Yet another MacBook Pro with display issues (NVdia chip)

Exactly one year and 1 week after purchase, my video controller started freaking out. So just 1 week out of warranty, my display started flickering, blinking, showing garbled clumps of pixels and got progressively worse over the last week until, now, it locks up and/or reboots after about 15 minutes of uptime.
I have:
- installed all updates, including firmware
- reset PRAM
- re-seated RAM
- replaced RAM
- used SMC FanControl to try and keep the GPU cool
- parked the MacBook in front of the fan/air conditioner in an attempt to keep the GPU cool
- ran the Hardware Test, which returned a faulty video controller
None of the above have had any positive effect whatsover.
I've dug through these forums and hunted around the rest of the net for more info. Every symptom points to the NVidia GeForce issue. It seemed to be heat related. Maybe it was at first (even though max temps were never over 180 F), but after just one more day it doesn't seem to matter anymore. The machine is just FUBAR.
Tomorrow, I'm taking it in to the Apple store for service. Everything I've read here tells me it'll be at $1,000 logic board replacement since I'm a week out of warranty. Needless to say, if I come home tomorrow with a $1,000 receipt AND no laptop I'm going to be pretty upset.
What really concerns me is that, if I have to get the logic board replaced, they'll just put in yet another faulty board with another NVdia chip that will do the same thing all over again. There has to be another option, short of just getting a new iMac or tower with an ATI card instead. What else can I do?

bikemonkey wrote:
I think my GPU is borked too.
http://noizesurge.com/downloads/gpu1.jpg
http://noizesurge.com/downloads/gpu2.jpg - incidentally my computer had completely frozen at this point.
I'm pretty sure from observing these types of glitches that this is a hardware fault. I shall ring Apple on Monday and hopefully they can pick it up and sort it all out! Does anyone know roughly how long a turnaround is in the UK?
Yes, your video controller is toast. That's exactly how mine looked.
Just to make certain, run the Hardware Test:
- Put in DVD 1 that came with your MacBook Pro.
- Shut down
- Restart, holding the D key
- You'll be put into test mode, run the default test (no need to run the robust test at this stage)
I'm betting it will return a message that looks like: "4VDC/1/40000003: videocontroller"
If so, your logic board will have to be replaced.
The Apple Store I went to (Michigan Ave, Chicago) told me it would take 5-7 days. I'm not sure what UK times would be like, but I'd expect a little longer.
bikemonkey wrote:
Incidentally, people are saying that they've have logic boards and what not replaced only for the problem to reoccur. Does this mean nVidia haven't properly fixed the issue?
Correct. Nvidia hasn't done a thing about this (that I'm aware of), and Apple seems to be putting the same logic boards with the faulty Nvidia chips back in.
Until we see a new/refreshed line of MacBook Pro's, I think we're stuck.

Similar Messages

I recently reinstalled OSX 10.6.8 on my mac pro, and also reinstalled my data from time machine. However I do not have system dis 2, as a result a lot programms do not work. I tried unsuccessfully disc 2 from another macbook pro with OSX 10.6.8. Any help?

I recently replaced the hard disk on my macbook pro. As I had lost my original system disks that came with my mac, I paid an authorised Apple Reseller to reinstall OX 10.6.8 and also they reinstalled the data from my Time Machine back up. However, I have noticed a lot of functions no longer work. I was told by Apple Reseller that they only installed system disk I (operating system), but not system disk II (programme disk), as they do not have that disk. I was advised to use Disk II from any macbook pro with an OS 10.6.8 or higher..... I tried that but it did not work as mac would not read that disk. Can anyone please help me solve this problem?

