Logic board going

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MacBook Pro Intel Core Duo, ProTools HD, Digi 192
I have a MBP from about 2005-2006 and it's starting act up a lot.
-Getting really hot... like burning hot
-Freezing
-Getting pink and red lines across the screen, random glitches.

I brought it the mac store and they said it's probably the logic board, but they weren't sure. Apparently it's 300 dollars just to get the thing looked at, plus what ever they have to replace.

How serious is replacing the logic board? (price wise) Do i really have to send it in to do that?
 
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Describe the location where your MBP is "burning hot." Your problems could be from an overheating GPU. After turning off your notebook and letting it cool down, do the pink and red lines appear immediately after startup or after a few minutes? Can you tell if the cooling fans are working properly?
 
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J
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It mostly gets hot on the metal above the keyboard and the entire bottom...right where the video card is. The lines usually don't appear until the computers been on for an hour or so. I really cannot tell if the fans are working "properly" but i did used to used smc fan control until the guy at the mac store told me it overrides the computer's discretion of the fan speed.

The computer's getting pretty old, but i don't know if it's really worth spending the money for a new logic board...Any suggestions?
 
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933 Mhz Powermac Quicksilver,1.5GB RAM, OSX 10.5, Tangerine 300MHz Clamshell, OS 9.2
Okay so let's go with the worst case scenario:
You need a new logic board.
Are you mechanically inclined at all?
I read iFixit's guide to the logic board removal and honestly, it looks significantly easier than what this other member is saying. It doesn't look "Tedious" at all. All you have to do is just simply remove screws and label them with markers. Example: 4 screws removed from logic board are marked yellow...where they go is marked yellow. You can get a tested MacBook Pro logic board for about $450 which is still cheaper than getting a new laptop.
The amount you're going to spend on fixing this will vary with how mechanically inclined you are.

If you're not mechanically inclined, I strongly suggest just selling the laptop on ebay as is and getting another.
 
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J
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Thanks Jaguar,
Yes I'm very mechanically inclined, I've just never worked on a computer before. But what you said definitely helps. I'll look into the iFixit's guide and see what I can do.
Just one more thing.. they guy at the mac store said that it's possible that a faulty logic board could have affected other components of the computer.. most likey my video card (pink lines, and glitched "squares"). Do you think that it really is a possibility? Or is he just trying to sucker me into spending more money?
 

cwa107


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Thanks Jaguar,
Yes I'm very mechanically inclined, I've just never worked on a computer before. But what you said definitely helps. I'll look into the iFixit's guide and see what I can do.
Just one more thing.. they guy at the mac store said that it's possible that a faulty logic board could have affected other components of the computer.. most likey my video card (pink lines, and glitched "squares"). Do you think that it really is a possibility? Or is he just trying to sucker me into spending more money?

Your "video card" is integrated into the logic board, as are most of the major components. By replacing the board, you are effectively swapping the "brain" of your machine. What's left is the case, keyboard, screen, hard drive, and optical drive. To more directly answer your question, it is possible, but improbable that a faulty logic board would damage these last remaining components.
 
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It mostly gets hot on the metal above the keyboard and the entire bottom...right where the video card is. The lines usually don't appear until the computers been on for an hour or so. I really cannot tell if the fans are working "properly" but i did used to used smc fan control until the guy at the mac store told me it overrides the computer's discretion of the fan speed.

The computer's getting pretty old, but i don't know if it's really worth spending the money for a new logic board...Any suggestions?
Your problem most certainly is due to an overheating GPU, which could be caused by and improper SMC fan control setting. Doesn't SMC let you see what your fans are doing and control them? Instead of replacing the logic board, try ramping up the cooling to the maximum possible setting. If that works, then you could ramp it back down a little. I'm very surprised the Apple "expert" didn't think of that. Another less expensive option is to install an auxiliary heat sink under your notebook.

You said your notebook is getting "old." There could be dust/lint or other debris blocking your cooling ports. Take the cover off and thoroughly clean the insides.
 
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I read the first 5 or so messages of this thread and then decided to put my two cents in.

Regarding your question about whether or not it's worth getting a new computer - what are the specs, other than "partially-broken" ;) , on the MBP? How do they compare to the specs of today's computers?
 

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