# MacBook Pro NVIDIA graphic cards



## bbloke (Aug 12, 2008)

There's been increasing talk of problems with NVIDIA's G84 and G86 graphic cards (e.g. GeForce 8600M GT).  It's been said that these graphic cards have a much higher than average failure rate.  (I should also acknowledge here that nixgeek has mentioned this topic in another thread.  )  MacRumors have mentioned in July that these cards are widespread in PCs, as well as being present within MacBook Pros (also see ZDNet's article).

Unfortunately, it seems Apple's MacBook Pro support forum has quite a number of users complaining about issues with their graphic cards and ConsumerAffairs also states that, with the cards having widespread usage, this could be a very big issue for NVIDIA.  MacFixIt and xlr8yourmac.com both carry stories about the issue too.  The article that is perhaps most famous, but also seems rather strong in tone, is an article in The Inquirer, which states: "The short story is that all the G84 and G86 parts are bad. Period. No exceptions. All of them, mobile and desktop, use the exact same ASIC, so expect them to go south in inordinate numbers as well."

If this is true, it could create a headache for Apple, with large numbers of laptops facing recall or repair, and it will cause major problems and financial expense for NVIDIA.  I thought I'd pass on the information, but this is not intended to be a "the-sky-is-falling" post!  I suppose we have to wait and see how this pans out, but it is worth people knowing in case they need to keep an eye on their machines (and their warranty dates!).


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## bbloke (Oct 10, 2008)

Apple has posted a note about the NVIDIA graphics card failures.  Apple are offering to repair MacBook Pros with failed GPUs within two years of the purchase date, including when out of warranty.



			
				Apple said:
			
		

> *Symptoms*
> In July 2008, NVIDIA publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect. At that same time, NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics processors were not affected. However, after an Apple-led investigation, Apple has determined that some MacBook Pro computers with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor may be affected. If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within two years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.
> 
> *What to look for:*
> ...


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