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Workaround to the green lines issue on 17" Unibody? (in progress)

RX64MACBOOKPRO

RX64MACBOOKPRO

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 26, 2008
65
0
After seeing those green lines while Call of Duty 4 is currently open, I just installed and run SMCFanControl and the green lines either reduced or disappeared now that my fans are running around 4200-4400 RPM, though you have to look hard enough since it may still be there depending on the background image...

Can someone with a 17" Unibody MacBook Pro try running their fan control app, set to the highest speed (not too high) along with there usual 3D app or game in the background?
 
RX64MACBOOKPRO said:
Did anyone find a solution or workaround to the green (or color lines) that show up when using the 9600m GT under heavy use on the 17" MacBook Pro?

It even shows up under windows when gaming....

How would Apple fix this? Software update? firmware?

logic board replacement?
Click to expand...


I would take it to an apple store and reproduce the problem to them.
 
It's a hardware issue. All they can do is replace the video card and video memory. That may entail replacing the whole logic board. I don't know.

They are just replacing my computer with a new one. I'd have them replace yours. It's brand new. You shouldn't have to settle for a repair.
 
Ok here are my observations before using SMC Fan Control:

>When I start up Call of Duty 4, it doesn't show up....yet...

>20 Mins into the game, the lines show up, only occupying parts of the screen...

>I could only see them in some dark areas, otherwise the game looks fine....

>when I switch out to the desktop while Call of Duty 4 is running in the background, the lines show up on the desktop wallpaper too...in the same locations

>when I quit Call of Duty 4, I see the lines fading away slowly

>Then its all gone....
 
A possible workaround? Here's something:

resetting the PRAM and SMC also worked without using a fan control app, no green lines under Mac os x leopard with Call of Duty 4 running

BUT I don't know if resetting the pram , smc, or using a fan control app would really help in the long term....
 
Apple just contacted me!

Wow, AppleCare just called me today about my workaround....what a suprised! at least apple knows about the issue!

BUT when running windows xp sp3 with half life 2 runnin, green lines easily showed up! what?

anyone else want to share your experince with this issue?
 
Its a hardware issue, most likely either the connection to logic board via gpu chip is bad or the chip itself is bad. You have a base model, just goto the apple store and have them replace it instead of trying to find a workaround because its not going to work and you'll probably end up with a dead system pretty fast.

I've had my GPU upwards of 90 deg C with minimal fans along with a overclock in Vista and still have 0 problems with artifacts or lines or whatever.
 
I can only replicate the green lines issue if i get my 9600 graphics card to run at 100C, but it shouldn't be running that hot anyway, which is why Apple underclock it, however interestingly its obviously getting that hot, it seems to get to 100C in Windows faster suprise suprise, but only when im running XP, which is outdated anyway so nothing shocking.

I dont see any issue installing Fan Control 1.2 and setting my Lower Threshold to 60C and my Upper Threshold to 81C, it edits the SMC so the settings stay in Windows as well so i dont get the green lines issue there, and i dont even have to boot into OS X and then restart into Windows for it to work, it works if i boot into Windows straight away from system turn on.

I used to use SMC Fan Control but it doesn't work if you want to boot straight into Windows unless you boot into OS X first then restart, and its pretty crappy anyway because you have your fans always running at the speed you set (say 5000RPM) rather than Fan Control 1.2 which adjusts the fans automatically depending on your temp.

(By the way i dont have any issues in Windows 7 when gaming, L4D, COD 4, COD5, Fallout 3 all running at Max)
 
AppleCare got back to me and says it will take a firmware issue to fix it

yet my system is so perfect...9c99 bright screen....
BUT I will exchange within the next week and see if there's a difference...
got my applecare case number ready for the apple store...
 
kastenbrust said:
Not really, because you can make any Macbook Pro Unibody 17" get them.
Click to expand...


I tried to produce the lines on my base 17" w/matte screen. I tried COD4 L4D Fall Out 3. I let my smcfancontrol to 3333rpm and I can't produce those lines?
I guess i will try with default 2000rpm and just let it run a few mins.
 
iaymnu said:
I tried to produce the lines on my base 17" w/matte screen. I tried COD4 L4D Fall Out 3. I let my smcfancontrol to 3333rpm and I can't produce those lines?
I guess i will try with default 2000rpm and just let it run a few mins.
Click to expand...

Try fallout 3 on MAX settings running windows xp with the fans and SMC set to 2000RPM and enjoy the green lines after 15 mins....
 
What do u guys think the cause of this is? bad chip? thermal paste?

If you have crossover games, does it occur there?

Is exchanging it pointless right now since it you might run into it again?

its similar to the black screen of death encountering on the 15" unibody yet less severe...

When running Half Life 2 on Windows XP SP3, boom! green lines appear!

As for everything else, expose, cover-flow, normal stuff just runs fine....no glitches, no graphic anomalies...
 
RX64MACBOOKPRO said:
AppleCare got back to me and says it will take a firmware issue to fix it

yet my system is so perfect...9c99 bright screen....
BUT I will exchange within the next week and see if there's a difference...
got my applecare case number ready for the apple store...
Click to expand...

mine is too... no dead pixels, backlight bleed or anything but I don't want it to die somewhere down the line so I thought I'd change it while I'm in the 14 day period!
 
kastenbrust said:
yeah, i dont get them in vista too, but i do in XP. I assume that you checked your GPU was hitting 100C?
Click to expand...

What driver version do u use in xp? vista? are u also getting those lines in mac os x?

Did u use a fan control on windows? did it solve it?
 
I have the lines in Vista.

I got the lines without pushing my computer too much at all. Just loading software in OS X and Vista. I had lines in both OSs. I was one of the first people to get them and sent my computer back over a week ago. I loved the computer otherwise.

I agree with jjahshik32. Any lines=Bad GPU. Especially for a computer costing over $3,000. If they all do it they all are faulty. I can only hope my replacement is okay.

ayeying's computer seems to be okay.
 
I have no issues whatsoever, even when pushing the system to the max. Therefore, there are "good" units, some of you users are unlucky enough to get the defective ones.

You already paid this much, might as well get a good unit instead of a defective one or something you have to constantly monitor/fix to make it work properly.
 
ayeying said:
I have no issues whatsoever, even when pushing the system to the max. Therefore, there are "good" units, some of you users are unlucky enough to get the defective ones.

You already paid this much, might as well get a good unit instead of a defective one or something you have to constantly monitor/fix to make it work properly.
Click to expand...

hey ayeying, when was yours built? week number? its on the serial number....

mines is a week 8....bought it from the apple store last friday...

I'm not sure whether exchanging would fix the issue entirely, then again I would likely end up with a crappy 9c89 screen if I do exchange it....
 
Interesting observations:
After playing Half Life 2 with green lines on windows xp sp3, here are some before and after temperature screenshots with the green lines occuring (see below):
 

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