Apple faults NVIDIA in MacBook Pro video errors
updated 09:25 am EDT, Fri October 10, 2008
Apple on MBP video errors
NVIDIA's graphics hardware is behind ongoing video problems with the MacBook Pro, Apple now says. A number of owners have been complaining of Pros that are technically continuing to function, but only displaying a blank screen when turned on; probing is said to have discovered that NVIDIA cards were being misreported as integrated Intel chips. Apple now says that this, as well as instances of "distorted or scrambled" video, can be linked to defects in some of NVIDIA's GeForce 8600M GT cards.
Apple in fact lays blame on NVIDIA, noting that while the latter admitted to some hardware failures in July, it told Apple that Macs should be unaffected.
In compensation, Apple says that if an owner's 8600M GT has already failed, or may eventually fail within two years of purchase, the company will repair the system for free, regardless of warranty coverage. Affected Pros are said to have been built between May 2007 and September 2008, and include 2.2 and 2.4GHz versions of the 15-inch system, the 2.4GHz 17-inch model, and any Pro sold in "early" 2008.
Apple will?
10/10, 10:26am reply
Apple will repair them for us? or Nvidia?
Either way this is amazing!
MattJeff
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2006
Wow...
10/10, 10:52am reply
Somehow I see ATI across all of Apple's product lines in the near future.
JuanGuapo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2008
Lies, Lies, & damned lies
10/10, 11:15am reply
I called apple to get my MacBook Pro fixed after seeing this article. They knew nothing about this article and would not repair my MacBook Pro. So either this article is false, or apple engineering is behind the times.
joemurrayaz
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2008
Re: Lies, Lies, & damned
10/10, 11:36am reply
See
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377
Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
damn luck
10/10, 11:39am reply
I do not know what is wrong with me. I bought the infamous (logic board failures) G3 iBook, stay away for a while because of it and then bought a Macbook Pro 15" this summer. Hasnīt failed , but with which relative confidence can I work with this thing. Another thing... if these faulty mac book pros were built between 2007 and september 2008, then someone correct me but these things werenīt sold on "early 2008".
polendo
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
2 years?
10/10, 12:02pm reply
Why a 2 year window? Why not a three year one like in other 'repair programs'.
Luckily my MBP was built in Feb/March, I believe (so hard to remember, I tried buying it three times before it wasn't stolen off the truck).
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
Balls to nVidia
10/10, 12:12pm reply
That's what they get for mixing different kinds of solder in the chips. I suspect that nVidia will end up compensating Apple for this, since they had previously agreed to pay half the warranty costs for other resellers suffering from this problem when they originally discovered it.
resuna
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2005
Intentionally burnout GPU
10/10, 12:46pm reply
Ok since Apple is being lame with a 2 year fix window (as opposed to unlimited as it should be doing), I now find myself in the position of needing to intentionally burn out the GPU so that it can be replaced in the 2 year window (so I don't have to pay to replace it in the 25th month). What do people recommend doing to burn out the GPU? Just loop a timedemo in a GPU-intensive game?
aol
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2000
incredible...
10/10, 01:06pm reply
Incredible that now that Apple officially acknowledges a problem exists, it is conveniently someone else's fault (although true in this case). Why has it taken so long for Apple to respond to this known issue? And how many other issues are there that Apple is dragging it's heels about that can't be blamed on someone else? (I also speak, like Polendo, as a G3 iBook victim that returned the darned thing 5 times!)
Feathers
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 1999
Apple lied graphics died
10/10, 05:07pm reply
Apple knew about this issue, and when I brought my company MacBook Pro in, they claimed it was water damaged (which was not true). Then it had to go back again for the same issue, which cost us $350.
Two lays later I read an article about the issues with other laptops having issues with the nVidia chips.
I asked them about it and they dismissed it as not effecting Apple products.
Now I have to fight to get a refund on the work that was done.
ClevelandAdv
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2004