Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

Had my early 2010 17" MacbookPro repaired by Apple in January. Suposedly replaced the logic board, one fan, SSD and memory for $315 flat rate repair. I see no evidence they replaced anything other than they wipped my drive. Worked ok for a month, under light use, then back to vertical bars and failing to boot. Same crap it was doing before the repair.

Contacted Apple by phone (nearest Apple store is over 100 miles away). They connected me to a dedicated specialist with an email address and phone extension number. She agreed it was covered under the repair warranty and arranged for a box to be sent to ship it to depot maintenance. The box never arrived so 2 weeks later I called back. She had me drop it at an authorized dealer locally. The authorized dealer told me it passed diagnostics and didn't qualify for the free repair but agreed to send it to depot. Later they told me depot had advanced diagnostics and they found a problem, who knows. I had since found out about the free repair program so she arranged for reimbursement of the original repair cost.

I got the computer back promptly and it's working perfect so far. The Logic Board, battery and bottom cover had been replaced at no charge. Apple is treating me right over this issue. I didn't expect a free repair on a four year old computer. I'm wondering if they're doing something different than previous and hope it's a new logic board, not reconditioned. I'll be happy if my early 2011 MB Pro lasts until the next refresh when I plan to purchase a new one.

My faith in Apple is restored, hope it lasts.

I just brought my 2011 17 MBP in for the 3rd Logic Board replacement.  The "Genius" bar tech told me that Apple is now manufacturing a new 2014/2015 Logic Board for these Macs.  They are supposedly not coming from the original factory batch that has the graphics chip problem.  I don't really believe this based on my experience.  During my 2 other replacement board visits, I was told conflicting info on wether these are reconditioned or new boards.

-- Has anyone else heard about Apple manufacturing new 2014/2015 Logic Board for these Macs?? 

-- Also, has anyone received a free new 2014/2015 15in Retina MBP replacement for your very problematic 2011 17 MBP?  I've seen post in other forums saying they did receive this from an Apple store after several Logic board replacements

Thanks - Tony

I had this problem after logic board replacement for gpu issue. Took it back and after a marathon diagnostic session with a genius he concluded that the hard disk bridge (the cable between logic board and hard disk) was failing.

He didn't say as much but the implication was that the damage occurred when the replacement logic board was fitted. Apple repaired the bridge foc under uk consumer protection law.

There could be many other reasons for failure but worth investigating I would think.

tmorseywmsi wrote:

 

I just brought my 2011 17 MBP in for the 3rd Logic Board replacement.  The "Genius" bar tech told me that Apple is now manufacturing a new 2014/2015 Logic Board for these Macs.  They are supposedly not coming from the original factory batch that has the graphics chip problem.  I don't really believe this based on my experience.  During my 2 other replacement board visits, I was told conflicting info on wether these are reconditioned or new boards.

When a new product is manufactured a certain amount of spare parts are also manufactured to cover predicted rates of failure.  As such, your replacement boards could well have been new.  If by "reconditioned" you mean replaced boards that were subsequently repaired, I don't whether this is common or even economical in the consumer electronics industry.

-- Has anyone else heard about Apple manufacturing new 2014/2015 Logic Board for these Macs??

I was told that my replacement is a "revision".  My understanding of this word is, it is basically the same board with some improvements, bug fixes, etc., i.e., similar to the way the word is used with respect to software.

Also, has anyone received a free new 2014/2015 15in Retina MBP replacement for your very problematic 2011 17 MBP?  I've seen post in other forums saying they did receive this from an Apple store after several Logic board replacements

I only recall one such report in this thread, but I suspect the availability of the revised board means that your MBP will be repaired, not replaced.

I have not read many posts in this thread, but have experienced the faulty graphics card issue in my Early 2011 MBP 15" for several years. Apple has replaced the logic board THREE times, and in addition, replaced: the trackpad, 750 GB hard drive, top case, Super Drive and battery once each. Essentially, the entire machine has been rebuilt except for the monitor itself. The last logic board was replaced in October 2014 and my machine worked fine...up until a week ago. The same story all over again...spontaneous freezes, complete system shutdowns, wacky graphics upon restarts, unable to boot, or multiple restarts required for boot.

