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Apple Extends MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues Until December 31, 2016
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Yep - I took my mid-2010 to the Apple Store when the video card failed. It had been as out of warranty for two years. They wouldn't fix it. I would expect a MacBook Pro to last longer than three years. It's unusable now. The faulty video card causes the laptop to reboot after about 5 minutes.
This is the same crap that killed my MacBook Pro 3,1. How many years has it been now that GPUs are still dying from this solder issue? Why just GPUs? CPUs don't suffer from this, do they? Why not? They surely make just as much heat. Or don't they?
This is why I want a Mac Pro, not another MacBook or iMac. Mac Pro has better heat dissipation.
This is why I want a Mac Pro, not another MacBook or iMac. Mac Pro has better heat dissipation.
I haven't seen any issues with my mid 2012 rMBP. Is this just a matter of time until this issue crops up, and do I need to be experiencing the issue to get the repair? I suppose that I'll hold off until closer to December 2016 to have the mac evaluated unless I have a problem before then.
I had mine in last year for a hardware test but it passed with no issue, however, I do get the occasional 'screen tearing' when running an application which uses the dGPU while hooked up to an external monitor.
Sadly, I can't for the life of me get it to do it on demand. It's very frustrating.
Sadly, I can't for the life of me get it to do it on demand. It's very frustrating.
I don't see why they they wouldn't. But if you've upgraded the RAM to 16 gigabytes, you should swap it out with the original RAM because Apple likes to swap out third-party RAM for Apple RAM. It's no big deal if they give you you the same amount you had in there, but when the give you 4-8 gigabytes instead of 16, that's a huge annoyance, not to mention a $150 (last time I checked) expense.
I have a Late 2011 MacBook Pro 17-inch.
I've cleaned out the fans and vents regularly and the laptop doesn't have the GPU issue.
Should I be worried?
I've cleaned out the fans and vents regularly and the laptop doesn't have the GPU issue.
Should I be worried?
Worried? Maybe not. I imagine not every single machine failed. You may be in the fortunate camp.
It's funny to read about this extended extension program as only last night I hurried along to the Apple Store in Perth as I was aware the window of opportunity for getting it fixed was closing in just over a weeks time.
My previous visit resulted in my mid-2011 15" got stage fright and passed the video text, but last night it failed it instantly and get taken away in a white cloth bag
Phew!
My previous visit resulted in my mid-2011 15" got stage fright and passed the video text, but last night it failed it instantly and get taken away in a white cloth bag
Phew!I have an Early 2011 17" Macbook Pro (bought March 2011) that I pretty much can not do without based on my work habits (I have a work laptop that is a 13" Macbook Air bought January last year and I only us it sparingly) and it has been a mainstay by my side.
Today, literally 30 to 60 minutes before this article was posted, it crashed with a "something bad has happened we are restarting" screen (new kernel panic maybe - since I last saw a kernel panic like 5 years ago) and after that the video is all messed up :-(
I am one sad panda but I have scheduled an appointment to get it tested and hoping for repair.
Today, literally 30 to 60 minutes before this article was posted, it crashed with a "something bad has happened we are restarting" screen (new kernel panic maybe - since I last saw a kernel panic like 5 years ago) and after that the video is all messed up :-(
I am one sad panda but I have scheduled an appointment to get it tested and hoping for repair.
I have one of those affected MacBooks. The video freaked out about a week after I purchased it (used). When I took it to the Apple Store, the employee confirmed the problem and gave me an estimate for $500 or $600. I told him it should be covered under the extended warranty and only then did he check, found the program and did a free repair. I wonder how many people paid for the repair unaware that it should have been covered.
Thank you, putting the old HDD is no longer an option so I'll guess I'll find out for sure soon enough.
My Early 2011 MacBook Pro 17" ran fine until last month, when I suddenly got the shifted screen and distorted image while working in Photos. Upon restart the machine wouldn't reach the login screen, and sometimes went to a blue screen or got a pixelated green streak through the centre. Sure enough, the local Apple authorized service centre confirmed it was the logic board issue and arranged a replacement at Apple's cost (I was quite relieved, as I bought the MacBook Pro in Canada and now live in Oman and wasn't sure if I would be covered). So the problem can still crop up very late in the MacBook Pro's life - at least you're covered until the end of the year if it hits you.
