Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card
-
Jan 16, 2015 9:10 AMby Barry The Fish,I'd get the new logic board. You then get a 90 day warranty. These machine were sold on the premise that they where designed to use graphically inteensive applications and take it in their stride. So, once you have your new logic board and paid for it, I'd recommend that to go home and stress test the machine. Use gputest set it to use furmark, full screen matching your resolution and anti aliasing at max. 24 hours should do it. When it fails, take it back under the 90 day warranty and they'll replace it. Repeat until they offer you a new machine. Don't get aggressive or shouty be pleasant when you go back to the store. Oh and book your appointment for something like 10:15am or something. Don't book for lunchtime or evening or a weekend, I've always got better service if I go at times when 'normal' people are at work. A new machine for $310 isn't a bad deal, is it?
<Link Edited By Host>
-
Jan 15, 2015 2:14 AMby kwamefromempire state,1. Shut down the computer.
2. Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
3. On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
4. Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
5. Press the power button to turn on the computer.
The twist is in step 4. I held the keys in step 3. for about 5 seconds, then released all EXCEPT the power button, holding this for an additional 5 seconds before releasing it. Finally, step 5. The computer booted with a normal screen, which I hadn't seen in 2 months, BUT, the fans were going full blast, no led on the MagSafe, no battery in the menu bar, Mac not going to sleep when closing the top, and probably other stuff that I missed.
I rebooted several times from the menu, without problem and with a normal screen, but still with the fans blasting and all…
Finally, I shut down and did a NORMAL SMC reset, the Apple standard way, and lo and behold… a normal startup, normal screen, fans, MagSafe, everything!
I have since rebooted countless times (deliberately) and even done an update to Yosemite (I was on Mavericks), and the machine has been running perfectly !
-
Jan 15, 2015 8:47 AMby Gdain,Just got my MBP 2011 back from the apple store, I live in the UK, so i was recommended on the phone and online to mention UK consumer law when i visited the store. As soon as i mentioned it, the genius didn't try to argue or blame it on software or anything else, and promptly booked my laptop in for a free repair. I mentioned to the genius that i was going to stress test the video card when i got it back to make sure it is up to standard, he said that the problem shouldn't re-occur, as they have changed something (i can't remember what). Can anyone recommend any free stress testing software? and are these 'fixed' mbp's still prone to this problem?
Cheers
-
Jan 15, 2015 9:21 AMby Charles Houghton-Webb,After my "self-fix", I've been trying to stress test my computer, to see it the fix holds. I didn't know of the software mentioned by Barry the Fish (see post above), but I've downloaded that and have been running tests with it. I think it should do the job for you too
I have run all the benchmark tests, and although most of these get the fans going a bit (nothing like the full blast after my SMC reset!), but the computer gets through them honorably
I have run the fur mark test at full resolution and maximum anti-aliasing for an hour without problem either.
I will NOT be leaving it for 24 hours as Barry suggests, as my aim in not to try to break it, but just see if it can stand a bit of heat in normal working conditions. This does seem to be the case so, so far, I'm fairly pleased with the "SMC reset with a twist"
-
Jan 15, 2015 9:44 AMby D3us,For CPU I use prime 95, making sure it uses all cores. Even start 4-8 sessions for quad or octa core.
http://www.mersenne.org/download/For gpu stress testing you could use:
http://unigine.com/products/heaven/_
When testing PCs I run both, stressing out CPU AND GPU to the max together !!!
Prime I run a session assisgned pre core, 4 cores = 4 sessions.
And use a program to read out temps when doing this.
-
Jan 15, 2015 12:48 PMby bootknots,To All, Found this thread and am adding myself to the list of folks who purchased a 2011 MacBook Pro that has been recently creating the "white screen" of death issue for me. Not sure if Apple has been reading these threads and hopefully a case is opened as a result that will cover the repair and malfunction of our MBP's since they're past their warranty period. I have tried several of the recommended tips both on Apple Support's sites and the forums with this presenting itself as a spontaneous yet recurring issue.
