Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

jimoase wrote:

 

It appears that you have joined the ranks of those experiencing a failed discrete graphics processor.

 

There appears to be three cures:

- Apple will change the mother board, often repeatedly, for various fees.  Some have reported a flat $300 deal that fixes any thing, a $600 deal that swaps mother boards.  The fees seem to group in the 300 … 600 range.

 

- Some have reported having the solder reflowed.  No reports on the cost.

 

- Some have reported having the graphic chip replaced.  Cost between $325 … $500.

 

There are few reports of additional repairs being needed if reflowed or replaced is the repair.

 

Apple’s cure often requires several returns but has a caveat, after the 4th repair some have reported Apple is swapping failed units for new production.

 

When small repair shops around the world can fix this problem and Apple cannot, its not technical problem why Apple cannot fix the problem, its a management problem.

 

There is a class action suit making its way through the courts on this very problem.  If Apple provided a long term solution they would be proving the assertion of the suit.  Therefore they are not allowed to provide a solution other than total replacement.

Don't forget the wrap in a blanket trick.

If you run on integrated graphics, there is a possibility you can prolong the life of your macbook.  I suggest the "wrap in a blanket" trick before you make the switch to integrated because any further use of your GPU keeps separating contact more and more.

Wrap in a Blanket - Download GPU Test, run Stress test, wrap your laptop in a blanket, turn it upside down, wait until the computer overheats and turns off.  After that, use gfxCardStatus and only run it on integrated.  Make sure when you open apps to switch it back to integrated because some apps force Discrete GPU.

The reason why you are overheating the computer and re-seating the GPU is because even though you will purely use integrated over a dedicated GPU, when you boot the computer up, you have no control over deactivating the GPU.  Now when you have a completely 100% busted GPU, since the boot requires the GPU to work, you won't ever get past a gray boot screen.  At least with re-seating the GPU, you can pull down its use 80%.  Also, others will tell you that it is possible to move files from the ATI folder from single user mode (computer boots into black screen with command lines) but personally, for me, it has never worked.  Download SMCFancontrol and run your laptop on 2,500 rpm on both sides MINIMUM. Keep your laptop under 70C (SMCFanControl displays this) I have told a couple others on here to buy a Targus Heat Defense pad which cools your laptop passively.  This is another step you can take, for not only your laptop, but all future Apple laptops you buy.  This is just another way to bring the temps of the overheating GPU down.

UPDATE: If you guys care to know how my laptop is faring after the Apple repair, I can tell you it is holding strong.  The $310 fee (plus tax+/-$340) that replaced over 5 defective products in my computer (including the $600 display) seems to have worked, for now.  I know that there is a strong, strong possibility that the board I received is the same horrible board being recycled, but it is almost as if Apple silently started implementing new repair procedures?  I don't know, it's just really solid now...

And it looks like I may be the latest victim of this wonderful example of Apple Manufacturing.  Was using my Macbook Pro this afternoon when all of a sudden the Fans kicked into overdrive and the system froze for a moment before rebooting.  When the system rebooted it did not come up succesfully.  I could see the drive start to boot but then it froze at a gray screen and the fans started running a lot and the system just stayed like that.  Tried to reboot off of a USB drive not knowing what the issue was initially.  After about half an hour of trying different things I got the system to boot again and it was up and running for several minutes before I plugged in my external monitor and it died right away and I have not been able to get it to boot again since.  I have noticed for some time that hitting flash or video pages would cause the Temp to go up significantly and not made the connection until now.  I have Applecare until the end of the month so I will be visiting the Apple Store this week.  Very Curious to see what they will do.

Hitman4000 wrote:

 

... I suggest the "wrap in a blanket" trick before you make the switch to integrated because any further use of your GPU keeps separating contact more and more. ....

There might be some issues with "wrap in a blanket" to melt a specific solder joint.  Generally solder melts at something above 350 degrees F so the blanket has to cause the whole machine to reach 350+ for the desired solder joints to melt.  Of course other connections will also melt.  What happens then?  Could some part reach the melt temp before others?  Could some parts shift slightly and lose registration?  Lots to consider.

I am having the same problems too. FIX THIS APPLE

The only way I can get my computer to run is in safe mode. It won't even boot into the internet recovery without failing.

jimoase wrote:

 

Hitman4000 wrote:

 

... I suggest the "wrap in a blanket" trick before you make the switch to integrated because any further use of your GPU keeps separating contact more and more. ....