I experienced a similar problem on my old PowerBook G4 running an ATI Radeon card. I had just started watching a DVD video when the screen went haywire like what's shown here in the article's photo. I had AppleCare at the time, so the repair didn't cost me a bundle, but that was the first time I'd seen a graphics card fail.
My 2011 dGPU failed Dec 19, 2015. I had a aftermarket SSD and 16 GB RAM (I had replaced the original 4 GB with 16 Gb of Crucial RAM). Apple had no problem with my upgrades since they are user replaceable items (the user manual even has instructions on how to replace them) & their diagnostics found no problems with the internal drive or RAM.
Macbook Pro 2011 are a ticking time bomb. Eventually it will happen to your machine. I had mine fixed earlier this year.. Apple Genius ran tests, quickly acknowledged this GPU issue and the fix was worked upon.
The only reason they were interested in the serial number was to confirm it was a 2011 model... so second hand machines are good.
Without this program, the cost would have been just over $1K.. ouch. Half the cost of the retail value..
The only reason they were interested in the serial number was to confirm it was a 2011 model... so second hand machines are good.
Without this program, the cost would have been just over $1K.. ouch. Half the cost of the retail value..
You might want to sent the laptop to those places that do GPU reballing with lead solder.
That should be a permanent fix.
They did for me. I had an aftermarket Samsung SSD, cheap aftermarket battery, the GPU issue, and a bad cd/dvd-rom. They replaced all of them at the depot. They claimed my samsung SSD wouldn't load OS X at the depot, so they just replaced it (and returned my SSD). I just wiped the drive and reinstalled OS X. Also when they tested the battery it failed (for obvious reasons) and replaced it too.
This is great news.
The problem, as others have mentioned though, is that there is no evidence that the refurbished boards are any better than the originals.
My late 2011 17" MBP had its board replaced late last year but within a month it had failed again in exactly the same way. The second replacement has worked OK for nearly 3 months now but I am not banking on it lasting forever. Hopefully if it is going to fail again it will do so this year now!
As to the suggestion to sell it on eBay ... you would have to prise it out of my proverbial cold dead fingers. Until Apple produces another 17" that is. Even the technician asked me if I wanted to sell it to him
The problem, as others have mentioned though, is that there is no evidence that the refurbished boards are any better than the originals.
My late 2011 17" MBP had its board replaced late last year but within a month it had failed again in exactly the same way. The second replacement has worked OK for nearly 3 months now but I am not banking on it lasting forever. Hopefully if it is going to fail again it will do so this year now!
As to the suggestion to sell it on eBay ... you would have to prise it out of my proverbial cold dead fingers. Until Apple produces another 17" that is. Even the technician asked me if I wanted to sell it to him
This is great news.
The problem, as others have mentioned though, is that there is no evidence that the refurbished boards are any better than the originals.
My late 2011 17" MBP had its board replaced late last year but within a month it had failed again in exactly the same way. The second replacement has worked OK for nearly 3 months now but I am not banking on it lasting forever. Hopefully if it is going to fail again it will do so this year now!
As to the suggestion to sell it on eBay ... you would have to prise it out of my proverbial cold dead fingers. Until Apple produces another 17" that is. Even the technician asked me if I wanted to sell it to him
My Late 2011 MacBook Pro 17-inch is still running on the original logic board and don't have an issue with the GPU.
I am guessing that I shouldn't tempt fate and push the GPU hard because I might end up with a replacement logic board that is worse.
There are reports that apple won't touch machines that have been reballed and later failed.
I don't think we should be too reckless when it comes to ecology and being responsible with man-made materials is important, but at the same time, I've always though lead-free solder to be a stupid idea. You don't need to be an electrical engineer to figure that out, although I happen to be one. Lead can be deadly, and getting it out of gasoline was a good thing, but sticking it on circuit boards is still reasonable and needed. The lead-free stuff sounds like its safer for the environment when it actually isn't, but worst of all it often yields tiny whiskers that grow and can cause short circuits over time, especially on parts that are tightly spaced. All said, if you want a well designed circuit board that will last decades, go with leaded solder.
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