Screen turns black when gaming?

Hey ManchesterCA,

Thanks for the suggestion. I was intrigued so I tried what you proposed. I am also running Vista x64. I ran the tests with the fans ramped up to 4000 rpm and got no BSoD. I got through all the tests without any problems. I have a November 2008 build, so maybe it is heat related. . .? In fact, I have experienced the BSoD once playing Oblivion under Vista. Since then, I have been using SMCfancontrol to run the fans at higher rpm, I have had no problems.

Update #3. Installed some more games to try out, all under XP SP3 results:

• Rise of Nations - runs hot as heck, but no black screen
• Halo - also hot as heck, no crashes
• Team Fortress 2 - Was initially crashing within seconds of connecting to any game. Then I turned off anti-aliasing completely, and voila, no more crashes at all even after hours of game play.

Weirder and weirder.

Holy crap, after reading that other thread I agree that the issues are completely related. My machine also refuses to ramp up the fan speed leading to overheating which causes the sound to cut out when playing Flatout 2. Reseting the SMC fixes the problem! I first thought the most recent Apple SMC update fixed the issue, but the unresponsiveness of the fans returned as soon as I reset my computer. It is really annoying to have to reset the SMC every time your laptop goes to sleep. Apple really needs to fix this through an update or recall of some sort.

I called apple support center in Europe yesterday evening.

They are aware of this fan problem and BSOD (probably linked). The girl i talked with told me an update will come soon. For the moment, she advises to install fan control (NOT SMC fan control).

Just switched from XP SP3 to Vista.

XP: no black screen at all.
Vista: 2 crashes in 2 days. One in Rainbow Six 2 Las Vegas & One in Call of Duty 4.

This is strange, because before with Windows XP I could play Call of Duty without any problems.

One other variable: with xp I always left the lid opened. With Vista I totally ran it in clamshellmode.

Maybe because of that the heath couldn't escape.

The issue is not your OS. It is the SMC on the Macbook Pro - read my post above. There's no point trying to run numerous software tests now that we've pretty much defined the cause of the issue, and hopefully Apple will supply a fix shortly.

Who said anything about running software tests? Not me, I switched from XP to Vista because I wanted to, I played COD4 because I wanted to. Not to run a test.

I just post my findings here. Apple isn't really telling anyone what's going, yeah, over the phone. Everytime we hear another story. So please, spare me your 'I know what's going on' attitude.

Apple should be more open about these things and tell the public what's going on, so we can all have some comfort.

You were pondering whether your choice of Windows OS was causing black screen errors, and I politely repeated what I had explained in more detail previously, as I thought it may have been useful to you. I clearly assumed wrong.

Please don't adopt the semi-childish 'pics or it didn't happen' kind of attitude when referring to my experiences with Exec Relations since November last year. Sure, every time someone posts a different story but everyone is in fact looking for the same solution - it is heat causing these black screen errors and freezes, and it is 100% reproducible in every MBP I have been near since October 2008. It's really hard to argue when presented with such findings. The problem can be solved in OSX by using Fan Control, and in Windows (XP/Vista) by using SMC Fan control.

I chose to post by linking to another thread simply because I expected the information contained to be useful and that I actually do have concrete proof of my findings, which have been corroborated by relevant people at Apple, both in Tier 2 Customer Relations and also Executive Relations.

I am satisfied that I have in fact identified the error, have a temporary solution, and I am confident that Apple will be taking care of the issue in good time.

As this thread has seen so many page views and posts full of all sorts of speculation and conjecture I wanted to provide some kind of explanation, based on fact and communication with Apple, as to what may be the root cause of the problem, together with a suitable temporary solution.

Can you post links to the Programs you mention? Specifically SMC Fan Control that runs under Windows/Vista? I use smcFanControl in OSX and have to make sure I reboot (restart, not shut down/startup) into Windows to have the settings stay.

BTW My experience is that it sure is temp problems as I have had NO BSODs since I started having my Fans on at 4000k while playing games in Windows (and that includes Windows 7). I also have found that Windows 7 runs cooler than XP. Games that I play are: Fallout 3 for over 5 hours and Dungeons and Dragons Online on the PC side on the Mac side I play City of Heroes (Mac Client) and World of Warcraft (which NEVER caused a BSOD even with out the Fan Control). My machine was also made in week 42 and bought in Mid-November.