 

There might be some issues with "wrap in a blanket" to melt a specific solder joint.  Generally solder melts at something above 350 degrees F so the blanket has to cause the whole machine to reach 350+ for the desired solder joints to melt.  Of course other connections will also melt.  What happens then?  Could some part reach the melt temp before others?  Could some parts shift slightly and lose registration?  Lots to consider.

It's a joke.

No way the blanket trick wil get your solder to melt.

It's lead free, metling temp is 217c (423F) if eutectic (exact melting point)

If not eutectic it becomes jelly at 217c and melts at 219.

Towel trick will never ever resolder anything.

Only thing it does expanding solder balls a bit more due higher temp, if lucky, they might make some contact again.

That is the reason it sometimes works.

After a few hours/days of use, it will break again.

Repeating this you risk destroying other sensitive parts.

Forget most DIY tricks.

First thing I did when I got mine back was begin stress testing it... Seldom went above 70c for me, even with a blanket resting on top. (17" early 2011) been running it at home all day, so we'll see what the word is when I get off work.

Hmm, that seems more like a safe temperature. But then the 17" enclosure probably has more heat dissipating capacity.

I took the logic board out of my 15 MBP2011 and replaced the gray thermal paste which was on the chips with Arctic Alumina "Arctic Silver" paste. The temperatures are still very high even with the new paste... Running GpuTest it can go up 90+ briefly. When the fans rev-up the temperature does come down quite rapidly. That is probably the only difference I can see at the moment

Below the pic of the old paste on the replacement logic board. As you can see, the gray paste is not evenly spread out on the chips.

For those of you intending to throw yourselves on the mercy of Apple to try and get this resolved, my experience may help you to avoid a couple of wasted weeks without your MBP.  Let me set the context:  My wife and I have owned 9 Apple laptops going back to 1995 along with various iPhones, iPads, iPods and other Apple gear.  In other words...we are *very* good customers.  My late 2011 MPB started having random shutdown issues before my AppleCare expired, but didn't shut down for good and fail to boot till 6 weeks after the expiration.  I used the trick of removing the GPU kernel configuration files to boot the system and ensure that I have compete backups.  Then I took the unit Genius Bar at my local Apple Store...

After explaining the situation to the Genius, he (...along with his manager) agreed to a logic-board replacement to be covered by Apple.  I assume that the $25K that I've spent on Apple products, along with my recently expired AppleCare factored into this decision.  In other words, keep me happy, and I'll likely go on buying Apple products for the next 15 years.  Simple economics.  I agreed and allowed them to ship the unit to a service center.  That was last week.

24 hours after the service center received the laptop, I get an email stating that the trackpad has water damage, and that the repair will cost $610.00--suspiciously...the exact cost of the logic-board replacement.  Photos attached to the online repair case show no such damage, and I know that there has been no such damage while the laptop has been in my hands.  No mention was made of the gratis logic board replacement, and the technicians didn't enumerate what repairs would actually be made.  So even if I had authorized and paid for the repair, I'd have no guarantee that Apple would even replace the logic board or that I would, in the end, have a working laptop.  Lacking information, I contacted an Apple Customer Care representative who promised to look into the issue and get back to me...latest...in 24 hours.  I informed her that I would be willing to forgo any repair to the trackpad (...it was working when I handed the unit off to Apple) and would accept just the logic board repair, as authorized.  24 hours pass, and the representative provides no additional information...no call...no email.  My follow-up messages to her were ignored.

Consequently, at the end of the second business day after the technicians cancelled the covered, authorized repair--with Apple unable (or unwilling) to identify what would actually be done to my MBP--I refused the repair cost and opted to have my unit shipped back.  Despite my MBP going to the service center overnight, it will come back via Pony Express...in 5 to 7 business days.

The upshot of this story is:  Even if you somehow manage to convince a Genius to cover your repair, don't count on Apple following through.  Apple apparently does not care how much business you've done with them in the past nor how much business you are likely to do with them in the future--does not care that you have the technical skill to make good on a threat to stop using their products, and does not care that they are selling materially defective products.  (This is my second MBP  in a row to have a faulty GPU.  My last one was 'bricked' after only 26 months of use and had to be discarded.)

