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Q: MacBook Pro 2011 17" hard freeze

Overheat? The fans revved and suddenly I could use nothing but the cursor. Had to hold down the power switch to kill all and then re-power & startup. I wasn't doing anything unusual, but I had 7 apps open and was amid an auto-backup to TimeMachine.

Just a little disillusioned and concerned, wondering if anyone else there has experienced a hard freeze like this.

macbook pro 17" 2011, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Mar 1, 2011 11:15 AM

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Q: MacBook Pro 2011 17" hard freeze

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  • by alexaseltine,

    alexaseltine alexaseltine Feb 20, 2012 12:24 PM in response to maddeen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 20, 2012 12:24 PM in response to maddeen

    Maddeen, what did you have to do to get them to get you a new logic board.  I don't want to just get to the apple store and end up empty handed.

  • by oGr3,

    oGr3 oGr3 Feb 20, 2012 12:31 PM in response to alexaseltine
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 20, 2012 12:31 PM in response to alexaseltine

    My early 2011 MacBook Pro had the 3GBs connector to the superdrive. Apple refused to change it to a new one with 6 GBs. They exchanged the logic board twice, the wifi card once and the memory once. After that they gave up and exchanged the machine for a fall 2011 one, with 6GBs.

     

    So your best hope is to get the machine replaced.

  • by alexaseltine,

    alexaseltine alexaseltine Feb 20, 2012 7:41 PM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 20, 2012 7:41 PM in response to Rensoom

    okay guys, sorry about posting so much in such a close amount of time.  I talked with an Apple representative through Apple care and told him about the problems I had been experiencing and told him about this thread on Apple support communities.  He had no idea that this was such a common issue and told me that he would look into it more.  This was a little encouraging, maybe he was humoring me, I don't know. 

  • by Kristian_F,

    Kristian_F Kristian_F Feb 21, 2012 1:26 AM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 1:26 AM in response to Rensoom

    Hi,

     

    overheating is the issue with the MBP's using CPU integrated GPU.

     

    15" & 17" MBP's with the secondary graphic adapter runs ok, when forced to use only secondary GA with the gfxtool and when the fan is forced to run maximum (6100 RPM) with the smcFanControl.

     

    Using graphic adapter integrated to CPU causes CPU temperature raise near 100 C (!!!) and this causes MBP crash.

     

    MBP 13" is unusable for the CPU/GPU intensive applications, like video compression, because of the CPU integrated GPU.

     

    And other thing is that, many MBP's out there got a way too much thermal paste between CPU and cooling element. So much at thermal paste is all around the motherboard near CPU. And because there is too much thermal paste it isolates the cooling element from the CPU.

     

    I did check my 2011 MBP and cleaned CPU and cooling element. It really was a mess on the motherboard. Before cleaning CPU and motherborad my MBP did run around 90 C when watching YouTube. After replacing thermal paste temperature drop to 50-60 C.

     

    Sad but true.

  • by alexaseltine,

    alexaseltine alexaseltine Feb 21, 2012 6:16 AM in response to Kristian_F
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 21, 2012 6:16 AM in response to Kristian_F

    Mine still actually freezes when turning graphics switching off and forcing it to run on the main graphics.  I should not have to clean up the thermal paste on this device (not to mention that this goes against my warranty agreement).  This is a hardware problem, and I expect to get a hardware replacement.  I use a MacBook Pro 15 early 2011 and expect it to be able to run graphics intense software without crashing such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop CS5, as this is what it was designed to do.

  • by AlbertosRM,

    AlbertosRM AlbertosRM Feb 22, 2012 3:49 PM in response to oGr3
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 22, 2012 3:49 PM in response to oGr3

    How to test this port problem superdrive?

  • by alexaseltine,

    alexaseltine alexaseltine Feb 22, 2012 4:17 PM in response to AlbertosRM
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 22, 2012 4:17 PM in response to AlbertosRM

    The problem isn't with the superdrive bay, the superdrive bay is to classify which logic board it is (3GBs or 6GBs). The real problem is with the GPU. 

