Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

After I got my early-2011 MBPro 17" back from having the logic board switched out (re gnu failure), I found the new logic board, which has the same GPU as the old one, was running as hot or hotter tun the old one. The fans were blowing almost continuously. In order to preserve the new logic board/gpu from overheating damage, I switched out the  hard drive with a Samsung EVO 480 GB SSD. The logic board switch cost $323 and the SSD $300. I also installed the excellent gfxCardStatus utility which allowed me to permanently switch from the defective (discrete) GPU to the integrated one. The result is that the fans haven't turned on even once in the past few days. So for $823, I seem to have fixed the overheating problem, but I also ended up with a less efficient GPU than what I paid for. I still feel robbed by Apple and that laptop was probably the last Apple product I will ever buy.

Just so you know, gfxcardstatus doesn't really prevent the GPU from starting up.  If it does interfere with an app that needs the GPU, it will cause a crash or restart.  At the moment, it only serves to let you know which graphics card is being used. I'm not sure how the SSD has helped your situation, that is an interesting observation however.

Since installing gfxcardstatus, I've learnt that some websites launch the GPU in Safari and they don't in Chrome.  The same works vice versa as well.  My mbp2011 at the moment is a glorified browser at the moment.

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Thanks for your input, Benji Koshy. My understanding is that the gfxCArdStatus utility CAN switch off the discrete GPU. Supposedly, only power source-based switching has been disabled. As for the reason for switching the HD for an SSD, it was because HDs run hotter than SSDs and I was trying to reduce the overall temperature in the case. It seems to have worked, except that I'm worried that there is a new issue because, for two days now, the fans have not come on even once, whereas before, they were on almost continuously if I was web browsing or watching any form of imbedded video.

For anyone with an overheating GPU from a depot logic board if you know a competent engineer get them to watch this video. He not only uses less paste but

polishes the heatsink plates which for a 2011 is very important. He uses chrome Polish which does the job.  This is only for those with a working GPU as a preventative measure to stop the overheating.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LF0PBUnoNOc

i have done dozens pretty much this way and not one runs hot.  You can have a fully functioning gpu in these 2011's but not pasted Apple's way.

I started using gfxcardstatus after my GPU started acting up and I think the situation is a little more nuanced.

I have found that by setting gfxcardstatus to Integrated Only it is possible to suppress switching by some applications that would normally switch it over to discrete, like Photoshop and PowerPoint. It works well enough that if you choose Integrated Only and then you plug in an external monitor it will not be recognized until you change gfxcardstatus, because driving an external monitor requires the discrete GPU.

But setting Integrated Only with gfxcardstatus does not always work. There are times when something, usually by Apple, will force discrete GPU and there's nothing you can do about it. I was using gfxcardstatus to prevent my MBP from crashing when switching, then one day I thought I'd see if reinstalling Mavericks would cure the problem. Guess what, when you run the OS X installer it forces the discrete GPU on regardless of the gfxcardstatus setting and of course as soon as the discrete comes on BOOM the Mac stops working.

For those considering to write a letter to Ireland, you might as well save yourself a stamp and trash it yourself.

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My early 15" 2011 MBP just crapped out on me last week.  Put the same game my son is running on his little netbook, and then my fans went into overdrive, and graphics went wacko.  Now I can't boot.  Goes bast the apple logo and then bluish grey screen.  Tried the different reboots to no avail. I've been doing some research, and it sounds like exactly the same thing as everyone else on here:  graphics overheated.  Was skeptical about taking it into apple for a fix based off of initial research, but after reading these blogs I think I'll be carrying it in tomorrow.   $310 for a fix is still more than anyone should be paying for a manufacture defect, which this sounds like it is.  Is it a poor quality heat sink, bad coolant paste, or just a bad graphics chip?  I've wanted a Mac since the late 80's when I started programming on them, now I have a dead Macbook Pro.  Hope Apple addresses this issue as 577 pages seems like more than just a fluke.

i ran mavericks installer in safe mode, worked perfectly

I am currently booting the machine without the AMD kernel extensions. This boots the machine (past the greyish screen) and into the OS. Graphics are slow since it's not using all the fancy AMD features, but the integrated Intel chip I guess? Machine won't suspend and won't let me control screen brightness. Oh, and I can't attach another display.

