New MacBooks said to have issues with maxed out RAM, faulty NVIDIA GPU

While most of the complaints about the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros have focused on things like the screen or the absence of a certain much-loved port, it appears that another problem has been bugging some folks that went ahead and maxed out the RAM on their shiny new laptop. Apparently, loading 4GB of RAM (either from Apple or a third party) has caused at least a few MacBooks and MacBook Pros to freeze up randomly which, for the time being at least, can only be remedied by dialing things back to 2GB or 3GB of RAM (something tested by jkOnTheRun). While Apple isn't saying anything publicly about this just yet, one member of the Apple support forum claims to have heard from an Apple engineer who says that Apple is, in fact, aware of the problem and that a software update is on the way to fix it, possibly within a few days.

In related MacBook news, The Inquirer is now reporting that the new MacBook Pro's NVIDIA 9600M GPU suffers from the same so-called "bad bump" problem that has plagued previous generation MacBook Pros (and provided plenty of fodder for The Inq) which can, in some cases, lead to blank screens and other video errors. It's not clear, however, if the problem affects all MacBook Pros or just a bad batch, although there does appear to be a somewhat sizable number of complaints cropping up.

Read - jkOnTheRun, "MacBook fussy memory situation- maybe 4 GBs is too much"
Read - the Inquirer, "Inquirer confirms Apple Macbook Pros have Nvidia bad bump material"

[Via Electronista]

[BJ is Gooder @ Dec 9th 2008 2:57PM]

Please refrain from 'bag of hurt', and 'it just works'...

Please?

[Esat Dedezade @ Dec 9th 2008 3:02PM]

Damn, I was gonna go with the second option.

Ah well.

[RoboDan @ Dec 9th 2008 3:29PM]

Faulty GPUs from NVIDIA (Again) and problems with RAM (I've never encountered in another laptop ever)

Apple's quality is going from bad to worse

Another reason I stopped buying Apple in 2005.

[The Dude @ Dec 9th 2008 3:48PM]

It just works when it's a bag of hurt.

[Zak @ Dec 9th 2008 3:50PM]

RoboDan - You just said the faulty GPUs were from nVidia, and in the next sentence you complain about Apple's quality.

Well which is it? nVidia or Apple? It can't be both. If it's a faulty GPU, how is that Apple's fault?

And the RAM problem is valid but it looks like it can (and will) be fixed in software, so I don't really see the big deal there.

[wootman @ Dec 9th 2008 4:04PM]

Apple buys the faulty GPUs and sells them as faulty, therefore it is their fault for it.
You would not complain to a dairy farm if your cheeseburger has mold on it, you take it to McDonalds.

[Decoy @ Dec 9th 2008 4:07PM]

Who chooses the GPU?

[Zak @ Dec 9th 2008 5:13PM]

So you guys think Apple knew the GPUs were faulty when they bought them?

Really? And you think nVidia is not responsible for testing their own products, that it should fall to Apple to determine whether a GPU is faulty before agreeing to use them?

Seriously?

[KIFF @ Dec 10th 2008 7:01PM]

Duh. Of course. It is nVidia's fault for making faulty components and it is Apple's fault for selecting the faulty components for their faulty products.

[tpadekar @ Dec 9th 2008 5:41PM]

@ Zak:

It's called Quality Control. Look it up sometime! It's supposed to be done by the supplier and the receiver.

[Loonie @ Dec 9th 2008 6:01PM]

It just hurts.

[Mark Anderson @ Dec 9th 2008 6:23PM]

"that it should fall to Apple to determine whether a GPU is faulty before agreeing to use them".

Bluntly, yes it is. It's called internal QA and is part of any proper corporate governance programme.

[Zak @ Dec 9th 2008 7:45PM]

I see. So you all believe QC only applies to Apple. Obviously the chips were bad when they left nVidia's plant, how is that not nVidia's fault? Is nVidia excused from their QC responsibilities simply because Apple is involved?

I love how something that happens before Apple is even involved with it is still somehow Apple's fault. That's some grade A logic right there. Everybody appears to know that it's nVidia's fault except you guys.

[balls @ Dec 9th 2008 7:57PM]

@ZAK

Can it, dumbass.

Isn't "you pay more for quality" how you Apple Zealots justify spending more for an Apple product? The money goes to make the system better, right?

They're the system integrator; it's their job to make sure everything works right.

Apple just proved once again, they're just like all the other hardware companies out there; not perfect.

[Decoy @ Dec 9th 2008 9:06PM]

Zak wants to change the perception of Apple having top quality components to the reality that they have components like anyone else. I'm not arguing.

[Tejas Padekar @ Dec 9th 2008 10:52PM]

@ Decoy:

haha! Awesome! You just turned the tables on Zak... Now looking at all his old comments about Apple using "special" components have suddenly gone up in flames!

@ Zak:

Grade A logic... right... so you mean to say, if you are the middleman selling toys, and your supplier sells you toys manufactured using lead-based color, you aren't liable?

You should really be arguing for Mattel in that case!

[VintageGamer @ Dec 10th 2008 12:10AM]

Apparently no one is doing QC these days

[cg0def @ Dec 10th 2008 7:37AM]

except testing cheese for mold is a heck of a lot easier than testing a GPU for defect that only occurs sometimes. Faulty chip design is one of the hardest things to find. In fact you'd probably be surprised to find out that a lot of the defective CPUs manufactured are actually working products are are still sold in china and Taiwan ( for a lot less that the good ones ). If you recall AMD actually created the X3 from a defective X4 batch. For Apple or anyone else to test every gpu chip that they buy would cost way too much and hence noone does it. Nvidia really dropped the ball this time.
As far as apple goes, it's their own fault for integrating everything on to the motherboard. Now they'll have to replace everything including the CPU. I bet that'll really rain on their parade.

