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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 Bill3Cr,

    Bill3Cr Bill3Cr Jul 31, 2013 7:49 PM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 31, 2013 7:49 PM in response to Rensoom

    I also have had two 17" MacBook Pros go bad.  Apple stood behind my 2008 video card problem but my early 2011 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 has been diagnosed with a similar video card problem.  The tech told me it was not worth repairing.  Hard to beleive two $2500+ computer died because of poor circuits in a little over 2 years.

     

    It's hard to recomend Apple computers to people after two bad very expensive computers in a row.

  • by fililanci,

    fililanci fililanci Aug 1, 2013 7:16 AM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 1, 2013 7:16 AM in response to Rensoom

    Pleas let me know if I can do anything to help you with all this! I'm another here from Italy. macbook pro 2011 15'  life of machine 2 years and 2 months.

     

    thank you

  • by Chris Dolan,

    Chris Dolan Chris Dolan Aug 1, 2013 11:54 AM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 1, 2013 11:54 AM in response to Rensoom

    Well, after my last post about the problem stopping it seems to have come back after several days. So irritating! I was using Chrome and my computer stopped loading websites and the fan started to kick in. I launched activity monitor and spindump was using about 50% CPU and 100% kernal task and finally had to force shutdown. Unfortunatly when I turned it back on I had purple lines through my screen again, after multiple attempts I was able to boot up completely.

     

    By the way, has anyone with the 2011 MBP (8,1) with Mountain Lion tried using there AHT DVD? As I mentioned in my last post, mine won't work (just on this computer).

  • by o_bay,

    o_bay o_bay Aug 1, 2013 12:06 PM in response to Chris Dolan
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 1, 2013 12:06 PM in response to Chris Dolan

    Exactly the same happened to me with my early 2011 MBP 15", OSX 10.6.8. Seems like a faulty AMD graphics chip, because it runs well when I keep it on the internal gpu HD3000. Was expecting this machine to go on for another couple of years..

  • by ProteoMX,

    ProteoMX ProteoMX Aug 1, 2013 7:01 PM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Aug 1, 2013 7:01 PM in response to Rensoom

    Hi everybody. I didn't really had the chance to read the whole thread, so something similiar may be already discussed befor. If so, I apologize. I'm posting it because I think it may be of some help for those of you who are having problems with the discrete GPU, as long as the problem is similar.

     

    Let's start from the beginning. I have an 15" MBP Earlt 2011 with the Radeon HD 6750M and Intel HD 3000 cards, updated to 16 GB of RAM. I bought the laptop in Mexico almost two years ago. The machine has been used mostly as a graphics/coding workstation, including some light After Effects work and the very ocasional (maybe less than 10 times total) Quake 3 gaming session. It's been attached to an external monitor via Thunderbolt/DVI adapter most of the time.

     

    At some point, maybe two or three months ago, I noticed that the fans were a bit louder (not too much) than what they used to be when I was doing nothing but browsing the web or even at idle state. I just opened the machine and removed the dust from the fans (something I've done two or three times before) and went back to work.

     

    However, about two weeks ago, something odd started to happen. The image on the attached screen started to get corrupted at random times, distorted and with gray lines all over it. At first, it happened once and it didn't happen again in maybe two or three days, and all I needed to do was to dettach the Thunderbolt cable and connect it again to get everything working again, so I just ignored it. A few days later, the problem started to happen more and more frecuently, sometimes causing hard freezes and sometimes a completely black screen which forced me to restart. At that point, I realized that something bad was happening, and started to noticed the familiar pattern: it always happened when the discrete GPU was in use. Started to googling about this and found lots of information, but nothing really useful. Tried everything, resetting thr PMU and NVRAM, buying a new TB adapter, a complete hard drive formatting and OS reinstall, going back to the original memory, swapping to another hard drive, etc, etc.

     

    A week or so after that I was almost resigned to the hard facts: my expensive machine was crippled and maybe, starting to die. At that point, just opening Photoshop would corrupt the screen and most times, would also crash the computer. Connecting the external monitor was impossible, etc. So, after some days of unrest and bad sleeping, I went back to the internet looking for a solution. Found this article about iFixit's teardown of the MBP 2011 and other related informations about the poor job done with the thermal compound and decided that, since the computer is out of warranty anyway, I'd take the risk and re-apply the thermal compound myself.

     

    So, I started to look for information and found out that the Artic Silver compund would work just fine, and I had a tube lying around. Followed the guide to replace the heatsink found here.

     

    At the begining, I didn't had too much hope. I tought that i couldn't hurt, but I was not very convinced that it would make a difference. Guys, the results were amazing.

