Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

No need to tell, you get a refurb

Are you based in the EU?

In Belgium, Apple is treating my problem until now in a very professional way. My late 2011 MBP 15" was repaired in April with a new logic board. That time I had crashes, lines on my screen but MBP was somehow passing the video test. Anyway the logic board was replaced but just after a month all of a sudden (itunes + safari browsing google maps) my MBP died. This time never turned-on. Lines and gray screen. In two days, the logic board is replaced for the second time. I am now hoping that this will solve the problem for good but can not be sure.

When did you ask for a replacement of MBP? After the third repair?

from pictures Ive posted you can see that GPU chip has 1450 on it. It means that was produced in 2014 in 50th week, so the chip is new. It also has new video ram. SK bought hynyx so now is SKhynyx. I can also tell from a look that LB was completely mint without a scratch, without a corrosion without a single piece of dust etc. I remember my brothers MBP2011 (he has late 2001 and I have early) when it came from LB replacement it was not like mine. Metal that surrounds holes for screws was colorised with pinky yellowish colour that becomes from heating, so I assumed that he got repaired LB.

You may have received this answer already, sorry for not scanning carefully the thread.

There's an Apple replacement program active, which should allow you to get your system repaired for free.

At least in Italy, it is advertised as lasting till the end of 2016, see the following Apple page

https://www.apple.com/it/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

I presume that the same programme is active in other countries, just google for "macbook pro 2011 repair programme"

Good luck!

Andrea

What settings are you using for the TG Pro app?

I have a late 2011 MBP, and sadly, the logic board has failed once, already. It began with multiple crashes at random, until it eventually escalated to my computer refusing to boot. Took it into Apple and was given a replacement logic board free of charge. I hoped that would end my problems, but sadly, the kernel panics have returned. I have an appointment with the Genius Bar tomorrow, but I worry about what they will do for me. I'm in college, so I really need a working laptop. I'm hoping the problem gets fixed permanently rather than temporarily.

Hi

TGPro settings:

On Main window set 'Fans' on Auto Boost'

On Preferences / Fan :

Create Auto Boost Rules :

All Fans to 100 % when Highest CPU is above 80 C (already exists)

All Fans to 100 % when GPU Proximity is above 50 C

All Fans to 100 % when GPU Diode is above 50 C

Then 'Copy All to Battery' to duplicate rules on Battery mode, check Battery to delete rules already existing

Auto Boost Gradual Time: 30 s

I have less GPU crashes since I install TGPro with these settings.

When GPU crashes. I force to stop my MBP and wait for few minutes until the back side decrease in temperature. Then it starts with no problem. If I'm not waiting enough, GPU crashes immediatly and OS X doesn't even go to login.

Apple change my 'ilogical' Board 3 times. Even Tech guys at Apple store seem desesperate about this hopeless and endless exchange program...

Hi everyone on this thread!! I'm feeling a bit hopeless about my situation now..

I have a late-2011 MBP 15" 750GB HDD 16GB RAM and it had been a beast for 4 years and a half I was actually proud of having a computer so durable.. I was using OSX Mountain Lion until 2 months ago i finally decided to update it to El Capitan. I'm not sure if it caused my mbp to start having graphic problems..

It started to have panelled screen, entire blue screen/ green screen / mixed color screen.. it gets stuck there for 10 seconds and restarts itself..

Sometimes it would be starting up normally like nothing happened.. and i could use it for a few hours more before the same thing happens again..

Sometimes it couldnt even start up. It would have the entire screen panelled but i'd still be able to type my passcode and it'd load and when the bar reaches around 80% it would become a white screen.. Then i'd just shut it off and wait for a while before trying again.. It led me into thinking it is the GPU problem because it matches the problems listed on the Video Card Repair Program.

The first time was around 5 days ago and it continued to happen once or twice per day and i was so annoyed by this situation. Took it to the genius bar yesterday (I live in Hong Kong). The genius ran a bunch of tests on my mbp and it passed ALL OF IT even the VST test. Then genius told me "okay so your mbp is having graphic problems but the video card is not causing those problems given that it passed the VST test. We can't replace your logicboard because it's not covered by this particular program. It's other parts of your logicboard that is causing this problem. You'll have to pay HKD$5k (around US$660) to get it replaced or you could buy a new computer. You could of course wait until u couldn't use it anymore but this problem is probably gonna occur more and more frequently."

Then i left the store. I dont know what to say about this situation because my mbp is having all 3 of the problems listed on the Apple webpage but they couldnt do anything just because it passed the VST test (i dont even know how it managed to pass lol). I was quite mad because even if i showed him pictures of the glitches and paneled graphic on my mpb he still wouldnt do anything..

I saw some people on this thread and other sites like apple replaced their motherboard even after passing the VST test and all that... Didnt work well for me.

Weird enough that problem did occur more frequently than before the apple store trip...

Im going to arrange another genius bar appointment at another store and see if i get the same outcome..

Can anyone tell me what i have to do to have it replaced under the program because it obviously is a video card problem?? Thank you so much!

My MacBook Pro Early 2011 has failed three times in latest 5 months. Three logic board changed and they are always refurbished.

for rigt side:

for left side is a bit different

and so on to 0.

Hope you got an idea

I just had my Early 2011 17" Macbook Pro repaired for the second time. Do you guys think I should run the stress test on this "new" logic board or is the general idea that the logic boards from the repair program are better than the original/refurbished ones from before? I really don't want to go to the Apple Store every 8-12 months to get it repaired especially if they're going to charge me $350 every time. Can anyone offer further insight?

I was one of the lucky guys this weekend. My mackbook pro early 2011 had this issue after years of normal use. Today I took it to the apple store in Budapest and they've identified the problem and said I was eligible for the replacement program.

Let's see how long the new motherboard is going to last.

Any update on this? any help is good

Apple has an extended replacement program that runs till December 2016.