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#26 2008-08-12 7:20 pm
- Mr. T
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- From: omnipresent
- Registered: 2002-04-02
- Posts: 3599
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
Bat wrote:
CG5Addict wrote:
O.K. I'm leaning towards the 8800GT.
Might want to hold off awhile, or go ATi.
Mine's volt modded and heavily overclocked (Zalman cooling), and I haven't noticed anything too suspicious -- so far. It's my way of "accelerated age testing." If there's a failure point, I am determined to find it in the name of science! (plus I have a lifetime warranty).
Last edited by Mr. T (2008-08-12 7:22 pm)
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#27 2008-08-12 8:41 pm
- Bat
- Adult's Play
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
We're counting on you, single sample tho you be. Continue on in the name of [s]framerates 
[/d] Science!
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#28 2008-09-10 4:26 pm
- Bat
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- From: Björk, Björk
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Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
'Could this affect us Mac users?' Definitely maybe now...
AN NVIDIA SHAREHOLDER, Lisa Miller has launched a class action lawsuit against the graphics card company.
The suit, filed in the Northern District Of California, San Jose branch by Shalov, Stone, Bonner and Rocco, LLP alleges violation of federal securities laws.
The suit is nothing shocking if you have been following the Nvidia bad chips fiasco.
See the links at the bottom of the page for more on it than you likely care to read.
The short story is this, it alleges that the defendants, Nvidia Corp, Jen-Hsun Huang and Marvin Burkett knew about the problem as early as last year, and filed SEC reports that made no mention of it and the problems it allegedly caused and are still causing for PC manufacturers and consumers.
Nvidia sued for violations of federal securities law
It was just a matter of time.
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#29 2008-09-10 6:44 pm
- Mr. T
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- From: omnipresent
- Registered: 2002-04-02
- Posts: 3599
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
As much as I dislike NV right now, I hope it's not a company-ending fiasco, cuz then there wouldn't be any competition. However, I do hope that everyone involved in the corruption is punished civilly and criminally, as appropriate.
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#30 2008-09-18 3:01 pm
- Bat
- Adult's Play
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- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
Not many including myself want NV to die, I think. This doesn't exactly look good tho.
WORD REACHES US that 360 souls will be getting the boot from Nvidia today, as the company performs its first mass layoffs in 13 years.
Apparently Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsung Huang told employees that the layoffs would affect "every geography and every function".
We hear severance packages are fair "by American standards", but that it remains "a difficult time for everyone". µ
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#31 2008-09-19 12:17 am
- Bat
- Adult's Play
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- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
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Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
WE’VE HAD FORMAL confirmation from Nvidia that it will, indeed, be reducing its global workforce by six and-a-half per cent.
A statement from the firm acknowledged that about 360 unfortunate souls worldwide would be losing their jobs in what the company claims will be its first lay-offs in 13 years.
The layoffs are apparently an effort to get the firm "back on the right growth track" according to director of PR Derek Perez, and will purportedly be completed by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2009 ending October 26, 2008.
Nvidia CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang said in a statement, "The action today is difficult, but necessary considering current business realities."
He added that, despite job cuts, Nvidia would, "continue to invest in selective high-growth opportunities like our revolutionary CUDA parallel computing technology and our Tegra mobile single-chip computer."
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#32 2008-10-11 3:34 am
- Bat
- Adult's Play
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- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
Finally, officially... yes.
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:
Distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen
No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on
Specific products affected:
MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz)
MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008
Products Affected
MacBook Pro, models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
Resolution
If your MacBook Pro is exhibiting any of the symptoms listed above, please take it to an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) for evaluation, or call your local Apple Contact Center. Before visiting the Genius Bar at the Apple Retail Store, please make a reservation.
Apple is issuing refunds to customers who may have paid for repairs related to this issue. Please contact Apple for details on the refund process.
Note: If your MacBook Pro is not experiencing any of these symptoms, you do not need to contact Apple.
MacBook Pro: Distorted video or no video issues
A little ironic, with the rumors of new 'books on the 14th with NV chipsets & GPUs. Maybe a deal was worked out, old problems/ new prices.
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#33 2008-10-11 8:43 am
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
eff.
this means i have to drive two hours to the nearest Store, as i have had the "no video on screen" issue multiple times in the past. any word on what the Apple resolution is? repair? replacement? my argument is an old argument: i use my MBP a whooooole lot for work and can't be without it for a chunk of time.
suck it, trebek.
