2011 Macbook Pro Logic Board Failure

Same Happened to me 😟 MBP pro 17" Early 2011 Logic board replaced twice and now it happened again !! , when I bought it, I was searching for power performance, since I work in post production, and Apple failed me as a company and as a device, I'm searching to buy an Asus ROG laptop and Dump Apple for good. Apple problem is they insist on using AMD's bad GPU instead Nvidia's advanced GPU. and believe it or not, I met people with latest Apple MBP 2016 versions , who faced the exact same problem!!

Mine has now been replaced twice. Just waiting for it to go again. Really angry with Apple about this. As insurance I have gone and bought a mid 2014 Macbook Pro which is still under warranty and in pristine condition. The retina display is rubbish compared to the hi res anti- glare screen on my 2011 laptop. Got the screen replaced on the mid 2014 and it has the same poxy yellow cast as the one it replaced. I'm on the hunt for alternatives. i simply can't trust Apple anymore after using their computers for 20 years. Problem after problem after problem. Here we are, the customer, losing time and money which we can't afford, while the CEO gets an $84 million share payout. Please.

yes, they've really become a phone company and stopped caring about computers.

the infuriating thing is that every time there is a problem they always defend the product and claimed its an isolated problem until it cannot be contained anymore and that makes them completely untrustworthy which is a shame compared to how it used to be.

"they have gotten so old"…what??? So after 6 years they're for the rubbish bin. Come off it. I still have 12 year old Mac's that work perfectly well. The latest operating systems still work on the 2011 models. It's a massive con.

Do as I suggested, contact Apple: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

This is a good price for a repair. However you need to be capable of removing the logic board. On MacBook pros that can be a daunting task. IFixit.com gives the logic board removal a "difficult" rating and it takes 1-3 hours.

7. Apple may offer you benefits and award privileges for your participation in the Site. 19,000 post... you get anything for that yet?

Yes, I do. I get to participate in the "Lounge" -- a forum area where 'those with lots of points' can post items that are less restricted, and can laugh joke with each other in a collegial fashion, and bring up items that are off-topic.

I have also received a few Apple promotional items of nominal value, such as an Apple coffee cup. If Apple gave me things with substantial monetary value, it COULD be considered compensation, possibly making me an Apple employee, and then Apple would have to take responsibility for what I write, which they do NOT want to do. So they are very careful not to give me anything of more than nominal or promotional value.

I speak for MYSELF, not for Apple.

Apple employees who post here all have an Apple Icon or similar clear indication of their status as Apple employees. I believe postings by Apple employees who are not from Apple support are prohibited.

I have a lot of posts because I first started reading the forums in 2001. I read and answer a few posts almost every day. You only get points for that when someone considers your post helpful, but most original posters never mark anything.

So my comment was deleted again... I dont know why this time it was deleted at all. Apple is really trying to censor me.

In any case, im spending too much time posting here as it is. The way I see it this is a community forum for people to communicate and share their experiences. To keep pushing people to stop posting and instead to post to apple's feedback page is not only useless but insulting and a waste of time since most of us have done that or dont want to do it instead choosing to post our issue publicly. Even more so is telling someone to move on and get over it... its just a pointless comment. If youre happy moving on and getting over it, good for you. Its obvious the rest of us are not and we are trying to get something done about it. Again, to my understanding, that is what this forum is for, its not to discourage us from publicly posting our issues with Apple.

I own one of those 2011 model 15-in MacBook Pro dual graphics computers. It was misbehaving when the program was about to end, so I had it tested when it was in the shop for a new trackpad. It passed. So it was not eligible for the recall program.

It is now useless, and will not boot any MacOS from any source. However, it lasted a good long time, and just because there was a recall on some of those models does not make me bitter about their failing after four years (which is also after the program had expired). My family got a lot of good use out of that computer while it was working.

It was a battery-powered computer that got moved around in a backpack for a couple of years. That treatment places tremendous stresses on equipment, and expecting it (or any computer used in that fashion) to last longer than four years in those conditions is dreaming.

