Apple investigating graphics issues on new MacBook lines
Apple is investigating two separate graphics issues with its new line of MacBook and MacBook Pros, and is reported to be preparing a software update to remedy at least one of them.
The first issue, which some are calling "the black screen of death," manifests itself on unibody MacBook Pros during game play. Users report that their screens go black after just a few minutes of gaming, while the system locks up and the audio enters into an infinite loop.
Once the systems lock up, users say they lose control of their cursor and are left with no other option but to restart their Macs through a hard reset. The issue exists under both Windows and Mac OS X, affecting a wide range of titles that include Call of Duty 4, World of Warcraft, Ages of Empire III, Command and Conquer, Oblivion, Company of Heroes, and others.
Some users believe the problem may be a driver or cooling issue, where the MacBook Pro heats up faster than the internal fans can spin up to provide ample cooling, which then leads to a crash. A few of these users have had some luck mitigating the problem by installing alternative drivers for the notebook's NVIDIA graphics card and using a free software tool called SMCFancontrol, which lets you tweak your fans to maintain a certain speed.
Not all users have had the same success, however. Others report the only surefire solution was to have their MacBook Pro's logic board replaced or have their system swapped out for one manufactured more recently. In these cases, the problems disappear completely, leading some to believe there is a hardware-related issue with an early batch of the notebooks.
For its part, Apple is reportedly acknowledging that an issue exists but has not yet identified the cause.
"Just spoke to AppleCare UK and they also confirm 'Apple are [sic] aware of the issue and are investigating,'" said an Apple Support forum member by the name of omv. He reported that the company is still trying to determine whether the root of the problem lies in hardware or software.
Separately, owners of both the new unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros are reporting wave-like video distortions while scrolling in web browsers of viewing HD content. They say the problem is common on most systems on display at Apple retail stores, but note the distortions do not appear while running Windows, which may suggest a Mac-specific NVIDIA driver issue.
Adding to that theory, other users note the problem also exists on NVIDIA-based iMacs, but does not show up on the MacBook Air with integrated Intel graphics or iMacs with ATI graphics cards. Another theory is that a combination of the NVIDIA graphics card drivers and Apple's Webkit rendering engine is to blame, which would explain why the distortions do not appear under Windows or Mac browsers that do not rely on WebKit, such as Opera.
Again, Apple is said to be aware of the issue, but in this case is already working on a software fix, according to Apple Support forum member rnicolson:
After discovering this problem on the MacBook Pro I purchased a few weeks ago, I visited the Apple Store in Regent Street to check whether the problem was common to all the new MacBook Pro's. I checked five MacBook Pro's they had on display and they all had exactly the same wave distortion on the screen, when scrolling in Safari using the side bar. There was no distortion when the up/down keys were used. I showed this screen distortion to an Apple salesperson, who seemed genuinely surprised. He disappeared to the back office in the store for a discussion with a 'senior Apple Engineer' and after five minutes he returned with the statement that this was a known problem and there will be a software fix for it sometime...
The first issue, which some are calling "the black screen of death," manifests itself on unibody MacBook Pros during game play. Users report that their screens go black after just a few minutes of gaming, while the system locks up and the audio enters into an infinite loop.
Once the systems lock up, users say they lose control of their cursor and are left with no other option but to restart their Macs through a hard reset. The issue exists under both Windows and Mac OS X, affecting a wide range of titles that include Call of Duty 4, World of Warcraft, Ages of Empire III, Command and Conquer, Oblivion, Company of Heroes, and others.
Some users believe the problem may be a driver or cooling issue, where the MacBook Pro heats up faster than the internal fans can spin up to provide ample cooling, which then leads to a crash. A few of these users have had some luck mitigating the problem by installing alternative drivers for the notebook's NVIDIA graphics card and using a free software tool called SMCFancontrol, which lets you tweak your fans to maintain a certain speed.
Not all users have had the same success, however. Others report the only surefire solution was to have their MacBook Pro's logic board replaced or have their system swapped out for one manufactured more recently. In these cases, the problems disappear completely, leading some to believe there is a hardware-related issue with an early batch of the notebooks.
