APPLE MUST DO SOMETHING!!

2 days ago my MBP 17" started to exhibit exactly the same problems. First it froze while some application triggered a change to the dGPU, then it crashed right after logging in after a forced reboot with the your computer is experiencing a problem screen, the next reboot it had pink and green "interlacing" artefacts on the screen locking right after the apple sign and spinner disappeared, on the next reboot it worked fine for a full work day, then I tried to wake it up from sleep again and it froze solidly. Since then I have been only able to restart it once in safe boot mode but it froze a few minutes after logging in again. For the last 22h it's always showing interlaced boot screen with lockup right before the login screen... Funny enough I found this thread via google only a couple of days after appleinsider and other sites reported about this problem.

It's also very sad that in Germany Apple doesn't offer pickup repairs anymore (used it twice in the past and it took less than 24h to have the laptop picked up by UPS (they even bring correct packaging), repaired in the Netherlands and shipped back to me; now the Apple hotline doesn't even know that this service existed a while ago anymore) and requests that you drop off the defect goods at a repair shop which is a major PITA for me and potentially even more expensive then the swap of the logic board itself.

cjavierin wrote:

 

APPLE MUST DO SOMETHING!!

I'm not sure "must" means what you think it means. Apple are under no obligation to repair any product outside of its warranty period.  :-)

Maybe they are under no obligation to repair the item, but they do have the responsibility to disclose that the product is defective while knowingly placing their users at material risk by operating the device. 

Given the nature of this problem, I feel it can be proven that Apple has or should have had knowledge of this issue.

I will be first in line when the class action is filed, and will certainly push to make sure users are reimbursed for punitive damages along with the cost of repair.

Knowledge of the issue and considering the issue serious enough to be addressed are two different things. Apple obviously has a threshold that needs to be hit of reported failure rates before it offers a replacement program. I agree they have a responsibility to do so at that point. They have offered replacement programs in the past for defective GPUs.

I got an unfortunate e-mail from Apple today. My repair costs jumped from $310 (the flat rate the Genius Bar guy had quoted me), up to $995.00. It said "Problem, unauthorized hard drive." (I installed an aftermarket SSD six months ago) I called Apple and they put me through to the depot. I asked the woman what was the reason for the repair cost, she said they were going to replace the hard drive. I asked several different times if they were sure and she kept saying "hard drive" and something about that's the retail price. No mention of the video card.

I but know the problem it wasn't the hard drive. I was able to reset the PRAM and boot into verbose safe mode and check the drive. Everything was fine. At the Genius Bar, they were not able to boot from a network or from a thunderbolt drive. If this was a just a hard drive problem, it shouldn't at least boot from a different drive? I asked them not to replace the drive and send the machine back, and I'll talk to the local Genius Bar guys again and see if I can get this figured out. But there's not way I'm paying $955 for a 128GB SSD.

Any hardware that differs from the standard original hardware (e.g. any RAM or hard drives) you've added are immediately suspicious to them, even if logic would indicate that they are not a likely culprit.  I agree that it wouldn't seem to be an issue with the hard drive if it also had difficulty booting to other drives! 

When I brought my MacBook Pro back to the Genius Bar in September after two logic board replacements hadn't solved my graphics issues, they ran diagnostics that included a full hard drive test - and it came back clean with a good S.M.A.R.T. status (a monitoring system that looks for errors that could predict hard drive failure - Apple has their own "SMARTypants" utility to examine this).  But once they opened the computer up, they decided that it was the hard drive because there was a small dent by the hard drive - ignoring the fact that their own diagnostics found nothing wrong with the hard drive, and it also wouldn't boot from a networked drive!  The explanation that the tech gave was, "Well, if replacing the logic board twice didn't fix it, it must be something else... and there's a dent near the hard drive."  Needless to say, I was flabbergasted.  In the end, the depot replaced the logic board and left the hard drive alone... but I didn't know what they'd fixed until I got it back and I was really nervous they'd ignore the logic board! 

Apple's replacement prices on hard drives are astronomical - I heard them quoting some guy at the Genius Bar with a defunct iMac hundreds of dollars for a very small hard drive.  It doesn't make sense for you to pay them to replace a user-serviceable part for an insane price... especially when it's almost certainly just a distraction from the real problem.  Do you still have your original hard drive?  I'd ask to get the laptop back, put the regular drive back in place (and undo any other aftermarket changes you may have made), and have them send it back to the depot.

What are you talking about? Apple itself provides steps in its instruction manual to upgrade the hard disk and RAM. Do you have a Case ID? I'd suggest call them back, ask for a senior support supervisor and clarify it.

Apple does provide information about upgrading hard drives and RAM, and it sounds like maiku replaced his own hard drive and had no issues with it previously. 

But the point here is that if you're taking a product in to be repaired, it seems to generally be in your best interest to restore everything to its original state beforehand.  This has played out again and again in the threads about this issue - both the Genius Bar and depot techs seem quick to blame non-Apple hard drives or RAM if they're found inside the machine.  It saves a lot of headaches if they only find original Apple guts inside your computer when they open it up - and, at the depot, it seems like they'll generally replace original RAM or drives as part of the flat-rate cost, instead of charging you an additional fee for a new part. 