LowLuster wrote:
Rosetta is an Add-On that has to be selected during the install of OS X. It is not installed by default. IIRC during the initial install sequence you have to select Custom or Customize and then select Rosetta...
Or, it the OP's paid technician missed it the first time, he can mount the OS X install DVD on the desktop, open the Optional Installs folder, double click on the Optional Installs .mpkg, and step through the process until arriving at the "Installation Type." There, the OP can check off Rosetta, iPod Support, Qucktime, Printer Support, more fonts, and a bunch of Applications, including Address Book, iCal, iChat, iTunes, Mail, Dictionaries, Safari, and X11 for installation. Both those installs and whatever is on Disk 2 can be installed without starting from scratch.
And while having the original installer DVD's that came with the Mac is the best way to go, the OP can download the 10.6.8 combo updater and run that. Since it's an all purpose updater, it configures itself for the Mac it's run on so, in a sense, it's customization after the fact. If the combo updater is run before Disk 2 is available, it can be run again afterwards. Indeed, I've found that the combo updater can fix problems which normally would call for a reinstallation of the OS; not always but sometimes.

New Macbook Pro Retina Display Issue

Hi,
I just purchased a new Macbook Pro, 15" Retina Display, 16Gb Ram, 2.3Ghz and finally got my hands on it last week after more than 5 weeks of waiting.
I have a issue for which I wasnt able to find anything on either Google, or this or any other forum.
At one point, after succsessfully installing windows 7 through Bootcamp, I got a set of 4 differently colored vertical stripes going along my MBP screen, starting with a very dark blue stripe on the far right, purple slightly thicker, then a copy of the first blue stripe and at last the thickest stripe which is sort of a very transparent black overlay (around 10% black overlay).
I can think of nothing, deleted windows, it's partition & all that (not that I would've made a difference but I'm kinda desperate). I am including a screenshot (in which everything looks normal even though the stripes are there) and a photo I just took with my iPhone.
The 4 stripes now turned into 2 (at least visibly). the transparent one and the 3 colored ones joined together as black.
Anyone ever got a similar problem?

Screenshot:
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8574/screenshot20120731at422.png
Photo:
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/4020/fotord.jpg

13 inch Macbook Pro External Display Issues (Fully up to date as of 28th of June)

Hi,
Basically I 've got a 13" MacBook Pro which I've been trying to get working with a 20" Samsung SyncMaster 2033HD Monitor using the Displayport/Thunderbolt Port to VGA adapter. I've applied every update even the newest ThunderBolt firmware update which was released today (28th of June) and nothing has got it working. As the photo shows the screen has artifacts at the bottom and the monitor knows it's putting out the incorrect resolution, despite the native resolution being selected
I'm tempted to try a DVI adapter but I don't really want to spend even more money without some indication of it being worth while.
So my questions are:
Is there some way to get the monitor working over VGA that has been discovered by other users?
Has anyone else had success using the DVI adapter where the VGA adapter has failed?
Thank You

Did you ever fix this. I had a macbook pro, and then upgraded to a new one at the beginning of this year with the
AMD Radeon HD 6750M. I have had nothing but trouble with the display adapter since. The monitor keeps blacking out suddenly, or flickering. I tried using a new display adapter, but the same trouble. I tried a different Samsung Syncmaster 193T display, but it also has the same problems. I tried a different Samsung crappy VGA monitor, and it wokrs okay. I think the thunder bolt adapter is more tempremental than a dedicated display port, and there is a bad contact.
Looking around for video drivers, but I doubt that will fix it. As a last resort I may get apple to check the port, but for all the hype, I think the adapter was a cost cutting measure, and the DVI was too bulky to accomodate. The quality is worse. I also have an old Powerbook G4, and the build quality on that was great. The product is not getting better, just promoting different stuff to keep the economy rolling in my view.

MacBook Pro odd display issue, won't run anymore

This is a 2006 MacBook Pro 15" A1211 Intel core 2 duo 2.16 model. Diagnostics says nothing is wrong. The computer is no longer functional as it won't go beyond this screen. Any ideas what failed on this? Initially the odd video pattern was intermittent and if you booted a few times you'd get in and be able to use the computer and could get in via safe mode, but not any longer.

This is not a petty software issue. You Mac has a hardware problem, and you need to get it looked at.
You can make an appointment at the genius bar at your local Apple store, and they will evaluate it for nothing, in warranty or out of warranty.

