Well...my old 8600M GT-equipped machine finally died...

Do you want a 17"?

 

Flat Rate

Apple will fix it for a flat rate of $300. My 17" Early 2008 MBP died on me about 2 months ago, and I took into a Apple Certified repair shop, and they were able to replace the logic board free of charge because of the NVIDA recall.

 

If you can get it fixed for free, then do it. But don't put any money into such an old machine if you can avoid it. $300 + a few hundered for parts can be a good start towards a newer machine.

 

Don't sell! Repair! It's such a sweet machine, still!

Concerning your MBP 2.4 with 8600 GT: don't sell if the Nvidia-Chip is the cause. I got a repair from http://www.ebay.de/itm/300633277036?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_3892wt_1141 and they also replaced the HD with an SSD and upgraded the RAM for me and my MBP A1226 is now faster than my MBP 13" 2.7GHz from 2011. (My A1226 was out of warranty.)
They didn't just bake the board but replaced the chip and soldered it in.

 

So, judging from your signature, I'm guessing you're not a fan of the 13" MacBook Pro. Even an entry level current generation will be faster than your current machine in terms of literally every metric of performance. It requires more money out of pocket, but you're left with a machine that will clearly last well past Mountain Lion as opposed to your current machine which will very likely cap out with Mountain Lion. Either that or a refurbished 15" MacBook Pro from either the Early 2011 generation or the Late 2011 generation. Again, pricier, but a good upgrade.

 

I'd suggest a unibody 15 or 17 inch model at least.