Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I don't think that GPU failure after one month twice is caused by a bad GPU chip both times , most likely its a poor quality reballing and leaded solder , both factors together will lead to this result regardless of how good the GPU chip is , I would expect that you will get the same result or worse if you use the same person who did the first two reballing and the same material regardless of which chip you will use the third time, after a third time chances of any long lasting reballing will be close to zero no matter who will do it and what material he will be using, the maximum time we can reball a BGA package is three times and most likely the logic board will not survive more than three reballing attempts but good luck anyway.

I can't start up the MBP anymore, also not into Target Mode. I just tried with a firewire connection present, just the usual start of the HD spinning and then after ~3 seconds the HD crash (better HD shutting down). I repeated that game about 10x with no change.

A failed reball is a failed reball no matter what type of solder, lead or lead free - period.

alexfromheilbronn wrote:

 

I can't start up the MBP anymore, also not into Target Mode. I just tried with a firewire connection present, just the usual start of the HD spinning and then after ~3 seconds the HD crash (better HD shutting down). I repeated that game about 10x with no change.

Could be the GPU reball fail - but if you can't even boot into target mode which in a high majority of cases you still can with the GPU having a problem that may suggest that the CPU solder has also failed and will need reballing.

Also adding my name to the list. 15 inch MacBook Pro bought in April 2011 started with the banding, screen shifts, and then blue screens and gray screens. I've been to the store, and spoken with a supervisor at apple care on the phone, they simply won't do anything beyond the three year purchase date. The woman on the phone said that there was an unusual number of people having this model repaired, so they did the three year repair program. Apparently the research done on those repaired computers concluded that there was no faulty parts, but that the users were over extending the laptops video capabilities. To the question of why only the early 2011 model in particular are the users over extending the video capabilities? She can't say for sure, because she doesn't know the research on the other models.

Either way, replacing the logic board through the store for $500 is absurd, the $310 flat rate repair sounds better, but frankly, I shouldn't have to pay for this.

> Apparently the research done on those repaired computers concluded that there was no faulty parts, but that the users were over extending the laptops video capabilities.

This is an incredibly poor conclusion and is likely not fact based. My MacBook Pro GPU only has been subjected to infrequent use of iPhoto (to download photos from my iPhone) and yet I have the problem. The primary source of heat during the life of my MacBook Pro 2011 17" is the CPU for web surfing, occasional software compilation, and my computer has been in a temperature controlled environment the entire time.

I think the thing we are all the most upset about is that a computer, that past history has told us to expect to last longer than 3 years, is abruptly terminating its usefulness after normal (not unusual!) usage patterns in an average of 3 years or less. Previous history for many of us seemed to show that only customer replaceable 'consumables' like RAM, batteries, hard disks and frequently used connectors are typical failure points to expect to replace; I certainly did not expect that the system's cooling or work to solder the components onto the motherboard would be the failure point. I didn't expect to pay $1000 per year for the privilege of using an Apple computer in addition to all of their other i-Devices.

With my 34 month year old, I think I'll approach Apple one last time to see if they can heal what has wounded me deeply: my trust in the quality of Apple products. If that doesn't pan out, it's off to re-ball and then a hunt for 'the most reliable bottom end' instead of the best-of-the-best.

Not really, the reballing that was done according to him lasted for one month so it wasn't a complete failure, clearly the person who did the reballing wasn't good enough and the thermal profile he is using is not good enough but also the materials used has some effect on the reballing result.

ps3specialist wrote:

 

Not really, the reballing that was done according to him lasted for one month so it wasn't a complete failure, clearly the person who did the reballing wasn't good enough and the thermal profile he is using is not good enough but also the materials used has some effect on the reballing result.

It happene with you too, even one from this forum.

Think it even didn't boot when he got it back.

Following your above arguments one could say tthat was even more of a complete failure, not booting at all.

So, clearly you weren't good enough and the thermal profile you were using was not good either.

Or maybe your used material had some bad effect on the reballing result? Maybe it was the lead free solder?

Only reason I react is you shouldn't say that, as it allreaddy happened to you too, and might happen again.

Most honest thing to say is It can happen to everyone doing this.

Me too, as well as you and other reballers with very high success rate can have failures sometimes too.

Some of yours can fail too again later which doesn't mean you did a bad job on it.

Can be other causes too.

Can happen even the best.

I ignored you too many times and I will keep doing that since you are considering and promoting yourself as a reballer and you did not show me a prove of that, when you do I will consider commenting on your posts.

Totally agree with this...

These 2011 machines are different animals to many other models. It is un-avoidable that some machines cannot be repaired. It has happened to us on more than one occasion although we have done a lot of these 2011 Machines.now.

If you compare them to a 2007 machine - these can be repaired nearly 100% of the time and do not return with the revised GPU's.

Although machines can show GPU symptoms there are many components that can fail and appear to be a GPU fault.

@ps3specialist its probably advisable not to comment on other peoples work and blame them for poor skills when you know nothing about their experience, equipment or knowledge of the computer in question. And as d3us said it appears you have had some bad experience with a machine that the repair failed. Not every machine can be repaired....

Go ahead and look at the feedback on ps3specialist's ebay.  His attempts on this forum to promote himself as an expert and his services as perfect while saying others are incompetent on this forum is taking away more of his credibility than anything else.  Keep it up.

I have a 5" MBP late 2011 model. My problem started around May this year. I sent it to mac service center and logic board was replaced. Just after using it for 3 weeks, I got a blue screen and had to send it back to service center. They replaced logic board AGAIN. I only have a 3month long warranty so if the issue happens again past that, I'll be paying for the replacement.

paigoomein

I believe that it was me who first alerted ps3specialist to this discussion, after seeing his high rate of customer satisfaction on eBay. Only 4 negative reviews (and, if you read them, they really don't have any complaints that are worthy of the negative feedback). I'm sure that there might be some machines that he can't fix, but most people trust him, his knowledge and his work and service.

I know that when my machine bites the dust again, and it's out of warranty, my machine will go to ps3specialist. There are only two vendors in the US that are offering one-year warranties and he's one of them. I believe that he is an 'expert' and that his procedures and materials are as close to perfect as one can get.

Clinton

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS Mavericks 10.9.4, 16GB Crucial RAM, Crucial M500 960GB SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

Think you're getting this wrong.

Mine, and I think nor paigoomein's post was NOT about doubting his work.

Which I have never commented on. Au contraire, never doubted his qaulities on this.

It's just his attidude of him beeing the only one doing it right and all others doing it wrong.

Blaming that other one using wrong technique, profile, machine or whatever.

It failed again, so he had to have done something wrong....

Where ps3specialist had a reball failing too,

So, following his theory, he definitely had to have done something wrong too, or it wouldn't have failed.

Which is only human of course, but mayb not for him?

I would have never commented on his failing reball, it just happens sometimes, if he didn't do it himself towards that other guy.

Hi there,

exactly since today is my MacBook Pro early 2011, a strip on the display, all attempts were to no avail, rid this.
Apple Care Protection Plan I had finished, but that expired on 29/06/2014.

Does anyone have any idea whether accommodating reacts Apple because of Apple Care has expired just a month ago and now such hardware error show.
What would it cost to repair, this is worth considering for a device by early 2011?