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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > pb 17" problems

pb 17" problems
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Apr 3, 2003, 04:43 PM
 
Here are the problems I have with the 17" (some more minor than others).

1. When screen is closed, left side of the lid has a greater gap than the right side by about 1-2mm. Not a serious problem.

2. I have one dead pixel in the middle, about an inch and a half from the top. Not like I didn't expect it, I can live with it.

3. Right command key is slightly tilted (leveled towards the right).
Kind of annoying, I wonder if this is a feature and not a defect?

4. Sizzling noise which some report not present.

5. CD insertion to superdrive is LOUD. Is this normal?
     
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Apr 3, 2003, 05:04 PM
 
1. When screen is closed, left side of the lid has a greater gap than the right side by about 1-2mm. Not a serious problem.
This is not uncommon. Although it is not presetn on mine, I have seen several reports of this. Some say you can bend it so that it will be level, but I wouldn't recommend that.

2. I have one dead pixel in the middle, about an inch and a half from the top. Not like I didn't expect it, I can live with it.
Mine too. Actually I have a dead blue transistor, pretty much in the center of my screen. I'll live.

3. Right command key is slightly tilted (leveled towards the right). Kind of annoying, I wonder if this is a feature and not a defect?
I don't see this on mine. I would try applying even pressure to the whole key and mashing it down. Its possible the key is not snapped down all the way on one side.

4. Sizzling noise which some report not present.
All of the new PowerBooks have this. It has to do with high speed processors somehow. It could possibly be fixed in a firmware update, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

5. CD insertion to superdrive is LOUD. Is this normal?
Yep, it is very loud. It surprised me the first time I used it, but at least its only when you stick it in, right?
     
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Apr 3, 2003, 06:12 PM
 
My problem with the PB 17" is that it's 10 feet away from me here in the Apple Store and I can't play with it. I can merely watch it rotate around on the display.
     
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Apr 3, 2003, 07:43 PM
 
What can you do about dead pixels? Mine is bugging the hell out of me. I hide it with a dark desktop background...but it just annoys me because i _know_ it's there.
     
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Apr 3, 2003, 09:57 PM
 
I have two blue pixels on my LCD. I don't see them unless the screen is dark (when playing a movie or working on a dark PS project or something). I ran a LCD test program that splashes colours on your screen to pick out dead pixels and it looks fine under every colour except black where the two blue pixels stick out like sore thumbs. It annoys the hell out of me too but I guess I'll have to live with it since Apple won't replace the LCD unless there are more than 5 bad pixels. Still sucks a$$ though. Can't even massage them out...lord knows I tried.

Cheers
"Hermann Goering would have been better than Rimmer. Okay, he was a drug-crazed transvestite
but at least we could have gone dancing" - David Lister 3rd Technician JMCS Red Dwarf

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Apr 4, 2003, 12:59 AM
 
The only problem that applies to me is the noise coming out of the keyboard and the loud cd tray. But yea, both of those are normal and all the new powerbooks have them.

Ming
A Proud Mac User Since: 03/24/03
Apple Computer: MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 3 GB Memory, 120 GB HD
     
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Apr 4, 2003, 02:01 PM
 
Originally posted by mcs37:
My problem with the PB 17" is that it's 10 feet away from me here in the Apple Store and I can't play with it. I can merely watch it rotate around on the display.
Haha, I go to Southpoint often and when they first put up the 17" PowerBook display I walked right in front of the window and started playing around with it while it was spinning around... nobody said anything!
     
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Apr 4, 2003, 02:05 PM
 
was it a working model?
     
   
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