apple store but I wasn't able to reproduce the problem so I went back home. After many test I had been able to isolate the problem. It seemed like a thermal stress problem affecting the chipset or the graphic card, the machine wouldn't boot when cold (20-22 °C). I needed to do 3 PRAM reset in a row to heat it up enough so it would boot. I then went to the apple store to get my logic board replaced.

As if it wasn't enough this autumn I had to get back once again to the apple store for a non working superdrive. At the same time I got the LCD changed (it had a yellow tint in the bottom third) and the battery replaced because it was depleting way too fast to be from normal age.

During the last repairs I called apple care to get a replacement unit. I was told that I was right on the line where they start to consider giving a replacement but they had to repair my laptop before taking any action. I now have an open case number and I was told that if anything else was to break with my MBP I would get a free replacement.

So to summarize all that, the only original part in my laptop is the HDD...

logic board replacement x 2
LCD assembly replacement x 2
SuperDrive replacement x 2
Battery replacement x 1

A little follow-up on my MBP's horror story.

I ran AHT a few days ago and got an error message :

4SNS/1/40000000:TGOD

After some searching I found it was related to a sensor. I also found, meanwhile, a copy of ASD to get a better diagnostic. It turns out, after further inspection, that the "GPU 0 Die temp sensor" has failed on me and the solution is a logic board replacement :) (my third replacement)

I'll call apple to get a replacement machine as soon as the new MBPs comes out :)

I'm just surprised that none of my problems where related to the 8600....
 
A little follow-up on my MBP.

I ran AHT a few days ago and got an error message :

4SNS/1/40000000:TGOD

After some searching I found it was related to a sensor. I also found, meanwhile, a copy of ASD to get a better diagnostic. It turns out, after further inspection, that the "GPU 0 Die temp sensor" has failed on me and the solution is a logic board replacement :) (my third replacement)

I'll call apple to get a replacement machine as soon as the new MBPs comes out :)

I'm just surprised that none of my problems where related to the 8600....

That was a real lemon. They should have given you a replacement long ago.

My SR 2.2 only failed once with the 8600 problem and I sold it as soon as it was repaired. I hope the buyer hasn't had any problems with it.

Cheers,
 
A little follow-up on my MBP's horror story.

I ran AHT a few days ago and got an error message :

4SNS/1/40000000:TGOD

After some searching I found it was related to a sensor. I also found, meanwhile, a copy of ASD to get a better diagnostic. It turns out, after further inspection, that the "GPU 0 Die temp sensor" has failed on me and the solution is a logic board replacement :) (my third replacement)

I'll call apple to get a replacement machine as soon as the new MBPs comes out :)

I'm just surprised that none of my problems where related to the 8600....

wow you had as many problems as my macbook pro did with the 8600 video card
 
I can understand your concern. Once you are out of the 3 year period if the GPU breaks again no-one is sure what Apple will do. They might or might not replace it for free. To pay for a logic-board replacement yourself is too expensive. We are all in the same boat as you.

Incidentally what happened with your conversation to the Apple technician? Usually they are pretty polite in my experience??

The guy was an ass; he got huffy right off the bat. He tried to B.S. me using an analogy of me having bought tires from a manufacturer who had issued a recall, but the reason I wasn't able to participate in the recall is because I had driven over nails and that's why my tires failed. WTF? When I tried to tell him that his analogy made no sense, he started raising his voice and I had to ask him repeatedly to hang up. The laptop was sitting in an authorized repair center where the video problem did show up, and he's trying to accuse me of scamming Apple. What A DB!

Supposedly, his supervisor was contacted by customer care as to the inappropriateness of his behavior.
 
The guy was an ass; he got huffy right off the bat. He tried to B.S. me using an analogy of me having bought tires from a manufacturer who had issued a recall, but the reason I wasn't able to participate in the recall is because I had driven over nails and that's why my tires failed. WTF? When I tried to tell him that his analogy made no sense, he started raising his voice and I had to ask him repeatedly to hang up. The laptop was sitting in an authorized repair center where the video problem did show up, and he's trying to accuse me of scamming Apple. What A DB!

Supposedly, his supervisor was contacted by customer care as to the inappropriateness of his behavior.

Ass indeed. I am surprised you kept your cool as well as you did.

Much as I love Apple, and the NVidia fault didn't originate with them, it is damn frustrating as well as a potential expensive liability to have such a lemon MBP that could waste away at any moment. No doubt one day out of warranty too...
 
Welcome to the club, I'm glad for you it's actually the 8600 so you'll get a new logic board for free (with these symptoms I'm 99,9% sure) and you'll be able to enjoy your half-new laptop within a week :)

I just got my Macbook Pro back from Mac Authority last night. I didn't have to pay a dime. I was worried that they would try to add some extra charge on the bill. I'm glad to have my mac up and running again. I'm not sure what logic board/video card it was replaced with.
 