For its part, Apple is reportedly acknowledging that an issue exists but has not yet identified the cause.
"Just spoke to AppleCare UK and they also confirm 'Apple are [sic] aware of the issue and are investigating,'" said an Apple Support forum member by the name of omv. He reported that the company is still trying to determine whether the root of the problem lies in hardware or software.
Separately, owners of both the new unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros are reporting wave-like video distortions while scrolling in web browsers of viewing HD content. They say the problem is common on most systems on display at Apple retail stores, but note the distortions do not appear while running Windows, which may suggest a Mac-specific NVIDIA driver issue.
Adding to that theory, other users note the problem also exists on NVIDIA-based iMacs, but does not show up on the MacBook Air with integrated Intel graphics or iMacs with ATI graphics cards. Another theory is that a combination of the NVIDIA graphics card drivers and Apple's Webkit rendering engine is to blame, which would explain why the distortions do not appear under Windows or Mac browsers that do not rely on WebKit, such as Opera.
Again, Apple is said to be aware of the issue, but in this case is already working on a software fix, according to Apple Support forum member rnicolson:
After discovering this problem on the MacBook Pro I purchased a few weeks ago, I visited the Apple Store in Regent Street to check whether the problem was common to all the new MacBook Pro's. I checked five MacBook Pro's they had on display and they all had exactly the same wave distortion on the screen, when scrolling in Safari using the side bar. There was no distortion when the up/down keys were used. I showed this screen distortion to an Apple salesperson, who seemed genuinely surprised. He disappeared to the back office in the store for a discussion with a 'senior Apple Engineer' and after five minutes he returned with the statement that this was a known problem and there will be a software fix for it sometime...
Comments
There is absolutely no need for the [sic] annotation here. Our British cousins consider all collective nouns plural. Hence, "Apple are" is perfectly acceptable since it references the company's representatives in the UK.
Oh - and I almost forgot - My Spaces never work when I want to F5-key to see all 4 Spaces at the same time. It has never worked and I'm not sure why... I should call.
P
SMC fan control is not enough, it still overheats and hangs (but no audio loop) even if you crank the fans all the way up before starting.
World of Warcraft also crashes my old-style c2duo Macbook pro 15" - I fix it by putting ice packs underneath it for long gaming sessions, and by propping it up on blocks (to get more airflow underneath) for short ones. In the end I bought a Mac Pro tower to fix the problem, and it worked
SMC fan control is not enough, it still overheats and hangs (but no audio loop) even if you crank the fans all the way up before starting.
My (now gone) MBP first edition (but last revision) burnt out its graphics card from over heating. I had a ghosting issue that progressivley got worse. Even with fans on full the entire time the system was running, it was still too hot. I sold the machine as is and left Apple products since I've seen the same issue in many other people's MacBooks. Thin and cute, and well... Hot (literally).
When will Apple learn that 80C is not an acceptable temperature to start to ramp up the fans?
(2 grand lasted me all of 2 years. Way to go. My old PB3400c is still alive and well after 11 years.)
However, I've got a question of heat. It is running extremely cool when I am using it for some normal purposes, but it gets pretty warm when running XP via VMWare Fusion in the meantime. I wonder adding more memory will help because it came with standard 2G memory. Any help would be appreciated!
'Apple are [sic] aware of the issue and are investigating . . ."
There is absolutely no need for the [sic] annotation here. Our British cousins consider all collective nouns plural. Hence, "Apple are" is perfectly acceptable since it references the company's representatives in the UK.
I always find it weird to say "Apple are". Do you also say "My company are..." or "That group are"? Aren't those collective nouns?
I believe the speculation about the first batch being bad is correct. I bought mine the day after it released and now the repair facility is telling me the repair is on hold as they wait for new parts. I thought that it was just an issue with an over smattering of thermal grease on the cores. I guess they're giving me the whole replacement deal.
I'm not having any issue with my new macbook, despite that I am let down by the original 5400rpm hdd after trying out a WDC Scorpio Black 7200rpm hdd. I switched back to the original one because the new macbook is too nice to have any noticeable vibration for me.
