Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

Csound1 wrote:

 

No I m not.

 

There (currently) are none.

I have to agree on this. At this point there are no real solutions other than replacing the whole computer with the latest model, which is something some of us have had Apple do after a series of failed repair attempts by Apple or its authorized service.

I would not under any circumstances go promoting reballing or whatever third party solutions to fix the problem, as already many users that have had such a repair done have seen it fail at some point later.

We don't really know what the problem is; it is clear that there is something wrong with the design or manufacturing of the computer model in question, but to my knowledge nobody has confirmed it to be the soldering of the GPU chip, lead free or not, or the GPU chip itself. These are only assumptions that cannot be made fact simply by repeating them here over and over again. The sheer numbers of this fault appearing do suggest it is not just an isolated case however.

And it is also pretty similar to the problem HP had with at least their Pavilion DV7 laptop of somewhat the same era; they too experienced graphics issues, had a discrete AMD graphics chip, and HP decided not to acknowledge the problem or make a recall. Instead they did what Apple is doing now, apparently with success; here's a quote from a forum discussing one of those cases:

"Been through this too. HP offered no viable solution. They have declared this machine obsolete. Further they offer no repair or parts. My solution was to write complaint letters to CEO Meg Whitman. It took six months of letter writing and countless hours on the phone before some compensation  was forthcoming. "

So, the culprit might be the graphics chip; then again it might not. It is not and should not be our task to find or fix the problem but Apples. Speculating on the inner workings and cause of the problem here won't really get us any closer to a solution.

The fights I've seen going on here recently about the lead in the solder or whatnot are at this point rather irrelevant as well.

This whole thread is turning more and more into flame wars provoked by a couple of posters, drifting further away from the original subject itself.

Please, do stop fighting. If you see a poster clearly trying to provoke you, just close the page for a few minutes and think whether it really is worth getting into the argument by posting a reply or not. Will it be useful to others or to the community?

A few posters seem keen on these provocations. Maybe they just get thrills on the reactions. Let them be.

Don't feed the trolls.

I think the only real solution in the short term is to have the machine repaired - at your own cost, under AppleCare or through consumer law (if it applies in your location) - then sell it (full disclosure) and put the money towards a new computer. Of course, whether or not that new computer has an Apple logo on it is the choice we all face - OSX vs hardware reliability. (I'm seeing 2013 MBPs in my office starting to glitch after being updated from Mavericks to Yosemite.)

It's interesting that such a high amount of users with the same issue are not enough to warrant an official response; it makes you wonder just how many people it's going to take for that to happen. It's pretty clear we all bought a MBP that suffers from a serious design flaw, from a company that has a reputation for producing superior products and prides itself on high customer satisfaction, but it looks like you're a valued customer only if you can afford to update your hardware every three years - the Wall of Silence suggests Apple cares nothing for the tens of thousands of frustrated users affected by this issue - it seems they consider the model obsolete, and therefore our issue invalid.

I thought I'd made a good choice, buying a 2011 MBP, because it meant I could upgrade it at my own pace, rather than having to pay up front for a computer with no user-replaceable parts at the spec I require, but that has turned out to be a very expensive mistake. You're supposed to get what you pay for - that's why I paid three times what most rival companies charge for machines that often come with higher specs (how long did it take to get USB3 and HDMI ports?) My late 2007 MacBook puts my 2011 MBP - and Apple as a company - to shame.

What I really hate though, is the condescending way they deflect any concerns and complaints, acting like they're doing you a massive favour while they do so. And they say Microsoft is the evil profit-driven corporation. Look in the mirror, Apple - at least the Windows PC I'm forced to use works as expected.

MGSH wrote:

 

I think the only real solution in the short term is to have the machine repaired - at your own cost, under AppleCare or through consumer law (if it applies in your location) - then sell it (full disclosure) and put the money towards a new computer. Of course, whether or not that new computer has an Apple logo on it is the choice we all face - OSX vs hardware reliability. (I'm seeing 2013 MBPs in my office starting to glitch after being updated from Mavericks to Yosemite.)

 

Well, my morale and ethics prevent me from selling on to another unsuspecting user a computer that I know will fail again in the near future.

Passing the problem on is really not fixing it. It'll just be making it somebody else's problem. Of course, others may choose to do so, but in my case that's not a "real solution" either.

Edit:

Sorry, somehow managed to miss the "full disclosure" point in your post. Then again, fixing the computer may cost up to 1000 USD (600 € in my case), so one might not really benefit from this either, as the price for a computer bound to fail soon can't be expected to be high..

Well said. I couldn't sell on mine either for this reason. (edit: I also missed the full disclosure!)

Also, you mentioned HP had a problem previously? Well I bought my MBP 15 to replace my Dell XP13 which had 2 mother boards replaced due to graphics card issues. I agree this is not just an Apple problem.

I found Apple very helpful. They have replaced my logic board and the tech explained that when a certain proportion of those models sold have hit a problem, it is likely that some sort of recall will happen, but it could be a year or two down the line. I cannot fault the people I have dealt with.

