Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

You can't use integrated if using an external display. I have been using gfxCardStatus and keeping it on Discrete Only for the past 2 weeks and it hasn't crashed once. I would try that.

Right, but that's the problem—I'm _not_ using an external display, but gfxCardStatus seems to think I am. System profiler shows the display as 'spdisplays_display' rather than 'Color LCD', and shows that the discrete card is running. So I end up being able to use the computer, but it's reallllly slow (doing even simple things like dragging windows around and such.)

I've searched around for ways to get the 'phantom' external display to go away, and just use the Intel3000, but nothing has worked. Any ideas?

Exactly what I just wanted to write. I guess, there is no way to get rid of the 'phantom' display, because it's the only one, which the system recognizes.

I'm happy, I can boot my MBP now, but it is still unusable. Even starting calendar app makes the fans turn on max rpm.

i am experiencing the same prolem just after installing the Mavericks, it is showing two graphics card, i dont know from where this is showing intel graphics card, i've used snow leopard, mountain lion and rt now using Mavericks, except mavericks both the snow leopard and ML is showing the correct graphics card but this mavericks have irritated to me, it crashes even now and then, i have early 11 mbp with gfx card  AMD Radeon HD 6750M. Whenever i'm playing any video song and movie it started to crashes, i dont know what to do plz anyone help me.....THANKX

alloy of tin - lead-free - weld accelerated aging, because thermal streess, is probabily the cause of the failures due to poor electrical conductivity between the graphic chip and the logic board.

Reballing is the most interesting solution... but out of apple.

Well, that was quick.  One day after experiencing my first graphics glitch since returning from the depot, MacBook is completely unusable (won't boot).  Back to the Apple Store.  This logic board swap will be covered under the 90 warranty from the first one (only fixed 5 weeks ago).

Hi All

I purchesed my mac book pro late 2011 17 inch on march 4 2012, However its only come to light recently that the HDMI through thunderbold didnt work. So i went back to the retailers and told them of the issue, they were very helpfull in assisting me in getting this problem solved. They told me to get an indipendant engineers report and then go back to them. So i did, love and behold my logic board has been replaced with a new one. To achive this I used EU sales of goods act. its there to protect us should your equipment not last within a reasonable time, and if a two and half k machine cant last for more than 2 years then its a bad road for apple. However Apple do make execellent stuff and i only buy apple products, but some times they are wrong and they should see this. And fix it.

I'm beginning to have issues on my early 2011 15".  Anything that involves playing video or editing video will cause the system to become unresponsive and crash.  It happens in every browser and when editing video it happens in iMovie and Final Cut pro.  Kinda irritated that my barely 3 year old system is starting to crap out.  I hope Apple steps up to the plate on this one...

Que den solución a este problema somos muchos los afectados y tener que cambiar la placa base para poder seguir utilizando un ordenador de más de 2000€ es una verdadera vergüenza ya sucedió lo mismo con los Mac del 2007-2008 y ahora están saliendo a la luz los nuestros los del 2011, es curioso y la mayoría en las mismas fechas, deberían reconocerlo como un fallo de fabricación como reconocieron los anteriores, estas cuestiones desprestigian mucho la marca, deberían dar la cara y darnos solución.

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Hey everyone! Same issue, MBP early 2011 2.2 i7 4gb ram (stock) and the 6750 AMD 1gb GPU that is giving everyone problems. 3-1-14, my computer black screened while editing, i did a hard restart and got a blue screen. Today i took it into apple knowing everything and trying everything posted on the forum with no success (i couldn't even get it to boot) and i explained the symptoms and everything that I though was wrong with it and the apple associate in Brandon Florida agreed with me and though that it was the same problem. He tried to install an OS and was successful and told me the problem was fixed and everything is working.

I asked that he stress test the CPU and the GPU  when switching between integrated and discreet. He told me that everything was A Okay until the GPU test which crashed the computer. So my computer is in transit to China, or Texas or wherever. So, here are some of the questions that I asked and i would suggest you ask them as well.

1) turn around time : 1 week

2) cost : 310$ US flat rate

3) refunding the repair cost : NO :(

4) The condition of the replacement parts, are they brand new as in they just made them, refurbished, or are they left overs from 2011 : he says they are "new" but wouldn't tell me if it was going to be "new" to me as in a referb. or "new" as in just produced. all he said was "new" so take from that what you want. I would assume that its going to be a referb. or a leftover which would explain why everyone is having these reoccurring problems.

5) warranty period : 3 months but... but... he said "We are all human and if you bring it  back a month after the warranty is over and its having the problem we will take care of it." This puzzled me, at first I thought, dang this guys nice and really gets me, but Apple runs a business and they are not going to miss out on getting 310$ US from me. So again take from this what you want. In my opinion, they are not going to do a dam thing but let you swipe your card if it is even a day over the limited warranty.

6) success rate as in how many people have to come back and get this done again : So this was answered indirectly by saying that apple will take care of it and that the would not be recommended this unless they believed in it. Again again take from this what you want but honestly from reading this forum i have little hope that it will be a solid fix.

7) where they ship it to : he said "out of state" so probably texas or china based on what i have read on this forum. One thing i forgot to ask is if I would be able to pay extra to get say a 2.4 i7 with a different GPU to avoid the problem.

My Recommendation: talk to you local apple tec, they all have a way with words and deeply believe in the company or at least it seems like they do, ask every question you can think of and find and see if you can get an answer for num. 4 because thats the only thing I'm really interested in.

Ill post an update when i get my machine back if you are interested.

By the way, do NOT post the petittion link to this forum, Apple will ban your comment.

Good Luck and Welcome to Apple!

Thanks for posting Graeme-Mck, your posts give me some hope the NZ Consumer Guarantees Act will help me in this case.

May I ask what email you used to contact Apple about this? I am going to attempt to email them myself in hopes I can get the same results.

Also, has your second repair held up so far? Did they have to replace the graphics card as well as the logic board?

Thanks for any help in advance!

Hi matt_jd,  if  you can please send me  your  reference  number  at  outerrythem at  Hotmail dot com)

thanks

Same problem. MacBook Pro 15-inch, Early 2011.

It does not even boot!

This is an Apple responsability, they designed the laptop, so this issue about extra heating that causes the malfunction of the computer and also the replacement of the motherboard are their responsability.
So all of us, affected by this, should make or sign a petition to force Apple create a Product replacement or fix to all those owners with a very expensive and useless 2011 MacBook Pro.

There are many online petitions that are trying to found supporters: please search through the web and sign this petitions.

I already sign, and many of them almost reach the objective to make Apple replace or fix our affected Macbook Pro.