Q: MacBook Pro 2011 17" hard freeze

I just had my logic board replaced by Apple about a month ago (out of warranty) -- cost me close to $1000 because they obsessed over a small nick in the corner of my case as being the cause of failure. Now, just a month after the repair, I'm getting the same crazy graphics corruption as other posters here have shown... guess I'm gonna have to take it back in to the store. Yay for 90 day warranty.

Anybody have any luck getting apple to replace logic board under warranty for this sort of issue? It's hard to reproduce but it's already happened 3 times while I'm working.

My 2011 15" video died a week after repair   They are sending it back, expedited, and said if it is not fixed properly this time, we'll talk options.

I didn't even do much with the machine in the week.  I asked about other causes like the power supply and they said no, that cannot cause this problem. So, shrug, we'll see.

Stinks.  I recommend Apple laptops all of the time but they should not fail within 3 years, not to mention within a week of repair.

Yepp. My motherboard originally died a couple days before it's 2 year birthday. For  $2200 machine... that's ridiculous.

I retrieved my 15" 2.0GHz early 2011 MacBook Pro from the Genius Bar after it came back from the depot in Tennessee.  The logic board had been replaced twice back in June, and the depot replaced it again, along with the top case/keyboard (for cosmetic reasons) and the MagSafe board (ostensibly because they detected some sort of charging issue).  I'm really relieved to see that the depot replaced the logic board, since the Genius Bar diagnosis this time around was that the hard drive was the issue - the depot didn't see anything wrong with my hard drive, as I'd expected. 

The depot billed for the Tier 2 repair at $540, which is the level for "accidental damage" (due to a dent in the case), plus $100 for labor, plus 6% Maryland tax.  Apple covered all of this because of the $526.50 spent back in June for the two logic board replacements that had not solved my problems (though they said that covering this cost was atypical and not something they'd usually do - I negotiated hard to get them to do it). 

I'll need to do some thorough stress testing over the coming days, but so far I've been unable to crash the machine.  While I was waiting for the Genius Bar staff to deal with checkout and receipts, I ran a pretty heavy graphics load - a movie in Netflix, plus two YouTube videos and Photo Booth with greenscreen effects.  Previously, one of those things alone could crash the machine, but it ran happily with all of that going at once.  I'm crossing my fingers that this repair lasts.  I've got a 90-day warranty, so it could go back to the depot at no cost if the problems return before November 10.

I still plan to stick around here and help however I can - I still own an affected machine and want to stay up to date on what's going on.  I'm still logging info from these threads, and running a Google form about these affected models. 

All most the same as your case. My laptop is late 2011 15"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Same problem with May 2011 15 i7. Feedback form submitted. There appears to be a design/manufacturing issue with these machines. Taking ours in to local store today.....

Update after visiting local apple store: very professional genius staff diagnosed issue as requiring a new logic board at £420 - 90 day warranty. They expect to have it back to me tomorrow. Early 2011 model. An apple care pack would have cost £280.

Defski66 > Are you going to pay the 420?

My i7 Early 2011 17 is undergoing intermittant freezes where its either grey screen or split screen.  Mouse curser still works!!!  Any thoughts before I drag it down to the genius bar?

Yes, should be ready to collect tomorrow.

I think your computer is showing early symptoms of the GPU failing.  Some users here experience these visual anomalies before their GPUs stop work completely and causes their Macbooks to stop booting.

Interestingly enough I just had the graphics corruption happen to me, while the computer was set to "forced integrated" using gfxcardstatus. Wondering if what I'm experiencing is really the same discrete GPU failure everyone else seems to be having.

I think you are right...

But I read through these and I see that a lot of people have their logic boards replaced - and then suffer multiple failures after.  I am betting that as the battery ages, its causing more heat - and Apple didn't take that into account in their original engineering.

IF! I decide to cough up the money for a new board (if there isn't a new recall) I'll pay them to replace the battery, pull out the optical drive, and place a fan in that area.  I'm not sure they can do that (the fan) but I will.  I barley use the optical drive, and reducing the heat density and having an extra cooling port may be a big deal.  But its just a guess based on what I've been reading here.

I have submitted to Saramwrap's database.  But I think I will go back and add the above thoughts as well.

And how does that make sense?  Is this a firmware update issue?  A lot of people say it isn't, but then I see a lot of low temp failures and even some failures immediately.  I can't believe apple hasn't addressed this...

Take a look at this thread and seen if this method can help you.  http://forums.macnn.com/103/iphone-ipad-and-ipod/351485/no-sound-ipod/

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