Apple says some MacBook Pros hit by faulty NVIDIA chips

It's pretty far behind the likes of Dell and HP in getting to the bottom of the whole defective NVIDIA GPU situation, but Apple has now finally come out and confirmed that some of its MacBook Pros are indeed affected by the problem. According to a just posted Apple support document, the specific models affected were all made between May 2007 and September 2008, and include all 15- and 17-inch models equipped with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors. As with other laptops, the problem shows itself in the form of distorted or scrambled video, or a complete absence of video on the screen or external display. If your MacBook Pro falls into that lot, and the problem occurs within two years of your original purchase date, Apple says it'll repair it free of charge, even if it's out of warranty. It's also issuing refunds to folks that have already paid to get their MacBook Pro repaired. Hit up the link below for the complete details.

[Via AppleInsider]

[Andrew K @ Oct 10th 2008 12:59PM]

Sh*t.
..

[who? @ Oct 11th 2008 1:52AM]

Aww, shucks. Swearing is naughty!

[Precurse @ Oct 10th 2008 12:58PM]

So does this mean it's going to fix the problem PERMANENTLY? or that the same problem could happen again within the 1-2 year time frame again??

I've also had scrambled video intermittently.. Anyone know if that's covered?

[nerdtalker @ Oct 10th 2008 1:07PM]

It means the problem will likely happen again, assuming they replace it with the same motherboard and chipset. It depends on what batch/lot the GPU is from, but that's impossible to know, assuming apple goes through their current stock of mobos for replacements.

[eahulse @ Oct 10th 2008 2:31PM]

I actually just got mine repaired, occasionally it would wake from sleep with corrupted graphics requiring a restart. I took a few pictures on my camera and they replaced the logic board. Here's to hoping it works now!

(I bought applecare just to fix this......)

[troy @ Oct 10th 2008 2:34PM]

Why would Apple give you the same faulty chip? They are being replaced with a good chip. LMAO

[Precurse @ Oct 10th 2008 2:34PM]

It has happened before, but not for a while.. I took a digital picture of the last time it happened, before NVIDIA announced their ball being dropped. I'll call the and setup a logic board replacement before my 2years is up.

[michas_pi @ Oct 10th 2008 12:58PM]

Excellent, some of my friends had this issue and they had to pay for repair. They will be happy to get a refund.

[Backlin @ Oct 10th 2008 1:01PM]

It's about time. Most of my friends that have Macbook Pros will be very excited to know they're getting refunds.

[moe @ Oct 10th 2008 1:04PM]

Its ok Apple i will buy the new one next Tuesday !! JESUS !!!

[Hexxeh @ Oct 10th 2008 1:04PM]

Just made in the last two years? If the issue affects models made before that timeframe, then Apple really aren't living up to their reputation if they won't fix them for free. You pay a premium, I'd expect a quality after-sales service too, especially if the fault is not due to the user.

[EdZ @ Oct 10th 2008 1:10PM]

Only models made well within the last two years even have the affected GPU.

[Kris @ Oct 10th 2008 1:36PM]

Hexxen, you're a retard.

[Raymond @ Oct 10th 2008 1:42PM]

MBP Core Duo and MBP Core 2 Duo (Late 2006) uses ATi MR X1600, not the affected Nvidia 8600m GT.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Oct 10th 2008 2:05PM]

I actually had my 4 year-old iBook G3 (ie, 3 years out of warranty) repaired by Apple for free because the tech and I both thought it was the infamous G3 logic board issue.

Turned out the LCD was just hosed. But they replaced it for free anyway and shipped it back to me, overnight, the day they received it.

Apple can sometimes be slow to acknowledge issues but they tend to be damn good about service.

[oliver hart @ Oct 10th 2008 1:08PM]

finally. My buddies macbook has had mega problems due to this and the genius' kept saying it's was the logic board. They refused to swap it out and he flipped out and said he wanted a refund so he could go by a dell. They told him their hands were tied and asked him to leave.

[CraigJ @ Oct 10th 2008 3:43PM]

I don't get it. Are you saying that Apple told him that an under warranty logic board was faulty and they wouldn't replace it?