     

    I'm typing this from the very same MBP, which has been attached to the external monitor and running absolutely perfect for the almost a week now. No more screen corruption, no lockups, and no problems at all. I feel like the machine was brought back from the death. I installed iStats Pro (what a piece of useful software BTW) and my current temperatures are:

     

    CPU: 63º

    GPU: 58º

    GPU Diode: 58º

    Heatsink B: 58º

     

    These numbers are with the external monitor attached, under normal load. The computer has a hard shell case but I don't think that does too much difference. Under heavy load the CPU can reach 80º and the GPU 73º, but everything works just fine. When idling or under normal load fans are quieter too, BTW.

     

    At first, I was expecting to see the corruption almost at every second. As time passed and everything "just worked" I feel confident and started to do more and more heavy stuff, first the external screen, some photoshopping, opening a large After Effects project, even a short (about 30 minutes) Quake 3 session. After a few days, I just started to use it regularly, and everything seems OK since.

     

    Now, before you jump to rip your MBP apart, let me give you some additional information, just to make sure my scenario is similar to yours:

     

    1. The computer was able to boot normally (I never had to remove the extensions for the discrete GPU in order to boot the computer). The corruption and crashes would start just as soon as I actually started to use the Radeon GPU. With gfxCardStatus installed and forcing the use of the integrated GPU, I was able to use the computer with no problems at all.

     

    2. I downloaded the Apple Service Diagnostic software (the right version for the Early 2011 MBP is 3S144) and ran all the test. Funny thing, all test were passed, which means that the computer wasn't really damaged or these test are not useful to detect the problem in this specific case.

     

    3. Indeed, the factory thermal compound was really, really messed up. It was excessive, smeared all over the place. A real shame, a premium computer that can be permanently damaged by something that a bit of care could easily prevent.

     

    4. If you go for the thermal compund replacement, keep in mind that even if the warranty has expired, Apple service technicians may refuse to take your computer for repair because you are in fact violating the terms of use of the product. Since I live in Venezuela, and proper Apple support is close to non-existant here, it was not a big deal for me.

     

    5. If you go for the thermal compund replacement, make sure you use the right tools and equipment. Doing it is not hard at all, but if you're not careful, breaking things or cause even more damage to the computer is actually quite easy. Take your time to read guides and proceed only when you feel confident. Make sure you are using a good, well known and reliable thermal compound (Artic Silver products seem like the way to go).

     

    6. Obviously, there's no guarantee this can fix your MBP. YMMV, as usual.

     

    Well, that's it. If this is useful for you, or you have additional information, please post it here!

     

    Proteo.

  • by danieltothemax,

    danieltothemax danieltothemax Aug 1, 2013 11:46 PM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 1, 2013 11:46 PM in response to Rensoom

    I'm effected by this as well.  Same exact problem.  My computer won't even boot in safe mode or recovery mode.  It just sticks at an apple loading screen with lots of glitchy horitzontal lines and then eventually just turns light grey, or blue and freezes.  I can load windows 7 in boot camp mode on my bootcamp partition, but it also looks really crazy.  This isnt a hard drive issue.  When I could get into my desktop on the OSX side, putting it on discrete card only with gfxcardstatus would instantly crash it.  I've called tech support and got no help really...went to the apple store and got the old 310$ deal.  Why should we have to pay 310$ dollars when its obviously some kind of manufacturing defect?  So annoyed. 

  • by generationyasky,

    generationyasky generationyasky Aug 6, 2013 7:46 AM in response to danieltothemax
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 6, 2013 7:46 AM in response to danieltothemax

    I just wanted to chime in that I am having the same exact problem with an early 2011 15 inch Macbook Pro with a matte HD display. I get a hard freeze when using the Radeon HD 6750M card in Mac OS. When I use gfxCardStatus to force the computer to use integrated graphics, it will work... only when I shut down the computer and then try to boot it sometimes takes several boots to work... giving me grey screen and horizontal lines until eventually booting. I brought the computer to the Genius Bar and they suggested a clean install of Mac OS and the $310 logic board replacement. HOWEVER - I explained that I get the same problem when I boot the computer from bootcamp into my Windows 7 partition, meaning that it is most likely a hardware issue and reinstalling Mac OS most likely wouldn't help. I was still urged to reinstall and get the $310 logic board replacement. After having read through this thread, it seems like the logic board replacement will not fix the issue, and that the issue is indeed due to faulty manufacturing involving the graphics card. Has anybody had any success in fixing this completely yet? It's very unfortunate that so many of the exact same laptops seem to be experiencing the exact same, replicable issue... yet the appropriate help/support to truly fix the problem is not yet in place.

  • by ProteoMX,

    ProteoMX ProteoMX Aug 8, 2013 12:39 PM in response to generationyasky
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Aug 8, 2013 12:39 PM in response to generationyasky

    Please read my post above. I had pretty much the same problem, and I was able to fix it. My computer has been working flawless so far. And it might be the placebo effect, but it even feels a bit faster than before.

