ATI Radeon X1600 GPU problem

Distant Future

Dude thanx a million! I thought my VGA chip was gone and I even let my macbook for one year without using, and also was thinking to buy new one, suddenly I found this post while I was searching for this issue again,

and I managed to get the corrupted display back to normal !

Thanx a lot !!!

It's DEFINATELY the graphics board, mine has slowly been deteriating..now time to replace.

Yeah Even delete the files, my one also still shows bluich lines over the screen. looks like its no different between windows and Apple laptops anymore in hardware quality lolz..

Hey Guys,

I have been functioning with my 2006 17" imac ati 1600 for the last year by going back to 10.4.11 and removing the ati drivers.

as a separate issue i am having my lcd screen replaced by apple because of the lcd failures ( i managed to get that out of them because i had called and complained previously) they replaced some of these screen under a certain program last year (2010).

while its open i am going to have the tech re-apply the thermal paste on the gpu and i am contemplating having him drill some extra vent holes like i have seen in some of the other fixes pages.

my question is this- if non of these things get me fully functioning with my ati drivers back i was considering using this as a file server only. if i disable the drivers and set the display to sleep after 1 minute( while never sleeping the hard drives or computer will it still have issues? i mean are the issues with overheating the gpu tied to the display? therefore having the cpu work while the display sleeps would remedy the spinning balls of death?

or am i not understanding the way the heating happens?

any info would be great guys.

thanks

Dude,

if you are experiancing wired lines on the display, and still if you can use the system, then, defineatly its not anything with the LCD screen,

You should take out the motherboard from the laptop, and clean the dirty chinese thermal paste from the microprocessors using,

Silver arctic kit (1) cleaning liquid -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arctic-Silver-5-Thermal-Compound-3-5-Grams-ArctiClean-60 -ML-Kit-CPU-artic-XBOX-/230692773873?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b65c5ff1

then put the main board in your oven under 200 degrees for 5 - 7 minutes,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHIf2_puOiY&feature=related

Let it cool down and, Then apply silver arcit (2) syrface form liquid, and let it for few minutes.

then apply the Silver arctic thermal paste gently..

and fix your system back..

this will defineatly work if you have done it gently.. and calm.

you must have a proper tool kit to remove the main board out of the system.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-36-Piece-Skil-Precision-Screwdriver-Set-/23073207519 5?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b8b410bb

There is no problem with the ATI drivers if your microporocessors are fully functioning without over heating..!

All the best!

Dilantha.

actually i have both issues with this machine

the big issue with the crappy gpu as well as a failing lcd. i hooked up an external that displayed just fine while my imac monitor had 20+ colored vertical lines on it. hence the lcd problem.

apple is replacing my lcd for free as part of a program that happened last year.

ive had the gpu heating issue ever since i upgraded this machine to 10.6 about 18 months ago

my question is regarding the gpu issue. i am going to have the tech re-apply the thermal paste and clean it out while he has it open for the lcd.

if it still has gpu issues can i use it as a file server with a sleeping display to circumvent the gpu heating?

thanks

Also try to upgrade your OS over 10.6.4 or later.. all the best.!

For your GPU issue, its must be over heating, U dont have to go for other solutions if you the heating process works fined. if not,, we will see for some other solution..

I'd guess the best answer you're likely to get here is "sounds plausible, let us know how it goes."

From my own experiance with my MBP, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Over Christmas it gave me about three weeks of continuous uptime. Since then, there've been several occasions when it wouldn't boot for days at a time. If yours is just giving you lines on the display, not actaully freezing, a file server sounds like a very sensible idea, if you've another machine to work on.

hey james,

Sorry-lets separate the issues.

issue 1-failing lcd(vertical multicolored lines) being replaced by apple.

issue 2-failing gpu. ati radeon 1600. started dying(spinning wheel-crashes-freezes) when i upgraded to snow lwopard and tried to edit a movie in imovie.

i am just asking if anyone knows if the gpu is still working and therefore heating while the display is sleeping? or if the gpu has no duties while the display is sleeping. therefore i can use it as a file server and torrent machine with the display never being active for long.

any ideas guys?

thanks

In which case (and this is going off nothing more than the anicdotal evidence of my own experiance - I don't have any in depth knowledge of how the system works), I'd guess you'll probably be OK, assuming you can get the machine to boot in the first place. While my MBP frequently crashes seemingly at random, it is noticably more likely to fail if I do anything graphically intensive: enter Time Machine, stream Flash video, play 3D games, use Cover Flow mode to view anything, etc. It probably depends very much on the severity of your issue. Like I said, I can go for many days, or even weeks without it booting at all, and then it'll suddenly be stable for a week at a time. I'd imagine running without a display would improve your stability, but if your issue is anywhere near as bad as mine, getting it running in the first place could be a serious test of patience.