MacBook Pro 2008 display issue (see the photo)

As you can see in the picture below, my 15" MBP Early 2008 started to experience this kind of issue. Sometimes it goes away if I close the lid or with a restart. I've already tried the PRAM reset with no long-term results.
My Mac had the nvidia 8600M GT issue so I got the logic board replaced. At the Apple Store the technician said this problem has nothing to do with the video card... maybe the display? Anyway, I'd like to have your opinion about this and some possible solutions.
Thank you!

What you've pictured is a disaply backlight LED problem — it looks as though half of yours aren't lit. They're integrated into the LCD panel, and this issue is not related in any way to the replacement of your logic board. You may want to reset your computer's SMC and see whether that resolves the problem:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
If it doesn't, I'm afraid you're in for another repair, and this one will be on your dime unless you still have a little AppleCare coverage left.

MacBook Pro Retina Display Issue (snowy screen)

I have noticed when my mid 2012 MBP Retina comes out of sleep, it sometimes goes to a snowy (like TV static) screen for like 1/2 a second before the login screen shows up. So far I've only noticed it with the Intel 4000 card, and not the nVidia GeForce 650M, but I have not done enough testing to be certain. I started noticing this issue in beta 5 or 6 of Yosemite, and it continues to be a problem after the final release.

Okay I ran the MacBook exclusively on the nVidia video for 2 days and did not notice the issue once. Today I switched back to the Intel card and it did it first time it came out of sleep. Now I am wondering if it's hardware or driver issue. That is the only video issue I notice.

Yet another MacBook Pro touchpad driver support thread (regarding KDE)

Hi
I recently bought a MBP Retina 13" Late 2013, just because this masterpiece of hardware has the best price-performance ratio in this price segment. OS X sucks, because developing on it in a scientific way is a pain. GTest with c++11 problems, curious compiler, no (gnu) g++, no sophisticated vim etc etc ... I just wanna get back to bleeding edge software and pacman. Theres just one thing: I dont want to pay 1500 € for kickass hardware, when I cant use it. So I want to ask what's the recent state of the touchpad support of linux. I wish to have those features with KDE:
- 3 finger swipe to change desktops
- normal 2 finger swipe support to scroll vertically
- eventually horizontal 2 finger swipe to move backward and forward (filebrowser/webbrowser)
- 2 finger pinch to zoom
- 3 or 4 finger pinch to make cool things like expose, which kde has
- Don't care about rotation stuff
Basically most of this would be manageable, if I could convince KWin to recognize those gesture. How far goes current driver support to realize those things genrally? Are all those things like swipe in from edges, pinch/swipe horiz./swipe vert. with 2, 3 and 4 fingers supported and further how are they handled/given to X?
Regards, Manuel
Last edited by manuelschneid3r (2013-12-23 14:18:18)

I have no solution to any of your questions, but I am also very interested in their answers. I hope someone can shed some light on this issue or _real_ multitouch on linux in general.

Macbook pro Retina Display issue

Hi, I have got my Retina few weeks ago and now I started to notice some horizontal line across the whole screen. These lines are very thin and they are evenly spaced out. They are like black-ish and they stretch across the whole screen from up to bottom. It happen even on the loading screen. I have called the apple service but they are not being helpful at all. These lines are getting very annoying and they are very noticable especially when I open up Words or Pages (or anything that has a white or bright background). I think it is a malfunction but I'm not so sure. I will bring this to an Apple store to get some more help with it but I just want to ask you guys first.
Also, I have run many tests including switching to Windows 7 (via Bootcamp), restarting (multiple times), enter safe mode, and comparing with another retina (with same back ground), update software (I'm currently using Mountain Lion), switch to the GPU manually.
Comment if you have any suggestion or ideas. Cheers guys.

You need to take it in to Apple and get it fixed or get a replacement system. Yours is broken and there is nothing "YOU" can do to fix it.

