Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I gave up. After second logic board failed (a week after installing yosemite), i though i would not replace logic board or laptop. But since i think nothing more is going to be done from apple side i got 15 inch 2014 macbook pro. If apple fixes it for free in some time later i will try to sell it to compensate some of it. The sad thing about it all is i am not getting my 7D mark ii any time soon. I really wanted to replace my old DSLR for work. Also now i have to make few changes to work on retina screen as a designer.

I Had the same issue at startup with bars on the screen and fan start making noise and machin heat up. I took it to Apple Store and as it was Out of warranties I paid $337 to fix it. They mentioned in report that Apple change the logical board. I got the machine back and next day now again back to same problem. I am not sure what they fixed then. I am taking back to Apple again and let me see what they do now.

I am part of this unfortunate club and what I read in this discussion is just plain heartbreaking.. For those of you folks who cannot afford a replacement or are tired of replacing, there is another solution which is free, but alas, does require you to sacrifice the one thing that is not wrong with that machine.. the OS.

The solution is to install Linux and disable the AMD/Nvidia card during boot. The performance of the built-in GPU is surprisingly good when you don't run something as graphics heavy as OS X and the applications are mostly.. tolerable..

The installation is not entirely straightforward, but when on the other hand you have a useless $2k MPB.. it is definitely worth it. I did this myself, and now I don't have to spend another 2$k to be able to work. By the way, you cannot do this with Windows, as it will always require the second GPU just like OS X does. Also, not *everything* will work in Linux, I have not tested it with external monitor for example, but all the essential stuff works just fine.

If you are brave enough to follow me on this path, drop me a line: hydandatadotorg at gmail.com, if there is interest I may do a screencast of how to do it and how to survive in Linux as OS X user with less pain.

the replacement part only has 90 days of warranty, so if that burns up too, you may have to spend another 600 Euro.

replacement parts seem to have the same manufacturing issues.

Apple should look at what Toyota did. Another example of US corporation greed.

I would be interested in how to install Linux. A screencast or a step by step tutorial would be great.

eduardloewen wrote:

 

I would be interested in how to install Linux. A screencast or a step by step tutorial would be great.

you can easily find two, one with ubuntu (ubuntu forum) and an other one a bit more tricky installing arch linux on a personal blog (Allan McRae), almighty google will guide you with macbook pro 2011 linux keywords.

you can choose whatever distro you want, though.

Right, I also got the same problem last week. My computer is 2011 late 15". The screen was down and it can't do anything. They spent three days to replace a new logic board. I just got a new logic board. I have no idea it would happen again or not. Apple should call this product back. It really has some problem for this product...

I picked up my Macbook pro 2011 like two weeks ago after a depot repair by $310. Apparently everything is working fine except for the login screen after being sleeping. It shows kind of a strange mixed color screen, but it goes away after logging in. I am afraid that my computer will be again down after the 90 days warranty. You mentioned something about stressing it. How do I do it?

Add me to the list.

Luckily, I've only got the "preliminary"? symptoms, GPU Panics after being on for a while running graphic intensive stuff.
So far, I'm lucky, because I don't have the "distorted" video yet.

My question is this, if you were in my shoes, would you use a GPU Reballing Service? ($220 USD) or wait until Apple "decides" to do something?
I found a GPU Reballing Service for my model that includes a 1 year warranty on his services.

I'm out of Apple Care Warranty (of course!) and don't want to go with a "logic board replacement", since it's obviously not helping.
It was nearly impossible for me to read 645+ pages of posts, so I gave up trying.
What have others done here that worked?
My thoughts are leaning towards just biting the bullet, doing the Reball, and hoping for the best.

I'd be surprised if Apple would even allow me to "redeem" the "repair" (assuming they FINALLY ROLL ONE OUT!!!!) if I've had my system "re-balled", but, OTOH, it doesn't appear they will EVER provide some sort of "solution" to this problem.
Sad, really, because I wanted to use Apple Products since so many folks rave on and on about their "reliability".

So far, IME, this choice has brought me nothing more than pain and expense.

(I've been a PC guy for 15+ years, went with Apple stuff in 2012, and this is my 3rd Apple machine that has had "issues", really not a good thing, Apple!)

Thanks for reading.

