Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I got the call today that the repair is done.  I'll go pick it up tomorrow.  I have an aftermarket ssd installed and upgraded ram.  They didn't care.  The only issue with any hard drive is whether you have it backed up.  If they can't boot it they will just wipe it and reinstall the OS.  They need your admin log and pass to do the repair work.  If you don't provide it the repair center will wipe the drive.

Regarding the post about repair tracking, I'm sure people would appreciate the collection of the data should that project pan out.  I'm not sure which repair center mine went to but I'll keep you posted on the results.  Personally I expect a $3500+ laptop to last longer than <4 years.  It's been a fantastic computer and I hope I see many more years of service out of it.

Hi, just my two cents about my  Macbook Pro 15" I7 2.2 late 2011.

About 2 weeks ago working with Lightroom and editing photo's with Nik filters: Screen went weird and blank.

Restart: only lines and grey screen.

I'm Dutch, temporary living in France, no tools, spare backup drives, Time Machine disk left at home... What to do?

Found this thread using my iPhone...

Thanks everyone, I went to Apple support, within a minute got a free call back (this still worked on aug 9th but not anymore).

The Apple person immediately understood the problem (thanks Ian!) and offered to sent me free of charge a box to sent it to a repair centre a few hundred miles away.

Arrived next day with UPS and was 2 days later at the repair centre. One week later I got mail: Fixed with a new logic board, to be delivered tomorrow here in the outback of France... Fingers crossed!

Only.... I'm very worried about how long this solution will work. If it is another 4 years, I'll be very happy, the machine is /was working super, no need for a newer retina.

Still, reading your many posts, I'm very interested what kind of replacement LB is in now in my MB, hope Apple did used a reballed LB.

Because: How many spare LB's do they have? I cannot believe they have x-thousands... So, IIMHO they must fix failed LB's and use them for replacements...?

We probably never know...

Note: I know since one week what reballed is, cannot even type it normally: my spelling control makes it recalled:-)

I have upgraded ram to 16, owc ssd, removed optical drive and put in another hd in its spot. They don't care. It's an out of warranty machine and nothing about the upgrades is at all involved with the logic board.

Hoping to get my computer back as early as Wednesday and as late as Friday.

I'm having the exact same problem. Apple replaced the logic board in my MBP two months ago, and I'm once again having graphics issues due to the discrete GPU. The system boot and runs fine with the integrated graphics, but five minutes after activating the discrete GPU and it dies. Highly frustrating.

send it back in asap. 3rd time's a charm. Sounds like it could go that way for you.

Sadly, that doesn't help me in two different ways.

First, I can't even get it seen by an Apple Store until this coming Sunday (6 days from now) due to requiring an appointment. I spent 90 minutes on the phone last night with an Apple Care supervisor and their customer complaints department - no one would expedite me at all.

Second, this machine was supposed to be a production machine, but I can never trust it for this purpose now. The entire logic board was replaced by Apple itself, and it still died again just a couple months later. How can I ever trust this device to work properly in the field when there is always the possibility of another hardware fault even after a complete replacement from Apple direct? Even if it does get fixed again, I will always feel anxiety when trying to use it for mission critical projects.

Basically, it's dead weight to me. If the machine is not reasonably reliable, it's no good to me. Having its GPU die twice in two months is not reasonable.

WHich is why you should request a mailing box and send it in. With all due respect, stop whining and send it in. The more times it fails the more liksly that it will be replaced with a new machine. Mission critical is overly dramatic. If it fails during a mission critical project you buy another and get it done. Otherwise cut your losses and move on.

I think you fail to understand what the term "mission critical" means. Mission critical means it is a CRITICAL piece of equipment, as in "must be in working condition in order to meet client deadlines or risk lost revenues and lost reputation," as in "it's responsible for a live performance with thousands of people in attendance." Yes, I use it for such events.

If my laptop dies in the middle of an important project (like right now) or during a live event, I can't just halt everything for five days while I wait for a box to get shipped back from Apple. If I don't have working gear, I don't get paid. If I screw over a client and miss a deadline, I never get another job from them.

The reason I work with Apple equipment is for their reputation for reliability, hence why it's shocking to me why this same machine has the exact same hardware fault two months in a row *AFTER* it's already had it's logic board and GPU chips completely replaced by Apple direct. I'm not "whining," I'm trying to resolve a serious problem with an important (and expensive) piece of gear that Apple is expected to repair.

You are so dramatic. It's no wonder you aren't getting anywhere with Apple on the telephone.  If everything you do is so CRITICAL go buy another computer. Anyone using a 4+ year old computer with no backup on such important work is an idiot, especially a computer with known problems. Whiner. Business is business and you don't get anywhere being emotional and dramatic. You think you are the only person who uses a computer everyday to make a living?

