Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I am having the same exact problem.

I Have the same issue on 2 MCBP late 2011.

we are a company with lots of apple products.

moto must be not a single cent to apple again!

*****

NOt a single cent to apple again

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Sigh...

I bit the bullet and actually paid the amount to have logic board replaced on 12/2. I vehemently let the Apple Support rep know from the time I get my Mbp back, I would more than likely be calling within the week for a second logic board replacement. Sure enough, received Mbp on 12/5 and took me all of 5 days to replicate the issue on 12/10 that many are having in this particular thread.

All it took was me spinning up my dev environment (SharePoint 2013, VS 2013, SQL Server 2012...etc..etc) running under Parallels to do the trick. Apple is sending Mbp back to depo hopefully as I type this out. I'm betting I can break it again in fewer days this time around. ****, why not try to go for 3 - 4 logic board replacements in a month span...

Same issues for me as well, red lines, blue lines, disabling automatic graphics switching makes the computer useless until a PRAM reset is done.

<Link Edited by Host>

Just to point new visitors to my earlier post (it's the 7th post on page 701), which is the fully detailed description of what's actually wrong with all these machines and what is the only/best/cheapest remedy for it.

Here's a quick link: Re: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I am writing to update my situation.  In short, my Early 2011 MBP 15" started acting up late last year and seemed to get progressively worse this year.  Finally it completely died a few weeks ago and would not boot.  I took it to my local Apple store (USA, North Carolina) and paid for a out of warranty ($320) logic board replacement.  When I got it back, I had it freeze up a couple of times, blue screen and the vertical lines. I snapped a couple of pics with my Iphone and setup an appointment at the genius bar.  They sent it back for another logic board replacement.  Got it back from Apple and later that night the display went wacky after waking it from sleep mode.  Snapped a couple of pics.  I had two boards replaced and they both failed, plus the original logic board, so I had three failures in as many weeks. 

I went back to the Apple Store today, with my prior work orders in one hand and an Iphone full of pics of my MacBook Pro behaving badly.  Asked for a manager and explained my situation.  He took a quick look at my photos and pulled up my repair history and to my complete disbelief he said we will take care of this for you.  A short time later I was given a new 2014 MBP 15" nicely configured with all my information transferred to it.  I don't know if there is an unadvertised policy or if my experience is unique.  Maybe (hopefully) it reflects a change in Apple's corporate policy on addressing the issue.

My faith in Apple has been somewhat restored.  However I am disappointed by the fact they know there is an issue, but fail to publicly acknowledge it and can come up with a policy to replace computers that are failing.  Be persistent, courteous when dealing with Apple.  Document when your computer fails, take a photo of the screen with something else that shows the date.  Remember these failures are not acceptable, even if they rarely occur.  We paid a premium price for what is advertised as a premium product.  I simply can't understand why Apple is ignoring the situation.  They are cash rich and based on what I have learned, this issue should be limited to 2011 15" MBP, with a few 17" with the possiblity of a few 2012's.  Not everyone will need to be replaced, just the ones exhibiting issues. 

I hope everyone here can get their computer replaced.  I will continue to get the word out to the people in my circles about this issue.  Ultimately I hope this thread will no longer be needed.   

Best of Luck,

TJ

You have been really, really lucky!
Apple created a replacement program for similar  iMac (27-inch): AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card Replacement Program - Apple Support
As clients, we should demand the same: the replacement of the defective video card not by one equal, but by one of better quality.

I have contacted Apple explaining I wouln't accept the 4th replacement of logic board by another one equal, only superior model.

Go to the stores, talk to managers, talk to Technical Support, explain it's a worldwide problem:

yesterday I went to fix mine on an Apple Authorized Service Provider here in Portugal and the store had 9 computers waiting for the same fix!!!

Best wishes for everyone

PS: DO NOT put your macs on the oven!!!

Well the update is now gone from ok working if I don't do too much to:

Black screen; restart; then blue screen; to: turn the thing off already.

Very sad.

What 'em gonna do?

I choose to wait on Apple to come up with a solution to fix this problem that we all are having with the graphics cards.

To salvage the relationships that they and we have built over many years ( from the beginning for me _ 128K) and several Macs later...

Help us Apple...it is still more about the computer, than the iphone or ipad... I have all three but...

I have been telling friends for years, quit buying those Windows PC over and over and get you a Mac,

now that they finally get it...

I am about to say, don't

the reality of the thing...

can we recommend Apple at so high a price? and at what cost

can we?

