Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

paradoxes wrote:

 

...To the trash can...

I hope you're saying that in anger.  Your MBP, with full disclosure about its current condition, can still fetch $500+ on eBay.

dagoble wrote:

 

I think that most of us believe the root cause is either poor design or poor manufacturing...

Aye.  And it would eventually be nice to narrow in on one of those two things.  That would enable folks to make more informed decisions about their repair options.  If there are any Apple engineers or MBP production people lurking this thread who want to throw us a bone, that'd be great!  We're all ears.  You don't have to out yourself.  Just create a new login with a user name like DeepThroat_2011MBP.  We'll know who you are and we'll take it from there.

Unless, of course, Apple plans to do the right thing.  Now, that would be the Apple that I've known for nearly three decades.  That would be the Apple of my eye for both private purchases and for those purchases over which I've had influence for institutional use.

dagoble wrote:

 

...Perhaps the "real" root cause is the lack of Jobs...

Ouch!

Hey Anil...Where did you get yours done? In India?

Here's an update. I got my early 2011 Macbook Pro back from repair today (after paying $310 USD) and asked whether they ran any tests when they got it back. The employee told me that they did and it passed all their tests at the repair depot and in store upon arrival. This next part was very interesting: he said that the logic board they put in has a "newer chipset" than the one I had before (replaced Jan 2012) that addresses the problem. He seemed to be aware of the issue.

     When I dropped it off to get fixed, I had my case "escalated", the serial number noted as being problematic, and nicely mentioned not being happy about the price nor that I might get refurbished parts put back in it. I am not sure if that made a difference but right now as I am using it, it seems to run better than before. I opened it up and the logic board looks brand new with no burn or rusty marks and the computer runs noticeably cooler now as well. I can only hope that they are finally fixing the problem as opposed to replacing junk with more older and probably just as defective junk.

BTW, this is the early 2011 Macbook Pro 15" with a high-rez matte display and 6750M and I ordered it within days after release so it must be an early batch.

I am having a problem with my mid 2010 MacBook Pro. I do nothing with it other than surfing the web and playing flash based games. When playing flash based games the Mac warms up but not significantly however very soon I completely lose the display, completely black. Sometime a light tap to the left of the track pad brings the display back, other times the MacBook locks up completely requiring pressing and holding down the power button.

I made a genius bar appointment, during the appointment the Mac Genius says it may be software based. said they would wipe and reinstall the OS, I informed them I had done this the day before. He then said it was probably the display and he had no idea how much a new one was. I informed him it was most definitely not the display, moving it in any direction at any speed and even giving the screen a small amount of twisting force had no effect.

I then demonstrated the problem to him by lifting the MacBook and ever so gently touching under the bottom of the MacBook causing the display to go nuts, it's the flexing of the logic board magnifying the issue with the discreet graphics chip whilst the machine has been warmed up by playing flash stuff just before.

Anyhow at this moment I am waiting to hear back from Apple. I seriously hope they do the right thing and replace the logic board as a known issue but I have my doubts. I paid over £2100 GBP for a machine and within 3 years it requires the the replacement of a major and expensive component due to a design flaw, not misuse.

I realise some say it is just another computer from another manufacturer using standard parts and parts fail but when you take into account the fact it is twice as expensive and at present half as useful and the issue obviously stems from a design flaw so technically was faulty from new, I say it stems from a design flaw without evidence but how can sooo many people suffer the same fault without it being such a flaw.

You have my MacBook Apple, Please do the right thing with it.

The Genius at my apple store said that there is an extended warranty on the 2010 models, but not for the early 2011. With this extended warranty they will replace your logic board for free he said... You might be lucky!

I really hope so. I also have an early 2011 i7 Macbook Pro but thankfully that seems ok at the moment.

I have spent so much money on Apple gear it's insane.

Same story here - almost 700 euro repair cost - had to buy a new one to continue my work and Apple said "the computer is to old to extend warranty (EARLY 2011 MBP - 2,5 years old - to old ??????) and also the story that they did do an extended warranty for 2010 version, not 2011 ... 2000 euro later, I am dissapointed in Apple and the lack of client service from headquarters;

just got a scare the scond time (had already sent the mbp for repairs to apple 3 months ago).

The MBP booted using the internet -- you get a flashing earth icon while it boots.

Ran verify disk & permissions -- looks ok.

For past 3 months have been using gfxCardStatus to run on integrated card only when using as a "lap"top, shutting down all apps when the fan starts running fast, sometimes rebooting..

can't afford the downtime second time when the mbp is sent for repairs

I've spent 500 euros repairing it. After the fourth time I took it to the apple store because I was in the 90 day guarantee period, they have proven to be unable to fix it but they have promised to give me a new unit. So my advise is that you insist until the very end.

Hi,

Browsing around the internet for this problem, I noticed Marco Arment (lead developer of Tumblr, creator of Instapaper and influential Apple blogger) bought an Early-2011 MacBook Pro and had this to say about it:

http://www.marco.org/2011/09/20/heat-and-fan-issues-with-2011-15-inch-macbook-pr o

"Put simply, it sounds like the 2011 15” MacBook Pro has a lot of manufacturing inconsistencies and defects that result in improper cooling. But it also sounds like Apple wedged far too much power draw and heat into an enclosure that’s not designed to properly cool or power these demands.

It’s not like Apple to release products like this."

and this one:

http://www.marco.org/2011/10/26/macbook-pro-heat-fan-update

"Ivy Bridge probably isn’t shipping until next spring. So if you’re not in a rush, I wouldn’t suggest getting the current 15” MacBook Pro"

I've been trying to contact him on Twitter (because I haven't found his email to handle my inquiry in a more private manner) to see if he still has the Early-2011 MacBook Pro and if he has experienced the GPU failure, but so far he has ignored me.

