Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

It cost me 519 € in Apple Store in Europe ($665 US) to get the logic board replaced (if GPU goes, you need a new logic board).

The new GPU failed five times in three months (it was replaced four times in that period). Finally Apple Store agreed to discount this from the price of a new Macbook - I got an Apple Care just in case - hopefully this one will last longer than 3 years.

It's not worth repairing, the AMD GPU is flawed, it can fail unexpectedly at any time, even if only browsing the web whilst the Macbook is still cool after start up.

I'm running on my integrated video and seem to have no problems right now. Some things don't work as well. This all started when I left a graphics intensive application in the 'pause' mode using discrete graphics card while I went to dinner. When I came back, system was hung and all the trouble started.

Update:

I sent my macbook in they repaired it and sent it back out with one day shipping in a few hours. They obviously are having a lot of these things repaired. I got it back, works right now, charged me $350 (without calling me to tell me that's how much it was going to cost). I'm not happy that apple is not owning up to this design flaw.

I had this same problem. Started on a Friday and I could boot the macbook over the weekend with various tricks like resetting PRAM. The computer wouldn't boot on Monday so my advice would be to backup your files fast if you encounter this problem. I had a lot of the same symptoms as described in this thread and elsewhere like striated Apple logo during start up, boot to blue screen and various graphic errors such as my desktop resembling a chess board at one point but unfortunately I didn't take a screenshot of that spectacular graphics error.

My specs are:

Early 2011 MacBook Pro

Processor  2 GHz Intel Core i7

Memory  8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

Graphics  AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256 MB

I contacted Apple to no avail and had no choice but to have the computer repaired. The logic board was changed at the cost of ~900 US $.

cyrusfromlas rozas wrote:

It's not worth repairing, the AMD GPU is flawed, it can fail unexpectedly at any time, even if only browsing the web whilst the Macbook is still cool after start up.

It is NOT the AMD GPU itself, that is not flawed.

It's the production/soldering process, this has been explained before by me and others.

They can be perfectly repaired by reflowing/reballing it, even using the same GPU, by people like me and some others here.

You wil get a few years out of it again, and if you're lucky might even last forever.

All this at a much more reasonable cost then Apple charges.

If you're in Europe and buy new Apple stuff, use a creditcard with a warranty option.

Mine doubles the warranty, this mean in Europe we have 2 years x2 = 4 years at no extra cost.

Haven't needed it yet, as i fix it myself mostly. But if I can't at least I'm covered for free.

No need to pay for Apple care ending 2 months before it fails....

I contacted a mac repair place in my neck of the woods about doing this but haven't heard back yet.  Do you think they'll be able to do something like this?  It's really my only option.  If I have to pay 1500 dollars, I may aswell buy a new computer.

Does apple do reflowing and re-balling?

Where is your neck of the woods?  Had Apple not waived the fee it would have been $310.

Houston.  There's quite a few macbook repair places.  I'm not sure if they do the kinda work you're talking about though.  I guess I could do it myself but that's a recipe for disaster.

I bought my APMBPMD311LL 17" MacBook Pro Notebook Computer on 03/10/2012 ($2,500) and it was perfect until a few weeks back when I started getting the graphic distortions and the need to reboot, then this past week it became more frequent and yesterday it got that bad that it will no longer boot, just hangs on the grey screen.

Based on the reports in this thread I'm not expecting Apple to assist with this seeing that it is out of warranty, even though I believe that this is a wide spread latent defect.

What I have read is it stems from the move to lead free solder, which over time becomes brittle, which lead content solder does not.

What would be the best path forward for me, still hound Apple for assistance, or just go out and buy a new Logic Board and if so where do I purchase this?

I'm contemplating the 7mins in the oven at 375degF - what's to lose, unless it rules out the remote chance of Apple stepping up to the plate.

UPDATE:

Made an online appointment to see my local Apple store and surprisingly they booted it from their network and performed hardware test, which it passed.

They checked their data base for known issues with this model and it came back with nothing - now that is odd.

We then tried a boot from the HDD and it hung on the grey screen.

They had two options, 1) they install a new Logic Board at their store for around $550 or 2) send it to a local repair place for a flat rate of $310 regardless of what part needs replacing with a turn-around of 3 ~ 5 days.