Apple has already extended the warranty coverage, even for those who did not buy AppleCare, to four years. They have repaired many of these computers. They were never obligated to do even that much.

When cars are recalled, it is because they have problems that can kill or maim you. Computer failure is inconvenient, but does not rise to nearly the same level.

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I am sorry you feel so badly about your computer not working. I am sorry you feel cheated because you did not get it repaired again, and again, and again, until the end of time. But I most certainly do NOT agree that you are somehow entitled to more than you have already received.

If you cannot get over it, you need to pursue your quest at some other venue. As several folks have tried to explain, Apple makes no promise to read these postings, and never responds here unless your original query goes unanswered for days. It is not realistic to think that adding more vitriol to this thread will somehow improve your standing or those of others who own this model and it died after four years or more.

The recall program ended at the end of 2016, and I have seen no indications that it will be extended or restarted. I strongly recommend you 'get over it'.

the warranty states something like Apple will repair or replace, at its discretion, any parts found to be defective in materials or workmanship.

The parts are not required to be new, they simply must be functional, and that is what they were when they were installed.

You assertion that the parts were inherently dysfunctional is something you invented.

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Car recalls are not always because of safety issues

Car recalls are ALWAYS done for safety issues, and nothing else. Technical Service Bulletins are used when problems that are not safety related are uncovered. These modifications or replacements are only performed when a customer presents their vehicle with the stated problem, and not otherwise. No notifications are sent. They are NOT recalls. But these Technical Service Bulletin repairs are still covered by the manufacturers.

It's an investment.

It is certainly expensive. But neither a car nor a computer is an investment. Each is a TOOL with a limited lifetime and a rapidly-declining market value.

These owners have lost valuable time /money because of this problem.

No question about it. When your tools break down, it is expensive.

But my point is that it is not unexpected. If you had a delivery business with exactly one truck and that truck broke down, and you had no other way to make your deliveries, almost everyone would call you foolish -- you need backups. You need backups of your files, and you need a backup for your computer. You need to have an old computer you can press into service, or you need to be prepared to replace that computer.

Many businesses replace their computers the day the extended warranty expires.

My last say on this matter. Like others on this thread my big issue is with the handling of the GPU issue with the 2011 MBP And it's warranted

As for their phone support, I have always had a positive experience with them and they have always been sympathetic, understanding and helpful with whatever problem has existed and have always found whatever solution is within their powers. And I have always left positive feedback. There are issues I have with in store service but that's not relevant to this discussion.

Last thing I want is to have to make the switch to Windows after 20 years and I hope i don't have to.

The heart of the problem here is that they don't have the decency to handle the problem. It is their right to hide behind the TOS to prevent people from organizing but it is just lame.

One can only guess if people organizing for some pro-apple event would get censored as well...

In this case their silence is just a mix of arrogance mixed and disdain, so I guess there is still something left from before it became a phone company.

All same thing happened to me...Genius Bar said they can't do it now, recommended our local Mac repair spot. They said they didn't do "vintage" computers anymore. I asked if I bought a logic board, would they install? They said "yes, with no warranty" for $140.00.

My question, who is the best reseller of these 2011 logicboards so I'm assured of getting a good one? Anyone out there have best reseller suggestions? Thanks.

Hi Grant,

You have me excited. I was wondering if the EFI could be rewritten for this purpose. I checked the page you are linking to and the only "blog" I see is the GitHub Blog link at the very bottom. Can you be more specific about where the instructions are to create the Arch Linux boot disc?

Also since making this change to your 2011 MBP have you tried connecting an external monitor? I was under the impression the thunderbolt/displayport was hardwired to the discreet card.

Thanks!

Rod.

Grant, the "series" you are referring to is the 15 inch and 17 inch MacBook Pro models for the years 2011-2013... ALL of them.

If it is all of them why are mine still working, maybe it is not ALL of them after all.