Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

fluorotone wrote:

 

@guaranna

 

I had the same reaction about donating to Cody Krieger, the developer of gfxcardstatus, initially, after discovering this thread and sucessfully running my MBP2011 for my applications using the integrated card only. But then, I found out that he's an Apple employee (Safari team developer), which means (a) he's probably pretty well compensated to begin with, and (b) he, perhaps more than anyone at Apple, should be aware of this issue that affects our computers. After all, why do you think he wrote the app? To be able to turn the graphics cards off independently to test for problems related to one or the other. Maybe instead of donating to Mr. Krieger, we should be trying to work through him to get to Apple's management team. Thanks for the app, Cody, but your company still needs to fix this issue.

Yes the company needs to do something, but what Cody does on his freetime is a different thing and working on the safari browser is quite unrelated to macbook design. If you work for a company i'm sure you understand how things works.

The guy works on free apps in his spare time.. anyway, that earns my respect.

Sorry for side tracking the discussion let's get back to it..

To switch between AMD and Intel GPU you need older versions of gFxCardStatus.

Version 2.3 and newer doesn't let you to switch anymore. Use 2.1 version or 2.2.1.

GregD.MacUser wrote:

 

A word about gfxCardStatus :
This software (stop me when I'm wrong) is just a way to KNOW what GPU is used. It DOES NOT prevent the system to switch between them and crash.

The newest version will not let you switch if something is still being used.  You might need to try an older version to see if it will work for you:

http://gfx.io/downloads/gfxCardStatus-2.2.1.zip

I've been using an older version than that (v2.1) since the first week.  I'm not having problems, but like it for the battery savings.  I have it set to load at startup and restore previous setting (always integrated).

I've tried to pay attention to it more since reading this thread so I can provide a baseline for how things are supposed to work on a normally running machine.  But I'm not much of a software person, so the only observation that I have is this:  Sometimes when I switch to discreet for a particular program, that same program will call for the discreet if launched again before a restart.  Once I do a restart, though, everything seems to default back to integrated again.

In reading through these threads, it's obvious that gfxCardStatus has helped some people.  Sometimes, though, there is such a rapid decline from the first sign of symptoms to total failure.  Not much is going to help in those cases.

Edit:  Sorry, olenev.  I should have done a page refresh before posting.

<Edited By Host>

Well, it looks like I get to join this ever-growing club of 2011 sandybridge mbp owners with a bad AMD gpu's. 

My BTO 17in i7 2.5ghz w/ AMD 6770/1GB MBP has been rock solid since I purchased it (day it was released)

until last week. 

I had updated to Maverick about a week prior and everything was running smooth as it normally does.  I had it hooked up to the thunderbolt display while working on a editing project in FCPX.  I left my desk for a bit and when I came back it was stuck on a black screen.  I rebooted and I was greeted by green vertical lines and an oddly colored apple logo.  It would not boot past the apple logo, so I reset smc and pram. Odd colors went away but it was still boot looping. 

Rebooted again holding down option and selected my boot ssd and was able to successfully boot into windows.  This last week its done this a few times but I was always able to get a stable boot eventually. 

Tonight the AMD gpu in my mbp decided that it had worked long enough and it would not work anymore (only 24 months? really?)  I have been using gfx status since I purchased this mbp and would keep it disabled unless I was using it to avoid stress and heat build up.  (I have babied this machine and it is otherwise minty)

As of tonight I cannot even switch it to integrated gpu without locking up my mac and causing it to freeze.  I can still boot into 10.9 and as long as I don't open any app that switches me to discreet graphics I'm fine.  As soon as I do mbp will either just freeze, or I will get the split screen, green lines and then a kernel panic.

I use my mac for live video broadcasting (used in San Diego's mayoral debate last month) so that is out of the question.  And no fcpx or adobe cc as they both use the gpu for opencl

Its gotta be something to do with the manufacturing of the sandybridge chipset paired with AMD discreet graphics because apple has issued a graphics card replacement program for the 2011 SANDYBRIDGE iMacs w/ amd graphics.  http://9to5mac.com/2013/08/16/apple-opens-graphics-card-replacement-program-for- some-mid-2011-imacs/

Not sure what I am going to do yet.  Guess I will be going into the apple store tomorrow, purchase a new logic board, and hope that someday I get reimbursed by apple.  I am not happy about this, and my thunderbolt display is currently useless, but this model is the last of the 17in mbp's and the fastest one they will ever make and it has served me better than any computer before it and I certainly am not fond of the idea of having to down-grade to a 15in w/ retina. 

