MacBook Pro Logic Board Failure

It's unfair to be in such a blocked situation just because laws protect Apple/NVidia

You are quite free to engage counsel and argue your theory about the law in court.

A lot of computers are defective and we can only be quiet because it would take too much steps to get our rights? Sorry, I can't accept.

Then complain to Apple, whether or not you accept it this is how it is currently. Use your energy to show Apple where they are wrong, and what needs to change. If enough people make the same effort it may change.

Hi, guys, I have an mackboock pro 15 i7 early 2011 (3 years and one month old) with board failure (graphic problems too). The cost of the repair is something like U$ 700 in the Authorized Service Provider. I'm in doubt if i should pay for it or if I should buy a new mac mini. and forget this macbook. What do you suggest to me? Thanks.

Apple Support Communites has removed several posts relative to this question, but have not specified when any violations of the Terms of Use Agreement occurred. I'm happy to contructive information, but I can't comply very easily without knowing what the problem is.

This MacBook has been linked to problems with the graphics board, specifically the Radeon 6450M or 6490M. In order to keep this problem from recurring on this machine, the most successful fixes have involved replacing the logic board and using lead solder. You expressed doubts about paying $700 for the fix, and this is a sound decision. (Mods: This information is contructive, informative, and very accurate.)

If you're looking for a suitable replacement, the Mac Mini is a very reliable machine. (Mods: This recommendation is specific and helpful to the poster, rmussada.)

Mods: if you have a problem with this post, feel free to edit it - or provide specific feedback relative to its offensiveness.

"The cost of the repair is something like U$ 700 in the Authorized Service Provider."

An Apple store will arrange a "fixed rate repair" for less than half that amount. A proper repair has nothing to do with "using lead solder".

This post may be helpful for those who have lost the lemon lottery and experienced a Mac that dies long before it's time. If you've had it with hardware failures and just can't take it anymore, here's a way you can stop worrying about failures once and for all, and never again see the inside of a repair shop. In addition, you'll probably also save a bunch of money.

Buy Used Macs.

Consider the math. You can buy one new laptop for say, $1600. Or, you could buy four 5 year old used laptops for about the same price.

If you buy one laptop and it dies, and Apple doesn't fix it for you, you're screwed. You just lost the lemon lottery.

If you buy four used laptops for the same price, and one dies, you can just toss the dead laptop and boot up the next one. If you keep regular backups on an external drive, you can be up and running again in 2 minutes. No fuss, no muss, no hassle, no crisis.

You probably don't need three backup laptops. One may do. If so, you'll save about half the price of a new laptop, and still have a worry free experience.

Think about it. You just saved $800. And you have nothing to worry about. Nice.

Obviously, this plan won't work for those who really do need the latest greatest features on the new machines. However, very few people actually NEED the new features, most of us just want them because they're nifty.

If reliability, a worry free experience, and saving hundreds of dollars are the features you value most, that experience is available. If you buy your used Macs from a reliable vendor who offers a warranty, there's not much risk.

I would mention a reliable vendor I've used, but I don't want this post to read like a spam. If you want to know, just ask, and I'm sure users of this forum can suggest some good used Mac vendors. Or better yet, you might be able to buy from a friend.

I didn't buy used Macs for years, on the assumption it was risky. Then I figured out it's actually less risky than buying a new machine, due to the great bargains you can get on used Macs.

If you don't want to have huge hassles....

Don't have them.

This is the U.S. price. I bought my mac wen I was living in U.S. Now I´m living in Brazil (the prices here are higher).

And let me ask annother question, do you think that board failure there is something to do with the Mavericks?

Can't say for sure but after installing Mavericks my computer slowed, started exhibiting light symptoms. Within the past 2 weeks these isolated symptoms have become regular and are constantly forcing my mbp to restart. Seems like I have all the symptons of a faulty logic board but I'm conveniently 3 months outside of the 3 year purchase deadline.

I have the very same MB everyone is talking about....... Over the last week I have started to get the syptoms over the logic board failing.

April 7th I logged on for a chat with apple support to find my Apple care had run out on the 6th April! Then I was prompted to pay $19 for a one off chat to help me with my problem. I bypassed this charge by using the exception of recently purchasing OSX. The gentleman I spoke to was very helpful, telling me to boot to safe, start new user account and test, eventually telling me to re-install OSX. Which finished at 2am this morning. Turned the computer and exactly the same issues repeated instanly.

I do intend to talk to Apple support again today, but decided to research the forums to see if this was common. I'm astounded how many people this has happened to, and just after there Apple care runs out.......

