Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

How do you figure it is not the logic board? that is what the GPU is connected to, and my video has failed, the only way i can get my computer to run is forcing it to run on the integrated graphics, the AMD part will not work in OS X and boot camps windows 7, but they will both run if the AMD part is disabled

This thread is in reference to the 2011 Macbook Pro's with the AMD discreet graphics chip, a lot of people are having problems with this exact issue, and they all seem to be leading to the AMD part, mine has stopped working all together. But as I noted, I can make my computer work by forcing the intel chip to do all the work. There seems to be no easy solution, either get the part re balled ( re soldered) or have the board replaced, most apple stores are not equipped to re solder the part, hence the logic board gets the blame, and rightfully so, since the part is soldered to the logic board.

The symptoms of the problem you're experiencing are different than what I had. Like I said, I doubt its the logic board. But there still could be a chance it is.

I have not read the whole thread so I am not familiar with the issues you are facing, i apologize for that, but many of the issues presented on this thread seem to be pointing to the AMD GPU failing.

I simply posted here and phoned Apple to make them aware of what seems to be a relatively common issue among the 2011 MacBook Pro with the AMD part (the discreet graphics)

What should I do? Well, as far as I can tell currently I have only two options. One, send the computer in for repair.Two, do nothing and limp the computer on the way it is. I have chosen the second option, but I will be researching the cost locally to repair it. If I could find some one close by to re ball it I would of course choose that option.

I will of course keep checking here to see if Apple will address this issue, the people who have the GPU that has failed and are no longer able to boot up their computers should phone Apple, I was among their number till of course I found suggestions on this forum on how to boot only to the integrated graphics.

In making the reflow I got too close the paint remover and some capacitors placed on the graphics card you are unsoldered. I really thought the card was over and it was a good excuse for me to be able to accept the quote of € 500 for the replacement of the logic board but it did not happen, I reassembled the whole thing and then on again, guess what? now turns on with no problems but as soon as I open iphoto or other graphics programs freezes and I have to force shutdown / restart. Apple has informed me via email that the piece for the replacement had arrived and that if I had not led to do the repair would use the card for others. Unfortunately I can not swallow the fact that they spend 500 € and will continue to use the macbook only to surf the Internet

I am going to try to report it to Apple and see what happens. With my luck they will do the same thing they did to the fellow that claimed he had terrible luck on the phone. I usually have that kind of luck too.

I am not going to fork over nearly $500 to the apple store here that gave me a 30 day guarantee on the logic board. I will wait and see if Apple comes up with a fair solution and in the meantime limp along with my macbook here, that still works as long as I don't try anything that would need the AMD graphic chip. I am using the gfx download and if it continues to work, I intend to donate a little bit to the fellow that supplied the software fix. If he works for Apple as stated by a former poster, I wonder why Apple isn't wondering why that fix is needed. Maybe they just don't care, but hopefully they are working on a solution.

aiuto: come si può vedere nella foto il mio MacBook Pro 15 è stato costruito INIZIO 2011, ma ho comprato presso l 'Apple Store alla fine di novembre 2011 ..?

Non riesco a spiegare il motivo per cui mi è stato venduto alla fine di novembre 2011, un computer costruito all'inizio del 2011. Questo particolare è molto importante perché ho fatto notare che sia il numero verde presso il Genius che alcuni macbook pro fine del 2010 era programmata riparazione e dall'inizio del 2011 non corrispondeva alla voce avevo diritto alla sostituzione gratuita. Entrare nel loro computer il mio codice non riscontravano alcun problema edificio e il mio computer non era tra quelli che ci si aspettava per liberare la riparazione. Penso che il computer costruito all'inizio del 2011 mi è stato venduto nel novembre 2011. Questa cosa mi irrita in quanto oltre il 15 per MacBook nel 2013 ho acquistato un macbook pro retina 13 e io ero un buon cliente prima che qualcosa succede a me. Tra le altre cose, dal momento che io non sono un pazzo, ho sempre aspettato l'uscita del nuovo modello prima di acquistarlo.

E 'colpa PROPRIO!

Just adding to the reports...(late 2011, 15", AppleCare, going on third logic board)

I have been a Mac user for ten years now. The first laptop I ever bought was a MacBook Pro. went with Mac for the high end media work and was pleased. Now just 2 months ago ran into the same problems addressed by everyone else here green spots, kernel panics, etc.... Got the logic board replaced one month ago and new but similar problems have returned (green screen with horizontal green lines on start up, stuck grey screen...). Now I have an appointment for them to look at it again, but where will it stop? If there's something faulty with the welds/GPU and they just replace with the same thing, how will that fix the problem. Essentially Apple's silence is tantamount to: "please buy our high end product, only to do low end activities." I have things I need to do and waiting for numerous repairs isn't one of them.

