Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I thought that there would be more interest to discus changing 6750 with 6770 and reballing VRAM also but anyway...

It is exactly one year from when I had experienced GPU crashes for the first time and there is still debate about replacing or not GPU chips.

Anyway, how do you "reballing" guys know if the chip is still ok. If I would make business I would change chip every time and add that 30-40 EUR to the final invoice to make things for sure get repaired and not just fixed.

AMD is still producing these chips. Last production date is from this year (2014), when all our chips (early 2011) were made 4 years ago in 2010. AMD is producing these chips for who? For laptops that are made in year 2014? I do not believe that, but I must to admit, that I didnt make that research.

I know some people dont want to do this, though I really recommend it, if you are experiencing the problems in these post, I reommend that if you want a reliable laptop, get the retinas from 2012-2014, they are really reliable, I have had mine for quite awhile, doesn't run hot or freeze, the retinas all run intel, or Intel and nvidia, so there won't be any re soldering and reflows needed, the reason I'm putting this out is because apple learned from its 2011 mistakes and made a lot of good changes on the newer ones, this is just my recommendation that you guys with the problems should be the newer ones.

BlazenMike24 wrote:

 

I know some people dont want to do this, though I really recommend it, if you are experiencing the problems in these post, I reommend that if you want a reliable laptop, get the retinas from 2012-2014, they are really reliable, I have had mine for quite awhile, doesn't run hot or freeze, the retinas all run intel, or Intel and nvidia, so there won't be any re soldering and reflows needed, the reason I'm putting this out is because apple learned from its 2011 mistakes and made a lot of good changes on the newer ones, this is just my recommendation that you guys with the problems should be the newer ones.

Those are very bold statements.  particularly the bit about apple learning from this mistake on subsequent models.  How can you possibly know that? Did you just pull that one out of your arse?

BlazenMike24 is the top BS talker in here, right after Csound1. I'd guess he got word from his uncle who is a "macbook professional". Cracks me up how such a sh1zn1t pulls up and talks serious tech. I'm surprised he knows where the power switch is.

Apart from that, 2012 retinas are dying from the same problem already, see earlier pages of this thread.

I Can see that.   i feel for the poor intern who would have to sanitize this thread from all the stupid, misleading BS this douch3 is spewing in here, if the class action ever went anywhere.

Hello everyone,

Just got my macbook pro i7 2011 fix by apple. I am so disappointed with them right now for what they did.

1) the guy that helped me at the apple told me there were replacing the logic board but they did not. They sent the board to be repair by a third party company.

2) he told me with the repair, I was getting a 1 year warranty but I got only 3 months. When I told them I was supposed to get1 year he made me pass for a liar because he denied...

If its happen after those 3 months that would be another $336 thrown out into apple fortune. This is ridiculous, I am done with apple.

I gonna make sure I leave my feedback on google.  Not happy at all.

labcc wrote:

 

Hello everyone,

Just got my macbook pro i7 2011 fix by apple. I am so disappointed with them right now for what they did.

 

1) the guy that helped me at the apple told me there were replacing the logic board but they did not. They sent the board to be repair by a third party company.

2) he told me with the repair, I was getting a 1 year warranty but I got only 3 months. When I told them I was supposed to get1 year he made me pass for a liar because he denied...

If its happen after those 3 months that would be another $336 thrown out into apple fortune. This is ridiculous, I am done with apple.

I gonna make sure I leave my feedback on google.  Not happy at all.

did you go to an Apple Store?

seems like you opted for a flat rate repair, which is only available in the US and usually charged around $300, if that's the case then your computer was not sent to a third party but to the depot where they say they change all that's needed.

when they repair in-store it's usually more expensive but faster while they only change what you're paying for, usually around $600 for a refurbished logic board swap.

and again, if it is an Apple Store, the 3 months warranty is what they give, never 1 year.

now for this computer you have 2 options, either you play the logic board swap with Apple until you can ask for a 2014 computer replacement when your 4th 'repair' fails or you find a skilled technician who can either reflow or reball your gpu when this one fails...

rdbrwn wrote:

Anyway, how do you "reballing" guys know if the chip is still ok. If I would make business I would change chip every time and add that 30-40 EUR to the final invoice to make things for sure get repaired and not just fixed.

That my friend is experience.

And beeing in contact and sharing info with some of the skilled reballing pioneers beeing honest about their experiences.

A group I can count myself to.

Not the ones with youtube knowledge "oh this looks easy, press a button to start, it beeps when done. Let's buy a machine and make money".

And then come to the conclusion it's not just that.

No, some do have real undrstanding about the processes involved.

What a solder process really is, how it happens, what the chemicals and metallurgy involved are etc...

Maybe not the scientific correct terms or formulas, but enough to understand it and influences from some workflows on it..

Taking a chip off to replace with a new one influences the results of these first soldering processes too.

It just depends on the job.

Sometimes placing a new chip is the better solution.

Sometimes it's not necessary.

Sometimes reballing might not give the best longest lasting result, but might still be the best solution as sequential steps can be done at lower temperatures.

Like when there are no new replacement chips available.

Etcetera....

Long time experience can help here.

Hey, I didn't say it was a fact, I said that in MY OPINION, this is from my own experience, that it is a reliable laptop, what do you no got about it being my opinion, I'm not saying that I am correct, I am saying that based on the years that I have had it, it has never failed me. I didn't say that I saw it from other post, but for me using it for the time that I have and how heavily used it, I'm just saying that it's reliable. What is so wrong with me saying my opinion?

Anyways, why do you even care what I say? Am I not allowed to say what I experienced?

D3us, How long have you worked on macbooks, you know a lot about them.

Just want to add myself to this insanely large list of people experiencing the same problem. Basically I got a kernel error text, my computer restarted, stuck on grey screen. Tried everything, safety mode didn't work, recovery mode didn't work, did an SMC reset which worked for a couple hours then restarted again and back to grey screen. Took it to Apple and they said t was a probLem with my graphics card, $310 to fix it bc my warranty ended in August.

Merry Christmas!

II'm kind of curious on what went so wrong with the 2011 macbook's though, my cousin has 2006 or 2007 MacBook and it works fine.

BlazenMike24 wrote:

II'm kind of curious on what went so wrong with the 2011 macbook's though, my cousin has 2006 or 2007 MacBook and it works fine.

Imo, the problem is the lead free solder. Or at least the used soldering process/profile.

Lead free solder doesn't wet (solder) as well as lead solder, needs higher preheat and soldering temps.

This temp has to be reached a specific soldering profile.

Higher temps = more chance for oxidation = more chance for errors, which can arise later, etc...

That AMD GPU has over 900 solder balls on it.

Much chance for some going wrong.

Still stand by what I wrote before:

It's probably not an internal GPU fault.

The reason is bad soldering of the BGA most likely.

Not all balls got fully liquidus or long enough TAL, not giving a 100% soldered connection.

It makes contact but is not really soldered, doesn't have a real intermetallic bond.

More "glued" instead of soldered.

Same bad soldering process can also result in "brittle" solder.

The mechanical stress caused by heating/cooling cycles, making it expand and shrink, breaks the "glued" or brittle connections.

Other possibilties are "head in pillow", can break later due mecanical stress too.

Tin wiskers, as mentioned, but less likely in this case.

And others...

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Kayazuki's post:

https://discussions.apple.com/message/27259561#27259561_

BlazenMike24 wrote:

 

Anyways, why do you even care what I say? Am I not allowed to say what I experienced?

You are allowed to hold and voice your own opinions, ignore the ones trying to shut you up.