I notice my new logic board has an Intel graphics card not an AMD one. However I have just started getting spots on my screen - particularly bad in photoshop - so I think this one is on it's way out now too. I'm thankfully still under Apple Care and am due to have a call from support on Monday.

Omg!!! Bassbarbie!!!

If your new logic board "doesn't have" the AMD card, and you are already getting "spots" on the screen, did you consider that your replacement logic board has a broken AMD card out the box, and thus appears to only have an Intel card?

Otherwise have Apple "solved" the problem by giving you a cheaper logic board with discrete graphics only!?

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.

Amen, Amen, Amen.

Same ****...after multible reboots with redscreens, I see this display. But I can login normally. I got this 2. times a day.

Just be prepared that your machine may only give u only a black screen at some point, maybe even quite soon...

Kanimies wrote:

 

Csound1 wrote:

 

No I m not.

 

There (currently) are none.

 

I have to agree on this. At this point there are no real solutions other than replacing the whole computer with the latest model, which is something some of us have had Apple do after a series of failed repair attempts by Apple or its authorized service.

 

I would not under any circumstances go promoting reballing or whatever third party solutions to fix the problem, as already many users that have had such a repair done have seen it fail at some point later.

 

We don't really know what the problem is; it is clear that there is something wrong with the design or manufacturing of the computer model in question, but to my knowledge nobody has confirmed it to be the soldering of the GPU chip, lead free or not, or the GPU chip itself. These are only assumptions that cannot be made fact simply by repeating them here over and over again. The sheer numbers of this fault appearing do suggest it is not just an isolated case however.

 

Wrote it's a soldering problem a few 100 pages back. Can I prove that with x-ray photo's or whatever? Nope..

Doing BGA repairs since 2007-2008. Think migh say to have some experience with it?

First macbook pro 2011 with the problem came in last year november.

Fixe it, used for video edting, still running fine.

Just as the ones I got after that. Many also used for video editing, some for music production and/or on stage.

Repaired them by fixing the soldering on over 90% of them.

Tells me it is a soldering problem.

The way thermal paste is applied according Apple's instructinos surely helps triggering the problem.

When reparing them a high quality thermal paste is used applying it like it should be done

Most customer confirm they are running cooler.

Let's hope they keep running cool...

Do I claim to do a permanent fix?

Nope, I try, but can't guarantee it will last forever, will never promise that.

Only trying to do it the way I think is best from my experience.

Mostly the same chip is used, again, telling me a soldering problem.

Sometimes this is replacing a chip with a new lead free one.

Sometimes this is replacing a chip with a new lead free one that is reballed first with lead.

There no "new" chips with lead solder balls.

It depends the job, the type of mobo in it, what chips are on it.

All has to do with temps needed for resoldering, sensitivity of some chips etc...

This is where experience of the repair guy comes in to decide what is the best solution.

"Well, my morale and ethics prevent me from selling on to another unsuspecting user a computer that I know will fail again in the near future."

That's what I meant by full disclosure - explaining the issues and history of the machine to a potential buyer.

Probably won't get a great amount for what will effectively be a 'spare parts' machine, but it's better than being a shiny slab of glass and aluminium sitting around doing nothing.

philuxDec 4, 2014 1:51 AM
Re: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Cardin response to Bassbarbie

Omg!!! Bassbarbie!!!

 

If your new logic board "doesn't have" the AMD card, and you are already getting "spots" on the screen, did you consider that your replacement logic board has a broken AMD card out the box, and thus appears to only have an Intel card?

 

Otherwise have Apple "solved" the problem by giving you a cheaper logic board with discrete graphics only!?

No that hadn't occurred to me :-/ I'd only just noticed it was Intel. It was fixed beginning of October.

I am looking at my 'about this mac' and it says the graphics is Intel HD Graphics 3000 512MB

I assume that because it says 512MB that this must be a separate graphics card? I don't know and am happy to check anything anyone suggests. I am due to speak to them on Monday, so it would be good to be armed with as much information as possible. In the meantime I am trying to work my computer hard

The Intel HD3000 is an integrated card, not a discrete one.

But unless you tell us exactly which Mac you have I can't tell you if that is supposed to be the only card. (do you have a 13" model?)

Csound1 wrote:

 

The Intel HD3000 is an integrated card, not a discrete one.

 

But unless you tell us exactly which Mac you have I can't tell you if that is supposed to be the only card. (do you have a 13" model?)

Hmm I'm definitely supposed to have a separate graphics card.

I have a late 2011 15" Macbook Pro. I remember it was i7  with 750GB hard drive. I upgraded the screen and had a separate graphics card (which was an AMD one prior to the replacement logic board in October). I can't remember offhand which processor it was, but it is now saying it is 2.5GHz (which I think only 2.2 and 2.4 were available at the time)  - so it was not a cheap machine :-/

Edit: When I look at the system report, there is a graphics card AMD Radeon HD 6770M, but this isn't showing up in the 'about my Mac' bit so maybe it's not working.

Yup, you should have 2 display adaptors, the integrated card (Intel) and the discrete one (AMD) which appears to have failed.

Take it to an Apple Store or AASP for diagnosis.