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Bought a Late 2011 17" MBP, does it have a dGPU

WAM2 said:
I bought it on eBay, the specs are the same as this http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...4-17-late-2011-unibody-thunderbolt-specs.html

but the seller says the graphics are HD 3000, and the picture of the about this mac screen under display says HD 3000.

This will still have the 6770m right???
Click to expand...

Yes it does.

About This Mac will only show the GPU that is active.

When you open up stuff like Photoshop, it'll switch to the Radeon card.

And yes, your MBP will fail due to Radeongate.
 
yjchua95 said:
Yes it does.

About This Mac will only show the GPU that is active.

When you open up stuff like Photoshop, it'll switch to the Radeon card.

And yes, your MBP couldfail due to Radeongate.
Click to expand...

Fixed that for you.
 
Yes, I would return it if at all possible! There is no easy fix, nor is there any way to test for failure. Apple has a bad track record with discrete GPU`s in their portables, personally I am avoiding them. If you use the system hard or game chances are the dGPU will fail.

Best to avoid the 2011`s altogether, if you are stuck with it, elevate the machine on a aluminium stand and use a more aggressive fan control application such as Macs Fan Control to keep it cooler. I have one too that I have passed to my daughter and although it`s running fine it`s just a matter of time before it fails as she is just a kid and wants to play games on it.

I also have a 2012 Retina with dGPU and just bought a new 13" Retina replacing the 2011 MBP, next CPU generation I will replace the 2012 Retina, with another 15" however no dGPU am tired of babying Apple`s finest just because the thermal envelope is too tight for the sake of being thinner and poor components...

Q-6
 
GoldfishRT said:
Maybe. It really does seem a matter of when than will.
Click to expand...

I agree but if he has light use it may be longer than the duration of his ownership.

yjchua95 said:
It will fail. Just a matter of time before it does.
Click to expand...


Everything in life will fail in time. Cars, electronics, and even your heart and brain. That blanket statement doesn't help. That is why we consider the duration of ownership I stated above. If WAM2 is only expecting to keep the laptop for two or three years it may never fail. I had the 2008 GPU and it lasted four years before it failed, under heavy use and gaming. I even went through 2 batteries and a total of near 1,000 battery cycles.


MagicBoy said:
To fix it, it should read
"And yes, your MBP will in all probability fail due to Radeongate."

Odds are the seller got it fixed under Applecare, then flogged it quick. Shame there's no way of checking the service history.
Click to expand...

I agree with you, again if the seller has plans for this to be a temporary machine then it may not be an issue to focus on.



Overall, too many people come here looking for a problem with a computer. Just use it.
 
cjmillsnun said:
It WILL fail. There is no could. It's a case of when, not if.

It's far too common an occurrence, and they all seem to fail just after 3 years old.
Click to expand...

Just because in your statement will becomes a definitive term. I will bet you $1,000,000 that I could buy one that does not fail.

Then I will not use the computer ever.

Read the ENTIRE thread before posting or commenting. The gpu failing is a correlation on how often the laptop is used.

My mother is 8 years into her laptop with an also known bad GPU. It was even recalled by Apple but we missed the bar on it (had 4 years) because she never experienced issues and Apple does not do the best job of letting people know it is recalled.

So 8 years of perfect use (with the exception of the age old bulging battery we had to replace) and she has a known bad MBP.

Will it fail, most likely - but to answer the question accurately you have to view the entire picture. The question also needs to provide additional detail

Will it fail during the owners useful life for that specific laptop? Maybe not.

Your car will definitely fail.
Your cell phone will definitely fail.
Your PC and every other electronic you own will definitely fail.

If you disagree with the three statements above, then you disagree with yourself. Because ineveitably after enough use, all things fail.

So back to our question,

Will the laptop fail during the original posters useful life of that laptop? I don't know. Maybe he only plans to surf the internet, or listen to music. Maybe he only plans to keep the laptop for 1 year until the next gen broadwell comes out.

I did not make any assumptions as you clearly did. You cannot make a definitive statement without some assumptions. Do you know what they say about people who assume?


I am purely saying that we can provide a better answer to the poster if he provides additional details. Yes those gpus are known to eventually go bad, and under normal use after 3 years. However the laptop is a 2011 and the 3 year mark has past, which means either it already failed and has been repaired or will fail immenently soon. If it is the former, then the original poster may very well enjoy the laptop for as long as he expects (depending on expectations of course). If the latter, then the original poster may have a unit that fails immediately on him. I cannot say for sure which way it will happen unless additional information is given.
 
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