2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

After receiving my macbook pro back from getting it repaired under the repair program, I noticed that I was getting the stage light effect (evenly spaced white lights on the bottom of the screen), which I had not noticed prior to getting it repaired. I was wondering if anyone else had the same issues? I plan on going back within the week to see if I can get it fixed.

Richard Liu wrote:

If the revised motherboard fails, i.e., if the video issues return after repair, take the machine back. And continue to do so until either the issues disappear, or Apple offers to replace your machine. I suspect that a replacement machine might be newer than 2012. (broad Cheshire cat-like grin)

I think I might have to do just this. Had the issue a few weeks ago, brought it to authorised Apple repair centre, got it back on Saturday with the logicboard replaced. It seemed to be working great, and I've taken this chance to install a new Samsung 850 EVO SSD and do a clean OS install as well. However, today I opened up iMovie for the first time since I got the laptop back and this happened:

As you can see, the graphic issues have returned, screen is shifted to the left, etc. I restarted the computer and it's currently working, but I'm reluctant to use iMovie or the like again in case it will crash completely. When it broke the first time, I was streaming football from my laptop to my TV (also graphics intensive). I suppose I should just send it back to Apple again, as it's bad that the issue reoccured days after getting it back 'repaired'? There's no Apple store where I live (Brussels), I'm not sure if giving it back for authorised third party repair is a good idea either...

Hi peeps, Just collected my mbp 15" back from service centre last mth and now this is happening intermittently around 3 times in a minute each lasting a few seconds. Any one experience this before ? any advice ?

I got my 2011 Macbook Pro back from the new repair program. I noticed the speed was slower than usual. The cursor lagged and stuttered. They changed the board twice and the problem still exists. Now they are asking for $300+ to ship it to their repair stations because they say whatever the problem is it's not covered under the repair program. I'm not sure if I should fix it because it seems like this piece of equipment is a LEMON! I turned the computer on just recently and this happened. I restarted it and it's back to the "newly fixed" lagging computer. What would you guys do in this situation?

they still use too much thermal paste, at least in a repair centre that was replacing my LB. Check this official service guide:

I would suggest everybody to reapply thermal compound in a proper way. I have read somewhere that some people were reapplying thermal compound when they found out their new 2011 MBP getting abnormal hot. And I can not remember single post in this 860 pages thread, that someone had reapplied thermal compound and had graphics issues. People were reporting things like: I have been using my MBP always on a cooling stand and I also got graphic issues. or I have been taking care for my MBP since day one to not use it on a bed or sofa or a lap and I also got graphic issues. etc. But not a single one posted that even that he/ she reapplied thermal compound also got graphic issues. This are just my speculations, but worth to try, since you got nothing to lose.

Don't be scared to void your warranty by doing this. You can always reapply too much thermal compound, just use grey th. compound😉

Hi I'm new in here but have read a lot of the posts. I got some questions.

I've had this computer since May 2011 (Early MacBook Pro 15-inch) I've had many of the same problems as described here, and it went to that point where I couldn't boot the computer. Last month the logic board was replaced with a new. However efter testing the graphics with Unigine's Heaven I get these results:

Is the computer simply not capable of handle the test or is the gpu chip breaking again?

Should I go to the AASP again and get it tested?

(I work with applications for graphics but haven't noticed any glitches while using them like I did before the replacement, but maybe it will show up again?)

- Joachim

Sadly no, after showing the pictures the 'Genius' jumped straight into jotting down my MacBook details and then performed the graphics test.

The month after buying my MacBook (so April 2012) I had swapped in an 8GB Corsair Kit (2x4GB) over the 4GB (2x2GB) that came with it. My MacBook has been running problem free for 3 years until last week when these issues started popping up. I did bring the original RAM with me when I went into the store and when the Genius tolled me that they would put in new RAM I did mention that I had it in my bag ready to put back in... soooo hopefully I don't get charged for RAM.

When this issue happened last week I had worked backwards (I reset PRAM and SMC as well)... I had not installed any new software for over a year so what was left was updates. I uninstalled Flash, Java, Firefox, VLC, Safari and iTunes and I was still encountering problems. After finally getting to the point of frustration I grabbed an SSD and installed a fresh copy of Mavericks onto it and again problems... Here I am now, I booked a session at the Apple Store and made the post above.

Here's some images:

1. VLC Player, 1080P Video

2.Safari, HTML5, Youtube

3. Extended AHT 1st Try, Purple Lines

I just saw something I have never seen before on my MacBook. My computer froze while I was opening up my email and this showed right before it shutdown. I barely managed to take a picture of it before it went black but is this evidence of graphic card failure?

Again, it just showed up right before the shutdown, so I don't know if it's enough evidence. I've been trying to see if there are any other distortions that I have seen other people posted but I can't get my MacBook to turn on right now.

Having this problem now. Early 2011 Macbook Pro, 15". I'm still on 10.7.5 because it won't even let me update.

The other day I had my laptop shut (asleep), nothing intensive open, and it shut down by itself. Turned it back on and it seemed to work fine for the rest of the day. Then I opened Photoshop and it froze. I hard restarted and got a window from PS that my video card needs updating. Now it's white screening. It usually opens to a light blue screen with a striped purple apple before it white screens. Can't safe boot either. When I tried, the loading bar got about 1/5th the way and then the screen turned into thick, vertical purple and green stripes before white screening again. Trying to start with Diagnostics also doesn't work.

After about a hundred restarts, I've got it working enough to back up my files and get online. Tried to upgrade to Yosemite, and it shows it downloading, but never makes any progress. Eventually the screen goes black (though the laptop is still on) and won't wake up. On another try, it logged me out and then wouldn't let me type my password.

