2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

They replaced the gpu in my 2007 MacBook Pro in 2010, this was again down to a faulty GPU

link;http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377

So, yep, they will recall/repair three year old macs.

The fact is, there is an issue with their premium laptop, and we need to get the word about, 217 pages on this forum, over 1100 signatures on the petition is a start.

This machine is still relatively new, there is a known (by the community at least) manufacturing fault. Don't settle for replacement faulty logic boards or third party re-balling.

This is down to apple to sort, increase the pressure.

bakachu wrote:

With nothing else to lose, I have fixed my graphics issue by reflowing the GPU solder.

This involved a $22 heat gun, new thermal compound, disassembling the MBP, removing the heat sink, and then heating the GPU with the gun set to 1000f for 4 minutes (plenty of vids on youtube demonstrate this process for other hardware and vendors).

Afterwards, I reapplied new thermal compound, and put it all back together, and the machine is no longer unstable.

I'm disappointed with Apple for failing to acknowledge this widespread manufacturing defect.

Aguleo wrote:

I am interested in doing this. Do you have any tips? Like did you apply heat to the whole circuit board or just the gpu chips?

It might work, but will it last? They often fail again later.

There are some rules to follow doing this which you can't using just a heatgun.

If you fail on it, can destroy your gpu or motherboard making it unrepairable.

If it works a few months, fails again, you try again but can't fix it anymore.

Then bring it to a repair shop, won't tell them you tried a diy, they might have the most skilled reworkers failing on it.

Taking of the bga using the best equipment can result in lifted pads as it has been heated to much before with your heatgun.

If you tell them you tried a diy repair on it, they might even not take it in anymore. Or ask a fixed fee in advance without warranty for success.

If you want to risk that...

You also have to realise that many of those youtube videos are not their first attempts but oftenm made after destroying some boards before having success.

Even people like me, using special machines for it had to sacrifice some pcbs to create a correct workflow

Some discussion about it here too:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4766577?answerId=24130742022#24130742022

Of course, it's up to the owner to risk it, but most repair shops ask a fair price and usually "no cure no pay".

If you want to try, good luck with it.

jaime1985 wrote:

Just wondering if anyone else may have upgraded to the same RAM and could reverting back to the original RAM be anything to do with why its working again? I know very little about the workings of things but I have a report saying my Logic board has failed from the official diagnosis by Apple...

Personally I have not upgraded any part of my MBP and I still have the problem, so I don't really think it's related to upgrading the RAM. Going to have to agree with Fabrizio Giudici on this. If Apple really did tell you your logic board failed, I think it could still mess up again.

BongioviP,

Every time someone posts a link to the various petitions, the Apple Hosts delete the posts. And they've every right to do do under the Terms of Use.

If you subscribe to receive emails, however, you'll get a post sooner or later in one of the messages.

Clinton

please email apple and complain. here is the link:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

The more of us that do the more likely they are too offer an exchange progrm. We are strong together! They are aware of this issue and can not ignore it foreever.

Count me in guys. Even I'm a target of this issue (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5959253?answerId=25053874022#25053874022). I have a MBP 15" Early 2011. My system has stopped responding or even booting. Planning to take it to Apple Service Center. Apple should now respond to this issue.

BTW does anyone know the twitter tags or any discussion going on on social networks. Would just join in and help spread the word!!

please use the provided apple feedback form to let apple know that you are also experiencing this problem. The more of us that do, the more likely it is that something will happen. It takes 1 minute.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

⚠

please pleaes fill in the apple feedback form to add to the list. I suggest also searching on the internet for more information about how to deal with this issue there is some interesting reading

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

Hey,
now my MBP 8,2 early 2011 becomes the same failures as described before!

Graphical glitches, distortioned lines, no wake up from sleep, black screen (but system running)..

I become more angry from day to day - cause i hoped this model will work perfectly - it is my second Laptop from Apple and maybe the last product i bought if nothing change!

