Has anyone else been getting some pretty bad issues with the graphics card in the new unibody 17" machines? I have been getting some pretty bad green lines down everything when I use the more powerful GFX card.
This machine is brand new.. the lines do seem to get worse as the card heats up...take a look..
There are a disproportionate number of negative posts on support forums, so don't take that as an indication of the prevalence of the issue. Could just be firmware...
I'm have a working UMBP17, if it is a firmware not a hardware problem I'm not going to update. Just like when they had put out this buggy update for the mini display port then it was retracted it. I'm glad I didn't that update either!
Don't be beta tester...wait a week till the experts site check first.
Not that I care with this machine, but I was just working in PS and the lines came the worst I have ever seen them and the case was boiling.
I looked at my desktop and then put the mouse in the corner to turn off and on the display. The lines almost disappeared, but when I did it again they came back.
I just cranked SMC Fan control to 5700 rpm and I'm watching the lines to see what happens.
They seem to be slowly going away....but they're still there. Let me give it a few more minutes and see what happens.
P.S. The fans didn't kick in at all....they were still running at a leisurely 2000 rpm when this happened.
The case is now cool and the temp of the GPU is at around 40 Degrees. The lines are still there though, but less noticable.
I am going to cycle the screen and see what happens.
I decided to join the MBP club and have a 17" with anti-glare/7200RPM drive on the way. Should be here in a few days, coming from Shanghai.
I kept an eye on the forums as per usual, but jumped in anyway!
I have to say that I'm more than a little concerned with all the problems reported here, but I also realize that there are probably more MBP's with no problems than there are with problems. I just hope mine isn't one with the problems. I'll be testing it hard and heavy as soon as I un-box it.
I'll post back as soon as I know something. Thanks all and keep reporting your problems here and to Apple!!!
Please do post! We would all very much appreciate it. It would be nice to know or have a better idea of just what percentage of purchased 17" unibody, whether antiglare or glossy screens, have this problem considering Apple hasn't disclosed the degree of the problem, if its isolated, or any clear resolution. Granted these forums don't give a clear idea as to how widespread the problem in actuality really is.
My new Macbook Pro 17 arrived today. 7200rpm drive, matte display. I've yet to run any tests with the 9600, but will do so tomorrow. I'm waiting for TimeMachine to finish the first backup.
My new Macbook Pro 17 will arrive tomorrow. 7200rpm drive, glossy display.
It's should be nice to know what test to perform to see if my Macbook has problems.
Any help will be appreciated
Looks like most people are using Cinebench to stress test the GPU. They're also running multiple HD trailers/movies simultaneously and anything else that might tax the CPU and GPU and raise the internal temperature to get the fans kicking - or not. Also don't forget to turn on the 9600M by going into System Preferences/Energy Saver (I think that's where it's at).
Maybe someone who's been through all this can detail the best methods?
It kind of ***** that we have to do all this instead of enjoy our new machines, but what else can us Mac-lovers do?!
I think I might have something valuable to add to this thread. I have a W8909 MacBook Pro 17", which I am assuming means week 9. I have no graphics artifacting and I have done heavy editing/playback of 1080p video until the case got so hot that I thought it was going to warp my wood desk. The fans would immediately spin up, cool the case back down to a reasonable temp and keep it there.
There are posts in this thread stating that their temps were over 200°F with their fans running at the default of 2000 RPM. I have built and maintained Windows systems for years and NO computer should be running with any component in that temp range. To be honest I can't believe more damage wasn't done.
I think that is why we are seeing that some people are having these issues after cool down, running a GPU at 200°F+ for any length of time would seem to indicate that there would be permanent damage.
I think, and this is just my opinion based on reading this thread and my history dealing with hardware, that we are dealing with a combination of the following:
a) Apple's extremely conservative noise thresholds (i.e. keeping fans down to eliminate noise even though temps are high)
b) Different usage (games, video, web surfing, etc)
c) An SMC bug that sometimes causes the fans to not respond appropriately to the temperature on the GPU
I believe that those three things combined has caused permanent damage to some peoples' system and that is why Apple is taking a while to figure out how to deal with this. Do they recall them all? Do they offer a fix for those with the issue? Do they change the design? This would be a hard issue to troubleshoot and deal with for them.
Rest assured they are dealing with it. But in the meantime, if your case gets extremely hot and your fans don't spin up, turn it off and let it cool!
I bet they release a firmware update soon, but I will say that if my system was affected I would be taking immediate actions, because while this may not be an inherent hardware issue, it is definitely possible that the firmware ruined the hardware by letting it overheat.
Just my 2 cents, I may be right or wrong. Hope it helps ...
This is much appreciated, but unfortunately nothing new. If you read these threads, others have posted similar conclusions they were forced to draw out themselves because Apple has failed to be forthcoming. Also, I for one much appreciate your professionalism and knowledge on the matter, and am willing to bet you are right. However, wouldn't it be appropriate for them to come out and say what is going on. The longer Apple waits the longer more resentment is going to foster, not to mention a lot of time being wasted as well as money. Maybe that's not important for Apple, but it is for those of us that have to bust our cans just to be able to make a descent living. This is the part that infuriates me because a lot of us don't have the time nor the money to waste on beta testing. I believe in the apple brand and would hate to see that happen.
It's sad but the latest results just came and Apple comes in third in reliability....yikes!
Apple, the previous champ in RESCUECOM's consumer reliability 2008 report, just got demolished by Asus in an almost 3 to 1 score for Q1 2009. It even loses to Lenovo.
Asus scored a 972, compared with Lenovo's 348 and Apple's 324. How did they get such a high score? Because their repair share was a miniscule 0.2% of service calls to RESCUECOM, whereas Apple's consisted of 2.1%. Even when you factor in that Asus only has a 1.6% marketshare in the US to Apple's 6.8%, it's still quite a low percentage of calls.
Toshiba, Acer and HP/Compaq round out the top 6. [PR Newswire]
I think it's probably a heat/fan issue as well, but didn't Apple have a problem with their first round of 17" MBP's not spinning up the fans some time? Hence the reason for that SMC control program? I don't recall any graphics problems caused by the heat, but that doesn't mean it didn't.
I dunno at this point, but I took the chance on a purchase nonetheless. I love Apple and will put up with some stuff...if they eventually correct it somehow.
Absolutely, I totally agree that they should make some sort of statement about the issue. The only reason I can think of that they don't is that they are not exactly sure of the scope of it. Obviously they don't want to take any more liability on then they want to, they are a business after all.
Maybe instead of making a statement they will just start offering fixes officially when people call with the problem. This thread has over 21,000 views, surely there are Apple engineers figuring this out. But I agree, it is very difficult to deal with a problem with any product, much less a $3,000 laptop. What is even worse is that I would guess that most people willing to shell out that kind of money for a laptop are using it day in and day out for work, like you said. They need their laptops.
When AMD is digging on Nvidia in a C|Net article over this problem, you know it's bad. They need to do something.
I worked my laptop again tonight and no problems. If some of us are legitimately working them hard with no problems, I would think our speculation about heat/fans causing hardware damage is correct and a very serious problem for Apple.
I just got off the phone with Apple Support. I had sent my original MacBook Pro to be fixed 4 times before they decided I was finally worthy of a new one.
Anyway... I have the blue "line/streaking" issue and was told to wait for the newest update (He was unsure if it was indeed a firmware update.) I hope this is indeed the fix we are all looking for.
