2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I have an early 2011 MacBook Pro (2.2 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 memory) running OS 10.8.2. It has two graphics components: an AMD Radeon HD 6750M and a built-in Intel HD Graphics 3000. Since I've had the computer, the screen would get a blue tint when the computer switched between them.


However, as of two days ago, the problem has become substantially more severe. The computer was working fine, when all of a suddent the screen when completely blue. I had to force restart the computer. Since then, the screen has gone awry on numerous occassions - each time necessitating a hard reset.


I installed gfxCardStatus, and have discovered that the computer runs fine using the integrated card, but as soon as I switch to the discrete card - the screen goes .


I am just wondering what my options are (any input on any of these would be appreciated!):


1) Replace the logic board. Would this necessarily fix the issue?


2) Is there any way to "fix" the graphics card?


3) Keep using gfxCardStatus and only use the integrated graphics card. This is definitely the easiest/cheapest option, but to have such a computer and not be able to use the graphics card seems like a real shame.


4) Is there any other alternative?


MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB memory

Posted on Feb 1, 2013 4:45 PM

Reply
13,550 replies

Feb 6, 2015 7:43 AM in response to abelliveau

Hi, i guess to have the same problem here. I own MacBook Pro purchased here in Italy on July 2011 (2.0 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3) running OSx 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) with AMD Radeon HD 6490M as discrete video card and Intel HD Graphics 3000 as integrated.

From january of this year it started to display artifacts on the screen (blue, red screen with orizontal lines) after about 30min of utilization, and had to force reboot everytime, since two weeks ago when it freezed completely and then fails in booting up (vertical lines at startup, then apple logo appears and doesn't enter in the system anymore).


BEFORE

User uploaded file



NOW

User uploaded file


Taking a look in previous thread i've seen that Apple suggests a logic card replacement in this case that doesn't solve the issue 😟 it's really frustrating considering macbook costs at that time.

Is there anyone experimenting the same problem who has found an alternative solution for this?

Feb 7, 2015 10:51 AM in response to jimoase

Apple Police (or Apple Troll) — If "these forums are [indeed] meant for technical questions that can be answered by the community" as you claim as "reason" for deleting my comments, then why is it full of nontechnical questions/answers to the point of as much as 25% or more (your estimate is as good as mine — you do the math since you're the one "moderating"). Why, for instance, isn't this ongoing "math problem" "discussion" which is filling up my email inbox deleted from the thread, but my comments are when I simply point out the reality of what is going on — narcissistic "last word" behavior that is as easily predictable as Chatty Cathy's "talk" once the string (Reply button) has been clicked, I mean pulled enough times. So why (per your "reasoning" for deleting my posts) isn't CC's language "inappropriate" "flaming" etc. etc as many times as its gone on and on about how others are lying, etc. etc.? And in this "high tech" highly computerized age, why don't I have the preference for hiding some participants in my face posts I don't care to see or read (u know who?), and customize my subscription to this thread so I don't have to get their idiotic replies in my inbox?

User uploaded file

Feb 9, 2015 4:44 PM in response to XLT77

XLT77 wrote:

wrherdon

You are quite right. The shareholders drive this company now and more precisely their inroads in China and Japan are moving the bar. People have to start thinking about the Apple culture.
...
I am really hoping that the numbers of failed computers pile up so high that they are going to offer a real fix for this.

Well.. I guess this explains it all....?

One may wonder which % of those Mac Units in 2011/beginning 2012 were 2011 MBP's.

One may also wonder what % of those MBP's have this problem.

Apple does really not seem to be looking forward to doing a recall on those numbers and rather have their 'beloved customers' cough up some more dough for some extra failure boards, so the numbers at least keep going further up.

Although the right diagram also displays a clear reason why they really wouldn't want to bother themselves with this issue EVER.

Macs just don't mean much anymore share wise as it seems...

Quality vs quantity... Hmm...

User uploaded file User uploaded file

Source: http://www.macworld.com/article/2062821/apple-by-the-numbers-mac-not-dead-yet.ht ml

Feb 19, 2015 10:44 PM in response to vsingha2k

vsingha2k wrote:


@jimoase - horizontal stripes, here are images

User uploaded file

http://thinkmarketingmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/History_of_Apple_Lo go.gif

Hey thanks .... that's close. I don't remember the frame or ribbon. Remember it was on a coffee cup so there was a lot less detail than what is shown so it looked good on the coffee cup.


