MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011) crashes

Hello asge532ld,

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

To start off with, please reset your SMC by following the steps in the article below.

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

Take care,

Alex H.

Hi asge532ld,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Community. Due to the nature of your issue you may find more information by using another one of Apple's support resources - https://getsupport.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action

Take care,

Alex H.

I have a late 2011 Macbook 17" myself. Recently it started crashing, and later to show vertical stripes, distorted image and had problems booting. It "freezes" on the white/gray boot screen. This is due to a hardware malfunction. The GPU was sodded badly onto the Logicboard at the factory, I guess. There is a lot of info about this matter because a lot of people have the exact same problem. Maybe you have it too?

Check 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I have an early 2011 MBP 17”. The GPU burned out with exactly the symptoms (blue screen, graphics artifacts, horizontal lines, overheating, crashes, etc) as described by thousands of other MBP users. Apple Store Phoenix's head "genius" feigned ignorance of the faulty GPU issue. I was forced to shell out $322 for the logic board replacement, despite 2 letters to Apple's Tim Cook, but none at Cupertino bothered to reply either time. Apple thinks it has a lock on long term Mac users like me, but they are wrong! The new logic board I bought has exactly the same GPU so I expect it to fail too. The Apple agent at the store assured me Apple had put in a GPU that would not fail like the last one, but that was either a lie or he was speaking out of his arse. Also, the repair center stole my two new Kensington 4 GB DIMMS and replaced them with 2 4GB DIMMS and did not return the originals, which is standard practice. The DIMMS were new and performed perfectly. Both I and the Apple genius ran diagnostics on them just before I handed over my machine and the RAM was fine. I had to demand Apple replace the stolen RAM. Got home and found the new logic board was running even HOTTER than before...fans blowing incessantly whenever I opened a web page with any imbedded video, no matter how small. Bought my own SSD to replace the hard drive, thinking this might solve the heat issue. No improvement. Only after I installed the gfxCardStatus utility and turned off discreet GPU altogether, did I get relief from overheating. Incidentally, all of you who paid the $310 (not including tax) standard repair will only get a 90-day warranty on the supposedly new logic board, not 1 yr. Personally, I don't even trust Apple anymore when they told me the logic board was not a refurb. They already lied to me or gave me incorrect information twice this past encounter.

One further gripe: I bought this MBP in Germany for $3,170. According to the EU Commission, Apple is obliged to honor a standard 2 year warranty on electronics instead of the US's 1 year warranty. Apple routinely flaunts this and I found out when my HD failed 5 days past the 1 yr mark. Apple would not pay. Apple doesn't deserve the right to market in Europe if it flaunts european law. So far, only Italy has taken Apple to court over the 1 yr/2 year warranty issue and Apple lost. Apple now abides by the law, but apparently only in Italy.

Apple is no longer the "Insanely Great" company it was when I bought my first Mac in 1986!

We do not have to write here, this is a lock apple "community" the problem stay inside here and as we see Apple doesn't care. We must say it to the world !

I have a late 2011 17 inch MacBook Pro. Apple has replaced the logic board twice in about 6 weeks. I would highly recommend that you don't do the handoff from your iphone6. It definitely burns out the graphic/logic board. Apple does not acknowledge this, but I assure you that it does. It started two weeks after I upgraded to Yosemite.

Yah, check over here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4766577

it's over 11,000 responses now.

It seems to only involve the 15" and the 17". I'm holding my breath until Apple does something about this!

I've had the same issues - however, my computer has had these issues from the very first year of purchase. Apple did not address the faulty logic board any of multiple times I brought it in while it was under warranty.

This is something a friend sent to me that may be helpful for those in California:

"California's "Lemon-Law," also known as the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, provides some of the best consumer protections in the country. Under the act, All consumer products such as game consoles, desktop computers, laptop/notebook computers, dishwashers, refrigerators, and the like are covered. This includes all Apple products such as the iPhone, iMac, Macbook, and Macbook pro.

As a quick overview, California's Lemon Law requires the following: The manufacturer that's not able to repair a consumer product under warranty within a "reasonable" number of repair attempts must either replace it or refund the purchase price. "

I stated this is another thread but want to state it here. We need to overwhelm Apple with (polite) letters so they know just how common this issue is, and hopefully respond with a replacement program...

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Exact same issue here with me. Early 2011 with a 2.3 CPU and AMD GPU. Graphics issues for a few months and then died 5 months out of AppleCare's expiration.

I wrote a letter to Apple telling them of my experience and disappointment given their hardware is generally of better quality than everyone else, and included evidence showing how big of a problem this is. Considering the lifespan and the price I paid (over 3 grand), I could have bought a brand new UltraBook every single year and threw the old one away. Apple's response was a generic cut & paste letter that denies anything is wrong with the design and that they do not make exceptions for products out of warranty, even if the part is in fact defective or flawed. I can't say I was all that surprised, but I can say that I think many PC makers are providing better hardware support than Apple is at this point given most of them will address design flaws and part problems even when out of warranty...on laptops that cost 1/5th the price.

That's not the same Apple of 15 years ago that took the utmost pride in their reputation, and if they saw a recurring issue that clearly indicated a problem with a part, they would jump through hoops to make sure their customers were taken care of. It differentiated them from everyone else, and it was total justification of the premium pricing of Apple products. This will make me think twice about future hardware purchases given there are some very nice Windows laptops I can get for less than half the price, many which have the options of an extended warranty that go past the date that AppleCare does.

I recommend to others with this issue:

• Document your experiences with detailed descriptions, images, videos, service records, and communication.
• Write Apple a letter that is professional, direct, and provides full documentation, and send it via Certified Mail.
• Let others know of your experience and the commonality of this problem.
• Keep an eye on the two current class-action lawsuits against Apple regarding this problem, as it may result in a policy change and/or some type of compensation for affected machines.