I will tell you my story from the beginning with apple:

It is my second MBP, my first was the MBP 3,1 wich had several failures during the life span - the first was the problem, that the trackpad and keyboard stoped working - i found the best provider ever who changed it fast, easy and for no money ⚠ because he know that apple got an exchange program for this problem.
If i had gone to another company, they said i have to pay for the exchange and repair.. aha.. although apple is doing it for free. Then the grphic card was broken - back to my provider, he changed the complete logicboard because apple had an excange program for the graphic problem too. But in this time apple was cool, and they knew that the production was so bad, that they made the exchange progrms for NVIDIA and the broken Trackpad/Keyboard for free. And than my trackpad and keyboard stopped working again the second time 😟. So i thought, ah no problem - exchange program.. haha no no they stopped the program after 3 years for the Trackpad/Keyboard first and than after 4 years for the graphic too: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377?viewlocale=en_US
Now they want € 240,- for repairing a €20,- Trackpad-cable 😠!!!!

..what a service - but they don't care about the image they lost..

Short time before i bought the 8,2 Model to get more power.
For the first Live-act with the new model i noticed some glitches in the music, but i thought it does not matter.
Last Gig (a big one) in 07.02.2014 in Hamburg - after starting the show, i had the problem the first time.

Directly after one minute the monitor turns black 😮 - so how to performe without seeing anything? Shock!!!! In the studio there was nothing like that, all was running fine and at the stage - crash!
So a DJ must save the situation that i can restart. In hope that i could play after restarting my performance.. HORROR!!!!! With all extras i spend € 3500,- to build this machine as my powerfull professional main system for 3D-Design, Illustration, music-production and music live-performance.
Now i had spend € 2700 for the MBP 3,1 & € 3500,- MBP 8,2 directly to apple.

The years before i told the world that apple is best for the stage, but now i am not sure anymore. And now i can not believe that the graphic ***** with the Model 8,2 again.

Friday last week was biggest crash while working with a band, graphics completely driving crazy, hanging, freezing, no booting after hard shutdown, all problems reported here in one short time 😠...

We must cancel the hole production this day.

I decided to update the MBP 8,2 to 10.9.2 Mavericks, cause i hoped it is a software problem this time.
After successfull updating (no clean install, and with help of old MBP),

the MBP 8,2 was running better the last days - till now.
Today i had heavy glitches again, and i had not changed to the Intel on board. I always run the AMD to have the best performances.

So it is bad to know that nobody can say what the problem really is... 😕

Why apple do not know more?

Why there is no exchange-program (the problem is known since 1 year - 2013)?

So i repeat the situation:

• MBP 8,2 early 2011 - graphic problems (first reports about this problem in 01.02.13)

• Changing OS X - does not help! (not relly only a little bit, failures coming back)
• Changing Logicboard - does not help? really???? but what else????

Then i can save senseless miles to an apple shop.

So for a would like ferrari - nobody would spend so much money 😝 !

And apple creating an image and prices that it might be the ferrari or porsche in the market - FAKE!
But Porsche does a getback action for the last machine failures - TRUE!
And apple? I hope an exchange program will come yesterday (like exchange-programs for the MBP 3,1),
with a personal email and a big sorry that they waste our time and money!

PS.:
Apple you are lost,
now everybody can see your planned obsolescence very easily at all, because you are too fast with it 😉

please fill in the provided apple feedback form to let them know. The more people that complain the more likely it is that they will offer a replacement program. I am confident that they will with enough pressure.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

also, if you google you will find alternative solutions to this problem

(I have posted this in this discussion without knowing about this bigger one here)

Same issue as everybody else here.

Bought my late-2011 MacBook Pro in Feb 2012 (15", 2.2 GHz i7 with AMD Radeon HD 6750m 512 MB)

Yesterday, I started getting the grey screen when booting. Trying to boot to the recovery disk (and even the internet recovery disk) gave me the blue screen.

After a couple of hours of research, I find out that it was probably the GPU.

I ran these commands (in the Single user Mode - Command+S when you start the Mac) to deactivate the GPU (by removing its drivers) and then was able to boot.

