2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I own a macbook pro 2011 15 ' . About a week ago there was a similar problem . Video card stopped working ! And I can not even load the OS !!! I'm terribly unhappy ! Red stripes on the entire screen and the laptop shuts down !

Evgeny

<Edited by Host>

For some reason my Edit button to my last post is MIA. But there is a picture of it. Pardon the fingerprints on the screen.

The weird thing is, about a week before my AppleCare expired I brought my MBP in to get fixed under AppleCare. I had to get the trackpad fixed because every once in a while when I would click, the bar would "click" but the click would not register on the computer. They fixed that fine and before that point I never had a problem with my MBP at all. Now, suddenly, this line showed up...

Another one bites the dust:

MacBook Pro

Processor Name: Intel Core i7

Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz

Memory: 8 GB

...

Graphics/Displays:

AMD Radeon HD 6750M:

Chipset Model: AMD Radeon HD 6750M

Type: GPU

Bus: PCIe

PCIe Lane Width: x8

VRAM (Total): 512 MB

Vendor: ATI (0x1002)

Device ID: 0x6741

Revision ID: 0x0000

ROM Revision: 113-C0170L-573

gMux Version: 1.9.23

EFI Driver Version: 01.00.573

So I wrote about a single line that appeared horizontally across the very center of my Macbook pro purchased in 2011...

Now there are two. It just appeared minutes ago right under the first one.

The line is getting thicker.

Time to back up my stuff and go to apple, although I have a feeling I already know what they are going to say. It's awesome my AppleCare expired 2 months ago.

My early 2011 MacBook Pro 17" has been afflicted with this issue. I'm very sad. I won't be buying expensive discrete GPU Mac's anymore. It's too risky with these lead free solders and hot GPUs. Apple, please do the right thing here and issue a replacement program for this defect.

It only gets better folks... The intel 3000 seems to be dying on me too now. 😟

I still can boot into a scrambled (integrated intel chip) screen, but of course this is no use. My MBP late 2011 is as of now officially a very expensive overrated paperweight.

Just wanted to throw into the mix - same issue here on a late 2011 15".

First symptom was when trying to wake the Mac from sleep, the display would remain black. No matter what. Holding down the power button was the only option.

Next, after holding down the power button to force turn off, it would not turn back on fully. I'd see the light indicating the HD is on, fans on low, but that's it. Opening it up and disconnecting the battery briefly was the only fix.

This happened periodically, until after disconnecting the battery and booting up, this appeared.

I did a clean install, hoping it would fix it. Which did, for about a week. Yesterday, it refused to wake again, but now won't boot up at all. No matter what I do, the display remains black.

Csound1 wrote:

D3us wrote:

Csound1 wrote:

philux wrote:

The GPU soldering failure is because Apple decided to not use Mercury to adhere to "environmental standards"...how stupid! The other 99% of the laptop isn't environmentally friendly, so why skimp on the part that requires a toxic ingredient the most?

In most of the world (including the EU) the use of solder containing lead is banned. It's poisonous and has killed millions of people.

And you want Apple to start using it, really?

Csound1, facts please?

That is about about lead in paint.

Not what we were talking about.

It was about lead solder, not lead in paint.

We all now lead is bad. And surely shouldn't be used on toys as kids put it in their mout.

Or the painters inhaling the solvents in it, containing lead too probably.

Or on painted surfaces where people constantly touch it etc...

Won't see anyone opening his computer/laptop/notebook to breath in air coming of it or lick the components...

We know EU banned it in electronics too but it might have been wiser not to.

Gave you a link and explanation why lead free could even be more damaging then lead solder.

Making urepairable, things is much more damaging to the environment.

Apple is one of the most guilty on this.

You would say to me:

Oh wait, I THINK you would say to me:

Oh, dam, then you woudl go: How can you know what I think....

Well, I don't care, will just say what I think you would say to me:

Stick to the point.

You do the same please,

We are talking electronics devices here, not paint.

Unless you painted your macbook ...

alessiodd wrote:

Yes I don't and I stated it clearly. I'm just trying to add some facts to the discussion.