This makes me afraid, the way that this is being handled. Like numerous others have said, Apple should, make a formal statement. Either they made a poor design/part/assembly choice or they believe they can be absolved of the matter. Either way they are going to lose somehow (and you are definitely losing now too). In my case, if there isn't a more reliable solution, I will go elsewhere. If something is done about the situation, I will continue to purchase the high end products which are advertised.

If you still have Applecare send it in for repairs. They will likely send it away to have the logic board replaced. When my MacBook Pro had similar problems, they replaced the logicboard, which came up to over a grand worth of repairs (which was covered by Applecare).

I just send my Macbook Pro away for repairs AGAIN, due to a defective video card. I wouldn't be surprised if they replace the logcboard AGAIN! I only have 30 days left on Applecare, with what appears to be a computer plagued by design flaws. Once I get it back, I'm selling it, and going back to PC.

I'm getting charged a premium for fancy looking junk!

You know, once people or corporations cross the moral line, there is no other line to cross.

That said, and considering Apple's behaviour, actions, and inactions over the past 2 years regarding this very serious matter, who in their right mind should believe that Apple actually replaces a logic board or anything for that matter?

Because they said so? 

Unsubscribing from this thread for now - too many notifications.

To those who need their computer ASAP - get the ps3 specialist gpu reball for $160 + shipping. Extremely quick turnaround, one full year warranty, and great communication via email.

You  won't regret it and there is satisfaction in not paying  Apple another dime.

Hi,

Has anyone see a case where the problem exists, then goes away?

If anyone has a working MacBook Pro 17" with Radeon 6770M, please run some benchmarks and post back here. I was having the black video, shifted-video, general video corruption problem with the integrated GPU, but mysteriously, the problem has disappeared. I am guessing that it's possible my 6770M is partially dead and not actually rendering, because the benchmark statistics I'm seeing for the HD3000 are incredibly close to those for the 6770M!

I wish there was a way to guarantee that I am testing the integrated GPU vs the discrete GPU. I'll have to try the kernel extension trick to verify this further.

Example:

https://unigine.com/products/heaven/download/

Radeon 6770M: (73 C approx)

Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0

System

Settings

Intel HD 3000: (70 C approx)

Does not render. Claims 18 FPS and 70 C.

Radeon 6770M: (73 C approx)

Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0

System

Settings

Mac AppStore, CompuBench CL Desktop Edition (CompuBench-CL-Desktop-Edition-1.5.2-450.dmg)

https://compubench.com/info.jsp

Set gfxCardStatus (Discrete Only) Radeon 6770M.

Face: 2.611 mpixel/sec

TV-L1 Optical: 3.100 mpixel/sec

Ocean: 205.479 fps

Particle: 71.056 minteractions/sec

T-Rex: 0.452 fps

Video Composition: 14.654 fps

Bitcoin: 67.266 mhash/sec

Quit, set gfxCardStatus (Integrated Only) HD 3000, re-run.

Face: 2.599 mpixel/sec

TV-L1 Optical: 3.070 mpixel/sec

Ocean: 234.940 fps

Particle: 77.248 minteractions/sec

T-Rex: 0.425 fps

Video Composition: 14.711 fps

Bitcoin: 67.077 mhash/sec

CPU:

Face: 4.019 mpixel/sec

TV-L1 Optical: 0.885 mpixel/sec

Ocean: 58.263 fps

Particle: 37.608 minteractions/sec

T-Rex: 0.475 fps

Video Composition: 1.681 fps

Bitcoin: 4.154 mhash/sec

Perhaps gfxCardStatus doesn't work with OpenCL?

LuxMark v2.1

http://www.luxrender.net/release/luxmark/LuxMark_v2.1_OSXIntel64.zip

Radeon 6770M: Scene: scenes/sala/render.cfg Result: 215.

CPU Core i7-2760QM@2.4GHz: Scene: scenes/sala/render.cfg Result: 378.

At your own risk...

In my case, the problem disappeared after doing this:

In Terminal:

     sudo -s

     mkdir /Drivers

     cd /System/Library/Extensions/

     rm -rf /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext*

     mv ATI* AMD* /Drivers/

     touch /System/Library/Extensions

Now, wait for kextcache to finish running.

     shutdown -r now

Now, run a graphics intense app, like the Heaven benchmark. Do this for a while. This should heat up the Intel HD 3000 integrated GPU.

