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Newer MBPs may contain faulty NVIDIA chips
Not a surprise for those who have suffered from the issue, but a welcome admission nonetheless: Apple has now acknowledged that some recent MacBook Pro models contain faulty GeForce 8600M GT chips that cause video display problems. Dell and HP have already told customers similar stories. In a support document posted yesterday, Apple testily admitted that while NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers were not affected, an internal investigation revealed three models of MacBook Pro indeed had problems. Our own Cory Bohon wrote about his experience with (what he now believes to be) the same issue back in August. The models affected were all manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008: MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz) MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz) MacBook Pro (Early 2008) If your MacBook Pro is displaying distorted or scrambled video on the screen, or no video at all, you can take your computer to an Apple Authorized Service provider to have it repaired, free of charge. If you've already had your computer serviced for this issue, Apple may issue you a refund for the cost of the service. Free service is available to owners who bought their computer less than two years ago, even if the computer is out of warranty. The problem is likely to cost NVIDIA up to $200 million to fix; this does not include the likely fallout from shareholder lawsuits alleging that the video-card manufacturer deliberately withheld information on the scope of the chip flaws. [Via AppleInsider.]
Figuring out which NVIDIA GPUs are defective -- it's a lot
So now that HP's joined Dell in releasing information on which laptops have those defective NVIDIA GPUs, we can sort of piece together which chips are faulty -- and just as had been rumored, it looks like basically every Geforce 8600M and 8400M chip is affected. That's not good news for NVIDIA, which has been saying that only "previous-generation" chips were problematic -- unless the chipmaker is planning on updating the hugely popular 8x00 series sometime, say, now, that's not exactly true, now is it? Other affected chips appear to be in the GeForce Go 7000 and 6000 lines, as well as the Quadro NVS 135M and the Quadro FX 360M, but that's just looking at model numbers, and we can't be exactly sure. We'd say that if you've got a machine with any one of these GPUs, it might be wise to call in and see what your laptop maker is going to do -- and it would be smart for NVIDIA to come right out and say exactly how big and how bad this problem really is.Read - Dell list of machines and patchRead - HP list of machines, extended warranty info
All NVIDIA 8400M / 8600M chips faulty?
NVIDIA's stock took a pretty big hit last week when it announced that "significant quantities" of "previous-generation" GPUs and mobile and communications processors were defective and that it would take a $250M charge against earnings to repair and replace the affected chips, but the company didn't say which chips specifically were faulty, nor how many. That might be because the problem is much worse than it even sounds -- according to a report in The Inquirer, every single G84 and G86 GPU in the 8400M and 8600M series of cards is affected. Apparently both chips share an ASIC, and the core design suffers from the same heat-related issues. That certainly implicates a "significant quantity" of chips, all right, but this is just a rumor for now -- one that's probably best handled by NVIDIA stepping up and letting its customers know exactly how big the problem is.[Thanks, Rich]
Toshiba's Satellite X205-SLI goes Penryn
We know you Toshiba lovers out there have been twiddling your thumbs for weeks on end just waiting, praying, hoping that the beastly X205-SLI would get updated with a Penryn chip. Thankfully for all four of you, the wait is over. Announced today, Tosh is cranking out the 17-inch X205-SLi2 and X205-SLi4, which both house a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T8100 processor, integrated HD DVD-ROM / DVD burner, built-in Harman Kardon speakers (with subwoofer) and twin 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT GPUs. As for the former, you'll find 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a pair of 160GB 5400 RPM drives, a 1,440 x 900 resolution panel, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 802.11a/g/n WiFi, webcam / microphone and a fingerprint reader to boot. The SLi4 ups the ante by tossing in an extra gig of memory, 7200 RPM HDDs, an external USB HDTV tuner, 1,680 x 1,050 panel and a bundled remote. Grab yours now for $1,999.99 or $2,499.99, respectively.
Anynote's 15.4-inch AL5600G packs NVIDIA's GeForce 8600M
It looks like Anynote is hopping on the DirectX 10 bandwagon as well, as the company's 15.4-inch AL5600G stuffs a potent 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M under the hood alongside a few other respectable components. Beyond the widescreen WXGA display and GPU, users will find Intel's 965PM chipset, a 2GHz T7300 processor, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 120GB of SATA hard drive space, a DVD burner, Ethernet, WiFi, and a six-cell battery to boot. Furthermore, the port assortment includes DVI output, four USB connectors, S-Video, a four-in-one multicard reader, ExpressCard slot, S/PDIF output, and a built-in subwoofer for hints of bass here and there. Anynote's above-average AL5600G should hit South Koreans outlets anytime at a price of ???1,199,500 ($1,289).[Via AVing]