I must have some pictures in a box someplace that caught a coffee cup sitting on a work bench or desk. Time to look through the depths of the basement.

Feb 20, 2015 6:09 AM in response to Bill Eccles

Be not deceived. An earlier class action lawsuit was dismissed, not the one that will be decided early April whether it moves forward or not.

As usual, manipulation and control is trying to create an illusion otherwise. Why do you think after all this time Apple suddenly decides to issue a repair program? Out of the "goodness" of it's heart? Yeah, right!

"Products affected

15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2011

15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina models manufactured from Mid 2012 to Early 2013"

"The program covers affected MacBook Pro models until February 27, 2016 or three years from its original date of sale, whichever provides longer coverage for you."

In other words, Apple is offering to replace logic boards for machines no more than 3 years after production for those manufactured in Early 2013, or for a bit longer for those produced earlier, and nothing else, as the standard 1 year warranty that covers other items remains in effect. You can bet this is being argued with legal sophistry as being "fair" and "reasonable" ENOUGH and that Apple should not be forced to do anything more. In other words, this is just more snookering in self interest instead of real customer service. Of course, the "program" makes no mention of what happens if those logic boards too fail, like so many others reported in this thread have. Such repairs typically come with only 90 day warranty. Part of the legal sophistry argument no doubt is that the minimum 3 year post production repair is sufficient - in other words, even if product fails outside of warranty, the minimum of 3 year 3 month lifespan on such product is "reasonable". The "program" of course doesn't address any of the consequences of such product failure. You can bet that if Apple suffered anything like its customers have, it would be all over the courts fighting for compensation for "damages".
As far as spending time and energy on the phone with Apple, I already have and all that's left as recourse is writing a letter.

Which do you think is more effective? Communicating with Apple or telling THOUSANDS about how Apple treated its long term, 24+ year loyal customer?
If you think the former, then I have beachfront property in AZ for sale for you.
My "rant" as it's been called in this thread is so Apple can "see" just what a dissatisfied customer looks like telling THOUSANDS instead of a satisfied customer telling merely hundreds - something else to point out in my letter, which I find hard to believe will be anything more than more exercise of futility based on how the legally fictitious "person", Apple Computer INC has behaved up until now. I don't think Apple has repented after spending time contemplating self reflection, even though it's been known for millenia that "The UNEXAMINED life isn't worth living." — Plato

Like all things modern, Apple picks and choses like a smorgasbord what it wants to "believe" is true, good, important, fair reasonable. See how Ayn Rand called her subjectivism "objectivism" as if she were the source of Absolute Truth. Remember, she is the goddess of Silicon Valley as revealed in "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace" by Adam Curtis — http://thoughtmaybe.com/all-watched-over-by-machines-of-loving-grace/ — and her bogus "philosophy" the "reasoning" by which the inmates run the asylum, parading themselves as highly intelligent, responsible, etc. as if they know what's best for everyone as they always have. A tiger has never changed its stripes, and neither have power mongers.

Rand set herself up as goddess, as Absolute authority and judge of who is virtuous and deserving love on that basis and who isn't deserving, according to her. She is an legalistic goddess that's nothing like Deity that loves unconditionally the "apple of its eye", humanity whom it has created in its own image and likeness. Rand's so called "objectivism" is anything but, merely "subjectivism" lying and calling its Self "objective", rationalization all dressed up in drag of "reason", the raging of the mind gone beserk. Like most things "modern" she is the inverse of what she claims to be as is her "philosophy" (love of Sophia, wisdom) which by no means deserves such recognition. Yet this is the "thinking", the motivation on which Silicon Valley is built.

"I only speculated since it just doesn't make sense for Apple to offer a repair program and use old logic boards, knowing by now that the refurbished ones break down all over again. I just think there's a higher chance for any logic boards replaced from February 20th onwards to be new ones, but I don't know for sure. I guess you could ask the Apple people when you go in for repairs."
LOL - and what do you think those "geniuses" would tell you? Most likely what they think you want to hear if anything at all because a) they're clueless, or b) they've been told what to say by "admin" and they know to follow the Apple rules (control) or they won't have a paycheck.

Once again, it all comes down to "modern" economics, of which the Apple corporate culture is a reflection, like most if not all others.
It's a ruse, and filled with lies that the power mongers tell themselves in order to "think" they are actually doing "good".