But I'm not getting another logic board because there is absolutely no guarantee that that board will not display the same problems within the foreseeable future.

Instead, I'm looking to bring the logic board to a reflow service. That will cost me less and I have more confidence in that.

Got bitten by this today, what a PITA. Early 2011, AMD Radeon HD 6490M. If I can somehow get the thing booted up, the instant the Discrete card is needed, the whole thing bricks. Then on reboot I either get a grey screen, a blue screen with pinstripe lines, or once in a blue moon, the computer will boot to the login screen. Then it's just a matter of time until a program calls for the AMD and I start the dance again. Tried gfxcardstatus, but switching the options to only use the integrated card actually cause my machine to lock, so that's not a fix in my instance.

Incredible that Apple has no response for this manufacturing defect.

I have an early 2011 Mac Book Pro 2.2Ghz Intel Core i7 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3. In late 2012, while under extended warranty, Apple replaced the mother board as the board. They explained at the time that the motherboard had a defect associated with a soldier joint for part of the graphics functionality. I was glad to see that Apple had already amassed traffic sufficient to quickly diagnose the fault.  Having extensive experience with computer warranty, having been responsible for thousands of computers, at the time, I inquired whether the manufacturing defect had been resolved, or if I was receiving someone else's rebuild made with a defect as my computer was utilized for mission critical. I immediately setup and tested three (3) concurrent backups. My computer recently died. I am able to diagnose the issue to be the same issue as the indications exactly mirror and I took the computer apart.. We've spent over 120 hours working on the out of warranty laptop here. The Time Machine backup failed. The Carbon Copy Cloner partially worked. The file copy utility managed to recover 100% of the critical information, causing a loss of only 6 days of traffic, which cannot be recovered and we remain at risk for that traffic.

I would like the Motherboard replaced once with a non defective product.  I think this request is reasonable and fair. I am willing to continue pursuing this to resolution through whatever means are called for.

V/R

Reflowing I have found has a high failure rate.  Reballing a fresh AMD GPU is the most reliable fix I have found yet. There is much debate about lead free solder and leaded in this monster thread but for much lower temperatures on an old logic board that's had hundreds, thousands of heat cycles to preserve its condition I would not choose anything but leaded solder for a long term fix for these models, something Apple cannot legally do but a independent reballer certainly can.

These logic boards use leadfree solder in every onboard component so if solder is the only reason for the GPU failure then every other chip on board should fail , they all go through the same number of heating and cooling cycles, make sense ? that gives us the conclusion that it is not the solder that causes the problem and if it is making some of the factors it is not more than 5% of the factors that affecting these logic boards, heating cycles are also not an important factor and that because no matter how hot these logic boards go they can not go over 70 to 90 degree Celsius - before the computer protection cycle will activate and shuts the computer off - which is a very low temperature for the design of these logic boards and their materials , compare that to 217 degree Celsius which is the melting point of the leadfree solder that should actually lead to the conclusion that leadfree solder will have much higher stability comparing to the leaded solder which has a lower melting point  of 183 degree Celsius even if we disregard its lead material that is considered safety and environmental hazard material, so sorry to tell you that your conclusion and advise of using leaded solder is scientifically and factually wrong. You are entitled to your opinion like myself so we will just leave them to for people to decide for themselves which facts are true and they can google the numbers too.

Interestingly, with all of the analyses - speculative and true - I haven't read anything regarding the state of the solder at the time of the failure.  Is the solder cracked?  Or, does the solder exhibit characteristics that indicate that it was soft/flowing?

No Carl, soft/flowing is impossible, not with a melting point more than three times the shut down temperature for the computer, cracked !! probably in less than 0.1% of the number of failed computers, its usually the environmental factors like dust that goes under the solder that causes the failure in 99% of the failed computers , I just meant to explain why leadfree solder is the right material for the repair since it is not the main reason for the failure.