Knowing that the recent "MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues" was in place, I brought my Mac in to the Biltmore Apple Store in Phoenix. Luckily, my system was still in a state of "unable to boot." I immediately told the Genius "Early 2011 MBP...Apple has replaced the logic board 3 times already." He tried to boot up the system, couldn't, ran a couple of diagnostic tests, and came back and said "what I'd like to do is replace this machine for you" !!!

Within 5 minutes he had his manager's approval and produced a brand new, still wrapped, off-the-shelf Mid-2014 15" MPB, the latest and greatest. It's the lower-end model, but still blows away what I had. He even offered me the option of upgrading and paying the difference (I declined.)

SO...yes, after 2 1/2 years of repairs, customer support, multiple system restores, etc., Apple has done good by me. Even the Genius said "you deserve this" when he handed me my new machine that I'm typing on right now..

Hope this helps. All I can say is that if you stay patient and are still stuck with a Lemon that Apple can't fix, they will eventually replace it for you. At least until February, 2016 which is when the "MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues" ends. Let's hope your machines die before then

~Dan

"When a new product is manufactured a certain amount of spare parts are also manufactured to cover predicted rates of failure.  As such, your replacement boards could well have been new."

These boards would have had the original defect present in the original manufacture.

"If by "reconditioned" you mean replaced boards that were subsequently repaired, I don't whether this is common or even economical in the consumer electronics industry."

Last year the charter school where I worked was donated 40 Dell GX620 Ultra Small Form Factor (USFF) computers. Many of their motherboards had the "capacitor plague" that this model had. I found one supplier on eBay that had a lot of "reconditioned" boards. I wound up buying 30 at a very cheap price. These boards were like  brand new, all the capacitors were replaced professionally. I determined the reconditioning was done in Scotland.

"Apple has replaced the logic board THREE times, and in addition, replaced: the trackpad, 750 GB hard drive, top case, Super Drive and battery once each. Essentially, the entire machine has been rebuilt except for the monitor itself. The last logic board was replaced in October 2014"

Did you pay for any of these repairs? If so you should have been reimbursed.

spudnuty wrote:

Did you pay for any of these repairs? If so you should have been reimbursed.

Sorry, I failed to mention...I had extended AppleCare for the machine through March 2014, so Apple did all of these repairs free of charge. When AppleCare ran out, I was still covered by Apple's 90-day service warranty (for a part they just replaced) and then they'd swap something else out to "fix" it. And yes, the graphics issue always returned within each successive 90-day window. I thought I was on my own with the last repair in October 2014, but then Apple announced the "MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues" program in February, which covers affected MacBook Pros through Feb. 2016.

I'm surprised that more people in this thread haven't received new, replacement 2014 Retina MacBooks as I did. From spot-reading some of the 12,000 posts here, it seems that many people indeed have serious issues with qualifying MacBooks. Maybe it's the "three logic-board limit" that I hit, but I'm glad Apple finally replaced the machine that had been faulty since day Day 1 (actually more like Year 2, but hey, I purchased Extended AppleCare precisely to avoid issues like these.)

I hope more people have the good luck I did. Keep on demanding a repair, and if they can't fix it after multiple repeated repairs, start asking for a "courtesy replacement unit."

Good luck!

~Dan

Yes, my late 2011 MBP 17" had Apple Care when I took it to the Apple Store here in Basel, Switzerland, less than a week before the MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues was due to begin.  Luckily, since purchasing it in July 2012 I had had no problems with it until I began experiencing the video issues just days before the program was announced.  By then, it had already begun in the US and Canada and the start date for the rest of the world was known.  I was afraid that the machine would be repaired under Apple Care and receive one of the older motherboards, until the "genius" warned me that the technician have to wait for the new boards to arrive.  Indeed, when I picked up the repaired MBP and asked whether the new motherboard is the the same as the old one, the "genius" went "backstage" to ask the technician and was told it was a "revised" one.

Because Apple no longer produces 17" MBPs I consider myself lucky that mine could be repaired.  Besides the larger screen I need the Expresscard slot to connect an external RAID unit via eSATA and the optical drive.  I've already maxed out the RAM and replaced the original HDD with a 1TB SSD.

spudnuty wrote:

[...]

These boards would have had the original defect present in the original manufacture.

