Hi guys, I bought a MacBook Pro 15" three days after they were released.. everything was going just fine until yesterday, when I was playing Call Of Duty 4, and suddenly my screen went black. I closed/opened the lid and still it was black, everything else was running just fine cause I could hear the game running through my speakers.. but the screen wouldnt turn back on no matter what. I had to use the power button to shut it down and get the screen back.
this happened like 4 times yesterday (all of them while gaming)
should I take it back to the store?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.
MacBook Pro 15",
Mac OS X (10.5.5),
2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3, Nvidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB
I had this exact same problem when playing World of Warcraft, the screen would go black after a few minutes and the machine required a power off to reset it. The issue only occurred when using the 9600M GT chip, and would not occur when using the 9400M integrated chip.
I returned the machine to the Apple store for an exchange, and the new system is working properly (so far). I used it for a couple of hours last night and had no video issues.
I hope this isn't indicative of an issue with the NVidia chips, since there are a few people on the World of Warcraft forums complaining about this as well.
My advice would be to take it back to the store as soon as possible for a replacement. If you have the problem with the replacement system, keep exchanging them until you get one that works.
Gearoid, call Apple and get a replacement. Their customer service said that they'd only fix mine if the black screen was happening on os x but it wasn't for me so they wouldn't help. Some people have said that a new laptop has fixed the problem so maybe it's just the first batch that have such a hardware issue.
Are those of you experiencing this problem noticing the fans not speeding up when you are gaming? I believe the SMC is not increasing the fan speed when the cpu/gpu gets hot which then leads to the crash to a black screen. Even when my cpu is at 90C and gpu and 85C, the fans on my mbp are not spinning any faster.
I have a workaround that doesn't involve underclocking the card, but rather getting your fans to ramp up sooner.
The problem that is appearing on OS X when gaming and connected to an external monitor happens when the temp spikes and before the fans have a chance to spin up to cool it down. Look for an application called SMC Fancontrol. It's free, very simple, and although it doesn't believe it's made yet for the new MBP, I have had no problems with it.
What it does is lets you set a new minimum RPM for your fans. It can also be switched to and from default mode on the fly. Also, this is only a new minimum speed. Once temps reach a point where OS X wants to ramp up the fans even more, it always cedes control back to the operating system. You can never lower the fans more than OS X wants to run them, so it's safe.
What I do is right before I launch my game, I switch to "High RPM" mode. This sets the fans at 4000 RPM (above the 2000 RPM resting default). The temp never spikes, and the machine NEVER crashes anymore. It quickly warms up to above the standard 4000 RPM level, so the system very quickly takes over control again, so it's not like you're really stressing the fans any more than you normally would. Just restore it back to default mode when you're not gaming.
The application has the option to launch on startup, and you can make custom configurations. It displays in the top system area next to your Synch or Time Machine icons and, nicely, displays the temp and RPMs. Right-clicking on it gives you the options to change everything on the fly.
Folks may still want to exchange their machines. But in the meantime, this works very well, and I'm quite happy with it. I'll be calling Apple support, of course, but since they would need to ship me a new machine (Apple retail store won't do a simple exchange), this would be a very workable, easy interim solution.
I'm debating whether to return my new Macbook Pro Late 2008 2.53 Ghz, too, since Dead Space crashes randomly in Boot Camp - black screen with repeating audio -
Sometimes it'll go for an hour or two, othertimes it crashes within 5 min - totally don't know why.
Additionally, do any of you have Vista installed in Bootcamp and notice that sometimes there's a black artifact that covers the bottom of the screen for a quick moment on the login screen for Vista? I get that pretty frequently and I'm scared it's indicative of a bad graphics card.
Mine just crashed again despite my underclocking of the card. I think I'm going to return it, I'll just tell Apple that the crashes happened in OS X so they give me a new one...
How recently did you buy yours? I hoping it's only the early batches so a replacement MBP would fix the problem. Fortunately I have a cooling pad which I bought for my old Acer laptop that overheated, I'm typing this 2 minutes after the MBP gave me a black screen of death and now it's on the pad it's pretty darn cold; sad thing is it now sits a few inches off the desk so is hard to use.
