Apple has released a statement that may affect those of you with newer MacBook Pros with Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics cards. Said graphics cards have been known to be faulty and may cause video to be scrambled or distorted. Mine is doing just fine – BTW.
In July 2008, NVIDIA publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect. At that same time, NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics processors were not affected. However, after an Apple-led investigation, Apple has determined that some MacBook Pro computers with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor may be affected. If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within two years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.
Specific products affected:
MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz)
MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008
Who wants an Nvidia chipset in their MacBook now? Heh.
Update: Nvidia would like to have have their say in the matter, so they don’t look like jerks, which is sort of alluded to in Apple’s statement.
NVIDIA has worked diligently with Apple, as we have done with all of our customers and partners, to analyze notebooks and determine if there are potential problems.
Our analysis showed that a failure in an Apple MacBook Pro notebook is remote.
However, the OEM is ultimately best able to assess the reliability of their systems.
Apple, like other OEMs, decides on their own how to handle their warranty and repair programs.
Regardless, we stand by our products, thus the reason why we set aside such a large reserve, and we have and will continue to work closely with Apple and their customers..
I’ve already had one motherboard replacement in my MacBook Pro 15″ with 8600GT due to this issue (11 months old). 3 days after getting it home I started seeing graphical defects. I’ve had the replacement for a few months now and haven’t had the defects again. I’m just waiting for the day when my video goes out again. I previously had the no video internal or external issue as mentioned in the KB document.
Shit…
Haven’t had a problem yet w/my MBP-17
Guess we’ll have to wait and see, hope and pray.
See, Emperor Steve is gracious to his loyal subjects!
Wow. I hope I don’t get affected by this….
Anybody knows which graphics chipset will ship with the Oct 14 MBP ?
-Marcio Castilho
http://www.uquery.com
really? OMG! i just bought mine last week.
Hmmm. What are the symptoms of 8600GT issues?
My MB Pro 15″ is a June/July 2007 build with LED backlighting. The system has been solid (use it for traveling) but the matte screen has VERY washed-out colors as compared to my Samsung desktop 19″ LCD screen. Resetting and tweaking all the display controls does nothing for the 15″ display.
Come to think of it, the 19″ external display is far more saturated when used with the Mac than the Mac’s own screen. Ok, so it’s not the graphics chipset. Still … anyone got any ideas about how to increase color saturation on a mid-2007 15″ MBP with LED backlighting?
Thanks!
Translation of NVIDIA statement ( yes, it does requires one, dude!)
Attention MacBook Customers:
Yes, we screwed it up. Big time. OMDG, we really screwed it up.
Apple will fix it, and charge us 45% over the costs of the video cards.
But not to worry. We will laid-off some people to make up for it. They had nothing to do with the big “oops”, but we can’t fire the PM’s, nor any other Manager. You know, accountability only applies to the lower casts. If you drive a BMW, Mercedes, Audi or more expensive, you’re cool. Hondas, Toyotas, Ford and Chevy’s….well, the poor bastards will not know what hit them.
Let’s meet at Santana Row to discuss…
They aren’t called MacBook Pro‘s….
…it should just be MacBook Pros (no apostrophe)
Where did you learn grammar from??
If anyone’s curious as to what this actually looks like when it happens… here’s a picture I snapped:
http://flickr.com/photos/musicamang/2506988747/
It happened to me a couple of times early in the life of the machine, but hasn’t done so recently. Often times happened when it was waking up from sleep.
Glad to hear it’s being resolved.
I have had some video issues like this when an running XP Pro instance in Parallels.
I have had some video issues like this when an running XP Pro instance in Parallels.
This happened to mine a week ago, but hasn’t happened since. I imagine it will get progressively worse?
This happened to mine a week ago, but hasn’t happened since. I imagine it will get progressively worse?
Mine has been doing this too. Just when the MBP is warming up.
The screen goes into a weird purple and black flickering mode.
But once it has warmed up it seems to stop….
I’ve also found that if I press hard on the back, down where the screen attaches to the body it goes away faster.
Here’s a photo I took of my 15″ MBP (early 2008) having display problems…
http://jonprice.posterous.com/cupertino-i-think-we-have-a-pr
Only happened a couple of times, usually when waking from sleep with VMware Fusion running Win XP or Vista. At the time I always think, “I still haven’t learned… Windows will get me one way or the other.”
I guess the headline on my photo should read “Santa Clara, I think we have a problem.”
I had a vertical green line in the middle of my screen. Was under Apple care and they changed the screen.
finally, this issue is killing me and Im outside of warranty and couldnt afford to fix it…..
I guess it was only a matter of time before Macbooks were affected. XPS M1330 users have been having trouble with 8400M equipped notebooks for 10 months now, I’m one of them. It’s called the vertical line issue, but I can see how it’s connected with the corrupt display of the Macbook Pro.
I wandered what was the matter with all my videos since my MacBook was replaced for overheating. I am on my fourth MacBook Pro now (replacements), and ironically the last included a graphics card upgrade. Absolutely gutted. Nevertheless – I wouldn’t want any other notebook. This is a pain, because I now have to moan to the Store, and hope the next machine isn’t faulty!!!!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Still love Apple. The way we see it, when you are trying to raise standards, things won’t always go smoothly.
The way I see it, they should be offering us a huge rebate, if not a complementary i-mac?!!! Any mac genius out there that can tell us how to approach the store without moaning, and actually get some compensation?
oh yeah this definitely just happened to me.i had the scrambled video and everything.my macbook pro wouldn’t even start up.it would just freeze at the gray apple screen.but i went to an apple store and luckly apple was great about it and i sent it in.it came back in 7 days and it seems fine now.i got my macbook pro about a year and a half ago btw.