-
Hello MLAers! We've re-enabled auto-approval for accounts. If you are still waiting on account approval, please check this thread for more information.
AMD/Intel Laptops and Mavericks
- Thread starter raoulduke
- Start date
I've only heard second hand of a laptop that was turned in to a Hackintosh that failed pretty quickly because of inadequate GPU cooling. OS X ran the GPU at full speed and pushed the video hard, and the laptop apparently wasn't designed for that.
On the other hand, I've seen plenty of Hackintosh laptops that were just fine. Sometimes PC hardware is just cheaply made.
On the other hand, I've seen plenty of Hackintosh laptops that were just fine. Sometimes PC hardware is just cheaply made.
I've personally built a few for testing purposes and even run some of them for quite a long time with absolutely no problem (that is, you have to configure them properly). Never had a hardware failure.
I'm more inclined to think that if such a hardware failure happens, it's not because of the OS you're running.
I'm more inclined to think that if such a hardware failure happens, it's not because of the OS you're running.
It's possible but I'd say unlikely in this day and age.
Go back 14ish years ago and it was found that iMac's ended up with toasted video controllers due to Jaguar trying to make it operate in a mode it couldnt sustain, which happened if it was booted into Jag prior to the firmware update being performed. This was a fairly particular and isolated case I beleive but it suggests it is possible.
That being said, I think its more likely to be a matter of hardware simply not making the cut. The software may be asking more of it and accelerating the failure, however if this is the case then it's likely the hardware was going to fail anyway due either to a manufacturing fault in componentry, or poor overall unit design.
Go back 14ish years ago and it was found that iMac's ended up with toasted video controllers due to Jaguar trying to make it operate in a mode it couldnt sustain, which happened if it was booted into Jag prior to the firmware update being performed. This was a fairly particular and isolated case I beleive but it suggests it is possible.
That being said, I think its more likely to be a matter of hardware simply not making the cut. The software may be asking more of it and accelerating the failure, however if this is the case then it's likely the hardware was going to fail anyway due either to a manufacturing fault in componentry, or poor overall unit design.
OS X is much heavier on GPU's than Windows 8x is. But Vista and 7 were pretty hard on them as well (Aero isn't easy to run).
The good news is that Mac OS X would have saved you from some hardware that likely shouldn't have had whatever GPU it had anyway.
The only reason I can think for this to happen though is that OS X 1) supported the GPU (and it wasn't running in plain VESA mode) 2) didn't support the cooling system, so the GPU was running at full tilt and there were no fans running.
Though, most GPUs and CPUs these days will throttle themselves (potentially very heavily) under load, and then shut down before any damage occurs to the system.
From a hardware perspective only, I'd be interested in hearing what laptop specifically you're looking at, raoulduke. If this is something like a Dell XPS M1330/1530/1730, then it's most likely a known GeForce issue, and the GPU was going to melt off the board eventually anyway.
The only reason I can think for this to happen though is that OS X 1) supported the GPU (and it wasn't running in plain VESA mode) 2) didn't support the cooling system, so the GPU was running at full tilt and there were no fans running.
Though, most GPUs and CPUs these days will throttle themselves (potentially very heavily) under load, and then shut down before any damage occurs to the system.
From a hardware perspective only, I'd be interested in hearing what laptop specifically you're looking at, raoulduke. If this is something like a Dell XPS M1330/1530/1730, then it's most likely a known GeForce issue, and the GPU was going to melt off the board eventually anyway.
Some graphics-related aspect of the computer just failed again. It was only running Windows 7 following the last service. It took a bit longer but the symptoms are essentially a gradual version of the same issue. The screen would flicker off every day or two. Now it does it pretty soon after I'm able to login to Windows. The odds are now probably in favor of a product defect rather than a software-hardware issue.
Ironically I'm three days out of warranty... but I first noticed the problem last week.
Ironically I'm three days out of warranty... but I first noticed the problem last week.
Last edited by a moderator:
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E545. My previous desktop (Core Duo) ran Kalyway's 10.5.2 (effectively 24/7) from 2009 to 2012. My current desktop (i5-3570) has run Mavericks pretty consistently since late 2013. However, prior to this Thinkpad, the only laptop I'd ever used OSX on was Kalyway on an Intel-based HP (from 2008 until it broke [from a fall] in 2010).
Last edited by a moderator:
As a local ThinkPad enthusiast/purist, Edges are Not Real ThinkPads©. (Only X, W and T series count for modern ThinkPads.)
Lol well whatever. I got this machine for two reasons - 1) it was below a threshold price so I honestly didn't do my due diligence all that great; 2) I was specifically looking for a Windows 7 machine (this definitely skewed my search results). If I had it to do over again I would not get an AMD machine and I probably (after this experience) would not get a Lenovo.
[This was/is a school computer (really only for taking exams) and I wanted to experiment with some stuff - 1) installing Yosemite on a platform that is not my main desktop, 2) have an AMD why not since I didn't really want a laptop anyway. Having said that I chose this one for the price and Windows 7 (which I promptly wiped anyway lol).]
The x61 (2007/8 probably) and T61 (2008/9 probably), despite not being really relevant to choosing Lenovo or Thinkpads now, I actually like a lot more than my machine.
When I clean my desk I'll see if I kept either or both of the service slips which show the tests and results. I might have them as emails but I don't think so. Because if this is like the other times, there's nothing wrong with anything other than the screen/output to the screen. As in the VGA output should work fine and there's nothing otherwise wrong with the computer - although last time the power supply also failed.
[This was/is a school computer (really only for taking exams) and I wanted to experiment with some stuff - 1) installing Yosemite on a platform that is not my main desktop, 2) have an AMD why not since I didn't really want a laptop anyway. Having said that I chose this one for the price and Windows 7 (which I promptly wiped anyway lol).]
The x61 (2007/8 probably) and T61 (2008/9 probably), despite not being really relevant to choosing Lenovo or Thinkpads now, I actually like a lot more than my machine.
When I clean my desk I'll see if I kept either or both of the service slips which show the tests and results. I might have them as emails but I don't think so. Because if this is like the other times, there's nothing wrong with anything other than the screen/output to the screen. As in the VGA output should work fine and there's nothing otherwise wrong with the computer - although last time the power supply also failed.
Last edited by a moderator:
