Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

Apple knows that as long as they can ignore the problem and not acknowledge it, then they greater public will never even know about the problem. And even if they do know about it, the unaffected will never fully believe that the problem is with Apple. They are just playing the numbers game. No apple acknowledgement = no big news headline = majority consumers have no knowledge of issue = lose tiny number of customers but keep majority.

Apple deleted my original try at making this comment (I think it is because I had replied to a comment that was deleted). Here goes again...

I noticed in a gallery of computers with this problem that a large number of them have a silver bezel. As I recall only the matte screens had this bezel, and more importantly they only came in high-resolution. Also, based on the comments here, it seems that a large number of 17" MBPs are failing. My personal computer is a glossy high-res 15" and it only boots nowadays if you hide the drivers.

Has anyone noticed a disproportionately large number of higher resolution models failing? Seeming that way to me, and it makes sense that the video card will run a bit hotter when driving more pixels. Got to love that paying more equates to shorter lifespan.

As I recall -

2011 15" MBP - 1440x900

2011 15" high-res MBP - 1680x1050 (36% more pixels than stock 15")

2011 17" MBP - 1920x1200 (78% more pixels than stock 15")

I have a high-res 15" screen, although it has a black bezel because it's a glossy screen. It's an interesting idea that the high res screen puts more of a strain on the GPU, but only Apple has proof and I don't think they're likely to pass that information along.

Right. High-res glossy has a black bezel. I only put two and two together when an appreciable portion of the photos in the gallery of problem computers had the silver bezel. I would guess that the 15" matte was the least popular screen option (at least far less popular than 'stock'), yet it was about half of the photos.

Seems like there may be some statistical significance.

It appears that it takes roughly a few years for this to start hitting most people, so I wouldn't doubt as time goes on a flood of new people affected will suface beyond the obvious flood of people it's already hit. Apple had better address this ASAP.

<Edited By Host>

Yep, that's mine.  An early 2011 17" MBP - 1920x1200 with matte screen.  My logic board was replaced earlier this year under my extended apple"care" and now the issue has returned just about 80 days later.  I'm taking the thing back in ASAP and demanding an end to this time and money wasting issue.

Most of my post was deleted too.

My MBP early 2011 with hi-res matte screen was having this issue.

I believe this is a wide spread issue.

Since the thunderbolt output requires the discrete card to be used now I can't use an external monitor which really affects my graphic design and photography work.

 

Thanks to gfxCardStatus I can force MacOS to keep using the integrated card. Is this a long term viable solution? Has this worked for you or will my computer become unusable after some time?

Well, you said it yourself. You won't be able to use any external display when staying on the integrated GPU plus some application force a switch to the discrete GPU and gfxCardStatus is not able to prevent it. Which basically means it's not a viable long term solution but then again it won't do any additional harm trying to stay as much as possible on integrated (which was my strategie since day one but for different reasons namely power savings, less noise, battery preservation).

The only two ways to disable the external GPU for good:

1) Crippling the graphics drivers, which will also disable the acceleration in the iGPU and thus make the whole system really slow in application that do many UI redraws

2) install Linux and deactivate the dPGU via bootloader

That's not true at all every MBP that's brought and report this gpu issue is being tallied..

I have the same computer, it doesn't surprise me that most issue are the matte screen models.. I can tell you that I'll never buy another Apple and and I've already started telling all my co workers that wanted to buy Apple to get something else, pointed them to this thread, and they won't touch Apple with a 10 foot pole now..

My late 2011 MBP had a GPU meltdown last week. Apple replaced the motherboard, but the day after my screen went grey again after startup. Going back to the Apple Store today.

The upside: under Dutch consumer law, Apple took the repairing costs (750+ euros, because my HDD also died), although my MBP is 2 1/2 years old. 

FrankeeD wrote:

 

I have a high-res 15" screen, although it has a black bezel because it's a glossy screen. It's an interesting idea that the high res screen puts more of a strain on the GPU, but only Apple has proof and I don't think they're likely to pass that information along.

@sspiff and FrankeeD:

The more pixels, the more calculations, the more strain.

It's not an interesting idea, it's a fact!

It might affect the failing, but one using a high-res screen only for reading mails and some surfing might not get the problem, or much later.

One with a low resolution constantly watching hd videos might get it much sooner.

But as you noticed, some used it heavily, others only for basic tasks still getting the problem.

For me, it's definitely bad solder/solder prodution process (profile).

Not all balss solder correctly. No one is safe for it. Can happen to all.

Buying a laptop for heavy work like movies, photo editing etc is never a good idea.

Selling em claiming they are suited for it, is even worse.

yep mine is as well the matte-screen-version.....problem started already beginning 2012..fortunately i documented it already

This is utterly frustrating. Stop deleting my post with no notice to me. And stop deleting posts that have no violations whatsoever of your Terms of Use. It's bad enough you don't acknowledge this problem, but you shouldn't delete forum posts that are just trying to discuss with other users. Disgusting behavior apple!

I bought it in 2011 in Hong Kong and I have the same problem just now and I can't start it up now