After almost 20 years of loyalty to Apple products, I can...and I will, move my own work to a Linux laptop.  It will be painful, but I have the expertise, and every indication is that Apple is quite content to base their business on selling iPhones to teenagers.  All well and good...until the next technological disruption catches them.  Then...the defection of their long-term customers is going to matter.

Today I tried to fix the problem by reinstalling the maverick. Failed attempt fault remains.

I have no choice to reinstall the yosemite with gfxCardStatus With integrated mode Only....

Goodbye apple welcome linux

After letting my Macbook sit all night I was able to boot it this morning and it ran for a couple minutes.  Knowing that this was going to end up at the Apple Store I removed my Data Doubler and re-installed the optical drive to make the system as Stock as possible before going to the Apple Store tomorrow.  I then re-installed Yosemite on the stock drive and once that was complete I installed gfxcardstatus and forced the system to use the discrete GPU.  I then just let the system sit for about 15 minutes before I heard the fans running up and the system hung at a gray screen since it had rebooted.  I am really glad that I have an older Mac Mini to use for now as I start working with the Apple Store to get them to do something about this.  The only thing in my Macbook Pro that is not stock right now is the 16 Gig of Crucial RAM.

D3us wrote:

 

jimoase wrote:

 

Hitman4000 wrote:

 

... I suggest the "wrap in a blanket" trick before you make the switch to integrated because any further use of your GPU keeps separating contact more and more. ....

 

There might be some issues with "wrap in a blanket" to melt a specific solder joint.  Generally solder melts at something above 350 degrees F so the blanket has to cause the whole machine to reach 350+ for the desired solder joints to melt.  Of course other connections will also melt.  What happens then?  Could some part reach the melt temp before others?  Could some parts shift slightly and lose registration?  Lots to consider.

 

It's a joke.

No way the blanket trick wil get your solder to melt.

It's lead free, metling temp is 217c (423F) if eutectic (exact melting point)

If not eutectic it becomes jelly at 217c and melts at 219.

 

Towel trick will never ever resolder anything.

Only thing it does expanding solder balls a bit more due higher temp, if lucky, they might make some contact again.

That is the reason it sometimes works.

After a few hours/days of use, it will break again.

Repeating this you risk destroying other sensitive parts.

 

Forget most DIY tricks.

Don't ask me, look at some of the pages in this thread that people talk about the wrap in a blanket trip working for them.

And to the other guy, the laptop won't ever even reach 175C because the laptop shuts down around 95C.  Why don't you guys give it a shot.

Hitman4000 wrote:

 

Don't ask me, look at some of the pages in this thread that people talk about the wrap in a blanket trip working for them.

 

And to the other guy, the laptop won't ever even reach 175C because the laptop shuts down around 95C.  Why don't you guys give it a shot.

Think I answered that myself allready, why it (might) work.

Read those pages again and see how often it failed again a few days later.

It is an old technique.

Found it ridiculous, but out of curiousity, tested it in 2006.

And came to the conclusion it was indeed rediculous.

If it is to try to get it working again to salvage some data, ok.

But it's certainly not a repair, just a temporary fix at the most.

Graphic card fails every short time, creating glitches,

I have an early 2011 MBP 15-inch purchased in February 2012. The GPU seems to have burned out with the following symptoms: blue screen, graphics artifacts, glitches, horizontal lines, overheating, crashes, etc, as described by thousands of other MBP users.

Please, I need a solution for that. This computer is not older than 2 years and a half and this is a factory failure as many many people is running the same issue.

<Links Edited By Host>

Hello frustrated Mac users,

my early 2011 MacBook Pro 15" died 2 days ago so I would like to join the club.

The Apple store here in Vancouver offered a repair for CAD $622.00, ***. We all know

that it won't help in the long run so I refused.

Thanks to my expertise as Mac developer I managed to disable the discrete GPU by

removing kernel extensions so I can at least continue developing my software.

I also joined the Canadian Class Action but thinking of taking on Apple Canada in

small claims court. Has anyone experience in this?

Regards

Frank Fenn

wrherndon wrote:

...

After almost 20 years of loyalty to Apple products, I can...and I will, move my own work to a Linux laptop.  It will be painful, but I have the expertise, and every indication is that Apple is quite content to base their business on selling iPhones to teenagers.  All well and good...until the next technological disruption catches them.  Then...the defection of their long-term customers is going to matter.

Sad, but all so well said.....