As expected, Apple deletes postings which dare to criticise Apple, and show sympathy for those who don't accept Apple's policy of dealing with complaints. Way to go, Apple!

Forum users report posts that violate the Terms and Conditions.  Generally, those posts are splenetic attacks against Apple, and do nothing to move the forum along.  It's up to an Apple moderator to decide the worthwhileness of a post.

carl wolf wrote:

 

Forum users report posts that violate the Terms and Conditions.  Generally, those posts are splenetic attacks against Apple, and do nothing to move the forum along.  It's up to an Apple moderator to decide the worthwhileness of a post.

Has Apple acted in good faith since bringing the 2011 MacBook Pro to market?  Have customer's reporting their experiences impacted Apple's actions and educated Apple customers?  To decided which reports are splenetic requires a fact based judgement based on available evidence of the good faith actions of Apple.

Initial repairs, soon after the 2011 MacBook Pro came to market, and current repairs by Apple or Apple surrogates using Apple supplied materials have resulted in a high incident of repeat repair cycles according to a high volume of reports to this forum. Had these incidents happened in a vacuum, without customer being able to connect with each other, thousand of customers would have thought they were the only one to have bought a lemon. 

Apple, early on in their company life, decided to support user groups such a MUG.  This discussion board is an outgrowth of that support.  When products are reliable and perform as expected these discussion boards server to enhance the customer experience.  When the products are less than reliable and do not perform as expected the otherside of the knife cuts as well.

History has recorded that the 2011 MacBook Pro does not meet the customers expectation or Apple's expectation for reliablity.  Customers have initiated class actions suits and Apple has initiated an Extended Warranty program based on the measured and documented performance of the 2011 MacBook Pro.  Going by the axiom "People tend to do what they have done before".  Apple has a history of listening to their customers and making things right.  Apple's reaction to the reliability issues with the 2011 MacBook Pro is out of character for Apple.

Apple has the opportunity to go with the Tylenol solution.  So far Apple has not taken the road less traveled and that is making a difference.

When my money is at risk I tend to be very attentive.  I want Apple to succeed because I invested in Apple, by buying an Apple product.  Few companies fail who are honest and provide reliable products.  From reading the reports within this discussion, Apple's integrity and their product quality are both reasonably being called into question.  My money is being placed at risk if Apple continues their current behavior.  History has recorded the effect of loss of integrity and reliabily on sales and longevity of once very large companies.

Today we have a suggestion from a contributor that censoring, controlling what the customer can and cannot say, is a better solution.

To decided which reports are splenetic requires a fact based judgement based on available evidence of the good faith actions of Apple.  Those facts are supplied by the customers, often via forums like this.  Then customers vote, with their dollars for the best, most reliable products they can find.

carl wolf wrote:

 

Forum users report posts that violate the Terms and Conditions.  Generally, those posts are splenetic attacks against Apple, and do nothing to move the forum along.  It's up to an Apple moderator to decide the worthwhileness of a post.

So, telling somebody who had a bad experience wih Apple service to stop whining, is a worthwhile post, and reprimanding the poster who tells others to stop whining is not worthwhile? Tell me, can all forum users report posts, or is this right restricted to a few Apple shills? Looks like this is Apple land, and the apples here do not smell fresh.

So, telling somebody who had a bad experience wih Apple service to stop whining, is a worthwhile post, and reprimanding the poster who tells others to stop whining is not worthwhile? Tell me, can all forum users report posts, or is this right restricted to a few Apple shills? Looks like this is Apple land, and the apples here do not smell fresh.

If you think that whining is a useful approach that's up to you. I find it unhelpful, misleading and a waste of space. The internet is vast, plenty of room to whine elsewhere.

Only posters who have a demonstrated ability to provide solutions may report others, your reputation score is currently zero (no help to anyone) so you can not report them.

Csound1 wrote:

 

So, telling somebody who had a bad experience wih Apple service to stop whining, is a worthwhile post, and reprimanding the poster who tells others to stop whining is not worthwhile? Tell me, can all forum users report posts, or is this right restricted to a few Apple shills? Looks like this is Apple land, and the apples here do not smell fresh.

If you think that whining is a useful approach that's up to you. I find it unhelpful, misleading and a waste of space. The internet is vast, plenty of room to whine elsewhere.

Only posters who have a demonstrated ability to provide solutions may report others, your reputation score is currently zero (no help to anyone) so you can not report them.

I can only see your score and mine, but it is unclear to me how it relates to you being helpful or me being unhelpful.

I cannot verify where the scores come from, although I do have an idea...