I had replaced the DVD drive and put an intel ssd and upgraded to 8gb ram. Apple didn't complain and replaced the 8gb ram and controller bard for $310. I had also filed the edges they just put a note in the repair about it nothing more.

I do have a suggestion, If discrete graphics doesn't working under Windows (just try and install Windows) too, maybe you guys should try and change thermal paste. I mean afterall, This particular MBP has some shawty workmanship with that paste and we are using it since 2011 like that. Maybe this is all about heat transfer. 6750m itself is really hot card when it's working, and if it can't transfer that heat, that might have to be a problem.

I'm saying this, beause when I overclock and give some excessive voltage to the card. It crashes, sometimes different colors shows up in the screen, sometimes just plain black, sometimes vertical or horizontal lines... This card, (or maybe the bios itself) seems to have a switch, if heat starts to build up at high rates, it just crashes.

I have exactly the same problem with my MacBook Pro early 2011. Unfortunately I'm not able to boot anymore, all I get is the grey screen. I took it to the local apple store today and the "genius" confirmed that it has something to do with the graphics card. He told me that he cannot not fix it for free because it isn't covered by the warranty anymore. He suggested that I could call the apple support, they might fix it for free (as a gesture of goodwill). Unfortunately he forgot to tell me that I need to pay for telephone support as I do not have an ACPP... at least I could fill out the feedback form free of charge...

So, it's been a couple months I have had crashes with the striped colored Red or green screen .. generally, my early 2011 Macbook pro would restart with a hard reboot... it's been a couple weeks now I got corrupted hard drive as well ( probably due to the macbook freezing while accessing the disk m.. so I called Applecare ( fortunately I had applecare ... they told me it should work fine after repairing the disk , which it does for a couple days and then back to the same problem... this morning I got the gray screen and no boot-up anymore ... so I took it to the mac genius . Of course, while there it started fine and the "genius" told me they can't do anything if it doesn't show signs of a problem ( Although I filmed the gray screen , freezes, red and green screen etc...) fortunatelly in the middle of the diagnostic my macbook frooze to the gray screen ( Hallelujah). it then wouldn't startup with appple, external boot disk or even after changing RAM modules.... So I got an email saying they will probably change the MLB ( Logic Board) for $526.50 (Tax not included) but since I'm still under warranty, it will be free for me...

Thought I would add my 2 cents to this thread ....

An update on what I've been doing with my late 2011 with the 6770m ...

Started having the display issues with in an hour of usage after installing 10.8.5. Tried every pram, smc reset and anything else I could think of - the computer was nearly unusable for a week.

Decided to take it back to stock config to prepare for a trip to the Apple store that I couldn't afford - removed my Samsung 840 pro, 16 gb ram, and OEM optibay bracket that housed the origional 750gb apple drive. Put in a spare drive I has as the main one (didn't want to blow out my data on the 750!) and did a fresh install of 10.8.4 on the drive. Installed gfxCardStatus and the Heaven benchmark app. Set it in descrete mode and waited for a crash ... NOTHING. After a day of trying, this was promising!

That night, I added back my RAM. Couldn't crash it again. Getting better ...

Next day put in the SSD and reinstalled OSX and started installing some apps. Photoshop, iPhoto, Heaven again all in discete and still up. Tested playing moves in the DVD player incase there was a wierd power draw issue with the optibay mount. All good.

That night I put in the optibay and drive and it still worked, but the next morning BOOM - blue lines and crashes like it was going - but not quite as bad. The Heaven benchmark started crashing with either a blue or grey screen also. Started Googling issues with a 2nd drive in the optibay and found a few posts about issues. Also I knew that my Samsung 840 pro had an outstanding firmware update from May.

Bootcamp'd and installed the firmware update - reboot to OS X and proceeded to test. All passed!

With everything taken apart and then reassembled and then the firmware upgrade on my SSD it's all working again. I think /my/ issue was some odd combination of updated drivers in 10.8.5, out of date firmware and who knows what else. I still don't trust it, but it's been good for a few days now.

I've been having the same problems as most. Lots of colours, lots of crashes. Intermittent but bad again at the moment. So today I made a plan.

Spoke to someone online who told me options - find manager of store and ask for exception so I don't have to pay for likely graphics card replacement, ring and as for exception or something else. I rang asking for an exception and the guy this time told me that I can go to Currys where I bought my MBP from and ask for a repair using a consumer law claim...six years that lasts.

Seemed legit. Rang Curry's, they seemed to agree, just want proof of purchase and proof from Apple of the issue and what may have caused it. So Apple appointment booked. You just know that it will be working better than ever when I take it in.

Never realised this was such a big case though! Amazing. I think Apple may do something about it. I just know until I get a free fix then I will be kicking up a fuss. The Laptop isn't even two years old yet.

Good luck to you all.