I have a MacBook Pro with no DVD drive (Remote Install-ish issue)

1 MacBook Pro sans DVD, blank HD.
1 MacBook Pro with DVD, under Lion.
1 Firewire cable.
1 Leopard / Snow Leopard install DVD.
Can I install SL on my old MBP using the DVD on my new MBP via FW ?

My apologies for writing gibberish.
I thought this was a more common issue, as I have read a lot about DVD drive sharing and Remote Install but I am not able to find a straight answer to my very simple situation.
I have one old MacBook Pro that I bought the year 2006. It's the one sporting the Silver keyboard. The DVD drive is Broken (yes, there's a third option smarty pants. ). The Hard Drive in here is Erased.
I have a new (not retina drive not yet) 2011 MacBook Pro with the Black Keyboard. It came with Snow Leopard preinstalled. Afterwards I installed Lion from the app store, and much afterwards I fabricated a Bootable-Lion-Installer-USB thingy and installed it again.
Remote Install is Gone on Lion. They say the only option was firewire so I go and buy the firewire and it's still not straightforward. They say just click on the installer and choose the firewire Hard Drive (MacBook Pro) as destination. If I click on the installer it just tells me Leopard cannot overwrite Lion, which I already know.
So my original question was, trying (and failing miserably) to avoid all danger: If it is possible to install Leopard (The OS that comes in the black and purple hollographic box with a big X) using the Install DVD inserted into the DVD drive of my new 2011 Black keyboard MacBook Pro with a Bootable-USB installed Lion OS connected with a 6 pin to 9 pin FireWire cable to an old MacBook Pro bought the year 2006 with a Silver keyboard and a broken DVD drive and which by the way has the hard drive already erased.
And if it is, How can it be achieved.

Another Macbook Pro black screen GeForce 8600M question

Hey everyone,
I know this has been discussed to death, but I have had trouble finding someone with my exact symptoms, so I thought I'd ask just in case anyone has any insight.
I have a 2007 Macbook Pro with the GeForce 8600m chip. The computer boots up and the gray Apple loading screen illuminates and loads. Then when the screen would normally switch to the desktop, it goes black. I can plug in an external display and the computer works fine. In the "About this mac" window, no internal display shows, just the external. Same with the Displays pane in System Preferences. I try to detect displays but to no avail, only the Cinema display shows up.
So the computer works fine, it just does not recognize the internal display - but I know the display itself works cause it shows the boot screen when I start it up.
I've tried all the PRAM resets and such.
Any ideas?
Thanks!

At this point, you have basically diagnosed the issues as far as you can by determining what does and doesn't happen on the external display. If you have your original system disks, one has Apple Hardware Test (AHT). That might pick up a failed inverter but I doubt it picks up a failed backlight or a broken cable.
I don't know if you can run AHT with an external monitor. The test boots from the DVD so you may not have extensions needed to fire up the external. You can try--just make sure your external is set to "mirrored mode," not "extended desktop," before restarting from the DVD and you have a chance of it working.
AHT will give you a cryptic code if something fails; post the code and I can try to translate.
If AHT doesn't further narrow the suspects, you'll need to have it looked at by a pro to get anywhere, unless you are comfortable taking apart something loaded with tiny and delicate electronic bits. If so, tell me your screen size and I can point you to some illustrated maintenance sites.

Configure New TM on a New Macbook pro with retina display Issue

I have bought a new New Macbook pro with retina display laptop (Lion moutain OS)and a new TM (2TB).
I have an internet router with wireless connect.
I plugged TM to the router with an ethernet cable.
Connect my TM to my macbook with an ethernet cable.(at this point I still cannot see TM on my Mac)
then I choose Time capsule from WiFi as shown below:
Then the airport utility (version 6.1) opened and start configuring TM but it gives an expected error when it is starting to join the TM!!!!
I have reset the TM several time but with no hope.
PS: I can configure the same TM on a normal laptop with windows 7 installed and Airport utility 5.6
I am struggling on this issue for weeks and I cannot yous TM on my macbook pro.
Help please.