I'm having the same black-screen problems in Boot Camp. Trying to play Half-life 2 and Oblivion. They seem to keep crashing in the same places. I've got the latest driver 180.47 from laptopvideo2go. I'll try to play with some more settings, maybe find something that works. I've got the 2.8, so I can't just take it in to be exchanged... guess I'd have to go through AppleCare. Hopefully someone will figure this out.
Hey, yea, I've tried the newest drivers from laptop2go and everything - the weird thing is none of my other games crash in bootcamp (Crysis and COD4), just dead space, so I really want to think it's a driver issue -
Also, I downloaded the Tomb Raider legends demo for Mac OS X and the comp gets REALLY hot but it didn't crash, so I dunno...
Then again, I've had it crash while browsing the web on Vista, too, although I've read that it happens to others in this discussion board, too
I could return it, but it'd be a pain since I've already installed SO MUCH STUFF and setup my computer exactly the way I want it...
Tell me if the new macbook you got fixes it - I have applecare so I'm not in a super hurry -
Hey, yea, I've tried the newest drivers from laptop2go and everything - the weird thing is none of my other games crash in bootcamp (Crysis and COD4), just dead space, so I really want to think it's a driver issue -
Also, I downloaded the Tomb Raider legends demo for Mac OS X and the comp gets REALLY hot but it didn't crash, so I dunno...
Then again, I've had it crash while browsing the web on Vista, too, although I've read that it happens to others in this discussion board, too
I could return it, but it'd be a pain since I've already installed SO MUCH STUFF and setup my computer exactly the way I want it...
Tell me if the new macbook you got fixes it - I have applecare so I'm not in a super hurry -
I would highly recommend anyone who is having this issue return their system to their local Apple store (or wherever you purchased it) for a replacement before your 14 day window expires. I had this issue myself and after returning the machine for a replacement I did not experience the issue again. This has been reported in these forums as well as other gaming forums and the issue seems to be something to do with the 9600M GT chip. My opinion is that it's better to exchange while you can as opposed to keeping the machine and hoping it goes away. Odds are it's a quality control issue with NVidia and I'll be surprised if Apple doesn't end up issuing some sort of recall on the early models to deal with it. This wouldn't be the first time NVidia has shipped defective chips to Apple......
This isn't one of those things I would sit on hoping that someone "figures it out".
After trying the latest drivers- searching endlessly- reinstalling xp, and still having the black screen issue... I came across this forum and you guys are right on the money.
Rather than exchanging computers- I had them change out the logic board- and the problem is absolutely GONE. A full week of hours upon hours of gaming since then, and not once has the screen gone black...
I used to get it every hour or so- and it was becoming more and more frequent.
I suggest you go to the apple store and tell them it's happening in OSX, even if it's not- as you DO have a faulty chip.
Yea, I'm just planning to return it after reading everything here - plus to add insult to injury, tomb raider crashed after playing for a few hours in Mac OS X - gotta be bunk.
I am having this issue. I only us OS X, not Windows at all. At first I thought it was just Postal 2, but then it happened with the Eternal Lands Client. Then 4x4 Evolution 2. It only happens with the 9600m GT chip. I can play seemingly forever without a problem on the 9400M. Strangely it only happens when playing games but not when watching movies or doing any other activity. I get a NVChannel(Display) timeout! error in the log if I let the screen sit there a while before resetting. I notice that the screen does not simply go black, the actual backlighting goes out completely as the audio loops. A few times I have been able to continue to adjust sound level and keyboard backlight level after the screen goes out, but usually it's a complete lock-up. I was hoping this was some kind of driver issue that would be solved with the next OS X update, but if all you folks are exchanging your machines or having your logic boards replaced and finding no problem afterwards, I guess it's faulty hardware and I get to wave goodbye to my new machine for weeks. (I don't have an Apple store, I bought from Apple's online store). Although with so many problems I have to wonder what the odds are of getting a replacement with the same issue.
There sure seem to be a lot of random posts about this on various forums, with a Google search. It may be more common than people realize since it seems to only occur during gaming with the 9600M GT enabled. I'm sure there are many people who don't mess around with games at all or don't use the 9600 much.
Incidentally my machine reports that it was manufactured Nov. 5th in Shanghai.