[PynkFloydd @ Dec 10th 2008 5:32PM]

@Zak:

...and when Nvidia, ATI (now AMD), and other companies failed to release drivers for Vista when it first came out, you guys all jumped on the "Microsoft is crap" bandwagon.

Now that Apple failed to screen for faults, they established the precedent that it's not 3rd party faults but, it's the fault of whoever's logo is on the product. Apple even made commercials advertising this!

Screw Apple. Let 'em burn in hell.

[Zinger314 @ Dec 9th 2008 2:58PM]

I want to see what iEye says about this story.

[StalematE @ Dec 9th 2008 2:59PM]

Are you sure about that?

[Magallanes @ Dec 9th 2008 3:11PM]

no, he is just kidding.

[James @ Dec 9th 2008 3:41PM]

No complaints its just a feature.

[tpadekar @ Dec 9th 2008 4:12PM]

iEye or Zak or Clak or most of the guys with the 'i' in their name... the comments would be in the same vein! ;-)

[iGor @ Dec 9th 2008 10:38PM]

@tpadekar

iGor doesn't think so.

iGuess i'M not one of those most iGuys. :)

[Tejas Padekar @ Dec 9th 2008 10:56PM]

@ iGor

I never said that there couldn't be any exceptions to the rule, did I?

Welcome to Engadget! ;-)

[Dopefish @ Dec 9th 2008 3:00PM]

But, but, it looks good so who cares!

[pavlindrom @ Dec 9th 2008 4:18PM]

Those who buy to use it, and not to stare at it, sir.

[Jim @ Dec 9th 2008 8:55PM]

My 4 Gb MacBook Pro shows neither symptom. Interesting to see how a technical glitch that may or may not have been recognized brings out the Apple haters. I do have one complaint which is battery life. In sleep mode, the laptop loses about 30% of its juice over a day (using the 9800 GT card). Otherwise, its been great.

[Félix @ Dec 10th 2008 4:14AM]

@ Pavlindrom : that's a minority (an invisible minority i'd say)
Mac User is much much more rare than Mac fanboy or Mac consumer

[Kris120890 @ Dec 9th 2008 3:01PM]

Thi is going to result in a mini engadge war. Saying that it doesn't surprise at all.

[Kamokazi @ Dec 9th 2008 3:02PM]

No one needs more than 640k of RAM anyway...

[StalematE @ Dec 9th 2008 3:10PM]

I know, really... jeez...

[Blaine Oliver @ Dec 9th 2008 3:11PM]

What, 4 Gigobyte of rams? Im still on 8MB on my 486DX overdrive.

[levelnext @ Dec 9th 2008 6:22PM]

I think the real one was 64k but nice one there :)

[basroil @ Dec 11th 2008 1:20AM]

Yea, it's 64k... though hell, the new processors actually run on less than that even.. thought the core chip only used about 50kb/core

[eggothewaffle @ Dec 9th 2008 3:02PM]

This is what happens when you don't install multiple antivirus programs on your Mac computer.

[Gilbert @ Dec 9th 2008 3:02PM]

The high price of Macs with sub standard parts. Nothing new

[Dan @ Dec 9th 2008 3:35PM]

Apple requires more advanced engineering and innovative designing than other PC manufacturers (this is what my dad, who works for Intel, says). Apple really pushes hard on them to get new designs that are compatible with their machines. That said, Windows based PCs FTW. I like how we can add RAM no problems. Vista has its problems, but that's only because it's designed to work with a variety of hardware setups.

[Jesperhh @ Dec 9th 2008 3:44PM]

@Dan
Works at Intel - sounds like the marketing department at Intel, am i right?
Mac = standard parts, standard errors..

[Tony @ Dec 9th 2008 3:07PM]

Steve Jobs goes out of his way to come out with songs for the ads, maybe he should go out of his way to make sure his Macs have better quality control

[Kris120890 @ Dec 9th 2008 3:15PM]

Apple ads are OK until the music kicks in. The nano advert is okay but the music makes me want to put steve jobs voodoo doll through the screen.

[Decoy @ Dec 9th 2008 4:10PM]

Advertising advertising advertising, fix Vista.

Advertising advertising advertising advertising advertising advertising advertising advertising advertising, fix Macbook advertising advertising, make fun of Microsoft for advertising, advertising.

[joe23521 @ Dec 9th 2008 5:11PM]

Decoy wins the internets today.

[3rdman @ Dec 9th 2008 5:20PM]

Might as well put it all in advertising :D

[Eh @ Dec 10th 2008 12:32PM]

whoa, Im getting deja vu

[waiownsyou @ Dec 9th 2008 3:09PM]

Please getting sources from The Inquirer. Those guys can't even get grammar right, let alone mass slander and just nonsense.

[Kris120890 @ Dec 9th 2008 3:11PM]

Yeah but your a an apple troll. Mass slander this aint.

[Oscarv77 @ Dec 9th 2008 3:25PM]

You must work for them since punctuation and sentence structure isn't high on your list.

[Kris120890 @ Dec 9th 2008 3:29PM]

Yeah of course I am.