What I'm not doing is trading opinions for facts as you did and being arrogant on top of it.

"The law came into effect in 2006, the 2011 model was not the first, please do some basic fact checking."

Once again I will tell you that Apple stopped using leaded solder in 2006. The 2011 model was not the first, if you can be bothered to check for yourself rather than just disagree with anyone who does not say what you want you can click the graphic and look.

As I said before, do some basic fact checking before walking out on the limb.

Déjà vu...when I brought mine home from the 2nd. Logic board installed by AppleCare and booted up during the first hour this pooped up. Why it's upside down, blame this forum. Call applecare customer service and email your agent your picture.

D3us wrote:

Csound1 wrote:

But linking to an Alicia Silverstone blog page was epic

http://thekindlife.com/blog/2012/08/alicia-silverstone-greenwashing-how-eco-frie ndly-is-apple/_

Glad you liked it.

Out of date doesn't mean inacurrate.

They bended the rules to make accurate info inaccurate or to gain a better score.

That's really accurate...

You should read the link yourself (obviously you didn't)

Here is an excerpt from your Alicia Silverstone environmental blog.

Alicia is my go to expert as well, once the page you linked to actually works.

Test your links for relevance, and existence.

I was asked to fill out a quick survey about this site just now. Probably since it's my first post on my new MBP (which I was forced to buy because mine is dead)

At the end this screen pops up…

I call BS on that last line ^

Did not have time to read all the 691pages in this thread, but i´m having the same problems. Mac book pro early 2011, keeps crashing all the time. It seems to be related to graphic card. Sometimes after crash, my mac wont start, and only a gray screen appears. I have done all the normal pram, smc, single user and other stuff, but nothing helps. I have also sent my reports to apple.

Many asy GFXCard satus will help by only using integrated graphic card. Is that the only solution? Have anyone had any help by replacing the logic board or something else like that? Dont wanna pay 400-500€ for nothing, if it dont help.

obwianMacobi wrote:

If you have gfxCardStatus installed you can switch between the integrated GPU (Intel HD Graphics 3000) and discrete GPU (AMD Radeon HD 6750M). I just tried switching between them with gfxCardStatus and the 'About this Mac' clicking on 'more info' shows up whichever GPU you are using at the time. So as it displays, Intel HD Graphics 3000 - it just indicates that it is using this GPU, not necessarily that the discrete GPU has failed.

I don't knowingly have that installed so presumably it shouldn't be trying to switch to the integrated card, but I am a novice....

SORRY - erroneous quote was included here - now removed.....

As I say it is listed if I look at the system report. (Never inserted a picture before - hope this works)

Thank you for the input obwianMacobi and Csound1. I will talk to them on Monday and feedback anything interesting. I'm not going to waste any more of my time thinking about it. - or yours 🙂 ... I seem to have spent an awful lot of time the last time it failed, never mind going through it all again!

Same Issue (MBP Late 2011, AMD Radeon 6750M, I7) Nothing to add except except that my friend and I changed the paste last night on the CPU and it's CLEARLY a spotty job at best and total lack of care and training at its' worst.

Powered back on the computer to find that the pink lines I had now went blue and to find that my screen went black automatically. Turned it off one more time and powered it on and then got the pink lines. Powered it on again and it's now running fine, very smooth and quiet (I don't even hear the fans anymore). Now, I obviously think it's a bandaid and that the problem will persist but I wanted to throw my hat into the ring of people who have tried the paste option.

After Removing CPU and Heat Sink covers.

Clear to see there are points of contact that aren't layered with paste (and I've seen worse than mine)

After cleaning with Alcohol. There was an incredible amount of oxidation on the copper heat transfers.

New Paste Applied:

In the end, it may not be worth the hassle : ( I hope I can squeeze a few more weeks out of my machine though. I'm really interested in hearing how the reballing has been going as far as longevity sake. I'm located in Korea so I can't just ship my computer to California, unfortunately. Is it something that can be done by most computer guys?