  • by AlbertosRM,

    AlbertosRM AlbertosRM Feb 22, 2012 4:55 PM in response to alexaseltine
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 22, 2012 4:55 PM in response to alexaseltine

    thanks

  • by Stelios369,

    Stelios369 Stelios369 Feb 23, 2012 3:46 PM in response to anthonyfromnewberg
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 23, 2012 3:46 PM in response to anthonyfromnewberg

    Hey anthoneyfromnewberg,

     

    Thanks for offering a little bit of solution to this freezing issue. This discussion is linked to my email and I'm tired of people saying, "my MBP 17" is freezing up on me. Mouse still works . . . must do a hard restart. Anyone else having this problem?"

     

    I have an early '09 MBP 17". Same issue (obviously). Besides the processors, I don't know any differences between the '09s and the '11 MBP. Are the logic boards different? I think Lion OSX is one of the problems. My mac never froze before I installed Lion. Plus, we got screwed trading "Save As" for "Duplicate."

     

    The gfx-SC (something or other) download has stopped the freezing for several months now. According to smc-FanControl, my mac still runs hotter than ****. 50C-60C is normal running temp for my mac. If I convert a video - 75C. When I burn DVDs, my mac hovers around 95C-100C. I have a cooling pad with fans, and my internal fans are set between 4500-6000rpms. Can the fans, while running at 6000rpm, heat up the laptop rather than cool it off? Any idea? My mac has never shut down due to heat. However, I will not put my mac on my lap for fear of 3rd degree burns. Everybody has their own opinion on this subject. I'm sure Apple will tell me that 3rd degree burns are normal. Was I an idiot to think that getting an external burner would allow me to burn DVDs at a cooler temp?

     

    My MBP was screwed from the beginning. I got mine from BestBuy. I'm not sure if it was a return, or refurbished, but they said it was new. My keyboard didn't light up, and bluetooth didn't work. Took it to Apple. The one wire that controls both looked like someone chewed on it. Sent it back to Apple. They said it would cost $2700 to fix. I only paid $2500. I even paid for BestBuy's 2yr coverage which is a total scam. They claimed  that I was at fault for the wire. Huh? It was internal. Why would I pay $250 for 2yrs coverage, and then open up the laptop myself. Anyway, the wire that was messed up travels all around the screen, around the superdrive, and then connects into the motherboard (I have the Unibody). Supposedly that's why it was so expensive to fix one simple wire. Is that total b.s.? Do you know if the newer MBP are wired the same way?

  • by Quijy,

    Quijy Quijy Feb 26, 2012 5:17 PM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 26, 2012 5:17 PM in response to Rensoom

    Ok so I have been reading this chain and deciding what to do with my early 2011 i7 15" MBP (8,2). internal laptop display and 27" Thunderbolt display at the same time. I do web broadcasting @ 1080p with embedded 7.1 with this machine and do back channel video via skype or Google Hangout from the location to me in the studio so to speak so running two video streams at the same time plus a chat window, outlook and such running. The computer never locks up but I do get the rainbow wheel with GUI stall and I can do nothing on the machine till the wheel stops. And after about 3 hours of this the battery stops charging and the RAM starts to fill like it does in a windows OS enviroment. The stalls last usually it is 1~2 minutes and will come and go every 10 ~20 minutes depending on ram and temps they start to happen more frequently as the broadcast gets into the 3~5 hour mark.

     

    I have been trying the tools listed here, playing with graphics settings all the stuff listed within the strin and come to the conclusion that there is no real simple soltuion.

     

    I downloaded and ran tempture monitor for a month noting temps and fan speeds at time of rainbow wheel and gui stall.

     

    the data from the temp monitor was interesting. I noticed it sarts with a slow progression of heating up and cooling down. Temps as high at 101 C and as low as 50 C. But after about 60 minutes the lows never fall below 80 C ever. As I progress thru the 3~5 hour mark the temps average around 90 C at the low and up to 101 C. this is when the battery stops charging and RAM starts filling.

     

    So, i tried using 16gb of RAM from the 8gb. This stopped the RAM fill up. Went to 4gb of RAM, this worked like 16gb, back to 8gb and ram fills. Intersting! YEP, so something addressing wise in the LION OS. So staying with 16gb. Why not i have use it.

