MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up #6: Clock speed of ATI X1600 card; Shift key not recognized; more

Clock speed of ATI X1600 card As first reported by the French Web site MacBidoulle, the ATI X1600 graphics card included with MacBook Pro 15.4" models is clocked at at 310Mhz for the GPU and 278Mhz for the graphics RAM. The card can actually be clocked significantly higher, and set at 470 MHz for the GPU and 470 MHz for the graphics RAM in some other notebook computers.

Users can overclock the ATI X1600 card (above Apple's default settings) using the utility ATI Tool while booted into Windows XP (a Mac OS X utility for overclocking does not yet exist). NOTE that we have not yet determined whether or not this process will violate your Apple warranty, though the company could certainly claim exemption from liability for damage resultant from heat generated by this modification, per the warranty agreement included with the MacBook Pro and Intel-based iMac.

Users who have overclocked the cards are reporting real-world performance gains commensurate with the clock increase -- generally in the range of 20-25%.

Note that the settings you enact will only remain for the current session. After you restart, the settings will revert back to the default (310/278 MHz) settings. If you boot back into Mac OS X, the default settings will also return.

The maximum stable clock speed at this point appears to be 430.07(GPU)/468.00(RAM).

If you have problems overclocking at first, make sure the 3D window is closed (using the 'Close 3D View' button) before applying the changes.

If you do decide to overclock, make sure you have a utility like Temperature Monitor handy. Check various temperature readings before changing clock settings, then track how those temperatures change after the up-clocking process. If there are significant increases, it's probably a good idea to restore the original settings.

Also, make sure your MacBook Pro is plugged in when attempting overclocking.

However, some users also report significantly increased fan activity and surface heat temperatures after up-clocking their systems. Some users also report repeated crashes when using the higher clock speeds.

Shift key not recognized Several users have reported an issue where the MacBook Pro's shift key is not recognized, resulting in errant key entry.

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.

Random restarts In addition to a separate issue where MacBook Pros suddenly power off -- either during normal operation or while sleeping -- some users are reporting random sudden restarts.

MacFixIt reader Brian May writes"

I'm on a Brand new MacBook pro 1.83 GHz with 1.5 GB RAM. Mac OS X 10.4.6 (and my firmware is up-to-date). My problem : I've got unwanted reboot every day. The first time this arrived was when I was watching an .avi film with VLC. After the reboot (I didn't ask but came as the image of the .avi film was freezing), I launched the film again and had no problem till the end. Next time, this unwanted reboot came with Popcorn. And this either with my internal superdrive or an external one.

'At the same time, when I leave my MacBook pro alone and go help someone on site in my office, often, when I come back to my desk, my computer has rebooted (the session window is waiting for my password...) : this two or three times a day."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Previous coverage:

• MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up #5: Apple addressing issues with new revisions; 'Whine' noise petition
• MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up #4: More on loose batteries, powering off
• MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up #3: Replacement units shipping with improved right speakers; Wake-from-sleep issues
• MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up #2: Cannot connect to LEAP networks
• MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up: More abnormal noises from some units

For more coverage, see our MacBook Pro special report.

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