I took option 2.

If I get a working reliable machine for $310 I'm good with that - can anyone report back on the success of the work done by the off site repair facility?

"lead free solder, which over time becomes brittle..."

That's not true.  Lead-free solder is always less-malleable than leaded solder.

"buy a new Logic Board and if so where do I purchase this?"

There are many third-party repair services and module vendors, and Google will assist in your search.

"what's to lose, unless it rules out the remote chance of Apple stepping up to the plate."

As you surmised, Apple won't perform a repair on a product which you've attempted a repair.

"They had two options, 1) they install a new Logic Board at their store for around $550 or 2) send it to a local repair place for a flat rate of $310 regardless of what part needs replacing with a turn-around of 3 ~ 5 days.

I took option 2."

I have never read that Apple would pay for a customer to have its products repaired at a non-Apple facility.  Apple's policy is to do a flat-rate repair for $310, performed either at a well-equipped Apple store, or sent to a regional Apple repair facility.

carl wolf wrote:

 

"lead free solder, which over time becomes brittle..."

"That's not true.  Lead-free solder is always less-malleable than leaded solder."

Clearly not fit for the application.

 

"buy a new Logic Board and if so where do I purchase this?"

"There are many third-party repair services and module vendors, and Google will assist in your search."

I have since done more searching, but with this being my first exposure to this means that it takes some time to use the preferred search words such as "reballing".

 

"what's to lose, unless it rules out the remote chance of Apple stepping up to the plate."

As you surmised, Apple won't perform a repair on a product which you've attempted a repair.

 

"They had two options, 1) they install a new Logic Board at their store for around $550 or 2) send it to a local repair place for a flat rate of $310 regardless of what part needs replacing with a turn-around of 3 ~ 5 days.

I took option 2."

"I have never read that Apple would pay for a customer to have its products repaired at a non-Apple facility.  Apple's policy is to do a flat-rate repair for $310, performed either at a well-equipped Apple store, or sent to a regional Apple repair facility."

I didn't say that it was a non-Apple repair facility, ..... they referred to it as "off site local repair place", ..... they packaged, labelled and sent it off.

 

Today I posted mail to Tim Cook. there is it.

Hello Tim.

I am technician in Czech republic. From start this sprig I repaired more than 100 macbooks after apple care with bad AMD Radeon 6xxx. My repair is based on GPU change on logic board for new one. This is only one way to make permanent fix faulty GPU, I am using only NEW GPUs from my china supplier with 2013 date code, without bug from 2011 year. I know about similiar problem with 2007/2008 preunibody macbooks. There was extension repair program to maximally 5 years old macbooks. After many repairs I had on my table, for last 3 years more than 300ps 2007/2008 macbooks with nVidia Geforce 8600M GT.

And my question is, will be any extension and repair program for 2011 macbooks with faulty AMD Radeon 6xxx GPUs ? There is the same big problem as Geforce 8600M GT in past. In my family I have 4 2011 Macbooks with AMD Radeon 6xxx GPUs and all 4 I must repair myself. I think, yesterday was late start repair program for this fault.

I hope you will answer me.

-

Best regards

David Suchý

What do you mean by this?

Edgar_Edgarovicz wrote:

 

I think, yesterday was late start repair program for this fault.

sorry for my "Czech English" but i want say: Extension repair program must start as soon is possible. Today is late.

Can anyone recommend a place in NYC that can do the reballing service?  I rather bring it in locally instead of shipping it out to avoid shipping costs and additional wait time.  Thanks for your help.

I had the "depot repair" performed and got the computer back on August 31, it began having troubles on September 10. I took it back on September 15 when it began rebooting anytime I opened a photo or there was a website that had images it didn't like. Errors referred back to the GPU.

Spoke at length with the Apple store manager on duty, they offered a refund for the repair or to send it in again at no charge. As $330 will not replace a $2000 machine, I went with the second board. I received a phone call, they left a message on Friday from the depot that is holding the laptop and they have a "unique opportunity" to offer me.

I have to wait until tomorrow to see what their offer is. I hope it is something substantial towards a new machine as I have no more confidence in this 2011. Though, $330 refund is definitely not enough.