There is no way in the world I am paying for this to be repaired. 1) I cant afford to 2) when you spend over £2500 on a computer and £400 on Apple care you expect to get your monies worth.

And I have had to replace the HD and the optical drive after 2 years....

I just wanted to give an update on my situation.

Got my laptop back today. 2011 mbp 15" with the amd graphics. I replaced the logic board back in August and it needed another one in December (past service warranty and Apple care) I also replaced the RAM twice.

I fought long and hard to get my laptop issues fixed with Apple. Let me tell you, it paid off. My logic board, RAM, and both left and right fan were replaced courtesy of Apple.

I encourage those of you with an issue to keep pushing with the customer service. Keep asking for a higher person. If that doesnt work, email (like I did), very kindly stating your situation. I emailed the head honcho himself and received a phone call two days later.

If enough people push and try and email, they will see that this is a true and definite problem.

I wish you all luck, and hopefully my laptop stays intact.

You've been lucky; I'm glad for you about it, but I don't expect it to work that way everytime.

Anic, i dont expect it to work for everyone as well. But I also think you should read some of the other posts on these forums. Several others have emailed mr.cook and have had a good response. One person had a response that apple is gathering information and having people check into the problem.

So I think the point of my post was to encourage people to try and voice their problem to apple. I fought to get my laptop fixed.... since december! I definitely didnt think I would have this good of a response from them. I called myapple so many times, became irate, made geniusbar appointments, asked to speak with a manager so many times!

I did the same thing when my MBP 2010 15" logic board went belly up. Several genious bar trips several trips to cert apple repair people then finally sent it down to Tenn. on Apples dime. Got the board replaced. The diagnostic test at the certified repair place were inconclusive and they kept sending me home with a machine that would die on me. That was frustrating. I never lost my cool and kept moving up the food chain until I got someone who could make it right. Since then my machine has shut down three times so I live in fear of the final collasp. Once the finder wouldn't respond, and everything disappeard from my desktop another time the little apple disappeared so no shut down was possible, I burnt up my external hard drive trying to do a back up before doing a hard shut down incase I couldn't restart. On restart, everything returned to normal though it doesn't see my external drive anymore. It still gets very hot streaming video if I forget to engage the fan controller I downloaded. Something strange happened with the headphone jack the other day that caused the machine to freaze up. Another hard shut down was needed. So the problem has not gone away and I'm waiting for the other shoe to fall. This is not a good advertisement for our beloved Apple. On the other hand my wife's 13" MBP 2009 has been trouble free. I hope Apple takes this seriously and does something for all of us who paid $2000 and up for what was supposed to be a fantastic machine and is when the logic board is functioning. As it stands, if this thing dies before the 2 years is up since the last repair making this a 4 year machine and I can't get Apple to acknowledge that there is a problem with the manufacturing I'll never buy another Apple product. Here's hoping they step up and take care of this issue.

I thought I would drop a line here to say that I had my A1260 logic board replaced a few months ago by Apple for free.

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I have a 15 inch early 2011 mbp. The logic board failed in the forst year and had it replaced free under warranty. It was at that time I realized I actually board applecare, something that I forgot I had done.

This board worked well for the following year and failed at the end of Jan this year. Because I still had applecare, I had it replaced without cost. The replacement of it took two weeks compared to the three days during the first round.

Two months later, my mbp suffered from blue screen again, the same symptom as the previous times. The logic board spoilt within two months. I still have applecare and the warranty ends on 20th April, which is tomorrow.

I discussed this issue with my friend that had the same batch of mbp and had her logicboard replaced twice and when it spoilt the third time they replaced the entire machine for free because it was still within the three years of applecare.

As this was the exact same issue, I brought it up to the service provider when I brought in my mbp and asked if it was possible to get a replacement of the machine seeing that the logicboard has failed for the third time. The guy simply laughed it off and said no. So I tried tried to clarify with them that apple don't offer 1 to 1 replacement if the same issue occurs for the third time. The guy's expression changed immediately and he said that he ia unsure of the guidelines they have and I could ask apple myself (even though they are the authorized service provider).

I got in touch with apple by calling the hotline and after some waiting time and some details, the staff told me that the authorized service providers have their own rules etc and I should ask them about it and apple would be very glad to help me if they could in any way.

So with them pushing the problem to each other, I realized that I have no solution to it and most likely will just be getting a replacement of the logicboard with the fear of it spoiling again within two months, this time without warranty.

The mbp with three failed logicboard under applecare shouldn't get a 1 to 1 replacement at all? I'm very worried that it'll spoil again with a failed logicboard within months after they replace it this time round.

Has anyone encounter this issue before? May I please get some advice on this?