Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

degger wrote:

 

I just had got my mbp 8,2 back from an AASP with a new (refurbished?) logic board.

The SMC version is 1.69f3 with no option to update.

My old logic board was 1.69f4.

My replacement board on the 8,3 came with 1.70f3. I think they'll always be upgraded to the latest version first thing by Apple, however it came with the first released Thunderbolt firmware which is a good indication to me that I actually received a new board.

Well spotted! Mine is also asking to update thunderbolt firmware to 1.0.

Here's my current Thunderbolt info

Thunderbolt Bus:

  Vendor Name:          Apple Inc.

  Device Name:          MacBook Pro

  UID:          0x0001000A1C820AA0

  Firmware Version:          13.0-2.8

  Domain UUID:          B02D6ED2-08BB-6957-8C5A-AF239FD29C4C

  Port:

  Status:          No device connected

  Link Status:          0x101

  Receptacle:          1

  Port Micro Firmware Version:          1.2.1

I can't find anywhere that lists what Fimrware Version number correlates to apples firmware "release" number.

So it may be plausible that

- the service centre updated the SMC to the most recent available for a Early 2011... which now for some reason is 1.69f3

- they didn't update the thunderbolt firmware as its not their SOP

- the board i have will last 2 years....

When did you get your board swapped? Have you had any issues?    

@apple_power my first GPU error I can find to date is

Nov 12 22:18:51 Macintosh com.apple.cmio.VDCAssistant[442]: AVDCreateGPUAccelerator: Error loading GPU renderer

Nov 12 22:31:24 Macintosh com.apple.cmio.VDCAssistant[648]: AVDCreateGPUAccelerator: Error loading GPU renderer

Nov 12 23:22:04 Macintosh com.apple.cmio.VDCAssistant[324]: AVDCreateGPUAccelerator: Error loading GPU renderer

... I have yet to find the "hang" error. But am convinsed this is the same issue or likely related as the symptoms reported by everyone in this thread are dead on the same.

Found it there's only one ATI file there called ATISupport.text. what function in next wizard will do the install better question will that ext solve this issue?

Thank you apple_power for putting the nails in the coffin..

odarellmc wrote:

 

Thank you apple_power for putting the nails in the coffin..

Welcome, but I can not help you if you don't read the Guide with the necessary care. Don't blame me for your faults!

Enjoy your 

I know I wish you were near I was so I could thank you personally.

Add me to the club.  I have an early 2011 MBP and I started having major issues last week. My screen randomly distorted and crashed the computer.  I had to hard shut down and after trying to restart my computer it froze on the gray screen.  This was well before I was familiar with the major issues with the AMD discrete graphics cards switching from the integrated intel.  I tried numerous fixes ...starting up in Safe Mode, resetting the PRAM...I finally got it up and running again and it worked throughout the weekend. 

On monday this week...bam same problem and stuck on gray screen.  Ran through all the same fixes with no luck and finally to it to the Genius bar. They tried many of the fixes I tried as well and ended up recording i erase the hard drive doing a clean install then reverting to a backup.

Did all that and luckily I'm able to get into my computer.  Still having issues with the screen freezing and bugging out on me.  Sometimes when it goes to sleep I can't restart, and i'm still on occasion getting the grey screen of death.  I'm happy to see so many other people are experiencing the same issues...share my pain, but Apple really needs to do something about this.

I called apple support this morning and spoke to a Sr tech.  He mentioned the AMD 6750M version was a known issue and they were offering repairs Unfortunately, my computer is running the AMD 6490M.  They are forwarding my case to the Engineering department.  With 1000's of people having the exact same issue and with 85 pages of complaints on this forum alone..not to mention all of the other forums/news articles/lawsuits about this exact issue you would think Apple would want to address this.

SpaceBacon wrote:

 

@apple_power my first GPU error I can find to date is

 

Nov 12 22:18:51 Macintosh com.apple.cmio.VDCAssistant[442]: AVDCreateGPUAccelerator: Error loading GPU renderer

Nov 12 22:31:24 Macintosh com.apple.cmio.VDCAssistant[648]: AVDCreateGPUAccelerator: Error loading GPU renderer

Nov 12 23:22:04 Macintosh com.apple.cmio.VDCAssistant[324]: AVDCreateGPUAccelerator: Error loading GPU renderer

 

 

... I have yet to find the "hang" error. But am convinsed this is the same issue or likely related as the symptoms reported by everyone in this thread are dead on the same.

Ok have a look at this:

You can usually go one week back in history.

Enjoy your 

When did you get your board swapped?

Three weeks ago.

Have you had any issues?   