No problem, right, because the kernel extension isn't loaded.

In Terminal again:

     sudo -s

     cd /Drivers

     rm -rf /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext*

     mv ATI* AMD* /System/Library/Extensions/

     touch /System/Library/Extensions

Now, wait for kextcache to finish running.

     shutdown -r now

Now, run a graphics intense app, like the Heaven benchmark. Still have a problem?

Note: I did a clean re-install of 10.9 and 10.9.4 upgrade to verify that the problem is gone, without doing anything to the kernel extensions.

--Steve

Hi, Steve.  I might qualify as one who had the problem then it went away.  To a good extent anyway.  But I refuse to run any benchmarks for fear of what it may do to my obviously highly overpriced "premium" macbook pro.

The partial or temporary "cure" occurred when either:

    1.  attempting many resets / reboots to get to the internet recovery screen

    2   or when performing a Mavericks upgrade when I finally got to the internet recovery screen.

This is not just a grotesque hardware failure.  Apple is also doing something very stupid at the OS level by setting some parameter or some file so that every subsequent reboot forces the mbp to think it's still executing the obviously now broken discreet AMD chip that is not automatically being reset to default at boot time.  That may explain the cooling fans running at breakneck speed, the heat, gray or other screen, etc at boot up.  I suspect if Apple forced a reset of this unknown parm or file at reboot to always default back to the integrated Intel chip at reboot as it should, everybody here could at least go about their merry BASIC business minus any intense graphics or videos.

But if one seems persistent enough trying 50 different ways and resets to get to a login prompt at boot, there seems to be a reset of a parameter or file to make the mbp think it's back to using the integrated Intel chip and everything is fine.  That is until I do something that invokes the discreet AMD chip again, then instant screen corruption and freeze, and many subsequent reboots to get that parm or file reset once again.

So with the gfxcardstatus tool helping to keep the discreet AMD chip from ever engaging again, I seem to experience complete stability.

Maybe somebody with a broken mbp could try the following to see if this might get them a good boot up with a proper reset:

1. at boot, launch internet recovery (option + cmd + r) and let it go through its paces for a 3 - 5 minutes.
2. Hold down the power button to kill the internet recovery and shutdown the mbp.
3. Press power on (and maybe try reseting the PRAM too with a (cmd + option + r + p keys and make sure it boots twice while continuing to press all 4 keys.
   

It could be some combination like the above that inadvertently resets the unknown parm or file back to the integrated Intel chip.

But since Apple refuses to engage in any responsible way, it's all just a SWAG.

One more note, Steve:

The fact that your reinstall of OS X seemed to have at least partially cured your problem would seem to substantiate my claims above.  That it's not just a bad AMD chip/connection but Apple OS has greatly exacerbated the problem by not resetting certain parms or files at reboot to default or force video control back to the integrated chip as it should every time we reboot.

It could even include some temperature-based setting value at boot time.  Last weekend I ran a test to deliberately force the discreet AMD chip to kick in and the screen froze and changed to I forget what.  After a number of unsuccessful reboots, cooling fans ablaze, running very hot, gray or black screens, etc, I gave up and went to bed.  The next morning it booted up normally and I've been running in a limited normal and stable mode ever since.

But again, since Apple refuses to engage in any responsible way, it's all just a SWAG.

Again, one last note, Steve.

So in my opinion, Apple failed us by incorporating a bad AMD chip and/or connection at the logic board.

Apple failed us a 2nd time by not owning up to their first failure and offering a cure at their expense.

But Apple really failed us a 3rd time by not forcing the video control back to the integrated Intel chip at every reboot.  This 3rd failure by Apple is FAR worse than failures 1 or 2 as this is the failure that renders most mbp's useless.

Apple failed us yet a 4th time by not even bothering to diagnose and address their 3rd failure.

I suppose so long as I'm listing Apple's failures, I should also list one more:

Apple failed many of us yet a 5th time by suggesting many of us have our mbp's repaired at a cost to us of $150 - $700+ USD only to have the same failures 1 through 4 to continue to persist.

But again, since Apple fails to engage in any responsible way, it's all just a SWAG.

Same situation with my friend Michael. His got a blue scree with vertical stripes on the MacBook Pro Early 2011. As he told me repairing cost is $700.

Alex

<Edited by Host, Removed personal information>