Time Capsule .. TC is the hardware box you bought.. Time Machine is the software you use in the Mac computer.. so what you generally refer to as TM is really TC.. !!
I can configure the same TM on a normal laptop with windows 7 installed and Airport utility 5.6
That is great.. you do not need to setup the Time Capsule at all then. It is already setup.. forget using 6.1 utility.. it is useless toy version.
Just use it.. open Time Machine and see if you can connect to the TC drive to do backup.. and to the wireless.
From your statements..
Connect my TM to my macbook with an ethernet cable.(at this point I still cannot see TM on my Mac)
You are trying to connect with both wireless and ethernet at once.. This can mess things up. choose wireless or ethernet.. not both.
If you keep running into issues.. reset the TC.. I know yet again.
Set it up using SMB names.. for both the TC itself and wireless.
Then lock the wireless channel for 2.4ghz.. use channel 1, 6, or 11 (13 in europe) and see how it goes.

Retina macbook pro with thunderbolt display causes speaker issues

I have a thunderbolt display and used the speakers fine on old macbook pro. I now plug in my new retina macbook pro 15" with mountain lion and the sound plays fine for a while then starts to crackle real bad and then stops all together. If I switch the the laptop speakers then switch back after 30 or so minutes the thunderbolt speakers will work again for a short amount of time then again crackle and stop.
This may be mountain lion related but I have tried another non-retina version macbook pro with mountain lion and did not notice the issue but it was only for an hour or so. So this leads me to belive its the computer.
Any suggestions? its really really anoying and wasting my time trying to fix it.

I have the exact same issue. I hauled the TB Display into the Apple Store 3 times and finally they replaced it. Come to find out this new one has the same issue still. So It has to be rMBP related at this point. Unfortunately I don't think I have it under warranty still and the issue is hard to demonstrate. I recorded videos of it but every time I go into the store and plug it is the same as switching the speakers from internal to external and it takes 30-60 mins before it degrates to scratching sounds.
Please let me know if you ever foudn a solution. Im going to try to keep taking it in until I can get this resolved.

I know many have this issue but i can't find a solution to the problem. i get message saying insuffisiant disk space in the volume iPhoto library and i have plenty of space available. i have the new macbook pro with retina display.

I know many have this issue but i can't find a solution to the problem. i get message saying insuffisiant disk space in the volume iPhoto library and i have plenty of space available. i have the new macbook pro with retina display. i have never seen this message before and i have 2 other macbooks and have had many other also. i am assuming this is a problem with the new macbook retina. does anyone know the exact fix to this issue? i have seen many sugestions to try to fix this issue but none have solved the issue for anyone that i can find in the Apple Support Community. thank for looking into this in advance.
******A true apple fan********

Actually your suggestions are the ones that i have tried. i have seen that you have tried to help others with this issue and the only one that i could find that said they found the problem said that it was an ilife update issue and it fixed it and i have no available updates. i know it has to do with something in photo stream because it happens when i create a new library and it is loading the photos but i get the message before i reach the maximum 1000 photos. so i've tried updating, new library(first backing up photos and then deleting them from iPhoto), reinstalling OSX many times, running disc utilities. I called Apple the first day i had this issue and i was the first person to call them for support with the retina display and i actually had it escalated to a senior advisor and we thought we fixed the problem but we did not. i am pretty fluent in dealing with troubleshooting these type of issues and this is the first time i'm reaching out to the community. i figured now that the retina has been out some time now that there would be an obvious answer to this issue. thanks for the quick reply.
Bebers5

How can i copy files from one external hard disk to another using macbook pro with retina display

How can i copy files from one external hard drive to another using macbook pro with retina display?

That's odd - if you open Disk Utility (Applications->Utilities) and select the disk(s), how are they formatted? If you're only going to be used with your Mac, they should be formatted as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".
Clinton

Yet another MacBook Pro with display issues (NVdia chip)

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for