     

    I deceided that I wanted to look at the heatsinks since the MBP have compund issue. Took the laptop apart. Oh this takes all of 20 minutes, just take your time with the connectors. Pulled the heat sink off the chips and OMG, what a mess. They must have used a tube of compound in here. Took 20 minutes to clean up the mess. Used Artic compound cleanup chemicals, available at most radio shacks. Then applied a thin film of Artic Silver 5, aslo from RS. re-assembled and did my broacast for a week

     

    Guess what? NOW RAINBOW WHEEL!!!!

     

    Monitored the temps and it never gets hotter than 92 C and averages 75~82 C all night. now temps dont go below 50C at idle but i am much cooler on the high end.

     

    So after a month of the new compound and broadcasting I am now seeing nothing hotter that 88 C and averaging 70-84 C during my broadcast and NO rainbow wheel.

     

    Interestingly enough this never happend in Snow Lepard at all. So I am thinking that lion runs the CPU and GPU harder, and with the over abundance of compund it gets hotter faster. The OS throttles the CPU and GPU and when that happens the GUI freezes so you dont open more software taxing the GPU or CPU ore than it already is.

     

    Before you ask, Yes i have tested with Handbrake and my blackmagic capture conversion software and many utilities that tax the GPU and CPU and no rainbow wheel.

     

    In conclusion, my testing and solution has been tried on four of the laptops listed above and all are performing the same within a few degress of each other. I think the LION is partly to blame and very poor assembly techniques at Apple. I don't thing there is a bug on the logic board nor any major issues hardware despite the new superdrive board thing now floating around. Don't think the OS is totally to blame but is the cause to some extent. Overall just to much heat and poor ability to get it off the chips quickly.

     

    I did work on the other two heatsinks doing a few of the suggested mods with no change in the performance. So go after the main CPU GPU heatsink. that is where the problems lie.

  • by Side_Step_Society,

    Side_Step_Society Side_Step_Society Feb 26, 2012 6:27 PM in response to Quijy
    Level 2 (434 points)
    Apple Music
    Feb 26, 2012 6:27 PM in response to Quijy

    Early 2011 17" 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 750GB HDD. No issues here.

  • by joshEjosh,

    joshEjosh joshEjosh Feb 27, 2012 6:50 PM in response to joshEjosh
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 27, 2012 6:50 PM in response to joshEjosh

    Short story: IT SEEMS FIXED

     

    Took my MacBook Pro 15" to the Genius Bar on Thursday.   They were able to reproduce the freeze-up within one minute.  They sent the machine for a main logic board replacement.   The machine came back on Saturday afternoon, and I picked it up on Sunday.

     

    They replaced the logic board and the 8 gigs of non-Apple RAM for free, and the machine seems to be working fine now.  Had it running in clamshell mode with the external display on, opened and closed it several times.   No issues.  It seems like Apple has a new main logic board that doesn't have this problem, and folks who have purchased their MBPs more recently might be getting the new board.

     

    Anyway, yeah... it's a problem but my experience with support was very good.

  • by ardee,

    ardee ardee Feb 28, 2012 9:59 AM in response to joshEjosh
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 28, 2012 9:59 AM in response to joshEjosh

    Please can you tell us how it is possible to reproduce freeze-up?

     

    Thanks,

  • by joshEjosh,

    joshEjosh joshEjosh Feb 28, 2012 2:11 PM in response to ardee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 28, 2012 2:11 PM in response to ardee

    See http://mbp-freeze.wikispaces.com/

     

    I was able to reproduce it by opening PhotoBooth in full screen mode after about 5 minutes.   The Genius Bar guy was able to reproduce it on my machine in about 2 minutes with some sort of load-test script that launched several programs including a full-screen video playback on a second display.

  • by mas-scott,

    mas-scott mas-scott Mar 1, 2012 6:12 AM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 1, 2012 6:12 AM in response to Rensoom

    I have the same freeze occuring with my 15-inch late 2008 macbook pro. I am running lion. I had to push the power button again this morning. Therefore this is not resrtricted to 2011 machines. In the earlier days of owning this computer I did not have such problems. The last year or so it began popping up.

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