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New MBP: Display and harddisk changed

H

Habakuk

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 10, 2007
968
40
Vienna Austria Europe
As I've mentioned already here and here there were some issues with my first generation MBP 3,1 (those with LED backlight) bought in early June 2007. There were defenitely no dead or stuck pixels but rather some dust or speckles within the display housing. The amount was growing by the days and weeks.

Yesterday the display has been changed for a last generation LG under warranty. No more speckles, dead pixels, yellow tint (exept if you're looking from far besides) or other anomalies. The gradients test of the app "LCDtest" is 98% okay now (failed badly with the Samsung display). The display seems to be a little bit brighter and sharper too. The service guy said that it's not the first display they've changed on first generation MBPs 3,1.

I've taken the opportunity to change the internal harddisk for a new Samsung HM250JI 250 GB/5400/8 MB because the book was open for the display replacement and I would not have to pay for labor time but just for the hardware. Recommended. The left palm rest seems to get less hot with the new drive. It's at least as fast as the old original Fujitsu (120 GB/5400) and just a little bit (barely recognizeable) louder.

The old one is now in a Onnto TB-S12O external enclosure (USB/FW400/800). Recommended too. But it gets very hot. With FW800 as fast as if the HDD would be internal. Ships with all cables (rather short) and power supply (you'll need it for USB or optional for FW), nice design with alu housing.

They've installed a new OS X on the new drive (maybe I should have better been waiting for Leopard?) but the migration process from my old HDD (in the new external enclosure) failed. Some software wanted to be reinstalled (Little Snitch, SteerMouse etc.) or didn't work at all. The network setting had been ignored as well as the countless updates - I had to download >250 MB again then new boot up seven (!) times and got error messages.

So I've ereased the new internal HDD and cloned the old system with CCC and everything seems to be fine now :)
 
Habakuk said:
As I've mentioned already here and here there were some issues with my first generation MBP 3,1 (those with LED backlight) bought in early June 2007. There were defenitely no dead or stuck pixels but rather some dust or speckles within the display housing. The amount was growing by the days and weeks.

Yesterday the display has been changed for a last generation LG under warranty. No more speckles, dead pixels, yellow tint (exept if you're looking from far besides) or other anomalies. The gradients test of the app "LCDtest" is 98% okay now (failed badly with the Samsung display). The display seems to be a little bit brighter and sharper too. The service guy said that it's not the first display they've changed on first generation MBPs 3,1.

I've taken the opportunity to change the internal harddisk for a new Samsung HM250JI 250 GB/5400/8 MB because the book was open for the display change and I would't have to pay for labor time but just for the hardware. Recommended. The left palm rest seems to get less hot with the new drive. It's at least as fast as the old original Fujitsu (120 GB/5400) and just a little bit (barely recognizeable) louder.

The old one is now in a Onnto TB-S12O external enclosure (USB/FW400/800). Recommended too. But it gets very hot. With FW800 as fast as if the HDD would be internal. Ships with all cables and power supply (you'll need it for USB or optional for FW), nice design with alu housing.

They've installed a new OS X on the new drive (maybe I should have better been waiting for Leopard?) but the migration process from my old HDD (in the new external enclosure) failed. Some software wanted to be reinstalled (Little Snitch, SteerMouse etc.) or didn't work at all. The network setting had been ignored as well as the countless updates - I had to download >250 MB again then new boot up seven (!) times and got error messages.

So I've ereased the new internal HDD and cloned the old system with CCC and everything seems to be fine now :)
Click to expand...

glossy or matt?
 
Matte.

Another thing: When I opened the lid and waked up the MBP (this goes fast as hell with the new MBPs) I could watch within half a second or so a change of the color profile or something like that. First the desktop display was blueish then it changed to a warmer color tint all of a sudden. Maybe a difference like daylight and tungsten light in photography terms.

This change is still there with the LG display but the transition is smooth like a fading effect and not jerky like before with the Samsung.
 
You changed your hard drive? Or did they do it for you?

If so, didn't you void the warranty by replacing the hard drive yourself? Also, when you called apple about the dust in the screen, what did they say? They didn't give you issues about it? Thanks.

Edit: I reread what you wrote and saw that you did it, however, doesn't this still void the warranty? I just want to know because I have a 120GB HD and want to get a 160 or larger drive. Thanks.
 
Sorry that I didn't express that correctly. It was the Apple Service here in town who accomplished the change of the display under warranty and the change of the hard disk without charging labor time because the notebook would be already disjointed for the new display anyway. With warranty of course. I had only to pay for the hardware - new hard drive and the external enclosure.

Sorry again. English is not my first language.
 