Some of the things that I've noticed is that my MBP is now sensitive to the point that it will STOP going white on the screen if I move the screen panel and shift my laptop a little back in forth in the air, almost as though something were loose but I don't hear anything moving. It'll stall the white screen long enough that I can save some of my data and then shut down.
Here's a list of things that I've tried to resolve on my own without bringing it in to the Genius Bar, although, I have a feeling that that will have to be my next stop.
1) Shutting down completely and then rebooting while pressing Option + D to run a Diagnostic Test - Returns with No issues found on the test, both short and the extended version.
2) Shutting down again and rebooting, then doing the PRAM reset - Opt + P + Com + R altogether, chiming 3 times then releasing.
3) Reboot and then Shut Down (again) with Command + R to run the Disk Utility and verify the drive and permissions.
4) Problem still present after trying all of the above.
5) Latest has been to use the air compressor dust blowers and aiming across the keyboard and the fan grills to see if there's anything interfering with the connections it loosens it and eventually comes out.
So far, I've been able to work on my MBP but it doesn't always last for long and I run steps 1-5 all over again to get it functional.
BTW, rebooting often goes to white screen although not all the time. I've been able to reboot and enter several of the tools above without a problem, only when running OS X does it happen to go to the white screen, or if I shift the position of the screen or laptop.
Obviously, none of our laptops are meant to last forever, but clearly the White Screen is a manufacturer defect for the 2010-2011 macbook pros to all be suffering from this issue.
-
Jan 15, 2015 7:23 PMby Ryan Griffin,I have a 15" 2011 MacBook Pro, and about a month ago it started having all sorts of graphics problems. The screen was locking up, the system would start to reboot and then lock up or continue to reboot over and over again. Sometimes there would be lines on the screen. I would get errors that popped up saying there was a graphics error. The computer would get super hot on the bottom. It was a mess. Granted it worked most of the time like normal but it would go into spurts of not working right for a day. I'd have to hard reboot numerous (up to 12 times) times to get it to work right. The disk Utilities said the hard drive didn't have a problem, I ran the hardware test that comes on the CD that came with my computer back in 2011 and it said there were no problems, but it just kept happening more and more. I looked online and there was a bevy of information on the logic board graphics issues. I tried lots of different solutions I saw on her as well as youtube. Finally I took it to the Apple Store at the Polaris Mall here in Columbus expected to have it shipped off to Apple to get a new logic board for $310 or so. I was fine with that, despite reading that lots of people have this problem with 2010/2011 MacBooks and that it was all Apple's fault and there were class action lawsuits etc.
At the Apple store they ran some test and said, yes it was probably the Logic Board, and that there were bad ones produced in this model, and that maybe Apple will issue a recall or extend the warrantee etc, but nothing had happened yet. The Tech told me that most likely the problem is the Thermal Paste that connects the graphics card to the logic board (I have had apple computers (Apple IIc, Centris, Performa, iMac, iMac and now a MacBook Pro) so I know very little about the insides of these machine since they just work when I open the box). He said that some of boards that were made had bad thermal paste in them that over time (usually after the warrantee has run out) hardens/loses its gooeyness. It causes all sorts of different issues as a result. He said that Apple knows this, but can't do the repair themselves (they'd just put a new logic board in) but there is a local apple service place called Elan in town that would do the paste for me. I called them and they said it was very unlikely that the paste would be the problem or solution, but agreed for a $40 diagnostic fee to take out the old past, and put in new paste.
It worked. They were amazed and intrigued.
My computer came back and works great. Granted I just got it back tonight. Granted the tech said it could have been just opening it up taking everything out and putting it back in. Who knows. But for right now it works, and it only costs me $40. Elan wants me to keep them updated on whether the fix keeps working. I can already tell the computer is a lot cooler on the bottom. They said that in the past they have replaced logic boards on many of the 2010/11 models and 90 days later the problems have come back.
I'll keep you posted on here if it keeps working or fails again. I know that there are many more of us out there waiting for Apple to fix this issue for free. In the meantime this fix might help, even for a short term for those of you that need to finish a project, or back up data before a more permanent solution is found. Who knows, maybe this is a permanent fix.
I have been a lifelong Apple supporter, and am hopeful this will help.
