Macbook Pro Logic Board Failure

hi all,

i've recently had my macbook pro just stop working for no reason but it is out of warranty (didn't purchase apple care this time - not sure why!)

here's what's happening:

upon holding start button there is no "chime" but the super drive goes through it's starting procedure, then the machine shuts off and the sleep light blinks quickly before stopping completely. the entire time the screen remains black.

after taking my machine to an authorised service centre the diagnostic is that the logic board has failed.

am on the phone to apple now and am facing what appears to be a known issue: unless the service centre can state it's the graphics card and not the logic board then i am left with a $4000 brick (as under the Nvidia logic board program, Apple and Nvidia have publicly acknowledged the graphics chip to be faulty on certain models - mine included)

however, complete denial from apple that the actual issue is the graphics card that has caused the logic board to fail!!

i've already lost A WEEKS WORK (you already know here that i'm a photographer) due to having no machine to process with. a mate has lent me a pc but it doesn't have lightroom so i have to open ALL my raw files in photoshop before i can even see them to select which ones make the cut!!! arghhhhh time wasting!!! add that to the two weddings i have booked for this and next weekend and I am starting to get EXTREMELY annoyed!!!!

will update this all the way, as i am not content to have just thrown 4g out the window due to a known fault!!

Sounds like a trick issue to deal with. From your post, it wasn't clear to me what the scenario of system failures due to graphic card issues is.

If the graphics card is the failed component and the system board is fine, it seems the graphics card could be replaced. From what you say, I assume the dealer would be willing to let you try a new graphics card, and if it worked, you probably wouldn't have to pay for it.

If the main board failed, it could be because of a faulty graphics card damaging it, or it might have failed for some other reason. I would think Apple would be aware of which components normally failed due to a bad graphics card, and might be persuaded to replace the logic board at no cost to you if one of those components failed. There are no doubt some shades of gray, though, so it is understandable they are somewhat reluctant to accept responsibility. If you can tell from the dealer's diagnostic tests what components failed, and find out what components typically fail due to a bad graphics card, you might be in a somewhat better bargaining position.

thanks sonlight,

well here's the latest update on my scenario:

my discussions with apple have proved fruitless. joanna (the customer service rep dealing with my case) has returned a call to me denying all responsibility that the graphics card is the problem. she had discussed with the service center and they have confirmed what I already knew: the logic board has failed.

in my case, the logic board being soldered to the graphics card and the known faulty graphics card causing that failure has been completely ignored by apple.

for those of us in australia who have experienced this complete lack of responsibility from apple, what is the recommended best course of action to take from here? I am not content with apple's position on this. $4000 of "pro" apple product should not just stop working!

A quick search for the problem found statements like, "if the graphics processor fails, Apple will fix it at no charge". So far, I've found nothing indicating that a bad graphics processor would damage the rest of the computer, although Nvidia's original claim that "the Macbook pro should not be affected", followed by the questioning of that claim, could be understood to mean that the main logic board could be damaged if the graphics processor died.

I would suppose that if your graphics processor has NOT failed, then Apple and Nvidia would be justified to conclude that the graphics card would not likely have damaged the logic board. I suppose it's not easy to determine the condition of the graphics processor if it's soldered to a broken computer, but perhaps the dealer's diagnostic tests could determine that. If I owned Apple, I would be inclined to repair or replace your board if the graphics card had failed, in the interest of a good reputation. Do you know if the graphics processor has failed? If it has, I think Apple should either accept responsibility or else try to demonstrate that the logic board failure was independent of the GPU failure.

Well sonlight, the conclusive evidence (after my research and the familiar symptoms) is that the graphics board has failed. It's just a matter of getting Apple to acknowledge that Sad

After taking this matter up with the Office of Consumer Affairs here in SA the information they have given me is conclusive: find a authorised Apple Service Repair Center that will conclude the failure is due to the graphics card and not the logic board.

I'm in the process of contacting all Apple Service Repair Centers in SA at the moment, stay tuned...

Thanks mate, but this has already been resolved Smile

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