Update... the good & the bad

My MacBook Pro that I was having problems with finally died. The screen wouldn't work at all, and it wouldn't work on an external monitor either. I could hear it start up but totally dead on the screen.

Thank goodness for AppleCare. Covered the whole thing -- the replaced the logic board *and* the screen. Would have cost nearly $2000 to repair, more than a new one that's faster & better would cost.

On the one hand, its disturbing that one computer should be on its third motherboard in 3 years, but on the other -- at least its all been covered. Not looking forward to AppleCare running out in 2 months.

Oh, and they did the repairs in just a few hours. Dropped it off on a Sunday evening, picked it up 10AM the next day. Awesome.
 
My MacBook Pro that I was having problems with finally died. The screen wouldn't work at all, and it wouldn't work on an external monitor either. I could hear it start up but totally dead on the screen.

Thank goodness for AppleCare. Covered the whole thing -- the replaced the logic board *and* the screen. Would have cost nearly $2000 to repair, more than a new one that's faster & better would cost.

On the one hand, its disturbing that one computer should be on its third motherboard in 3 years, but on the other -- at least its all been covered. Not looking forward to AppleCare running out in 2 months.

Oh, and they did the repairs in just a few hours. Dropped it off on a Sunday evening, picked it up 10AM the next day. Awesome.

Ask for a replacement. Your post is throwing signs that you might be able to get a new machine:
3 mobo repairs
current AppleCare agreement
aformentioned agreement is set to expire
 
wanted to share my encouraging story to those who suspect their GPU has failed.

i was using windows 7 on my macbook pro (i know, i know) and a BSOD popped up as i was moving a file between partitions. i try to boot my computer and boom, no display/no boot chime. nothing on my external display either. capslock key lit when depressed, and my RAM was seated correctly.

after a bit of research, including a quick glance at this thread, i was nearly certain that my nvidia card had failed. i took it to the closest apple store last saturday, which happens to be 45min away, printout of the 8600gt apple support article in hand.

i am a student, and naturally dead broke. if apple wouldn't foot the bill for the repair, i was prepared to sell my broken MBP on ebay for whatever i could get. the function and "V" keys were both missing, the keyboard backlight had fizzled out months ago (spilled liquid on it), every surface was scratched, one of the rubber feet was missing--i didn't expect much.

thankfully, the genius i met with was friendly and knowledgeable. the apple crew put up no resistance, probably because i already knew what my issue was. just walk in confident and prepared. i've never had applecare and my MBP is well beyond warranty, but they agreed to fix it free of charge.

today, five business days later, i dropped in to pick it up. not only is the issue resolved, they replaced both of my keys, replaced my rubber foot, and fixed my backlight. it looks and feels like new, and i didn't pay a dime. best customer service experience of my lifetime, and i'm no apple fanboy. i hate apple at least half of the time.
 
Had a random kernel panic a few days ago, so I ran AHT from my restore discs. (2.2ghz SR MBP)

Ended up with a 4VDC/1/40000003:VideoController error!

However it has been running fine ever since.
The error message indicates a problem with the 8600GT but I'm unsure of whether to send it in yet as I really need my laptop for uni work. Eventually I will have to take it to the Apple Store I know...
 
Success @ Genius Bar: MBP 17" Replacement after GPU fails 3x

Just had a great appointment this afternoon with a Apple Store Genius here is South Florida...

Had a MBP 17" 2.4 GHz CTO (1920x1200) purchased June 2007 and did not have the extended warranty w/ Apple Care.

Prior service history:
logic board replacement x 2
SuperDrive replacement x 1
Battery replacement x 1

Made an appointment for today using Pro Care after the MBP started exhibiting the same type of pixelated / distorted graphics late last night ...needed to resolve this issue prior to flying transcon on business tomorrow morning...

Diagnosis:
The Genius was extremely knowledgeable about the issue; ran the Nvidia diagnostics boot drive and diagnosed the GPU failure. Even though the Apple store had the logic board in-stock; the turnaround time would not allow for its return prior to my flight.


Resolution:
Left with a brand new 2.8Ghz 17" unibody w/ the matte screen option and fresh one year warranty :)

I do not know if by having Pro Care "facilitated" any replacement (but couldn't hurt), but the fact that I had cloned the MBP drive (220 GB) prior to my appointment was of great relief to the tech (Carbon Copy Cloner FTW!) ...

Just make sure to document the service issues with your 8600m GT ... from my experience, there is no such thing as a revised Nvidia 8600m GT / logic board which resolves the issue for the long term...but there are Apple Employees very knowledgeable about the situation and who really want you, the customer, to be satisfied with their products...

Best of luck...:apple:
 
Has Apple revised the motherboard?

