Graphics Card Failing
29/04/14 Filed in: Hardware
Hi Scotty
Can you recommend someone who repairs Macbook Pro's? My wife's computer shows a diamond pattern across the screen and after doing a bunch of research I found someone who figured out how to resolve this but it requires opening the computer and removing a battery to clear the video memory as well a software upgrade. I am located in Mint Hill so if you can recommend someone reasonably close it would be greatly appreciated.
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While I try to avoid hardware repairs on Macs other than hard drives, the issue you describe vs the solution you propose don’t seem to add up. If the MBP is displaying graphics issues then it’s most likely related to an impending failure of the graphics card. The graphics card is located on the logic board (soldered) So it’s not possible to simply change the graphics card. However, if you’ve done some research and feel you’d like to try a few other things I have a suggestion. I’m not sure of what “video memory” is referring to but maybe the article you read or person you spoke with is referring to the parameter ram. To reset the parameter ram, hold down command+option+p+r and allow the computer to restart 3 times (three chimes). That will clear whatever temporary memory was cached in ram.
The battery does not have to be removed to deprive the computer of power. This process is called reseting the SMC. Depending on your model of mac, this is achieved through a specific order of operations of holding down the power button, a combination of keys at startup, and or unplugging the power adapter from the computer at a specific time during the process.
Specific directions can be found in this Apple Support article.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
All this being said, if those processes don’t solve your video issue, it’s more likely that it is hardware related.
Can you recommend someone who repairs Macbook Pro's? My wife's computer shows a diamond pattern across the screen and after doing a bunch of research I found someone who figured out how to resolve this but it requires opening the computer and removing a battery to clear the video memory as well a software upgrade. I am located in Mint Hill so if you can recommend someone reasonably close it would be greatly appreciated.
___________
While I try to avoid hardware repairs on Macs other than hard drives, the issue you describe vs the solution you propose don’t seem to add up. If the MBP is displaying graphics issues then it’s most likely related to an impending failure of the graphics card. The graphics card is located on the logic board (soldered) So it’s not possible to simply change the graphics card. However, if you’ve done some research and feel you’d like to try a few other things I have a suggestion. I’m not sure of what “video memory” is referring to but maybe the article you read or person you spoke with is referring to the parameter ram. To reset the parameter ram, hold down command+option+p+r and allow the computer to restart 3 times (three chimes). That will clear whatever temporary memory was cached in ram.
The battery does not have to be removed to deprive the computer of power. This process is called reseting the SMC. Depending on your model of mac, this is achieved through a specific order of operations of holding down the power button, a combination of keys at startup, and or unplugging the power adapter from the computer at a specific time during the process.
Specific directions can be found in this Apple Support article.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
All this being said, if those processes don’t solve your video issue, it’s more likely that it is hardware related.
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