Early 2011 MacBook Pro 15" - GPU Failure

I couldn't agree more. Well said. I have been a very loyal customer and have purchased much equipment for my family, friends and businesses. I have noticed issues with their retina displays, thunderbolt issues, etc. I'm not sure what is going on with quality control. When we spend thousands of dollars on equipment, support strings us along for quite some time and the issue is known - where are the emails or snail mails to inform us of these issues (class action law suits and results). I have a substantial amount of apple stock and I'm starting to lose faith in them.

I did the typical reset of SMC and NVRAM. Still no go! After many hours and attempts, I got my screen back on. I attempted this multiple times and figured out why it would come on. When the laptop would go into integrated mode (out of discreet mode) then my display would come on. I could sometimes trigger this to happen when the laptop went into and out of sleep mode.

To reliably get the laptop screen on, it dawned on me that I could force it into integrated mode by: turn on my t.v., turn on laptop, wait a few seconds, plugin HDMI cable which forced discreet to the HDMI output and my laptop into integrated mode.

Now I can work again and I'll order a replacement logic board.

P.S. Also install gfxcardstatus to restrict discreet mode from activating under higher graphic demands.

I have the same problem and finally identified the cause. There is a GPU failure in certain MacBook Pro models built in early 2011. The GPU is The AMD Radeon HD 6750M. There was a class action suit against Apple that was settled when Apple decided to replace the bad GPU for free. Unfortunately, the free replacement service ends on February 28. 2016. I watched a You Tube video showing the replacement procedure. It is far beyond my technical abilities. Specialized microscopic equipment was used. Extensive cleaning and soldering is also required. Needless to say, I am very disappointed that I wasn't notified about this issue, last year, when my extended warranty was still in place. It appears that Apple dragged their feet and revealed this defect at the latest possible time. I have been a loyal Apple customer for years and am more than disappointed by this episode. Perhaps I am naive. I always had the impression that Apple operated with a higher level of ethics than most other computer manufactures.

I've noticed that Apple stock has recently taken a hit. I now see a company that has lost touch with its customers by violating their confidence. "Confidence is the indispensable basis of all sorts of business transactions. Without it, commerce between man and man, as between country and country, would, like a watch, run down and stop." This line is spoken by a character in Herman Melville's novel called "The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade." Melville was perhaps the greatest author the U.S. has ever produced. It's always striking to me how a work of fiction can reveal the deepest truths of human nature. Perhaps "Apple" will redeem itself. But personally, I doubt if I will ever again spend the extra money needed to buy a high end Mac computer.

If you can't boot your computer at all, try starting it by resetting the NVRAM. This method has worked for me on several occasions. After you press the button to boot your computer, you have to quickly get your fingers in position to hold down 4 keys: The command key, the option key, the letter "p" key and the "r" key. Hold these keys down until you hear a second startup sound. These instructions are in the Apple section, "How To Reset NVRAM on Your Mac."

Try this:

https://gfx.io/

If no success, make an appointment at an Apple store genius bar for a FREE evaluation.

Ciao.