... from my experience, there is no such thing as a revised Nvidia 8600m GT / logic board which resolves the issue for the long term...QUOTE]

Recently, I was told that Apple has revised the motherboard and there should not be video issues again. Is this really true? For details, please refer to my thread titled "Why the SR MBP turns blueish?"
 
The guy was an ass; he got huffy right off the bat. He tried to B.S. me using an analogy of me having bought tires from a manufacturer who had issued a recall, but the reason I wasn't able to participate in the recall is because I had driven over nails and that's why my tires failed. WTF? When I tried to tell him that his analogy made no sense, he started raising his voice and I had to ask him repeatedly to hang up. The laptop was sitting in an authorized repair center where the video problem did show up, and he's trying to accuse me of scamming Apple. What A DB!

Supposedly, his supervisor was contacted by customer care as to the inappropriateness of his behavior.

The guy was obviously having a bad day. Too bad you were on the receiving end of it, but it happens. Hopefully your issue is all resolved now.
 
... from my experience, there is no such thing as a revised Nvidia 8600m GT / logic board which resolves the issue for the long term...QUOTE]

Recently, I was told that Apple has revised the motherboard and there should not be video issues again. Is this really true? For details, please refer to my thread titled "Why the SR MBP turns blueish?"

Just got back the MBP (2nd time motherboard replacement. Before that, Apple exchanged a new computer for me the second day I bought the computer due to GPU problem). For the new board, the revision ID is: 0x0407 and the ROM Revision is: 3175. Can anybody tell if this is a revised board with the GPU fixed?

I noticed that with the new motherboard, the machine sounds like a vacuum cleaner for about 2 minutes whenever I reboot the computer. This did not happen before. I also found that after they fixed the computer, there is a scratch in the middle of the LCD screen. Any suggestion on what I can do in this case?
 
... from my experience, there is no such thing as a revised Nvidia 8600m GT / logic board which resolves the issue for the long term...QUOTE]

Recently, I was told that Apple has revised the motherboard and there should not be video issues again. Is this really true? For details, please refer to my thread titled "Why the SR MBP turns blueish?"


I wouldn't count on it...I think Apple and Nvidia have moved on. That is why Apple is offering replacements.
 
About whether they refurbish or replace the logic board,

I recently replaced the HD of my MBP after the replaced logic board and noticed that I got a brand new one going by the look, smell and feel of it.

I expect it to be a long term solution (at least three more years) to the problem, but hey, you can never know for sure.
 
I see there's some difference in ROM revision in this thread. Mine is 3175. Any ideas what it means? Is 3175 revB?
 
People, as the previous owner of a early 2008 MBP, I feel all of your pain. It's a shame that this thread exists. I had my machine sent in for repair 6 times for a variety of issues that left every single component of the machine except the CD drive and Hard disk replaced at least once, some two times.

Finally, I got a replacement MBP.

This new computer has absolutel no issues and I don't expect it to give any problems whatsoever. It has a much more solid feel.

Throughout the 6 apple replacements, here's what I learned. Even though the product is badly designed/defective, Apple will stand by the product. I had to make 15+ calls to Apple and in each one of those calls, there was only one call where the person on the other end was not satisfactorily addressing my concern and when that happened, a call to the supervisor fixed everything.

So you may feel that you have a lemon, but I can assure you from my experience that you'll have the issues addressed and eventually, should it be needed due to the repairs, Apple will replace your computer. I know this situation of potentially calling Apple over and over again is not as good as "the problem's gone away", but at least it's not like some other companies who view customers as the "problem" and ignore them once they go away (out the store's door).
 
...I noticed that with the new motherboard, the machine sounds like a vacuum cleaner for about 2 minutes whenever I reboot the computer. This did not happen before...

After they replaced the motherboard, the fan of my MBP gets spinning at top speed more often. Few hours ago, when I put the computer to sleep and closed the LCD screen. The fan started spinning and the machine sounded like a vacuum cleaner for about a minute. Then, it went to sleep. Even I surf the web with no intensive 3D animation right now, the MBP sounds like a vacuum cleaner. None of this happened before they replaced the motherboard. Maybe the motherboard still has the defective GPU. They just made the fan spins more often to reduce the chance of GPU failure. Could this be the case? Besides this, there are other issues as well. I am not satisfied with the repair. I complained to the service center yesterday but there is no reply.

I noticed that when I turned on the machine at the service center, a message appeared on the screen saying something like the clock was set to 2001. Doesn't look like a new motherboard to me.
 
People, as the previous owner of a early 2008 MBP, I feel all of your pain. It's a shame that this thread exists. I had my machine sent in for repair 6 times for a variety of issues that left every single component of the machine except the CD drive and Hard disk replaced at least once, some two times.

Finally, I got a replacement MBP.