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#34 2008-10-11 4:36 pm
- Bat
- Adult's Play
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- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
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Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
LukeLucas wrote:
eff.
this means i have to drive two hours to the nearest Store, as i have had the "no video on screen" issue multiple times in the past. any word on what the Apple resolution is? repair? replacement? my argument is an old argument: i use my MBP a whooooole lot for work and can't be without it for a chunk of time.
Apple is issuing refunds to customers who may have paid for repairs related to this issue. Please contact Apple for details on the refund process.
===
"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," Apple said.
Owners of affected MacBook Pros are asked to bring them to an Apple retail store or Apple authorized service provider. Customers who already paid for repairs to the MacBook Pro as a result of the faulty chip will get a refund, according to Apple.
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#35 2008-10-11 6:26 pm
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
... i get all that. anyways.
i called AppleCare, they gave me a case number and found an actual Authorized Repair Center closer to me than the Apple Store, so that was nice.
however, i had to leave it there. new part (i'm assuming a new video card) will be in by tuesday, so i'll have my MBP back by that afternoon.
suck it, trebek.
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#36 2008-10-12 3:35 pm
- Bat
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Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
It won't stop.
HP admits 38 desktops have defective Nvidia chips
Time to update the 8-K filing
Sun 12 October 2008, 10:43
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#38 2008-10-12 7:20 pm
- Mr. T
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- From: omnipresent
- Registered: 2002-04-02
- Posts: 3599
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
Bat wrote:
It won't stop.
HP admits 38 desktops have defective Nvidia chips
Time to update the 8-K filing
Sun 12 October 2008, 10:43
Look on the bright side: at least desktops are cheaper to fix than laptops. Not much of a consolation to NV, I'm sure.
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#39 2008-10-12 10:46 pm
- Bat
- Adult's Play
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- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
You'll let us know [s]when[/s] if your 8800GT fails, right? 
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#40 2008-10-14 2:45 am
- Mukbul
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- Registered: 2008-10-14
- Posts: 3
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
You could go with the 8800GT option; or the baseline 2600XT, then upgrade to the retail Radeon 3870.
Gaming performance is competitive, quite adequate,
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#41 2008-10-14 6:42 am
- Bat
- Adult's Play
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- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
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Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
This sad state of denials was at it's most fevered pitch when we said that desktop parts were affected. Nvidia really doesn't want you to know that this is happening, especially if you are a stock analyst, it may cost the firm a lot of money.
The problem is that bridging the gap between defective chips and hardware failures is a tough thing to prove unless you have access to pools of reliability and warranty data. A single incident does not a trend make. We don't have all that data. Apple, however, does. Which is why its knowledgebase is so damning to Nvidia, take a look at these two entries.
(Note: numbers have been scrubbed to protect our sources)
...
For those not fully up on Apple lingo, M86 is a tower machine, not a laptop, not even a slimline anything, and is in no way related to a portable box. K3 is the iMac which is sort of related to a laptop. The G92 is a desktop part, the G92 MXM is, but these are two different parts, and the MXM version may be a desktop part in a small form factor, that is unclear.
In any case, what you are seeing is Apple saying that desktop G92s, aka 8800GT/9800GTX/GT1xx, have a "known Nvidia bump crack issue". This one is going to be really tough to spin, especially after Nvidia's track record of honesty with Apple.
So there you have it, hard evidence that desktop parts are bad. Hard evidence that G92s are bad. [..]
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#43 2008-10-14 8:19 pm
- Bat
- Adult's Play
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
Recent production should be fairly safe.
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#44 2008-10-14 9:13 pm
- Mr. T
- Uses STOS implicitly
- From: omnipresent
- Registered: 2002-04-02
- Posts: 3599
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
Mr. T wrote:
Bat wrote:
It won't stop.
HP admits 38 desktops have defective Nvidia chips
Time to update the 8-K filing
Sun 12 October 2008, 10:43Look on the bright side: at least desktops are cheaper to fix than laptops. Not much of a consolation to NV, I'm sure.
Indeed, I will. This actually puts me in a bit of a predicament. We've reached a point in multi-GPU technology where two midrange cards can actually outperform a single high-end part at a lower combined price. But why should I get another card just to have both fail? I'm not considering upgrading quite yet, but the issue will come up sooner or later.
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#45 2008-10-15 1:53 pm
- maleko
- Member
- From: Eugene, OR
- Registered: 2006-11-25
- Posts: 1220
Re: Could this affect us Mac users?
sturner wrote:
I love my ATI card.
That makes one of us
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