So, basically, sticking with my original assesment; "sounds plausible, let us know how it goes." :-)

I hear ya, brother. I KNOW your pain, firsthand. My 2006 MACBOOK PRO of the same configuration does exactly the same thing too. And, yes, I am only thinking of the fortunes I've spent at Apple. I have a NEW MACBOOK PRO, a MACBOOK about the same age as the 2006 MACBOOK PRO, and that makes THREE really expensive computers that I totally depend upon for my living.

It *****, that their system lasts about as long as a DELL piece of junk. I used to work for the original COMPAQ, and we cared about QA there. Then came along DELL, stumbling into popularity with their NO-QA business model -- that sent COMPAQ spiraling for that and other dumb business moves.

It took me a decade or more to switch to Apple. When they went with Free BSD, that was when my interest piqued(sp?). And my FIRST purchase was that 2006 MACBOOK PRO... Everyone told me I wouldn't be sorry if I spent the extra bucks on the APPLE product because their stuff lasted twice to three times as long as the IBM-based PC boxes. Well, that sure doesn't prove it to me.

Do I sound upset yet? I sure hope so. Because I am sorely disappointed at the cost to repair it now. :-(

I'll check out these other folks' links and see what those solutions are about.

Best of Luck to us all!

Carl

I have the exact same problem with my late 2007 MacBook pro with radeon x1600 graphics. It happened shortly after installing snow leopard. I have read too many posts for people that are experiencing these graphics issues with the ati radeon x 1600. Apple needs to acknowledge this as a problem and offer a replacement of the logic board to solve. Also, it seems that overheating is a common problem relating to graphics card failure. I think it may be class action time for all of us that invested a tremendous amount of money on a product that is supposed to be superior quality. Apple is notorious for denying their mistakes. After years of loyalty to is company I fear that it may be time to switch to PC.

ok,after 8 months of using my MBP without graphic drivers seems that my GPU is slowly dying.Interresting that hardware test even in loop mode looks fine and no problem found.Aty X1600 has 6MB instead 256.😠

Soon will try to replace GPU for new one.

Does anybody tried to replace this GPU?

Apple really makes expensive laptops with very limited life span .

This laptop compare with other brands runs much warmer .Even latest models are very hot and thats not good for internal components.

ATI Radeon X1600:

Chipset Model: ATY,RadeonX1600

Type: GPU

Bus: PCIe

PCIe Lane Width: x16

VRAM (Total): 6 MB

Vendor: ATI (0x1002)

Device ID: 0x71c5

Revision ID: 0x0000

ROM Revision: 113-xxxxxx-158

EFI Driver Version: 01.00.158

Displays:

Display:

Resolution: 1680 x 1050

Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)

Main Display: Yes

Mirror: Off

Online: Yes

Display Connector:

I am having the same issues and may be interested in your services,

Field of dreams22. Did reballing work? If so how may I contact you for service?

Thanks!

Well folks,

May I be added to the list of failing ATI cards. More than anything its embarrassing. I touted Apple products to be the no hassle no problem superior machines to PC's. The forst mac i purchased was the aforementioned ATI MBP for my missus in 2006. In that time the Superdrive failed and was replaced free gratis within the Applecare program.

The second MBP i touted was to my Dad and he purchased his in 2008. He had the well documented nVidia GPU issue last year but luckily it was covered under the replcement service.

I convinced my sister to purchase a MBA and to date there hasnt been any major issues touch wood but its been only 2 years.

My mum bought an iMac aswell last year and same again no issues to date.

Now just today my lass has phoned me telling me her MBP has the crashed ATI GPU. 5yrs and 8mths old and the replacement logic board will be around 400 bucks. Shamne on you Apple. I pay mearly 2000 GBP, Yeah did you read that 2000 GBP for a piece of hardware that fails after that short time. Disgusting. I wouldnt mind replacing the logic board if it where say 50GBP. Its 400 quid for 6yr old technology. Hang your head in shame Apple you robbers.

And get this Apple i ave a Dell Laptop its 10+years old and its still piping away on Windows XP. It may not be the fastest laptop but I tell you what the hardware has lasted all this time!

Does anyone in the UK have this problem and used the Sales of Good Act to get this issue fixed free gratis. I do believe that it is reasonable to expect 6yrs minimum from expensive purchases and that the seller is responsible.