A rMBP that works?

Hi,

I'm really getting desperate with Apple laptops. My previous MBA and my current rMBP are excellent in some regards but damn, they're still too far from being usable machines. My MBA would get a corrupted hard drive as soon as I moved a big enough file and I'd have to reboot to repair its brand new SSD it about once a week. My early 2013 rMBP has been freezing regularly without mentioning anything in the Console and the only way out is to power it off. I've tried PRAM and SMC resets, I've tried clean installs, I've even tried installing Yosemite. All I've learned thanks to Yosemite being a bit less bad than Mavericks is that the problem is "graphical". I couldn't learn more though because after kindly putting a word on what's been interrupting my work for months, it still crashed. I don't want to bring it to a tech because honestly I already know what's going to happen. I'll be left without my work machine for a week and they'll say they can't reproduce the bug.

What the hell should I buy, now? I've thought of simply updating to the next generation rMBP but there are even more freeze rumors with those! And what if I stumble once again upon a model that has a WiFi chip that is noisy and I have to lose a week to get it replaced? Should I buy like 10 models at once, try them all and keep only the less buggy one? I don't see any other solution…

Thanks for the help

forlong

For the MBA, it's too late, I've sold it long ago. For the rMBP I haven't found how to trigger this freeze yet, it's completely random. Were I able to demonstrate it I would have shown it to a tech. Also, what could Apple do, at best? Change the logic board under warranty? I've seen posts from people who still had the bug after that. I've just realized though that there's a new, hopefully more stable generation of rMBPs that's been released recently. Maybe I should give that at try. I know MacBooks run fine for most people, I'm probably only really unlucky.

On me breaking things: I don't use any external hardware besides my Time Machine USB drive and of the 5 apps I use the most, only one is not made by Apple (and it's a Unix tool that never crashes). I use so many stock settings I don't need more than an hour to set up a new install. So I don't know.

I don't know, it doesn't seem like it's related to an app. The warning I saw yesterday didn't specify one. It looks more like a hardware failure. Also, it'd take me too much time. For instance I've installed the latest Yosemite update yesterday and it's going to take me hours of moderate use before the bug appears again.

The more I think about it the more I think that it would be better for my sanity to simply buy a new device and sell my current one. I'd lose some money but at least the problem would probably be fixed quickly. It's the only solution. I've looked at other hidpi laptops out there and none comes close to rMBPs. Also, I'm definitely not going back to Windows nonsense or Linux tinkering.

Edit: Just contacted the closest Apple Stores and none could tell me if the 14-day return policy I've seen on apple.com is also available in retail stores. Anybody knows if that's the case? Cause my plan was to use that if I realize the bug still appears on the new machine. And I'd rather go there physically to avoid delivery delays.

Edit 2: Apple told me that ordering online is my safest bet if I want to use this return policy. I'm doing this the next time I get a freeze.

I installed Yosemite out of despair, after seeing that a clean install of the most stable Mavericks (10.9.5) wasn't enough. I was thinking that maybe this bug could have been fixed. Apparently they've done something because as I've said I now see warnings before freezes.

This is a good idea to try, thanks. I'm not sure I will be fast enough to take a screenshot because last time the freeze happened so quickly after the warning that I didn't even have the time to click on "More details". We'll see.

Latest Yosemite update has improved the issue, I now get warnings without freezes and I can click to report them to Apple. I was able to take a screenshot and so I'll send that to the closest Apple tech. The Console is also more talkative, there are a lot of HEX codes and it then ends by saying "End Hang Analysis", "Trying restart GPU…". Which confirms my idea that it's a hardware issue. Hope I can get a replacement because now that I've seen that the current generation of rMBPs is both thinner and has a hard drive twice as fast as mine, I really want one!

So my computer seems to have been fixed. The GPU running too hot was causing the problem. The tech had to try two (!) brand new logic boards before finding one that wouldn't crash. My advice to somebody experiencing this would be as I've been advised here to take screenshots (or pictures with your phone), but also not to think that because somebody on the Internet had its motherboard replaced and still experienced the issue that this will necessarily be your case. In my case my tech appears to be thorough and he would have discovered the problem by himself and way sooner than I did with the tests he does.

Well, if someone's to blame here it's not the shy guy I am that sensed the awkwardness in going to a shop and say "yeah it crashes but you have to use it hours before it appears, and it comes for no particular reason" to a sales assistant, I would certainly say it's Apple. What kind of computers do they ship that need the WiFi chip replaced once and the motherboard twice?

Just got the GPU crash once again. Turns out I was initially right about me losing a week and having the same problem in the end. I'm going to ask for a replacement with a newer model but I'm not sure how that'll go…

@BobertKennedy: all your questions are answered in the thread.

This is only silly because you've not read more than what you wanted to see.

I installed Yosemite out of despair, after seeing that a clean install of the most stable Mavericks (10.9.5) wasn't enough. I was thinking that maybe this bug could have been fixed. Apparently they've done something because as I've said I now see warnings before freezes.

Click to expand...

Those warnings allowed me to go to a technician with real data (a screenshot, a console log and a gpuRestart file) that allowed me to show him that although he could use the machine for hours without seeing it, the problem is real. I don't know where you've read that I've had bad experience with support, I simply like to be precise about what's wrong so that, among other reasons, the problem is treated faster.

To me the Retina technology on laptops is really avant-guarde and I'm not surprised there are hiccups, Apple is many years ahead of the competition. I simply hope they'll acknowledge the problem and be a good sport about it, I bought a full-priced computer and I'm not a beta tester. The way I see it latest models should likely be more stable but if you tell me you have issues with a late 2013 (I have an early 2013) I might play it safe and go back to less adventurous technology with a MBA, though…

Just had a dreadful experience with an Apple Senior Advisor on the phone. I called because my technician kindly told me – even though he was not supposed to – that it's them I should contact if I want my machine replaced. Instead of telling me "I'll be on holiday next week, if you want to get your machine replaced fast please bring it to a certified technician ASAP" she'd say "Bring your machine back tomorrow morning" and get angry when I'd politely tell her that it might not be that easy for me to get off work and drive there. The whole thing lasted 45 minutes. Geez, Apple, I'm really tired of your *****. It's actually getting really close to the point where, despite all the time invested in app research, customisation, etc. I buy an ugly ThinkPad and put Linux on it.