User profile for user: Ben H C
Ben H C Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Replacing Graphics Card

Hello,


I have recently been having problems with my Mac Book Pro. I took my laptop to the Apple Store and they ran a diagnostic check, which revealed that the graphics card was faulty.


I was informed that the graphics card in my machine was no longer available.


There are two graphics cards listed in the machine information:


AMD Radeon HD 6750M

Intel HD Graphics 3000


The Intel card is built in and the AMD one is PCIe (whatever that means!)


My questions are:


Which graphics card do I need to replace (or do I need to replace them both)?


Are the above mentioned cards available to buy?


If they're not available, are there any alternative cards that could be used?


Thanks,


Ben.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jun 21, 2017 1:31 PM

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3 replies
User profile for user: OGELTHORPE
OGELTHORPE
User level: Level 9
57,329 points

Jun 21, 2017 1:41 PM in response to Ben H C

It would be helpful if you indicated the EXACT model/year of your MBP.


GPU's are soldered to the logic board so they cannot be replaced as such. You must get a replacement logic board in order to address the GPU problem. To complicate matters, Apple will not sell you one so you will need to look at third party sources such a iFixit.com or Powerbookmedic.com. Ebay is also a possible source.


Ciao.

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User profile for user: Courcoul
Courcoul
User level: Level 6
18,690 points

Jun 21, 2017 2:00 PM in response to Ben H C

If it is a 2010 or 2011 MBP the discrete AMD GPU had a known failure mode as the thing overheated and partially unsoldered itself from the logicboard, ruining the chip and the board. For awhile, Apple had an open recall that would replace the motherboard for free; alas, that recall had a time limit and has passed. As a workaround, you can try and use Cody Krieger's gfxCardStatus utility that lets you disable so the discrete GPU never gets enabled (graphics switching) and may let you use the computer. See here: https://gfx.io/


The definitive solution is replacing the logicboard, if you can find the part as detailed by Ogel,

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Replacing Graphics Card

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