[...]

Last year the charter school where I worked was donated 40 Dell GX620 Ultra Small Form Factor (USFF) computers. Many of their motherboards had the "capacitor plague" that this model had. I found one supplier on eBay that had a lot of "reconditioned" boards. I wound up buying 30 at a very cheap price. These boards were like  brand new, all the capacitors were replaced professionally. I determined the reconditioning was done in Scotland.

Yes, the spare boards manufactured for repairs could be expected to fail at the same rate as the original. Luckily, since purchasing my late 2011 MBP 17" in July 2012 I had had no problems with it until I began experiencing the video issues just days before the MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues was announced.  I could therefore well believe that some MBPs covered by the program never experience the issues, and that others that did before the program was announced did no longer after the first motherboard exchange.  We just don't know the numbers, only Apple does, and people who don't have problems (any longer) rarely take part in these discussions.

My understanding is that all parts replaced by "Apple" (incl. Apple Stores, Apple Service Centers and Apple Service Providers) belong to Apple.  People who had their MBPs repaired by third-parties seem generally satisfied -- it's evidently "just" a matter of reflowing the solder, tidying up the heat paste on the GPU and/or CPU, or replacing the GPU -- so it would be possible to repair them.  But third-parties would probably not find many motherboards to repair for resale, and again, we have no information about whether Apple ever did that.

The "Genius" bar tech told me that Apple is now manufacturing a new 2014/2015 Logic Board for these Macs

I was told exactly the same thing when Apple replaced my logic board in mid-January 2015. I'd read on this discussion about customers having their boards replaced multiple times, so wanted to know whether this was a scenario I might be in, or whether Apple had developed a permanent fix.

I was told categorically that the board was a revised design and would be free from the GPU issue. Less than three months later and my new 'revised' board is starting to fail. This 'revised' board has actually been less reliable than the original, which lasted a couple of years, not a matter of weeks...

Apple may have started to manufacture new boards; however my own experience would tend to suggest that this is not the case. It feels more like something customers are told so they will accept a repair with a high probability of failure...

I was experiencing a problem with my mid-2010 15.4-inch Macbook Pro with Nvidia GT330M where completely white areas would have pink vertical lines and completely black areas would have green vertical or "moire" lines. I could also toggle the effect on and off by pressing on the palmrest just to the left of the trackpad. I found and fixed the problem 100% and I hope this can help others.

It turns out that the Macbook had had its motherboard removed previously and had been reassembled incorrectly. When the motherboard (on this model anyway) is removed, the microphone typically stays glued to the case just to the left of the trackpad. When the motherboard is re-inserted, the cylindrical microphone housing does not go back into its hole in the speaker correctly. This can be verified by the fact that the motherboard does not lay flat and is elevated by a few milimeters right where the motherboard screw beside the keyboard ribbon cable is. Typically, users will just tighten this screw thereby forcing the motherboard back down into place. All seems OK but it is not! What this does, however, is that it slightly deforms the motherboard since the improperly inserted microphone acts as a fulcrum. It seems that this is enough to stress some solder joint or trace somewhere thereby causing the pink/green screen effect.

The solution? Unglue the microphone from the palmrest area and properly insert it into its nook in the speaker. Either that or don't install the motherboard screw beside the keyboard ribbon cable. That is what I did and now the pink (on white) and green (on black) screen artifacts no longer occur.

I'm not saying that this will work in all cases but it did in mine and maybe it will also work for you.

To all:

According to the announcement of the repair program the following models are affected by the video issues:

However, SuperD03 says that his early 2010 17" MacbookPro was repaired under the program.  A typo?  And Jaydiem doesn't mention which model he had repaired in mid-January 2015.  (I do understand that Lxixboss is just using his experience with his mid-2010 15.4" MBP as an example of what might happen during the repair covered by the program.)

Just got mine back yesterday. When putting my hard drive back in I had a close look at the board and it doesn't look new to me. It has some corrosion and markings. My old board was cleaner.

Looks like a refurb to me or perhaps scavenged from another machine with a different problem.

I took a few of photos

https://www.flickr.com/photos/82094346@N07/16806773488/player/

And Jaydiem doesn't mention which model he had repaired in mid-January 2015

MBP 15' late 2011