Sorry, I don't buy that. If that's true it's not the whole story.

[oliver hart @ Oct 13th 2008 12:47PM]

no, should have clarified. they said the problem was the logic board, they replaced it, then the problem was still going on. he then said he wanted a refurbed one and they said no.

[EdZ @ Oct 10th 2008 1:09PM]

Hopefully this will fix the issue I've been having with 1920x1200 DVI output (VGA is fine, DVI gives no output). That and newer drivers garble external video.

[MacBookProlapse @ Oct 10th 2008 2:13PM]

Is this issue why the external monitor never works right? I have to run my 24" external monitor at the 1440x900 resolution when in "mirror" mode, and there is no way to turn off the laptop monitor like my ThinkpPad does. The only way to get native resolution on the external monitor is to use "spanning". In other words, my laptop dfoes not behave as expected when using Fn+F7. Are these issues or just Apple "features"?

[Josh Ladella @ Oct 10th 2008 3:04PM]

you can actually disable the internal display...sure, its more convoluted than a thinkpad, but you can...

1. close the lid...put it to sleep
2. attach your external display to the DVI out port
3. plug in a usb...whatever USB...and it will display the output to the external display and leave the internal display off...
4. after it wakes up to the external display, you can open and close the macbook lid to access the trackpad and keyboard...

[oliver hart @ Oct 10th 2008 1:14PM]

and may I suggest that engadget have an 'edit' feature cause I just BOTCHED that post. I apologize.

[yyan @ Oct 10th 2008 1:18PM]

oliver fart,
you need to simmer down

[rock99rock @ Oct 10th 2008 1:52PM]

Donna Summer?

[Endejas @ Oct 10th 2008 1:15PM]

Does NVIDIA do anything right lately? Crashes on Windows Vista, problems on the Dell laptops, and now this.

They need straighten up their shit.

[Hexxeh @ Oct 10th 2008 2:05PM]

They're doing great with their desktop cards at the moment, I bought two 9800GTX cards a few weeks ago, and other than some driver issues, which were fixed in the next version after speaking to them about my problem. Smooth sailing all round!

[Abuzar Baloach @ Oct 10th 2008 4:13PM]

ATI is doing MUCH better in the graphics card division.

[Adderz @ Oct 10th 2008 1:31PM]

Im a total Apple fan, i own nothing but Macs and iPods but even i can see thats a pretty poor response from Apple. Not only was it delayed, putting people through unnecessary stress, but it barely covers the machines at all. It should of been what the usable lifespan of most laptops are, which is at least 3 years.

If i were Apple, i would be ditching NVIDIA for good. Their bad products are now reflecting onto the likes of Apple, Dell etc which arent really at fault.

[eoy @ Oct 10th 2008 2:30PM]

"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."

Go read the original tech note... somehow this part has been missing from the engadget article. IF Nvidia is LYING to apple then the only thing apple can do is to investigate on that issue on its own, and they won't be able to say anything until they have found some hard evidence.

[tpadekar @ Oct 10th 2008 1:33PM]

I have a MBP with the same chipset and from the same batch, but luckily I haven't had any problems, yet!

Although I have noticed that the GPU temperatures are REALLY high! I mean, they're always 55-60+ degree celcius and it's not possible to keep it on my lap after a while....

[Kris @ Oct 10th 2008 1:44PM]

It doesn't go on your lap. When I worked for Apple we were NOT allowed to call their notebooks "laptops" as they get too hot to be placed on a person's lap.

[Tejas Padekar @ Oct 11th 2008 2:15PM]

well, kinda beats the purpose of portability to a level, doesn't it?

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 10th 2008 1:51PM]

Have they tracked the Serial nos. or it will be a total recall ??
In that case, Steve will have to repeat the Lets Rock event statement "They should start shipping early next week...."

[CraigJ @ Oct 10th 2008 3:45PM]

get your ass to mars

[jake @ Oct 10th 2008 1:59PM]

It's about time Apple owned up this this. I've been waiting to send in my computer for 3 weeks.