Do you really think that's going to change just by spending a few hours on the phone with some underling who's just doing what they're "paid" to do, no differently than a prostitute? Seriously?

If you look at the inscription on the Steve Jobs concoction featuring Isaac Newton, you will note "A Mind Forever Voyaging…. Alone" which is a ripoff of a 1985 interactive fiction game — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mind_Forever_Voyaging

— which shows the truth of human creativity and inventiveness, that "no man is an island" and we are forever "borrowing" form one another, most importantly those who've come before us. Yet it is the "modern" peculiarity to selfishly claim that an "individual" owns such a thing as "intellectual property" as if they created such entirely on their own out of thin air, and then go to great lengths to "protect" their self proclaimed castle.

Whether the Apple has stripes or not matters not. For over 1900 years prior to the "birth" of Apple Computer, INC, the bitten apple and rainbow meant something totally different and revealing regarding what in the d(evil)'s gotten into Apple and the modern world that is creating this delusional, illusion, this big lie — "fallen" human nature (bitten apple) as personified in Pinocchio.

User uploaded fileUser uploaded file

The "economist" claim that "THE modern world was made by Isaac Newton."

http://www.economist.com/node/2003425

But "modernism" actually began many centuries earlier with loss of understanding in Western Europe of communion/community as basis of cosmology, of Cosmos (Greek: Order)

Renaissance = man proclaims Self as the measure of ALL things

Enlightenment = elevation of human reason to status above ALL as god (in place of God)

"individual" vs Real Person

"corporation" (legal fiction) vs Community, Communion

blockhead, puppet vs real boy

fiction (lie) vs Truth

profit motive vs. Motivation to attain virtue

self interest vs. Altruism, Philanthropy (as proclaimed by Ayn Rand and implemented by Silicon Valley)

Icons In Today's World

http://aidanharticons.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Austin-Icons-in-Modern-Worl d-1.pdf

http://fatherdavidbirdosb.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-individual-and-church-eastern .html

All this is evidenced in how America politically loves to parade itself as a "christian" nation (i.e. manipulate "god" to its own ends, its own selfish delusional desire). Apple stands part and parcel in the midst of this theater of the absurd as leader of the pack, and in no way head and shoulders above it.

If Apple is "one of the best", then that's saying very little indeed.

Misdirection is multifaceted, and its multitude of faces are all ugly.

(Real) Beauty (Truth) will save the world. — Dostoevsky

Believe whatever, but the fact remains, our pre "modern" ancestors would not fall for such ruse, would not be such fools.

Feb 21, 2015 3:09 PM in response to jimoase

jimoase wrote:


Charles Houghton-Webb wrote:


I know of a MacPlus that's still running after 27 years ! Should that represent the life expectancy ? Probably not, but who is to judge ?

Look like these?

User uploaded file

They are all operational and were part of the work force at a local newspaper until 2007

Yup ! … Well like the one on the right anyway! On the left is a classic, and I think the middle two are SEs 😉

The one in the bag could be a MacPlus too, judging by the keyboard. The other keyboards and mice are later models.

Ahhh… the MacPlus… the computer that brought me to Apple when I was learning programming on a PC under MS-Dos!

Feb 21, 2015 3:21 PM in response to Charles Houghton-Webb

Charles Houghton-Webb wrote:


jimoase wrote:


Charles Houghton-Webb wrote:


I know of a MacPlus that's still running after 27 years ! Should that represent the life expectancy ? Probably not, but who is to judge ?

Look like these?

User uploaded file

They are all operational and were part of the work force at a local newspaper until 2007

Yup ! … Well like the one on the right anyway! On the left is a classic, and I think the middle two are SEs 😉

The one in the bag could be a MacPlus too, judging by the keyboard. The other keyboards and mice are later models.

Ahhh… the MacPlus… the computer that brought me to Apple when I was learning programming on a PC under MS-Dos!

Good eye. From left to right: Classic, 1meg Plus, 1meg Plus, 1meg Plus and the old fellow in the bag 512K

Feb 22, 2015 9:41 AM in response to jimoase

So what is at this moment the status of the Apple refund program? I have a MBP15" bought in CO (even though I reside in Italy) in March 2012, a little after two years it broke after the graphic board issue, I can still turn it on, access data via firewire target mode but can't access login window, it definitely is one affected by the "problem", what does it happen now, will I get a repair (which I think not the case since all logic boards carry the same issue) or a refund? I read proof of buy not required, at this link (which works on and off) my MBP is recognized having a valid purchase date, what should I do now and what to expect out of this?