However, I've got a question of heat. It is running extremely cool when I am using it for some normal purposes, but it gets pretty warm when running XP via VMWare Fusion in the meantime. I wonder adding more memory will help because it came with standard 2G memory. Any help would be appreciated!
Your computer is going to run hot when running VM especially, since virtualization requires a good bit of processing power. As far as Windows... well, they've never scored high marks for power management. I have the same issues.
Your computer is going to run hot when running VM especially, since virtualization requires a good bit of processing power. As far as Windows... well, they've never scored high marks for power management. I have the same issues.
Oh, that sucks. So it wouldn't help even if I maxed 4G memory? Thanks for the answer btw
I'm not having any issue with my new macbook, despite that I am let down by the original 5400rpm hdd after trying out a WDC Scorpio Black 7200rpm hdd. I switched back to the original one because the new macbook is too nice to have any noticeable vibration for me.
However, I've got a question of heat. It is running extremely cool when I am using it for some normal purposes, but it gets pretty warm when running XP via VMWare Fusion in the meantime. I wonder adding more memory will help because it came with standard 2G memory. Any help would be appreciated!
Memory will increase the speed of your applications and reduce any lag you might be noticing. It will not however cool down the computer. The processor (and possibly GPU?) is what's hot, and it'll stay hot even if/when you add memory.
then again, max memory just makes apps better. end of story.
Wow, that's bad. Is it just me or does it seem like Apple are having more and more problems with their new products? I was going to get a new MacBook in January, but i think i will skip it for now. So much for "it just works"....
I tend to not buy stuff when it first comes out... from anybody.
It's especially great advice for cars. Even Honda and Toyota have significantly fewer defects when you don't buy a car during it's first model year, i.e. right after it's been revised.
In the dictionary under 'early adopter', it says "synonym: sucker".
That said, Apple's quality-control problems are disappointing.
...
'Apple are [sic] aware of the issue and are investigating . . ."
There is absolutely no need for the [sic] annotation here.
Indeed. Thank you.
Our British cousins consider all collective nouns plural.
Or singular. In British English you can take your pick; plural is used most often in my experience.
I always find it weird to say "Apple are". Do you also say "My company are..." or "That group are"? Aren't those collective nouns?
It sounds weird to you because in American English it's wrong; collective nouns are nearly always treated as singular. As I said, in British English they can be treated as singular or plural. The grammar girl blog has a good explanation.
'Apple are [sic] aware of the issue and are investigating . . ."
There is absolutely no need for the [sic] annotation here. Our British cousins consider all collective nouns plural. Hence, "Apple are" is perfectly acceptable since it references the company's representatives in the UK.
hehe I had the same thought when reading the article. We've covered the topic of "is v. are" usage across the pond many times on these very forums, yet it are still an issue.
Wow, that's bad. Is it just me or does it seem like Apple are having more and more problems with their new products? I was going to get a new MacBook in January, but i think i will skip it for now. So much for "it just works"....
"It just sucks less than dell". I am still buying a new laptop when the 17" gets upgraded to the new form factor. I will never go back to windows - these problems are still a lot less than what I put up with in that other world.
So much for "it just works"....
"It just works" has always been a lie. The phrase should really be: "it sucks less".
I've got a brand new MacBook Pro and so far, no serious problems.
I tend to not buy stuff when it first comes out... from anybody.
It's especially great advice for cars. Even Honda and Toyota have significantly fewer defects when you don't buy a car during it's first model year, i.e. right after it's been revised.
In the dictionary under 'early adopter', it says "synonym: sucker".
...
The problem with that theory is Apple only puts out 1 model these days with their own set of proprietary cables that aren't compatible with anything but the new model.
Then next rev they?re on to the "NEW" cool thing of the hour and everything else is not compatible.
Getting a little old.
yet it are still an issue.
Well, that's wrong whichever side of the pond you're on.
It sounds weird to you because in American English it's wrong; collective nouns are nearly always treated as singular.
While I personally prefer to refer to collectives in the singular, grammar can't be wrong if it's the accepted standard for a prevalent group.