/sbin/fsck -fy /

/sbin/mount -uw /

mkdir /Disabled_System_Library_Extensions

cd /Disabled_System_Library_Extensions

mv /System/Library/Extensions/ATI* .

mv /System/Library/Extensions/AMD* .

touch /System/Library/Extensions

exit

(see article http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/120507/boot-hangs-on-grey-screen-even-w hen-booting-from-usb-drive-with-fresh-os-x-inst)

At least now I can use my Mac, but the graphics are very slow (obviously). This fix also prevent me from going into Sleep mode... (hopefully I will find a solution for that).

Anyway, I went to the Apple Store today. They confirmed that it is probably the Graphic card, and to fix this, I need to change the logic board for a nice 600 $ (Canadian dollars).

Now what... if I change the logic board, will I still have the same issue in 16-24 months and have to change that logic board again?

Why should we pay for something that looks like a design/chip issue?

Seems Apple have found the same thing is happening with 2011/ 2012 iMacs (AMD Radeon 6970) and are offering repairs http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5167, and unless the products are launched without testing they must know about the Macbook issue too.... so why are we not getting repairs? My computer is just under 3 years old (the cut off date for the iMac), I'll be very unhappy if the 3 years pass before the repair is offered.....

I too have had the same issue... I tried everything and nothing worked. What I find interesting though is that a related article shows up on this page describing an identical issue with iMacs sold during the same year. (Link: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5167) However, the iMacs in that replacement program have a different graphic card than the one in the Macbook Pro, but I don't think it's a mere coincidence. I believe that as many users are having the same problem with the Macbook Pro, Apple should make a similar replacement program that covers us. Meanwhile, I feel I will actually have to find a new computer that is NOT made by Apple, makes me sad but I really can't afford to get a new Macbook Pro with such a high price thinking it would die on me within 3 years!

Same problem, same MBP, same everything. ( just like this guy here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5973263?answerId=25123399022#25123399022)

After a long struggle with those grey, white and blue screens I went to my local apple store the other day. Today they called to inform me that its some issue with the graphics card (it figures) and it would cost about 450€. I am not sure if this really is worth the money. The way I see it a replacement program would be absolutely necessary.

corycable wrote:

Paig,

I was told the same thing by the first 2-3 reps. Even after refering to this forum. I was about to go and buy new Macbook Pro yesterday and I was very sad about it. So I made a last move and called the 4th time and made a solid case that Apple cannot pretend this issue does not exist. I instructed the first-line rep to Google "2011 Macbook Pro GPU problem" and he did. After 60 second he came back on the phone and said.."WOW, It's everywhere"....I agreed with him. He put me back on hold and 2-3 minutes later came back and said he was transferring me to a Senior Advisor. The supervisor was very tough and almost would not listen. He reminded me I was out of warranty. I told him.."LOOK..I am not wanting a free product. But it seems this is a known defect with the AMD GPU and Apple has known it for a while. If the problem IS NOT with the GPU then I will pay the price for it. But if it is the GPU, then I expect Apple to DO RIGHT BY ME and fix it due to the thousands of dollars I have spent with Apple". He put me on hold and came back 3-4 minutes later. He said he searched the internal "Extended Support" programs and looked for 2011 AMD GPU and Discrete video adapters. He said there is a program that deals with a Discrete video adapter that matched my symptoms. He said it was not something he could share details with. I asked him if my computer and AMD GPU was on the list. He confirmed my serial number and said my "Configuration" matches the program. He setup my appt and made it clear...IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE GPU....I own it...

So unless this guy is a complete liar and wasting my time..Not sure why he would. I am out of warranty and he could easily have told me to F-Off and hung up the phone, but he did not. He said he was VERY familiar with this program and spent 5-10 minutes opening these case and checking the program for details and explaining very clearly to me how the program worked and what the next steps were. He says either way, he will be involved. He said Apple is tracking this problem, so after the Store runs the test and should it fail the test, he will get involved and let me know what will happen. He said if it is the GPU, then the support program will fix it..If not...It will cost me money.

Again..I will know soon....Wish me luck...

I just got off the phone with one of Apple's Corporate Executive Relations people. She said "Apple's position has not changed: this issue is still not recognized as a manufacturing defect" and "There is no internal-only support programs list. If it's not on https://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair it doesn't exist"