Eighteen*5

Finally hit a solution after a weekend of googling with my macbook pro issues!

Checked out the Apple Defects wiki and found some examples of what I am experiencing.

According to the site it is a graphics card failure, specifically the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (present in my computer). It also directed me to another link on the Apple Support website which detailed the issue;

"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 four 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"

So now knowing this I can rest a bit easier I think. Instead of calling Apple I think I will just head down to the Apple Repair Center and take a print out of this information and that way when they check it out they should basically see that it is this particular issue and therefore the costs of the repair are covered under NVIDIA's agreement with Apple. Still not happy about it, but am pleased to find out that as far as I can tell - this is the issue and apparently it's quite common. So a quick announcement to y'all out there - if you bought a Macbook Pro during 2008, be prepared for the possibility of this happening to you.

See how I go tomorrow.