2 years ago I brought my Macbook Pro into the Apple store because the left corner was overheating even with minor programs running (just being on Facebook would overheat it sometimes). They told me I need to stop running so many things and dismissed the problem, not bothering to actually check anything. Everything I read online at the time said it happened to a lot of people. I'm fairly sure that fan isn't working properly, whether that has something to do with this startup problem or not.

My warranty and Applecare ran out and I really don't want to overpay someone to "fix" something that's just going to break again. What's the verdict here? Bring it in to be fixed? Keep trying to fix it myself? Or just give in to buying a newer model?

Did they run the test to check for the graphics card fault?

When this issue occurs, the screen freezes, usually (but not always) like this:

But sometimes you get a Windows-style BSoD or big fat vertical bars across the screen. And then a grey screen while the machine tries to boot. Eventually it boots with the integrated graphics card. When this happened to me, I used to use GFX Card Status to avoid using discrete graphics, which is what caused the crashes for me. If you see a screen like this, take a picture of it and try to get a second opinion at another store, if possible- other users have been able to get their MBPs repaired just by giving them a picture of the fault.

My experience started with kernel panics, then the symptom pictured above. The first time I was still under AppleCare and once the machine was repaired, it was fine for over a year, until a couple of months after the extended warranty expired. When the repair program was announced, it failed the test, was taken in and repaired, but unfortunately began failing again after a few months. The 2011-2012 MBPs were badly flawed.

Not only my 2011 MacBook Pro has this problem and now it happened to my iMac 2016!! (see photo)My family bought this iMac in 2016 ( Mac OS Sierra, version 10.12.3, Graphics AMD Radeon R9 M390 2048 MB.) has a graphic distortion!! It is a new computer. I have no idea why it happened while I have done nothing wrong. It is like my 15" Mac pro I bought in 2012!! I don't know if anyone has encountered this unexpected problem with the iMac? By the way, if you are out of the USA, the Apple care center in Asia is incapable helping you anything.( No offense, I am Asian. It is only my own experiences with them.)

It is frustrating. I have been using Apple computer since the Apple laptops was in black and had a upside down Apple logo on the lid when it was opened. It was a great computer in terms of product quality. After Steve Jobs passed away, Apple has offered more products but no more new inventions, and it even fails to deliver on good quality products.

If Apple offers short life products, they shouldn't have priced them so high. Please to be fair with your customers and be kind to them. Do not sell them problematic products and given them bad customer service. Because by the end of the day, they will be slipping away just like me.

Hi.

Same problem here with a MacBook Pro early 2011.

First symptom like abelliveau's image : http://imageshack.us/a/img26/9898/screenshot20130201at758.png

Sometimes when i boot, the Apple logo is red/pink with stripes, and after that a grey screen or a blue screen with vertical stripes.

I'm sure all this problems come with the last MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.7 http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1633

Sorry for the delay, they are going to replace the Logic Board again and see what happens.

I will try to post again once I get my laptop back

One thing I did notice was, when I got my laptop back, there was a thunderbolt 1.0 and smc 1.7 smc update available, I was not worried about the upgrade so I did do that and then from then on I felt the problem started.

On Friday there was another update for smc available and the version was still 1.7. On further investigation I found out that my laptop was suppose to get a 1.7f6 upgrade and my system showed I had 1.7f3. I did mention this to the apple support and he said it might be a firmware that was already in the logic board causing the detail version be a tad different.

Below is the link where I went to check what version on SMC I am suppose to have.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1237

My late 2011 MacBook Pro (2.4 GHz Intel Core i7, 8GB memory) shows the same issues, as mentioned in the first post, after installing the latest SMC Firmware Update.

As long as it only uses the integrated Graphics Card (I use gfxCardStatus) it runs fine - but shortly after switching to the AMD Radeon HD 6770M, the problems appear (I think mainly after a higher CPU usage) .

I looked up if the correct SMC and AFI version is installed: the EFI version is correct (MBP81.0047.B27 (EFI 2.7) but the SMC version is 1.69f4 (and not 1.69f3).

I tried to install the MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.7 (which is linked at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1237 for the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011)) but only shows the alert "This software is not supported on your system."

I would be glad if someone knows another fixing methode - since I'm currently travelling through New Zealand and the next authorised service providers are more than 550km away, I have to continue using the integrated Graphics Chip only - but that's defenitely no long-time-solution!

I can confirm, I have the same exact MacBook 15" as the OP.

Same issues. As long as the system selects - Integrated Graphics, I can boot okay.

Plugin my Thunderbolt display, the switch happens and gray or blue screen. Run an app which requires Discrete - freeze.

I do have OWC 16GB of RAM plus their SSD and data doubler (with original HD).

How many of you have similar configs? SSD Profile load times issue? As commented on above by another poster?

I checked here http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1237 and I am running SMC 1.7. Wish I could downgrade that to 1.6 just to check.

I purchased my MacBook on August 20, 2011 - so I'm 20 months into it. Seems it should last longer.

I've tried to boot from various other externals, with Snow Leopard on it to see if my problem Apple's problem is a software issue. Unfortunately, I can't force the Integrated Graphics to start up with the external boot. No success yet in checking that.

When I use gfxCardStatus app to choose "Integrated Grahpics" only, my system freezes.

$500.00+ to get the same problem back again as describe by another poster above seems like no fix at all.

Driving the Thunderbolt display with this laptop was a bad idea, Apple claims it was built to handle it, it was not.

I'm on hold, maybe I'll take it to my local MacMall and get a diagnosis. I've heard that Apple won't repair my machine in it's current config (OWC RAM, SSD, removed Optical drive, etc.) Just wondering if I have make it stock again?

This problem just started - yesterday.