Hello,
Probably missing something very simple, but if the program expired on December 31, 2016, why are they now saying they won't take Early 2011 models?
My Early 2011 with 16GB RAM/500 GB SSD worked incredibly well. Never had any issues until February 2017 when the graphics failure happened (I was using the MBP and then the screen slowly turned completely white). I confirmed with Apple that the graphics test failed (the genius used their testing tool to confirm it), but they refused to take it in for repair, saying the deadline had passed. I also called Apple support the next day, and they also refused. I'm just a little confused what the difference is between this announcement and what (I thought) was already the case with the program expiring on December 31, 2016.
This is extremely frustrating; the laptop worked incredibly well, so I wanted to get it fixed. I sent it in to the ps3specialist (after reading many good reviews and even contacting someone that had their GPU reballed by him). Service was quick and he sent it back soon. Unfortunately, I still had the same exact issues (as if the model wasn't even fixed at all): whenever I would turn on the 2011 MBP, it would never finish the boot process (progress bar would not finish); if booted in safe mode (the bar would finish, but the computer would never proceed); or if booted from external or recovery partitions (the screen was grey and the GUI menu with all the OS X utilities would be missing). He offered to take it again because of the 30 day warranty, but by that point I figured I would just get a brand new model, since I needed it for my work and I figured having a Retina screen would be beneficial (and the performance from a 6 year newer machine would be helpful). I also figured I could salvage my 16GB/500GB SSD into my Mac Mini.
For time and work related reasons I purchased the 2016 15" MBP (1 TB SSD, Radeon Pro 460). I was aware from posts last Fall on MR that some users had graphics issues, but I needed a new machine badly and figured I would get the latest hardware (and if the issues happened to me within the first 5 years, AppleCare would cover it.) I use gfxcardstatus to track which graphics card is being used; ever since I obtained the 2016 model, anytime the discrete graphics card is triggered, the mouse locks up and there is a noticeable lag for some time.
Additionally, starting today, I've started to see the red pixels all over the screen (which seems to be common for 2016 users with the GPU issue



). I'm shocked it happened this early on; I never had a serious issue with the 2011 until shortly before its death 6 years later. I'm not sure if it was an El Capitan (2011 MBP) vs Sierra (2016 MBP) issue, but my 2011 definitely ran smoother. I've been quite disappointed that my 2016's performance often lags behind my 2011. I feel like I should not have even paid for the upgraded discrete graphics card
(I'm using some very basic graphics in Jupyter Notebook in Python which trigger the AMD card, and the red patches come back
). It is not remotely intensive. I don't play computer games either.
I came to MacRumors today to look for any threads regarding the 2016 TBMBP graphics issue which just started in the last few minutes for me, and was shocked to see this post about the 2011!
To summarize:
1. Probably missing something very simple, but if the program expired on December 31, 2016, why are they now saying they won't take Early 2011 models?
2. Anyone else here with experience with ps3specialist/GPU failure?
3. Anyone else that was able to get the logic board replaced after December 31, 2016?
4. (Off topic) Other than forcing the integrated card only, any luck with the graphics issue on the TouchBar model?
5. (Off topic) Seriously considering a 2015 MBP; if the graphics issue persists, would I be able to get my money back/trade in the touch bar model?
6. (Off topic) Clarification: From what I understand, the Hackintosh consists of running a modified version of macOS on non Apple Hardware; noob question, but what is the legality of this? I assume Hackintosh setups are mostly desktop; are there laptop configurations people have made? My luck with 2 GPU disasters in a row doesn't give me much confidence in MBPs
Extremely disappointed in the lack of quality, especially with regards to the GPUs and heating issues in these MBPs. Their testing needs a lot more work, especially considering how expensive these MBPs are (the 1TB SSD + AMD Pro 460 + AppleCare makes it close to $4,000 USD).
Thank you for any replies to my questions above; always appreciate the help I get on MR.