Hope this adds to the discussion.

Well, I think you forgot a part of my post.

I wasn't accusing an operating systeem in particular.

If you read the last part of my post:

"One other variable: with xp I always left the lid opened. With Vista I totally ran it in clamshellmode.

Maybe because of that the heath couldn't escape."

Normally I always played games in clamshellmode, but with the lid opened. The last 2 times I played games with the lid completely closed. So, yes, I think it's a heat problem:)

I think there was a communication error between us 😉

Albert,

The only way to use SMC Fan Control with Windows OS's is as you already mentioned - set the fans first in OSX and then reboot into windows - there is no Windows version of SMC Fan Control unfortunately. Sorry if I made that unclear.

Gelki - no worries - it shouldn't matter if you run Vista or XP in clamshell or not if you run SMC Fan control before booting into Windows, which should totally solve any black screens/freezes.

Hi!

I have the exact same problems with Call of Duty 2(since I updated to leopard) and Call of Duty 4.
The really bad news is that it happens on my desktop MacPro Dual-Core Intel Xeon - not on a Macbook....

Just wanted to update my situation.

I sent my Macbook Pro 2.8 in for service expecting them to just give me a new machine. My laptop had dust under the screen, the black screen problem, was unable to detect DVD-R or +Rs, had keys popping off that clicked loudly, a wonky trackpad, and a hard drive that frequently corrupted itself.

Instead, I got a call from AppleCare. The tech said they were replacing the screen, but had been unable to replicate the black screen problem. After a few minutes of explanation, he finally agreed to swap out the logicboard.

Just received my repaired Macbook now. Pretty much everything was replaced except for the DVD drive and battery. And the back aluminum plate.

The logicboard was somehow the root of the bad DVD burning problems, and the first discs I put in the drive were recognized and burned perfectly.

Of course, I tested the black screen problem. I booted it cold, went in to Dalaran in World of Warcraft right at the fireworks festival, with every graphic setting turned to max. This is normally how I could get it to crash.

The temps spiked up to 105C, but it did not crash. I figured it would because the fans still didn't spin up until 95C, but they kicked in and eventually the temps went down to the low seventies as I ran around town. It seems like I've got a winner.

The new LCD they gave me is vastly different, looking washed out in comparison to my old one. But it has no bad pixels and zero dust, and after applying some new icc profiles I was able to get it close to the previous screen, so I'm happy overall.

Was really worried, but it seems like I'm finally set.

Hello there guys and gals,

I am also a victim of the MBP Late 2008 problem. I am now on my third machine because of this problem. I bought my first machine at Microcenter, which is an authorized Apple retailer. I started having the black screen of death issues so I returned the machine a couple of days after purchase and exchanged it for a second one. This one did not seem to have the problem at first but shame on me for not pushing it harder. As soon as I jumped in a dungeon on World of Warcraft it crashed like Final Destination 2. Lucky me, the return policy at Microcenter is only good for 7 days, which were long gone. I made an appointment with a genius at my local Apple retail store, explained the situation, and actually exchanged the machine for a new one. This rarely happens, especially when you take in a machine that was not purchased from an Apple store or online but they were kind enough to help me out. Long story short, I brought the new machine home yesterday and I have not yet had a chance to stress test the 9600 GT enough. Here are some of the specs from system profiles for both machines. They both appear to be almost identical so I am hoping that the third one is a charm. My local Apple genius also said he was unaware of any widespread issue with these. I told him that he and his manager should check out this thread 😝 Anyway, here are the specs for new and old machines. I will keep you all posted on the results of this machine.




OLD MPB
-------------------------------
Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP51.0074.B01
SMC Version: 1.33f8
Serial Number: W8846xxxxxx
Sudden Motion Sensor:


State: Enabled



NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0647
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 3343
gMux Version: 1.7.3
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Built-In: Yes
Display Connector:
Status: No display connected

NEW MPB
-------------------------------
Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP51.0074.B01
SMC Version: 1.33f8
Serial Number: W8848xxxxxx
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0647
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 3343
gMux Version: 1.7.3
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Built-In: Yes
Display Connector:
Status: No display connected

Message was edited by: xdemiranda

I played Counter-Strike Condition Zero tonight with Vertical Sync forced OFF. No problems but the fans did start to spin quite alot. When I play this game with Vertical Sync forced ON, the fans never start.