Early 2011 Macbook Pro 15' - Logic Board Failure

I had the exact same problem. I was out of AppleCare and it ended up costing $310+tax to get it fixed. The Genius Bar never said it was a GPU problem, they just said they couldn't figure out what was causing the problem. They were very careful not to tell me what the actual problem was with the logic board.

Considering this is my first repair ever needed on my computer I'm not too disappointed considering it would have cost the same to have AppleCare.

This is obviously a flaw that they refuse to acknowledge.

Exact same issue. Took to the Genius Bar and was told a Logic Board problem. I m out of warranty and my MBPS is just 2.5 yrs old and Was told that it would cost $750. Wow a complete rip off.

Applle you disappoint me.

Good article. I now have two of the things in the family down with logic board issues. Both went out within a month or two of the expired Apple Care warranty and they went out only a few months apart. One can be fixed for $250 and the other they're saying will cost $600 because it's old. As I said only a few months apart. Guess there was no way to see it coming.

same problem. I paid 2200 $ for a computer that can only be fixed for 1200 $ (i live in Brazil). It seems to be a quality control problem of Apple!!! there are many early 2011 MBP 15' with this exact problem. The Apple quality is gettting worse and worse but the prices are tstill escalating. This site www.mbp2011.com realtes these problems. There are hundreds of people who could work because of ****** products.

I wish they had a program for the MacBooks! Thanks for the link. In addition to the two laptops I mentined I personally have a 2011 15 inch MacPro that has not shown any problems yet....2 months left on my Applecare Warranty. I bought it in April of 2011 so it is within the failure range. Think I'll go in and talk to the store I bought it from since both the others went out within months after the Apple care expired. But they exhibited some minor screen issues as described before they failed. Mine has yet to do that so maybe I'll get lucky.

I just had a similar experience as Tchap84 at the Genius Bar. I'm a long-time Mac user (about 20 year) and I've seen all sorts of things on the Macs I've owned, but I agree that Apple seems to have "acknowledged" the problem, without coming out and saying it. The Genius I worked with told me they'd send it in, with the assumption it's a Video Card issue, BUT they'd do a full look-over and if they found any other issues, the $310 would cover ANY repairs, top-to-bottom, and I'd have a 90-day warranty to make sure there were no further issues. I was actaully surprised, as this seems to be a pretty fair deal, assuming the computer is able to be resurrected. I am waiting to get the MBP back, and will report my findings.

It'd be grest if victims of this issue could post their long-term results of the logic/graphics board replacement on the early 2011 MBP. A few users have reported that the problem recurred after a replacement of the logic/graphics board.

Add me to the list - MBP early 2011 crashes 3x per day.

I have a 2011 15" MBP which is now in for repair getting its Logic board replaced for the 2nd time within 3 years. The first time it happened, I was watching YouTube videos, and the second time it happened I was doing basic audio editing in Adobe Audition. Both times I have been docked to my Thunderbolt display. I always keep graphic switching turned off because it prevents blue screen freezing from the switch.

This is just unnacceptable, and from what I understand this is actually a wide spread problem with the 2011 models:

[url]https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4766577?tstart=0[/url]

So, I am considering upgrading to a newer model and selling my current model when I get it back from repair, but I did a search on "MBP 2013 Retina Heat" and it looks like people are having the same issues with the latest models too. Is there anyone who is not experiencing such an issue, and if so, which model are you using?

I purchased a Mac Mini for my girlfriend to replace her old PC, and so far it seems to not be experiencing this issue, however I need a laptop.

I'm at work right now, and I use an older iMac with a 3.06 Ghz Core 2 Duo, doing the same stuff and it doesn't even cause the fans to budge. I also tested Sculptris which is a free 3D sculpting program from Pixologic. Same deal, no fans. No problems. That program would cause my MBP to use 700% of the processor just for moving the base model around! My iPhone can also play Youtube videos without overheating but not my MBP?

So with all these pricey problems with the logic boards, some of which show up after Apple Care has expired, why isn't there a class action lawsuit on this? Not that I like this route but this issue has gone beyond the 2010 MBP's. Even my Apple store says it's only relevant to the 2010's. Doesn't look like that.

My Apple Care is up in two months...I sure hope I get lucky. Haven't had an issue with this MBP yet but the other two....out of service.

There is a class action lawsuit in progress about the 15" MacBook Pro, but forum mods have deleted posts on this forum, claiming it contained "a poll or petition."

No Apple polls or petitions are referenced in this post.

<Link Edited By Host>

Very interesting information. The info at patentlyapple.com is over a year old. I'm going to see if I can find out what ever happened to the suit. Also found it interesting that contacting Apple in Cupertino may get a defective one fixed for free over taking into an Apple Store.

Diane1349,

If you find more corrent information, please post it: many are following this discussion.

Case was dismissed.

http://www.topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/5291-texas-judge -throws-out-macbook-defective-motherboard-class-action-lawsuit/