AndyPants44
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: 3/4 of my display is shaking...

Would love an idea of how to fix this...

 

I have a 2008 MBPro 15"

 

As of the last few days, the bottom 3/4 of my screen is separated from the top 1/4 by a black or white (changes) row of pixels, and the bottom 3/4 of the screen shakes up and down a bit. It started a month ago, one afternoon, but it resolved itself after a few minutes. Now it does it continuously. Shutting down and restarting does not work.

 

It seems to do this less when a webpage is loading, but as soon as it's loading, it starts up again. The top 1/4 remains normal.

 

Anyone have a clue what could be causing and how to fix?

 

Cheers for any suggestions,

Andy

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on May 8, 2012 9:04 PM

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AndyPants44

Q: 3/4 of my display is shaking...

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  • by tjk,

    tjk tjk May 8, 2012 9:35 PM in response to AndyPants44
    Level 7 (24,244 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 8, 2012 9:35 PM in response to AndyPants44

    Hi Andy,

     

    Depending on which 2008 model you have, you may have the NVIDIA issue. First, go to System Profiler > Hardware > Graphics/Displays and see if you have the GeForce 8600M GT GPU. This is the GPU covered under the free repair program. While there, also look at PCIe Lane Width. If it says anything other than x16, the GPU has issues (but this is only one potential symptom). If you have the 8600 GPU, bring the MBP to an Apple Store or AASP for free testing. If Apple's free test confirms the issue, repair is free. Read all about it here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377

     

    There have been stories of, ummm, "uninformed" workers, so print out the article, familiarize yourself with it, and if you meet resistance, politely/firmly stand your ground and ask for someone higher up the food chain if need be. The GPU is part of the logic board, so "repairing" it means replacing the logic board (Some workers have tried to play word games, saying the logic board needed to be replaced so it wasn't a covered repair because it wasn't just the GPU. Grrrrrr!). Good luck!

  • by AndyPants44,

    AndyPants44 AndyPants44 May 8, 2012 9:44 PM in response to tjk
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 8, 2012 9:44 PM in response to tjk

    Lo and behold... that is exactly what I have!

     

    Thank you for the quick, knowledgeable reply- will take to an Apple store, and confirm this is the issue and update here.

     

    Thanks again- I'm still relatively new to the Mac world (4 mos), so the help is especially appreciated.

  • by tjk,

    tjk tjk May 9, 2012 8:45 AM in response to AndyPants44
    Level 7 (24,244 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 9, 2012 8:45 AM in response to AndyPants44

    You are quite welcome. Hope to hear back from you with the result (hopefully a new logic board for free).