  • by Kristian_F,

    Kristian_F Kristian_F Aug 8, 2013 1:39 PM in response to Bill3Cr
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 8, 2013 1:39 PM in response to Bill3Cr

    Is this thread still going on?

     

    In the beginning of the tread I told that, at there has been malfunction in the Foxconn assembly plant 2010-2011.

     

    BETWEEN THE CPU AND COOLING ELEMENT is too much (spoonful. Need is only a drop) thermal paste. And when there is too much thermal paste, it ISOLATES cpu and cooling element. Same thing between AMD GPU & cooling element.

     

    I found out that when I started my MacBook Pro first time after purchase. It crashed when installing OS X. CPU was 106 C (222.80 F). GPU over the limit.

     

    I opened it, cleaned CPU, GPU & cooling elements. Added a drop of Arctic Silver and my mac has been running after that BELOW 80C even when using software what uses all cores of the CPU.

  • by Chris Dolan,

    Chris Dolan Chris Dolan Aug 8, 2013 2:44 PM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 8, 2013 2:44 PM in response to Rensoom

    This thread is going on because heat appears to be irrevlevant. Mine just started doing this a couple weeks ago. GPU at 39C and freezes instantly. It is not OS related and after reading about people going through logic boards, apparently this issue is unsolved by Apple itself.

  • by Chris Dolan,

    Chris Dolan Chris Dolan Aug 8, 2013 3:21 PM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 8, 2013 3:21 PM in response to Rensoom

    Well I wrote Apple feedback again. $19 to speak to someone? Seriously! I wrote that class action lawyer, I think someone said it was closed - but I will find out.

  • by Robk93,

    Robk93 Robk93 Aug 11, 2013 11:16 AM in response to ProteoMX
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 11, 2013 11:16 AM in response to ProteoMX

    Hello,

     

    I think that what you're saying might be the exact same thing as what's going on with mine.

    It started like a week ago, until then it was always fine. My computer started to freeze randomly, in both OSX and bootcamp.

    Now, where you guys all say that it happened when switching to the 6750m, I do'nt think that's the case. I could switch and gently use the 6750m, but once I started to put some load on it, it crashed. Every **** time.

     

    What ProteoMX is saying makes perfect sense.

    I installed istats, and noticed that the temperature of my CPU, under very low loads easily reaches 70-80°C, where the CPU heatsink would not exceed 50-55°C. I googled it and it appears that your heatsink being more than 20°C colder than your CPU isn't really normal unless your CPU is under heavy load.

     

    I will be buying myself a set of screwdrivers to complete the tutorial which he linked and will keep you guys updated once it's done.

     

    Maybe this also explains why my fans often go crazy, and maybe even why I couldn't run games without some laggs at medium/low settings, while other hd6750m users could easily run the same games, at the same resolutions at high/ultra settings without any problems.

  • by RH uk,

    RH uk RH uk Aug 11, 2013 12:14 PM in response to Rensoom
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 11, 2013 12:14 PM in response to Rensoom

    MacBook pro 15 i7 2.3 matte 1650 res 6750 ati intel 3000; ran perfect since march 2011, last 5 weeks graphics distortion on ati, freezing, won't boot, etc. frustrating to say the least.  Kept in perfect condition not leaving the house etc.  Was using lion, even tried mountain lion, still issues !!!

     

    Re formatted drive, reinstalled os, swapped to ssd, swapped ram. All to no avail.when gfxcard status swapped to internal intel and not shutting down only closing the lid ll ok. Moment the ati kicked in then black and white lines or just frozen.  Took spark following ifixit, reapplied thermal to gpu etc,initially ok but now freezing again.  Reset smc, nvram etc etc  etc.

     

    Not amused. Typing this on iPad.

    My mrs dell xps bought same time running fine no issues and half the price of my Mbp.

     

    So much for the just works nonsense.   This stinks of the nvida all over again.

     

    One unhappy Mbp owner.

  • by fly away on a bullet,

    fly away on a bullet fly away on a bullet Aug 11, 2013 1:24 PM in response to RH uk
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 11, 2013 1:24 PM in response to RH uk

    As I mentioned before , bake it !

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqjeKqWbTg4

     

     

    I allready did it 3 times ! use artic silver 5 !

     

    Mac book pro  mid 2011

  • by DPCPhoto,

    DPCPhoto DPCPhoto Aug 11, 2013 3:41 PM in response to fly away on a bullet
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Aug 11, 2013 3:41 PM in response to fly away on a bullet

    @fly away on a bullet,

     

    Nobody should have to do warranty-voiding things.

     

    P.S.  That video covers 2007-8 MBPs with nVidia.  This 128-page thread covers 2011 Macs with ATI.  The baking/cooking/whatever process may not be applicable. 

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