****, that was quite a powerful machine, updated with 16GB RAM it was quite a monster 😢


User uploaded file




Thank you

Feb 22, 2015 11:07 PM in response to rennyz27

rennyz27 wrote:


jmc53 wrote:


Hmm they should have just issued a complete refund. They sold consumers a total lemon and they know it.

But how can they issue a refund for work that you paid someone else to do? I understand what you're getting at with the whole 'lemon' thing but it just doesn't make sense from a logical standpoint.


This is why I didn't repair my MBP till I heard some official word from Apple. I moved on and bought a Mac Mini with the same processor as my MBP. The 6 month wait was excruciating but at least everything is clear now.

I meant a refund on the particular Macbook models...not third party repairs. There is no permanent fix for the GPU problem. It is a design flaw and the same issues will spring up again in the future after the laptops are "fixed" by Apple. User uploaded file

Feb 24, 2015 3:31 PM in response to ella70

ella70 wrote:


So, does that mean we can use an extra monitor again? My eyes go crossed looking at stuff on the MBP screen, it's so small. My back aches from bending over to read fine print.


After 3 hours of running 11 movies, google Earth, iPhone slide shows, online broadcasts and doing disk repairs, etc this is what the widget iStat is reporting

.User uploaded file

Feb 27, 2015 7:50 AM in response to D3us

D3us wrote:


jimoase wrote:


There are two graphic processors units (GPUs) because Apple is trying to deliver a higher performance machine. When the 2011 MBP came to the market it was faster than previous big box Mac Pros. To accomplish that feat and have better battery life besides Apple installed two GPUs. One for light lifting and one for heavy lifting, if needed. In effect Apple was repeating what Intel did back in the 386 central processor (CPU) days, they were adding a math co-processor. Only in this case the math co-processor also had a video driver section that could also be switch in and out.


Agree with most of what you wrote, but a small correction.

Apple dit not "install" 2 GPUs.

1 Is integrated in the CPU, "Intel HD Graphics"

They only added the AMD as extra for mentioned purpose.


We might be splitting hairs here. I think there are separate chips for the CPU, the Intel GPU and the AMD GPU. Here is what steers me to think that:

They have distinct names and operate on different bus structures. An internet search will probable find separate specifications and maybe individual pictures. I have seen specs for the AMD GPU and Intel CPU. I have not looked for the Intel GPU.


My son works for Intel and when I mentioned my graphic problem his first comment was something about probably a problem with an AMD processor. This is when I first had the problem. Neither of us had done any research at that time. My son is involved with database network solutions so he is not associated with hardware engineering.


User uploaded file

User uploaded file


<Image Edited by Host to Remove Personal Information>

Feb 26, 2015 10:38 AM in response to jimoase

jimoase wrote:


D3us wrote:


jimoase wrote:


There are two graphic processors units (GPUs) because Apple is trying to deliver a higher performance machine. When the 2011 MBP came to the market it was faster than previous big box Mac Pros. To accomplish that feat and have better battery life besides Apple installed two GPUs. One for light lifting and one for heavy lifting, if needed. In effect Apple was repeating what Intel did back in the 386 central processor (CPU) days, they were adding a math co-processor. Only in this case the math co-processor also had a video driver section that could also be switch in and out.


Agree with most of what you wrote, but a small correction.

Apple dit not "install" 2 GPUs.

1 Is integrated in the CPU, "Intel HD Graphics"

They only added the AMD as extra for mentioned purpose.



D3us ... you are right... the Intel GPU is a separate chip die mounted within the same chip as the CPU die. Found a picture of a different CPU with a the GPU we are discussing as an example. Thanks for pointing that out. Poor day when you can't learn something ~ Vance Grannis, So St Paul, MN


User uploaded file

Feb 28, 2015 6:39 AM in response to abelliveau

I'm getting an odd occasional graphical glitches on my 2011 MBP. It only happens for a split second and only glitches one or two windows but not the entire screen. I wonder if I qualify for the new motherboard considering the machine works most of the time?



Below is a pick of the type of glitches I get. In the background window. The problem only started after I upgraded to Yosemite from Snow Leopard.


User uploaded file

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.