Unobody 17" Macbook Pro 9600M broken gfx card?

I'm really curious to know if this firmware update fixed the graphics problems others people had.

In reply to:

+DCIFRTHS: Unfortunately, poorly implemented hardware can be "fixed" with firmware/software updates.+

If a firmware update completely fixes this, and it was just a bug, you think their hardware is poorly implemented? On what every trade mag has called the best laptop ever? With all due respect, that's kind of arrogant .. 🙂

I bet the hardware is fine.

Now when Dell and HP "fixed" their problems by increasing fan speeds to run at a constant 5000 RPM, I would agree with you there. But that does not appear to be the case here.

Message was edited by: nadrojjordan

You're probably right, the hardware is most likely fine. However, no one really knows what this firmware did , whether it disabled something, it obviously didn't increase the speed of the fans. All I'm trying to say is you should never disregard the likelihood that Apple messed up.... We all do! It's just you should never lay claims that something is a "flagship" machine unless it performs like one, especially at the price. And, what I am most grateful for is the fact that we have intelligent discourse on these forums that enable us to have constructive, critical, and most certainly judgmental critiques. That's what creates progress and helps others.

Regards,

Very well I said, I totally agree. I hope it was just a bug, but we don't know.

I REALLY hope it was just a bug, because I just ordered a 24" iMac with the Nvidia 9400M in it for home, and I was a little paranoid about it before this fix 🙂

I didn't notice any fan increase.

Their was another poster said that the fans are still spinning at the same speed!

(Are the fans kicking in earlier?)

If someone could do a bench mark test of of the GFX before and after this update.
Other sites forums think it's might be now an under clocked GPU and apple doesn't want to speed up fans making them make so much noise like other brands.

Message was edited by: KORG__

I'm not sure if it's effecting the fans at all. My chip is cooking along at 70 degrees right now and the fans are running at 2600 rpm (first time I've ever seen them), but I'm not sure if it's actually different.

The fans seem to run at the standard speed.

If it is in fact an underclocking of the chip, I'm not sure I'm going to be too impressed paying what I did for something I didn't (and will never) get.

crazylegsmurphy wrote:
If it is in fact an underclocking of the chip, I'm not sure I'm going to be too impressed paying what I did for something I didn't (and will never) get.

So you knew what your GPU clock speed was when you bought it?

Clock speed is at the discretion of the designer, and MANY aftermarket 9600 cards in the marketplace run at different clock speeds. If that is what it took to stop from frying every MBP in existence, I am fine with that.

Maybe Apple planned for a certain thermal variance in the chips and Nvidia didn't quite deliver, so they are clocking it down. It may not even be Apple's fault.

I really feel that would be a silly thing to be mad about. If you were buying a machine for sheer graphics alone, the 9600M is extremely dated anyway. You would have been better off buying a Dell Precision workstation or something like that. I know, I know, heresy! But if you need OS X, or love OS X, deal with the underclock 🙂 But of course we don't even know that's what they did.

EDIT: PS, an underclock may make almost no detectable difference in performance either.

Message was edited by: nadrojjordan

According to this doc, apparently there is graphics firmware separate from other firmware.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3498

The fans are controlled by the SMC, which has its own firmware. (Different from the boot firmware.)

Proper Testing could of provented this. But still if they're boosting about GPU speeds in those Macworld events...you should get those speeds!

If they in fact did under clock it...question is much did they?!?

I love the part in the website discription when it states "the possiblity...." it doesn't say that on computer discription hmmmm!

PLECOSTOMUS...I didn't understand what mean. Please brake it down
Thanks!

In that tech doc, it says:

"In the Hardware section of the System Profile, select Graphics/Displays. If you have successfully applied the update, the gMux Version should be 1.7.10."

The "gMux" is apparently firmware specifically involved with graphics behavior.

The System Management Controller (SMC) is described here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411

The SMC controls fan behavior. My post was aimed at the comments that the last firmware update, whatever it did, didn't change fan behavior. Changing fan behavior would be done by an SMC firmware update. (Which Apple has done before, with earlier MacBook models.)

Hi guys I ran Geekbench before and after the patch and didn't notice a difference in the results.

Hi guys I ran Geekbench before the patch to try and replicate the graphics corruptions which didnt work, id need to load boot camp and run a game. The patch has fixed the issue for me so I ran Geekbench after the patch due to some one mentioning underclocking the card? And I have basically got the same benchmark score.

That is awesome to hear! So it sounds like maybe this was a simple firmware issue.

You can all resume your normal love of Apple .. 🙂

Is your model stock? I would think this would alter GEEKBENCH results. Kudos for Apple techs if they didn't comprimized speed for a quick fix.

(It might a be driver upgrade in the GPU)

I never used GEEKBENCH...what does it check?
It would be good to check real world results.

Message was edited by: KORG__

hello,

to the best of my knowledge GEEKBENCH only tests the CPU and RAM. it does not test the GPU. you can check out GEEKBENCH here: http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/

to test the GPU you need CINEBENCH. you can download it here:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/systemdiskutilities/cinebench.html

to know for sure you would need to run cinebench before and after the patch.

hope that helps

Message was edited by: PoliSciGuy