Must be different here, everytime I ask if I can suppy a drive for them to exchange for me, they say "No we can't do that service" which makes no sense. I'll try again if I get the screen replaced, maybe it'll be different.
 
Again it was the Apple Service Center who supplied the Samsung HM250JI.

BTW: With the actual firmware it is much faster than the original built-in Fujitsu. There are several tests out in the meantime and it's almost as fast as a 7200 rpm. Supports SMART feature. Speeds up a new MBP by 10 to 20% at data writing and reading.

Highly recommended!
 
Is there anyway to check EXACTLY which LCD is supplied from (Samsung, LG, etc.) without ripping/tearing the unit apart?!?!

I'm about to purchase another 17MBP with HD screen but like to make sure to check it has the LG instead of the Samsung before I fork out the cash.

Will the specs screen tell you?

Please advice.
 
17MBPC2D said:
Is there anyway to check EXACTLY which LCD is supplied from (Samsung, LG, etc.) without ripping/tearing the unit apart?!?!

I'm about to purchase another 17MBP with HD screen but like to make sure to check it has the LG instead of the Samsung before I fork out the cash.

Will the specs screen tell you?

Please advice.
Click to expand...

There's no way to know from looking at the box as far as I know. You can only find out by looking at the system itself, but there's no way for you to do that without buying one.

Once you have bought one, you can find out by:
"System Preferences -> Displays -> Color -> Select the "Color LCD" profile and click "Open Profile" -> Scroll down to #13 ('mmod' etc.) and look in the "Model" text box, 9C67 means LG, 9C68 means Samsung." (taken from other's post in this thread.
 
Habakuk said:
There were defenitely no dead or stuck pixels but rather some dust or speckles within the display housing. The amount was growing by the days and weeks.
Click to expand...

There was dust within the screen? How could that happen? It looks like a sandwich of plastic about a gnat's ass thick.

I would have thought that the face of the screen is laminated to the color changing part (diodes?) of the screen.
 
majordude said:
There was dust within the screen?
Click to expand...

Let's say: Something like dust. In this thread you'll find photos of the speckles by user lu0s3r322:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/326028/

They are very similar to those I've found in my previous and meanwhile changed display but I didn't have that many although the amount was increasing. Those anomalies have been reported on all types of displays - older MBPs, Cinema Displays and even iPhones.

How could that happen?
Click to expand...

The service guy didn't believe it's dust. He asked me if I had the notebook in humid surroundings. No. Only a few transports, most of the time at my (clean & dry of course ;-) desk.

It looks like a sandwich of plastic about a gnat's ass thick.
Click to expand...

:) It's not plastic alone. The lid is alu and the surface of the display is glass. But you're right. The guy said the components of the display panel are pressed together very firmly.

I would have thought that the face of the screen is laminated to the color changing part (diodes?) of the screen.
Click to expand...

Just my opinion: There must be a certain clearance between the diodes (or other backlights) and the panel. The dust or whatever was already inside before the layers had been laminated. I tried to move the speckles by shaking the book - no result, they stayed fixed.

I've even thought sometimes that the mysterious speckles resembled a little bit tiny mold. But that seems to be nonsense.
 
I upgraded with the same HDD model...

and had some issues, the second time I booted I got a prohibitivity sign (or whatever is called), I just turn it off and on again (yeah) and that worked :), I checked the SMART status and had a look at the logs, but nothing showed up there. It's been a week and is working ok. Except for the not remembering that I don't want it to go to sleep when plugged in. Very strange... :apple:
 
ale500 said:
and had some issues...
Click to expand...

It is very important for Macintosh computers & Samsung HM250JI that you have firmware version HS100-08 for the disk. Look under System Profiler - Serial-ATA. If your disk has HS100-06 there will be huge problems (not data loss but other problems) according to a German-language forum and the professional computer magazine "c't".

If you need to update firmware please ask again. There is a special method (burning firmware update CD) for Macs.

ale500 said:
... when plugged in.
Click to expand...

Do you have it internal or in an external enclosure?
 
@Habakuk:

Well, I got today (cold start) another prohibitivity icon, so I turned off the machine (macbook) and restarted, the computer started normally.
I checked immediately with disk utility the disk and permissions but both gave no errors. The SMART status is also ok (I used Onyx).

The system log does not have any account of that failed boot. :confused:

The harddisk has already the HS100-08 firmware.

Otherwise it works very well.

It is very puzzling, the original disk worked without a glitch for over 9 months, now sits in an external enclosure (ICY BOX something).

I hope the disk is not faulty.... anyways I backup any important data regularly :) (now for instance).

:apple:
 
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