The "symptoms" of this person MBP in the article are exactly the same as mine, since the beginning I always thought that my 17" 2011 MBP was a really hot machine.

Last Monday I finally got my Logic board replaced in the Carrousel du Louvre's Apple Store in Paris and after some hours of discussion and confrontation with 3 “genius” and the “manager” this guys still say that it’s normal that my GPU sometimes was 100° C hot and until Apple doesn’t assume the problem they will think like that. The funny part its that one of the “genius” technicians, with 4 years experience, when confronted with the normality of the temperatures of these machines he just couldn’t look me straight in the eyes, he said "yeah its completely normal 100°C for a GPU" but he just couldn’t look me in the eyes because he knows its a lie. Its like cooking an egg at low temperature it will take a lot of time but it will cook and for an extensive usage this GPU solder at 100°C it will take 2,5 years.

I've confronted the manager as well with the fact that the "new" logic board wasn’t really new and that I shouldn't have paid the new price for something that had already been in someone’s computer. The first thing he said was that, I've signed a document when I accepted the reparation saying that this can be done, he printed it and shove it in my face. I told him that even if I had signed it why didn’t they just told me before doing it, be honest about it, since the beginning! Propose 2 prices one for a used logic board another for a new one, he told me that it would be a big loss of time to explain that to everybody, I told them that they were losing even more time with me because they didn’t told me about it. Another funny thing, right at that time in the genius bar, beside me, there is a kid that needs its logic board replaced as well and exactly the same thing happens, no information about refurbished pieces was said to the client just the conditions in the iPad before signature, the paper with the info was handled to guy after the signature. I confronted to “genius” with it, no answer.

When they called me to get my MBP back they told me as well that one of my 4Gb RAM didn’t work and if I wanted I could put 2 new ones, ***!!! I said no way and explained them that when they made the tests when the MBP arrived, everything was ok, the diagnosis didn’t show RAM fail, if it was the case that it should be written in the report. They say its because the RAM was from another brand, I said no way it was working in the beginning its their problem now. They were a big scared to be punched and probably realized that they were going to far with the scam and agreed to discount the price of the RAM from my logicboard price so they took 40€ from the 490€, 40€!!! When you want to buy RAM in Apple’s site or apple store for your mac the price its 1/3 more expensive than the average price when its to correct their sh** they calculate the lowest price in the market!! I bought another 4Gb RAM in another shop in Paris for 45€ the cheapest in town and probably in the country, so I lost 5€, its not about the 5€ but the way of Apple doing things and it was what I tried to explain to the manager, that his only concern he had was that I continued to trust Apple and spread the word about their quality, ***? I paid 440€ for the vaseline and he wants me to keep telling other people that I like to be sodomised? It was surreal, especially with the manager.

In the end, my left speaker its louder that my right one, after the "new" logic board, I've checked the preferences at the Apple store, balance it’s at the center. The technician says that he cant ear the difference, the irony of this its that I am a sound engineer, I should trust Apple on their technical expertise but they don’t trust my 10 years of sound engineering. I tried to explain that maybe because the logic board isn’t all new maybe that's the reason to burn the RAM and mess with the speakers. They asked me if I wanted to change the speakers, they will never assume their mistakes.

My conclusion about this? Apple it’s all about money. Sell you a "new" and "tested" by their "deluxe" technicians piece of equipment that its old you pay the new price and they guarantee it 90 days, that proves how much they trust their own products. If you complain about their dishonest way of dealing with these things they will say, you haven't read the small letter between the lines in the contract, like in the old crook movies. Someone said here in the forum that Apple it’s a good company, I disagree.

I'm an Apple client since 15 years, 7 devices, around 10000€ spent, and my next computer will not be an Apple.

The “genius” told me that there is a percentage of machines with a malfunction to be presented to Apple before they will start a refund program, so the best thing we can do it’s to go to an Apple store and show them the problem and even if you don’t want them to repair it make sure they make a report with your serial number and include in it the terms GPU malfunction so the information will get some importance.

Sorry for the long story, it as been 2 long weeks dealing with Apple sneaky ways of dealing with me, now back to work.

Here is my info:

I thought the same way, but i spend over $3000 for software (dedicated OSX) and now I'm in the black ***.

I had five computers from Apple and and now, unfortunately, I'm scared to buy another machine.

Repair in Poland: 3400 PLN = $1100

Thanks Apple.

//99458 Views 1,498 Replies

mylesawayfromhome wrote:

 

I think I might be in this boat too, though not 100% sure.

 

Here are my symptoms

- Can get into apple boot menu

http://i44.tinypic.com/rihfs7.jpg

 

- Booting into OSX goes into gray screen after apple logo, hangs, fan revs up

 

- Booting into recovery goes into blue screen

 

- Boot camp Windows 7, BSOD after windows logo, fans rev up after a few seconds

http://i42.tinypic.com/2cctmit.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/19v1io.jpg

 

- Boot camp safe mode works perfectly

 

- Booting from CD to attempt reinstall goes into black screen

 

Going to take it into apple and see what they can do.

To updated everyone, my video card is the problem(of ******* course). Confirmed at apple store. $500 for new logic board. I told them about this thread, no dice. Declined repair, going to think about this before making any decisions.

well, I am thinking of ``bake my mac''

http://russell.heistuman.com/2010/04/27/cooking-the-books-or-baking-my-macbook-p ro-logic-board/