-Eric

petoma wrote:

 

I picked up my Macbook pro 2011 like two weeks ago after a depot repair by $310. Apparently everything is working fine except for the login screen after being sleeping. It shows kind of a strange mixed color screen, but it goes away after logging in. I am afraid that my computer will be again down after the 90 days warranty. You mentioned something about stressing it. How do I do it?

since I read a few times that people were afraid to use their 'repaired-by-Apple' computer once they got it back, meaning using it for what they bought it for, by stressing it I meant use it like you normally do, don't hold back.

now to push it and see if it fails again, plug an external monitor, launch adobe products and work with it, edit videos in iMovie, play games.

all those things that a macbook pro, even from 2011, should be doing easily.

or you can also use a software that will stress it out for you, quotes from users:

junkBookPro

Oct 24, 2014 3:52 AM Re: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card in response to chakibfromcoquitlam

 

What would be the best way to stress the GPU ?

Use an external monitor with the macbook in clamshell mode , and then launch during a few hours a program like Unigine Valley, or maybe Unigine with Geekbench at the same time (to stress both the CPU and the GPU) ?

I've tried this several times during a few hours and my GPU temp doesn't go above 72°C.

Thanks.

 

You can install this app:

http://www.geeks3d.com/20130507/gputest-0-4-0-cross-platform-opengl-benchmark-re leased-opengl-4-tessellation-test-enabled-under-mac-osx/#download

and run FurMark test. (FurMark is first in the list and it will "burn" your GPU.

Other open GL tests provided in the app are not producing as much heat.)

if you're still experiencing some artifacts, your computer hasn't been properly repaired, which is not surprising considering the cause of the problem and Apple's way for fixing it...

Hi guys,

Here I go again. Today I went to the Apple Store down hear in Bergamo, Italy. I took an appointment at the Genius Bar.

So a Genius popped out calling my name and in no time I told him my story. He immediately recognized the problem and said that it is a well known issue and that he himself has read some documents here and there. So he took my ProductID or whatever that number means and went backstage for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, he had lunched a testing on the mac (with evident visual problems..he couldn't even recognize the icons that were coming out of the screen cause well, you know, horizontal lines all over the place and stuff, strange colors). In the time he was back, the test finished and guess what: was all positive!! I mean, all green ok's on all the hardware. So the guy stated something like: "oh..he thinks that he's all ok..but clearly it's not!". After looking another minute at the freaky computer, he said: "..anyway, i went backstage to ask if there was some kind of repair program for this, and they told me there actually isn't..but it's a matter of days maybe and Apple will lauch a repair program."

He also told me that he can change my logic card but that won't solve me any problem and also, that will cost me more than €500,00 (computer, as you guess, is out of warranty). He kindly asked me to be patient just a little bit more and to come back to them when Apple will make it's final statement over the this issue.

Fortunately, i have a working PC at home. So, if it's a matter of days, I can live with it right now. And fortunately, it's not a period that i'm overloaded with work to do..so I guess I'll be just fine. I really hope that what they told me today is TRUE and that it's REALLY a matter of DAYS, not months.

I also considered reballing options and contacted some people here and there. The reballing here in Italy costs around €200,00 but still the greatest period of warranty i was able to get is: 6 months. I guess that Apple should take care of their own mess. So, I'm not willing to pay that money, by now. If the thing is not solved by the end of this month, I'll start considering that option.

It's really sad to have a €1800,00 computer, and not being able to use it properly. I make my living, working on it. So, Apple, please be quick!

let's hope they do have a reliable source for sharing this info with a customer.

thanks for reporting.

NikolayKolev wrote:

 

I also considered reballing options and contacted some people here and there. The reballing here in Italy costs around €200,00 but still the greatest period of warranty i was able to get is: 6 months.

Still 3 months more then Apple gives on it's repair for it...

NikolayKolev wrote:

After looking another minute at the freaky computer, he said: "..anyway, i went backstage to ask if there was some kind of repair program for this, and they told me there actually isn't..but it's a matter of days maybe and Apple will lauch a repair program."

 

He also told me that he can change my logic card but that won't solve me any problem and also, that will cost me more than €500,00 (computer, as you guess, is out of warranty). He kindly asked me to be patient just a little bit more and to come back to them when Apple will make it's final statement over the this issue.

 

Fortunately, i have a working PC at home. So, if it's a matter of days, I can live with it right now. And fortunately, it's not a period that i'm overloaded with work to do..so I guess I'll be just fine. I really hope that what they told me today is TRUE and that it's REALLY a matter of DAYS, not months.

Thanks very much for posting this Nikolay.

Well... is this the first small ray of light, or a bit of casual gossip signifying not a lot; a fobbing off; a delaying tactic: the first wafts of a smoke screen?

Whatever, it's interesting.

I wonder what channel Apple would use to make such an announcement. Is it their practice to use forums such as this as a medium? Anybody know?

We'll have to just keep an eye on this page:

https://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair/