GPU Problems/Screen Flickering - MacBook Pro Retina 15" - Mid 2015

I might have the same thing as yours.

I bought my laptop back in October and I noticed a flickering that usually happens at the top of the screen.

I narrowed the issue down to graphics card switching and sadly I had no choice but to either return the machine or live with it.

You can reproduce the problem by going to your "energy saver" in system preferences. There, click off "Automatic Graphics Switching" then wait a second and click back on to the integrated card. This will reproduce the flicker in the machines. NOTE this only happens when you make the resolution higher than default. (1680 or 1920) It won't happen in default mode.

I returned my machine once, only to have it happen again on the second one. I then went back and talked to the sales associates. They pulled out another fresh machine and booted it up and I was able to reproduce the issue again.

I was basically told that they thought it was a power issue where the discrete card would pull more power, thus causing the flicker. There was no solution. I had to accept or return the machine.

Note, this is only in MBPs with two video cards and from what I can tell, the 2015 models. I even ruined a friend's day in Austrailia when he tested his machine and found the flicker at the higher resolution.

This is something that Apple "should" fix but I don't know if they will. I have been running the machine with the discrete card only while plugged into power and just dealing with it when not.

I might bring it up to a Genius bar again in a year in hopes that the issue has been resolved.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Bryan

As far as I can tell, this happens to all 2015 Macbook Pro's with the higher end video card that does switching. As I said, There were 3 in a row I found and my friend with the fourth machine in Austrialia had it happen so that was most definitely from a different lot.

I owned a 2011 MBP with the video card issue. I had my logic board replaced 3..maybe 4 times. I lost count. Never had to pay for the replacement because I was in warranty with my Apple Care (which I purchased) and then under the "official recall" which I believe is over now.

Post Jobs, I feel quality and care really has gone downhill. Their employees don't seem to be that knowledgable either when I have questions.

I use to not mind paying a premium price for a laptop because I felt I was getting a premium product. I no longer feel that way sadly. I mean dropping $2500 for a new Macbook Pro and having video flickers right out of the box is bad quality control. I guess maybe design control because that bug should of be tested out.

I'm hoping a firrmware fix comes out...even a recall bur I am not holding my breath.

This is a huge problem.

Firstly there's at least a workaround so that you can barely use the machine ... https://gfx.io

With that little bit of software, you can properly select ONLY the cheap iris integrated video card, and it will at least work. That software will stop it trying to switch to the fancy video card.

(Apple's own selector switch for doing so, in preferences, is utterly useless - don't even bother.)

I have a Mid-2015 Retina MacBook Pro (2.5 ghz core i7, 16gb, the 1536 Iris)

it has exactly this problem. The local Apple shop kindly completely swapped the whole motherboard but bizarrely the problem remains.

It's just "one of those Apple things". All you can do is: every single time you buy an apple laptop, tell them outright that you're fully aware of the video card switching problems, and you must see it tested before you leave the store with it.

I have a late 2013 rMBP with the 750m. I have had this issue for ages. The computer didn't have the issue for the first year. But now I can't have it set to dynamic switching. Certain websites cause the computer to switch back and force often, and the screen flicker is annoying. I thought to have apple fix it, but I can't really be without a computer for a week. It's my work machine, and I can't take a week off work. I thought about buying a used, newer model, and selling this one, but from reading these posts it seems a widespread issue. I guess I'll just live with it. I do use gfx. I usually just set the graphics to the 750m unless I need the battery. Not a really difficult problem to address. But I sometimes worry it'll get worse and the computer will just die.

same problem new rmbp 15 2015 swap error

stevenestella - go straight back to the store and have them change the RMPB.

if you go back within about 5 days, in most countries, you can demand they just swap it for a new one.

if it is too late, have them repair it. (swap motherboard.)

don't hesitate!

I think it is a design flaw seeing that they opened up another notebook in front of me and the flicker happened on it. This after I already returned the MBP once.

My plan is to use the discrete card exclusively so there is no switching, then in about a year from purchase, go in and show them the issue again and try to get the board replaced in hopes that they have done a revision that fixes the problem. I have AppleCare so I have 3 years on this thing.

Still feel this is very "weak" on Apple's part.

That's an excellent idea, Bobcatou.

Apple have a policy they have used many times over the years: they know if there's a problem like this they can just "wait it out" and it's very unlikely they will suffer a class action lawsuit. They know they can play the numbers. Say there's been 20 classic "Apple disasters" like this where they totally screw customers, because of hardware flaws. Apple know that there will only be a class action in one or two of those situations. So they just "wait it out" a couple of years, knowing that very likely there is no downside. So there's no reason for Apple to attempt a fix.

Apple's simple policy is to never, ever admit there is a problem.

They know there's very little chance of a lawsuit, so, "Apple wins". "Customer loses" - "Apple wins".

This is Apple's standard mode of operation in these cases: it happens over and over again.

I like your approach of hoping there is a revision within a year or so, it's a good idea. Let's hope it works out.

Don't forget "gfxCardStatus" is very handy, it's free too. It's the only way to really see what's happening with the cards, and force the machine to use integrated. Indeed if it wasn't for that piece of freeware this $3000 mbp would be a paperweight.

I keep having this issue too in my Mid-2015 15" MacBook Pro. It started as soon as the 14 day period where your can return the product passed and I wasn't able to return it. I've been to the Genius Bar at least twice and talked on the phone to two senior advisor over the phone and the only answer they give me is that it is a software problem. They managed to get a workaround setting up a root user and deleting the preferences from the library forcing the Mac to create new one without having to reinstall the whole operating system but it happened again after a week. And on top of that, yesterday my screen went all stripy with vertical purple and blue lines covering it and had to do a force restart as the computer was frozen. I call them up again and they insist that its one of my applications causing issues with my machine, but I have exactly the same applications installed in this machine as in my previous MacBook Pro 13" mid-2010 and I have never had issues of this kind of my previous machine. It is specially odd as I transferred all my data and apps from a time machine backup of my previous computer.

It look like they are trying to push this issue past the 1 year limited warranty so I can't do anything without having to pay beforehand, which is very cheeky considering I payed 2000€+ for this machine. I'm almost a 100% that is a hardware issue and not software as it happens exclusively with this card switching machine and not the single card ones. Having the computer freeze in a blue and purple screen is obviously not normal behaviour.