Originally yes -- same as everybody else here. Not a glitch since then.

SB...I have orange p icons on my appleintel extensions..and other than that one ATISupport.next I can find no other ATI extension

tjohnsoniv1200 wrote:

 

Add me to the club.  I have an early 2011 MBP and I started having major issues last week. My screen randomly distorted and crashed the computer.  I had to hard shut down and after trying to restart my computer it froze on the gray screen.  This was well before I was familiar with the major issues with the AMD discrete graphics cards switching from the integrated intel.  I tried numerous fixes ...starting up in Safe Mode, resetting the PRAM...I finally got it up and running again and it worked throughout the weekend. 

 

On monday this week...bam same problem and stuck on gray screen.  Ran through all the same fixes with no luck and finally to it to the Genius bar. They tried many of the fixes I tried as well and ended up recording i erase the hard drive doing a clean install then reverting to a backup.

 

Did all that and luckily I'm able to get into my computer.  Still having issues with the screen freezing and bugging out on me.  Sometimes when it goes to sleep I can't restart, and i'm still on occasion getting the grey screen of death.  I'm happy to see so many other people are experiencing the same issues...share my pain, but Apple really needs to do something about this.

 

I called apple support this morning and spoke to a Sr tech.  He mentioned the AMD 6750M version was a known issue and they were offering repairs Unfortunately, my computer is running the AMD 6490M.  They are forwarding my case to the Engineering department.  With 1000's of people having the exact same issue and with 85 pages of complaints on this forum alone..not to mention all of the other forums/news articles/lawsuits about this exact issue you would think Apple would want to address this.

Can you find any 'GPU Hang State = 0x00000000' in your System.log?

Enjoy your 

tjohnsoniv1200 wrote:

 

I called apple support this morning and spoke to a Sr tech.  He mentioned the AMD 6750M version was a known issue and they were offering repairs Unfortunately, my computer is running the AMD 6490M.  They are forwarding my case to the Engineering department. 

This is a big shift in rhetoric - the first I've heard of anyone at Apple acknowledging any "known issue" with a 2011 MacBook Pro GPU.  The 6750M is in both early and late 2011 models, so it's not surprising that it's getting their attention first.  But hopefully they'll recognize the issues exist in models with the 6490M and the 6770M.

Please keep us updated!  Historically, a company does not acknowledge anything as a "known issue" unless they're prepared to do something about it... otherwise, it can be a PR and liability disaster. 

ante@macbook:~$ kextstat | grep AMD

   85    2 0xffffff7f81071000 0x6d000    0x6d000    com.apple.kext.AMDSupport (1.1.4) <84 78 11 10 7 5 4 3 1>

   86    0 0xffffff7f810de000 0x1d3000   0x1d3000   com.apple.kext.AMD6000Controller (1.1.4) <85 78 11 10 5 4 3 1>

  103    0 0xffffff7f8142b000 0x3a1000   0x3a1000   com.apple.AMDRadeonX3000 (1.1.4) <102 78 11 7 5 4 3 1>

  114    0 0xffffff7f819b1000 0x14000    0x14000    com.apple.kext.AMDFramebuffer (1.1.4) <85 78 11 10 7 5 4 3 1>

Note the AMDFramebuffer.kext loaded.

Yes, integrated graphics are by Intel. But the video outputs (both LVDS and DisplayPort) go through AMD GPU's framebuffer.

So no, i am not absolutely wrong, no matter how many exclamation marks you use.

Stop parroting the same info over and over again. Do some research instead.

apple_power wrote:

 

@ Orcinus

Orcinus wrote:

 

That's the fallback driver kicking in.

By removing *all* drivers containing the string "AMD" you've also removed the one supporting the integrated (Intel) GPU. So Mavericks booted using a fallback "safe" driver.

 

Sorry, you are absolutely wrong!! The internal GPU does not relay on any AMD*.kext…

 

Think first… The internal GPU is made by Intel not by AMD who makes the AMD GPU which used to be ATI before it was acquired by AMD!!

 

Enjoy your 

As a sidenote, my MBP deteriorated beyond the occasional GPU hang today again.

I've dismantled it yet again and re-flowed the GPU and surrounding area with a hot air soldering iron.

It helped again, but will quite likely deteriorate to the same point *yet again* in about a month.

This is the third time i've done this.

I'm honestly debating whether to send the logic board for a GPU swap now or just give up and buy a new laptop (possibly not Apple's, which would be a first for me since the G4 era). I'm pretty tired of this nonsense.

Not sure.  Found a bunch of 'Kernal 0x00000000', but nothing specifically with the 'GPU Hang State = 0x00000000'