[blazin-asian @ Oct 10th 2008 2:07PM]

so if Apple and NVIDIA have admitted to problems with this generation (i believe the Santa Rosa chipsets) then what is stopping me from calling Apple and demanding a replacement or a credit towards the newest generation?

i am a college student and cant afford laptop failure since its my main computer and it sounds like this is a problem waiting to happen.

[Bryan @ Oct 10th 2008 2:12PM]

also, i have replaced the original HD in my MBP so does this void the warranty if i send it in? =(

[Ross @ Oct 10th 2008 2:18PM]

I had to send my new MBP off earlier this year for screen artifacting issues. While they didn't say it was specifically due to the faulty chipset, they were able to recreate the problem (no small feat, as it happened intermittently) and replaced it under applecare. I've always been an ATi fanboy and this is my first time owning an nVidia card (aside from maybe a mobo with nforce 4). Such a shame.

[Ryan @ Oct 10th 2008 2:24PM]

Interesting timing with this article that says MacBooks will all get NVIDIA chips:

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=626

[Didou @ Oct 10th 2008 2:32PM]

My MacBook Pro falls straight in the middle (November 2007) but so far hasn't exhibited any problems. *knocks on wood*

[Iceberg24 @ Oct 10th 2008 2:44PM]

Notice this, a story with a problem that affects pc's and mac's alike, but written to an apple perspective, and we get NO bashing. Do I find that odd? Not really.

When I used a g4 and a g5 in school for a few years, I found them to be no more stable or speedy than any system I had built. Sure they had their little benefits like a glowing button here, and a GUI that rendered fonts and vector art beautifully. But all the arguments telling me I should get one of these never actually justified giving up PC Gaming, custom rigs, and true Power user flexibility.

Well, I blame an overwhelming love for apple on ignorance. Most people I know that absolutely hate their pc's and have "switched" have had their PC's bombarded with virii, trojans, and malware to the point where it beggs for mercy every time the power is on. Whereas I haven't had anything close to a hiccup in the last 4 years since I upgraded to SLI in my last rig and my PSU wasn't up to the task.

[PeterF @ Oct 10th 2008 3:39PM]

They waited this long to announce it because machines made just 1 month ago still have the faulty chips. They have probably ceased production of the current generation and have started producing the new macbooks which don't use the faulty chips. They waited this long to announce it so that they don't acknowledge that they are still making laptops with the bad chips.

[CraigJ @ Oct 10th 2008 6:54PM]

No.

"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."

Go read the original tech note... somehow this part has been missing from the engadget article. IF Nvidia is LYING to apple then the only thing apple can do is to investigate on that issue on its own, and they won't be able to say anything until they have found some hard evidence.

Courtesy eoy

[Spike @ Oct 10th 2008 4:34PM]

"Oh PC, it's not your fault! PC's issues comes from having different vendors responsible for the hardware and software, unlike Mac, whose operating system and hardware are made by the same people! Of course Macs just work better!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dH3S3yhElM

... say what again?

[CraigJ @ Oct 10th 2008 6:58PM]

Sometimes I thing you anti-fanboys are being stupid on purpose. This is not a design issue. This is not a driver issue. This is a defective component issue, and has little to do with the point you are failing to make.

[WickedEast @ Oct 10th 2008 5:36PM]

Current Macbook Pro flaw announced just on time, i.e. just before the new Macbook Pro release. Brilliant Apple!

[Ronnie @ Oct 11th 2008 3:30AM]

Just happened to mine 2 weeks ago. Exactly as described. Absence of video.

[Marzy @ Oct 12th 2008 9:40PM]

Wow just took my MBP in three days ago for that problem, it was out of warrenty but my dad was on the phone too the for 40min and got them to fix it and then apple release this. Go my luck.

[Henrik @ Mar 8th 2009 3:17PM]

I am getting random graphic errors on a new MBP 2,8ghz (late 2008) I got as a replacement from Apple after I had all kinds of problems with my old 2,6. At the moment, it seems related to sleep / hibernation. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/henrikmoltke/3316719348/?editedcomment=1#comment72157614808549641
While I do understand that Apple cannot control quality on every component delivered by third parties, I find it really annoying having to spend 1-3 weeks every year moving around between different systems; waiting for repairs etc etc. For a computer this expensive, I would expect better. Then again, Apple do their best