This new computer has absolutel no issues and I don't expect it to give any problems whatsoever. It has a much more solid feel.

Throughout the 6 apple replacements, here's what I learned. Even though the product is badly designed/defective, Apple will stand by the product. I had to make 15+ calls to Apple and in each one of those calls, there was only one call where the person on the other end was not satisfactorily addressing my concern and when that happened, a call to the supervisor fixed everything.

So you may feel that you have a lemon, but I can assure you from my experience that you'll have the issues addressed and eventually, should it be needed due to the repairs, Apple will replace your computer. I know this situation of potentially calling Apple over and over again is not as good as "the problem's gone away", but at least it's not like some other companies who view customers as the "problem" and ignore them once they go away (out the store's door).

Thanks for your report. Basically everything you wrote seems to be pretty true. I have had three different problems with my MBP 4.1, one of which was the logicboard graphic chip problem. There is no doubt in my mind that the 8600 GT Macbook Pros have a higher failure rate than normal. There are just so many things going wrong with them. I just hope that when I eventually get the money to replace it with a unibody model they are more reliable.... It is frustrating though as I usually keep my notebooks for at least 5 years. With the power of the MBP I bought it will still be useful in three years from now, (5 years after purchase), but with the number of failures on these machines I can't afford to take the risk once applecare runs out.
 
After they replaced the motherboard, the fan of my MBP gets spinning at top speed more often. Few hours ago, when I put the computer to sleep and closed the LCD screen. The fan started spinning and the machine sounded like a vacuum cleaner for about a minute. Then, it went to sleep. Even I surf the web with no intensive 3D animation right now, the MBP sounds like a vacuum cleaner. None of this happened before they replaced the motherboard. Maybe the motherboard still has the defective GPU. They just made the fan spins more often to reduce the chance of GPU failure. Could this be the case? Besides this, there are other issues as well. I am not satisfied with the repair. I complained to the service center yesterday but there is no reply.

I noticed that when I turned on the machine at the service center, a message appeared on the screen saying something like the clock was set to 2001. Doesn't look like a new motherboard to me.

Which processes are running at the time the fan is at top speed? What's te temperature of the CPU, GPU, etc? Use istat pro to see what's going on. It turned out, when I had a similar fan issue, was that my new brother all in one had a nasty driver that had 3 processes that tool over and made the temp of the CpU hit the boiling point!! The fans were at top speed (6000rpm) and I though it was going to take flight from the sound of the fans. Brought it to a "genius" and they sent it to Texas to "the place where the really tough problems go." well, given that we didn't know the drivers were truly the culprit, I got a new battery and logic board (my 2nd one for both). When the issue persisted, I researched more and found that it was the drivers. Brother eventually updated the drivers once or twice and the problem is solved.

What's my point?? See if any processes are taking over, heating up your computer, making the fans go crazy.
 
I'm taking in my laptop tomorrow because I've been having problems with the optical drive and I've been getting graphical glitches and artifacts so I think my 8600 gt is dying again...If i have to get it replaced, it would be my second logic board replacement. It seems as if Apple is replacing them with other 8600 gts, which would fail again right? Is there anything I can do/say to the apple tech to get a new laptop that won't keep having this problem? I didn't pay 2000+ for a laptop that's always in need of a repair...
 
I'm taking in my laptop tomorrow because I've been having problems with the optical drive and I've been getting graphical glitches and artifacts so I think my 8600 gt is dying again...If i have to get it replaced, it would be my second logic board replacement. It seems as if Apple is replacing them with other 8600 gts, which would fail again right? Is there anything I can do/say to the apple tech to get a new laptop that won't keep having this problem? I didn't pay 2000+ for a laptop that's always in need of a repair...

Unfortunately the short answer is no. You will always have the same problem. Even worse than that, once the three year period from the date you purchased the notebook is up, Apple may stop repairing the logic boards altogether and then you will be left with a useless brick, or the option to pay upto $1000 to have the logicboard replaced by yourself. (Which is a no-brainer as it will fail again in due course after that too. It is possible that Apple will extend the free repair date beyond 3 years, but don't count on it)

Don't be too disheartened though as you are most definitely not the only one is this position. There are thousands and thousands of people with the 8600 version MBP including me. I didn't pay $3000 in my case for a notebook that is doomed to a short lifespan either, but that is sadly the position we all seem to be in.

The replacement logicboard is usually denoted at "Rev 2" in the system preferences but there is no evidence to suggest that it is any different at all to the original and many including you yourself have experienced more than one failure.

As far as I can see, the only long term option is to sell you current MBP, take a loss and buy a new unibody when they are released soon. At least that way you wont have to worry about being stuck with nothing down the line. At the moment your MBP is still worth something. A four year odd MBP with a broken logicboard however will be almost worthless...
 
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