[Person Man]

This thread is in response to those people who are saying, "Shoot, I was going to buy a new MBP, but now that everyone is having problems I'm having second thoughts."

I for one, am completely, perfectly happy with my 2.4 GHz Santa Rosa chipset based 15" LED LCD MacBook Pro with glossy screen. I've had it for two weeks, and I bought it at the Apple Store in Cincinnati.

My screen is beautiful. No graininess, no uneven backlighting, no flickering, etc. Yes it's 6 bit, but just about ALL 15" laptop screens are these days. I have ONE dead pixel, on the left side, about 1 cm from the edge and 5 cm from the bottom. It's not noticeable unless I look for it.

No overheating problems, no random shutdown issues. No excessive fan noise, no battery life issues. If there's too much thermal paste on the chips, it's not causing any issues. Chip temperatures are fine, and well within operating range.

Again, I am completely happy with this computer.

This is a troubleshooting forum; you'll hear the most from people who are having problems. Most of us don't have problems. Those of you who aren't having problems, post here so we can show those people who are on the fence that they likely have nothing to worry about.

[highstakes]

I keep hearing about graininess on MBPs, what exactly is it?

[jtrwallace]

I have the same exact computer as the Person Man except mine is Matte and I have to agree with him. I have had no problems with my computer whatsoever. I have never even seen a dead pixel but I don't think that I have one. I also don't understand "graininess," so if someone could explain that would be nice. The computer gets hot, yes, but I don't think too hot. The only quasi-problem I have had so far is one Crash. But, that was probably my fault. Wait, no, it was my fault. I was installing Ubuntu in Parallels while trying to install X11 from my install disc and I was encoding a DVD with Handbrake to mp4. All the while Safari, Stattoo, Mail, Azureus, VMware Fusion (no virtual machines loaded, however), and iChat were open. So, it's my fault. My suggestion: take things a little more one at a time. Or at least 8 at a time instead of 9. Then again, I have a history of using ALL of the RAM and crashing OS X

[ejl10]

I've got a new 2.2 model with the matte screen, and it is everything I'd hoped it could be. I've tried to induce the airport kernal panic that some people have talked about, but I can't. It just works perfectly.

Person Man - for your dead pixel try this:
How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor - wikiHow

[ghporter]

I got one of the last Core Duo machines, and it's been a joy! It's unfortunate, but most of the time feedback is BAD because people with good experiences just keep enjoying their good experiences and don't bother to share them with the rest of us. THANKS Person Man!

highstakes, I hear about graininess too. Haven't seen anything that looks "grainy" to me on ANY Mac display. Ever. I suspect that some people are experiencing an interaction between their matte finish screens and environmental effects, which could be fine dust, ambient light from odd angles, or something else. I've seen screens look really BAD because the user used something like cheap paper towel to wipe them off DRY, leaving wood pulp all over the screen (hint: use barely damp, high quality paper towel and you won't have any isues), and I've seen some high-dollar displays trashed by people using industrial window cleaner on them instead of the manufacturer recommended PLAIN WATER. I've used alcohol swabs (the little squares of cotton soaked in alcohol that they use on your arm before you get a shot) to remove stuff like fingerprints and the occasional sneeze (don't ask!) without any problem, but that's only VERY occasional. In short, I am not certain WHAT people are talking about when they mention this MBP "graininess", but I do know that taking care of your screen is simple and an important way to keep what you see on it looking good.

[Mixa]

A dead pixel was reason enough for me, to return my new MBP. I did try some methods for "bringing it back to life", but in the end it didn't work. Guess i'm a bit picky, but why settle for anything less than perfect with such an expensive piece of hardware?

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Mixa 

...why settle for anything less than perfect with such an expensive piece of hardware?

Because of the way LCD screens are manufactured, you have to accept some stuck/dead pixels in a percentage of the screens.

If Apple demanded a 100% no problem pixel screen from the manufacturer, MacBooks and MacBook Pros would probably cost several thousand dollars more than they do now.