MacBook Pro is one of the most purchased Mac computers that offers great performance, security, and classy features. Owning this system shows the status of a user. But hardly anything can be as frustrating as seeing your MacBook display freeze, distort, or refuse to turn on.
The performance of the display is determined by the power of a graphic card. It facilitates the display to render images or videos from 3D content to video games. This post will provide you with a list of common MacBook Pro video card problems and potential solutions.
Signs of Video Card Failure
Some of the signs of failed video cards are simply apparent, while others might need certain tools to find them. A bad video card can result in a frozen screen while watching videos or playing games. When the graphics card cannot process the video, the spinning wheel appears. Read the article to learn more about the spinning wheel in-depth and the ways to fix them.
The affected video card makes the screen black making it difficult to log in. It may also cause your MacBook to crash. Other symptoms include odd display effects, increased fan speed, and alerts that content can’t be played due to failed graphics cards.
Faulty GPUs or video cards on MacBook Pro can lead to several issues. It can potentially cause damage to the display as well as to the entire system. Poor ventilation can increase the temperature, which eventually makes your computer overheat quickly.
Your video files may also get corrupted. Improper functioning of the MacBook Pro video card can result in many more negative consequences. It may stop videos from playing after some minutes. Your MacBook may start creating loud noises without any reason.
Reasons for MacBook Video Card Issues
Several practices can cause MacBook Pro video card problems. For example, failure, corruption, graphics card not showing on MacBook, and lots more. Certain software like rendering programs and 3D games consume many video card resources.
A faulty PSU (power supply unit) and dust or dirt collected on the video card may be the culprits. Insufficient RAM or bad RAM is also counted as the cause of video card problems. You may also face the issue when the card is not fitted properly on the motherboard.
Video Card Problems & Solutions
Let’s now move on to the possible solutions that can help fix video card-related problems on the computer.
- Update Display Drivers
Running an outdated display driver can affect the video card operation even when the chipset drivers are fine. To rectify this problem, update your drivers after logging into your system as an administrator. Tap Windows and R simultaneously. Input devmgmt. MSC and press Enter.
Get inside the Display adapters option and right-click on your graphics card. Now, select Properties and access the Driver tab. Here, click on the Update Driver tab. Proceed and tap Search automatically for updated driver software.
- Install Chipset Drivers
Another solution to troubleshoot the graphics card or video card problem is to install the new chipset drivers for your MacBook motherboard. Right-click on the My Computer option and pick Properties. In the Hardware tab, hit Device Manager.
Access IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. It will indicate the manufacturer’s name. For example, NVIDIA, Intel, and VIA. Once you get the manufacturer’s name, go to their respective website. Download and install the updated motherboard chipset drivers.
- Check your RAM and CPU
Your display may get affected due to the poor functions of RAM or CPU. Identifying the faulty RAM and/or CPU is difficult until you put a lot of pressure on them. If you don’t get any error related to the video card, CPU or RAM might be a cause.
To check this, generate a bootable disk. Alternatively, use other testing tools RAM from reliable third-party developers. After testing RAM and CPU, you will be able to figure out if they both are working at an optimal rate. For increased computing power, upgrade your RAM. You can also use the tips mentioned in the video to improve the overall computer performance:
Try Alternate Solutions to Fix Video Card
Alongside the above tips, you can try some more steps. Clean your device to remove the accumulated dust. Restart your MacBook to bring everything back to a recognized state. Check the connectivity of your video card. It must sit properly on the motherboard.
Try resetting NVRAM and/or PRAM, as they highly impact the display settings. Test your MacBook in safe mode after disconnecting all external peripherals except for the display, keyboard, and mouse. If none of these things work, check for hardware or software issues.
The Conclusion
Video card failure is quite frustrating as you may not be able to play and watch the video you want. Just like all other cards, the MacBook Pro video card can meet some problems. The most common ones are discussed above with the best possible solutions.
Since now you are aware of the symptoms of a troublesome video card, keep looking for them. Quickly identifying the signals of a bad video card will assist you in rectifying the issue immediately for better display.