MacBookPro info listed below:

Nice Name: MacBook Pro 17 inch Unibody Core i7 (Late 2011)

Machine Model: MacBookPro8,3

Family name: A1297

Model Number: MD311

Group1: MacBook

Group2: Pro
Generation: 83

CPU speed: 2.5GHz

Screen size: 17 inch
Screen resolution: 1920x1200 pixels

Colour: Aluminium

Production year: 2011 
Production week: 45  (November)

Model introduced: 2011

Memory - flavour: DDR3-S-1333

Memory - number of slots: 2

Memory - maximum total: 16GB
Memory - largest module: 8GB

Factory: C0 (Quanta Computer (Susidiary = Tech Com) China)

@diegoli2k:

Sounds like your MacBook pro is channelling mine... I've hade the *exact* same problems with my early 2011 MacBook pro. I work in film, not music, but same difference.

The audio jack got loose after about  the 10th time a plugged speakers in. The sd card slot died after 4 months. And of course, now it's totally dead, courtesy of a poorly designed/soldered GPU by Apple Inc.

Two Mac laptops purchased, both dead within four months of warranty expiration. Thousands of dollars to Apple Inc, and two very pretty paperweights to decorate my desk with. Dang, I've had bad luck with macs. Why do I keep buying them? Starting to wonder.....

@barang

well, if your anything like me and invested more than $10,000 into thunderbolt production hardware that is only certified to run on macs and a handfull of windows machines(sometimes) Not to mention all those pro apps, plugins, etc...there really isn't much of a choice for me at this point.  I've painted myself into the apple corner whether I like it or not.

can't sleep.  tried to remove the amdradeonx3000.kext  but that forced it into discrete gpu only and disabled my opencl support...odd...but it did stay on in splitscreen this time

replaced that kext...lol

when I rebooted...it was actually acting normal so i tried gfx status again and was able to get it on integrated only...oh happy day.  So as long as i dont reboot, crash, or need to do any actaull work i should be fine.

wondering if i disable amd6000controller.kext will actually disable my 6770m or just cause a kenel panic.  anyone know?

@ valmorion

which kexts did you remove?  i tried just removing the amdradeonx3000.kext and it forced me on discrete gpu without opencl quartz support.

should i remove the amd6000controller.kext also?  what about the gldrivers?

How about another update?  I have also had more success following your clean install and using AMD only.  I've had failures when allowing Mavericks to switch between integrated and discrete, but these failures have occurred duing high use and high heat. 

my macbookpro 15" 2011 is doing the same thing, after serving me flawlessly until last week, only thing I can think of is the upgrade to maverick.

I also did the discrete graphic thing and seemed to "fix" the problem, but today it doesn't boot anymore...

Hi,

Please guys Im desperate, i was able to use my mbp without turning it off and using gfx but it rebooted and now it doesnt boot, can you guys help me with the instructions to remove the amd files? the original post was deleted.

Im using mavericks.

Thanks!!

I don't think the Mavericks caused problem, (I have Mavericks on my MBP 15" with Radeon 6770 HD graphic chip, late 2011model since it  (OSX 10.9) first released without any problem, I don't have to manually force between internal or discrete graphic at all. I mostly work on BootCamp environment, it means the discrete graphic card is active all day long and keep my fingers crossed ... lol. Only use OSX while at home or entertainment purpose).

Your MBP may fall in to the batch of hardware failure MBPs as others posted here.

Good luck.

Updated to maverick (remove the HDD and finish the install in another mac), moved all the AMD* files because i start hating my macpro, now it semi works, better than with lion when i moved all the ATI* files and many things crash.

I wrote yesterday, ignorant of the difference between a 'reflow' and a 'reball'.  Interestingly, I found these:

http://bogotacity.olx.com.co/en/reballing-y-reparacion-avanzada-de-portatiles-ii d-549955961

https://www.facebook.com/pages/REBALLING-CENTER-COLOMBIA/202522229820335

In fact, I found services in all of the large cities.  One would need to try to assess their capabilites, of course.

It seems the lead-free solder is coming back to haunt more than just Apple.  Some of the services seem focused on Xboxes.  Thank you Guaranna for making me do a little homework.

I will get an Applecare refurb (likely) or new (taking bets) mobo in my unit this week.  I suspect it will have a finite life.  I feel a bit better knowing that such services are out there.

Does anyone with expertise know if reballing always, or by definition, consists of removing residual solder?

I think I understand the difference between a 'temporary' reflow fix and reballing, now, anyay.