I'm giving you time to get it right Apple...

I still believe in you as a company

and the creator of the Mac

go forth and do the right thing, please.

Rather a “late” reply to djmatman’s message, but still valid I think:

In the evening of 1 December, a 5 year old Sony Vaio (Windows XP) beat a 3 year old Apple MacBook Pro (Mavericks) 1 - nil.

We were giving a conference. Room full, including journalists. As my problematic MacBook Pro had been playing up (freezes, GSOD, vertical green and yellow or blue lines on the screen, all the typical signs of an over-heated AMD graphics chip) after its third logic board replacement, I had arranged a back-up solution. But the machine was in a happy mood and working correctly so I went ahead with it.

Just as well I had the back—up solution: 5 minutes into a video, all stopped, green vertical lines on the screen, but even more worrying - a series of clunks, 2 per second, then a series of loud beeps. The clunks I had heard once before - hard disk or not? but never the beeps.

So we switched to my colleague’s Sony Vaio Windows machine and all went perfectly thereafter.

But of course I owed the audience an explanation - I explained that this model of Apple MacBook Pro had severe problems. I had only risked using it in public because I had managed to use it successfully for a couple of hours, including another conference before about a hundred-strong public, only the previous week.

Apple’s reputation has no doubt been severely damaged. I doubt a single person in that room, including the journalists, will be interested in buying an Apple machine unless they have already and have been lucky with it. And of course they could all see the bright Apple logo on the back of the screen.

Funny thing is, I am now writing this text on it. Without using the graphics chip of course.

APPLE, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO REACT HONESTLY AND REPLACE OUR FLAWED MACHINES?

Also these problems are not new - see this thread from 2006!

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/450912?start=0&tstart=0

Heat problems with logic boards in MacBook Pros again!

My early 2011 MBPro failed a few months ago, showing most of the symptoms described in this forum. I paid $323 for the first logic board switch-out. A month later, the second board failed because of overheating just like the first motherboard. Apple replaced the second at no charge, but only because it was within the 90-day warranty (for a known defective motherboard design on a refurbished part, no less! Less than a month later, I'm seeing familiar early symptoms and may soon end up for a third time with a dead motherboard. Apple is, of course, acting in a most shameful way by ignoring the problem and leaving it's most loyal customers out in the cold for their engineering error. ("Loyal" because the invested in top of the line models.) It isn't as if this problem with the tin solder-overheating AMD GPU defect is something new or unknowable. I just found out that 2010-2011 27" iMacs had a similar problem. It seems the only reason Apple decided to do the right thing in initiating a recall was because the repair for the iMacs was cheaper and simpler. For the iMacs, all that had to be done was to replace a GPU on a card instead of the whole motherboard, which is not the case for the defective MBPros. It's not as if Apple is poor and cannot afford a recall; It has the 2nd or 3rd highest market capitalization in the world! No, it all boils down to corporate greed and lack of respect for customers.

iMac (27-inch): AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card Replacement Program - Apple Support

I HOPE APPLE GETS BURNED REALLY BAD BECAUSE OF THE CLASS-ACTION LAWSUITS AND LOSS OF FAITH FROM ITS CUSTOMERS!

NOT A SINGLE CENT TO APPLE AGAIN.

as simple as that. The rest is history.

******

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This is my second post here, 2011 15" mbp,

The problems on my mac started many months ago, getting progressively worse. Last time I posted I was able to boot my mac up, however this was after maybe 10-15 tries. I have now spent 2 days and over 50 attempts at booting, including resetting pram, attempting boots in safe mode, however it undoubtedly always ends up with a blue screen or a grey one. I am currently sitting by my mbp which is covered in towels as I have heard that this is a fix. As soon as I am able to start my mac up I will back up my files, book an appt with apple and take it in, I have already reported this problem over the phone and asked them to make a report. My question is, as I am in the UK I have been advised by several people (including the apple representative that I spoke to over the phone) to raise this issue in a small claims court, has anyone in the UK had success with this? How did you go about it? Alternatively has anyone had any luck quoting British consumer law directly to apple?

Cheers

Under which Act did Apple advise you to take it to the small claims court?

I do not think that they specified an act. I phoned up, started my complaint, then I was put through to a supervisor.  After I mentioned this forum, dismissed any suggestion that the problem wasn't caused by the graphics card/solder and refused to pay for a logic board replacement, I was pointed towards the small claims court.