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If your 2011 GPU fails just get it lead solder reballed - get the heatsink plates shined to mirrors & use less and better thermal paste.

You've had your GPU(s) reballed by a third party? Where and what did it cost you?
 
I had my GPU go out a month ago. Had all the symptoms I was seeing all over the internet. Exactly 3 years after owning an early 2011 MBP. Was down a week waiting for my appt with Apple and a week getting it repaired. When I got it back I found that now my fans kick on the moment I start to watch any kind of HD video. To top it off the logic board they replaced it with has a stripped headphone jack port. So now after waiting another week for my appt, my computer is back getting repaired again.
 
I had 2 of these macbook pros, a 15" and a 17". Both have since been sold because I knew about this issue but mine never failed and the reason was I used the Integrated graphics all the time. Never gonna buy a macbook pro ever again.
 
The graphics issues are also in 2010 MacBook Pros. They should also be included in the class action lawsuit. Unfortunately, the lawyers are getting all the money and I would be lucky to get a $10.00 iTunes card out of the settlement (it cost me $300 for a logic board) :(.



The repair program was for a limited time and it was a stealth program.

Exactly, it was totally stealth and is now over. I have a 2010 MBP and I didn't know about the repair program until I started getting more and more frequent kernel panics in the last few months. It's definitely graphics related because if I disable automatic graphics switching the kernel panics stop. I have a genius bar appointment on Friday. we'll see if they will be willing to cover the repairs. somehow I doubt it.
 
You've had your GPU(s) reballed by a third party? Where and what did it cost you?

Nope - mine is fine because as soon as I got it used I immediately stripped out the logic board, polished the plates and used much better paste. Was 65c idle on cpu then 39c!

All 9 I have had done are all referrals to bga-repairs shop on eBay here in the uk. £179 for a lead soldered new GPU and for me even if I was in the states I would get them to do it, he doesn't just do the GPU and they also reprofile the plates. If or when mine dies it'll be shipped off to them that I'm certain of, but so far it's running pretty cool even after nearly 11 months post repaste. Something apple should have done from the very start!

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For those with 2009 or 2010 models they have pretty much the same heatsink layout as the 2011 with the same poor surfaces of die plates. All unibody classic models can benefit from lower internal temperatures by using less paste and making the plate(s) mirror shiny. The 13 inch models only have one die plate.

I know cos I have re-pasted and re-profiled all of them! :D
 
My MBP2011 lasted about a year and a half, then spent about 6 months in a drawer when it couldn't boot anymore. I took it to an Apple Store early this year for repairs and the genius refused to acknowledge there was a problem, even after admitting that he'd seen hundreds of cases in his Apple Store alone because "Apple sold millions of those".

I hope Apple is hurt bad by this lawsuit, because this issue has made me regret my purchase so much, I'm going to get a PC after my MBP2011 dies again.

As Tim Cook said in this article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/28/us-apple-payments-idUSKBN0IH0AZ20141028

But in the long arc of time, you only are relevant as a retailer or merchant if your customers love you

Well done, Tim! I'm an Apple customer, and I HATE YOU!
 
Nope - mine is fine because as soon as I got it used I immediately stripped out the logic board, polished the plates and used much better paste. Was 65c idle on cpu then 39c!

I was thinking about doing just this, i.e., cleaning up the plates, remounting with better (and appropriate amounts) thermal paste.

Seems like a reasonable proactive “fix”, and pretty straight forward for someone with some hardware experience.
 
I was thinking about doing just this, i.e., cleaning up the plates, remounting with better (and appropriate amounts) thermal paste.

Seems like a reasonable proactive “fix”, and pretty straight forward for someone with some hardware experience.

If you are capable and your GPU is ok - do it. Uberdoward Channel on YouTube has a good 17 inch video where he shows how he does it with Chrome polish - I use autosol for the first polish then Cape cod cloths for the final polish to make them really shine. Only problem is with Cape cod is they smell after the polishing so you have to give them a good wash with denatured isopropyl after. I use a tiny sliver of Gelid GC Extreme paste on each die and more than one pair of surgical gloves.

It works - my record for the 17 inch is 35c on idle and 37c for the 15 and they all cool down really, really quick compared to Apple's stupid guidelines, particularly for this chassis..
 
What deal is there for those of us who had the logic board fail, bought a new computer because they didn't have the time to deal with another failed logic board went bad, and then sold the broken one in an attempt to make up some of the lost cost? I know the answer is I'm screwed, but that really sucks...
 
If you are capable and your GPU is ok - do it. Uberdoward Channel on YouTube has a good 17 inch video where he shows how he does it with Chrome polish - I use autosol for the first polish then Cape cod cloths for the final polish to make them really shine. Only problem is with Cape cod is they smell after so you have to give them a good wash with denatured isopropyl after. I use a tiny sliver of Gelid GC Extreme paste and more than one pair of surgical gloves.

It works - my record for the 17 inch is 35c on idle and 37c for the 15 and they all cool down really, really quick compared to Apple's stupid guidelines, particularly for this chassis..

Thanks a ton!

I may do this sooner than later - I’m running a 2011 MBP 15” with the 6750GPU. I recently swapped out the 7.2K HDD for an SSD and it’s actually been running cooler, I keep my fans dialed up a touch with smcFC, but I still worry, and this is my main work machine (out of AppleCare).

While I don’t do much GPU intensive work, or play games, I am on the GPU most of the day since I run an external monitor (I’m “docked” about 95% of the time, machine runs 24/7 ...)
 
Thanks a ton!

I may do this sooner than later - I’m running a 2011 MBP 15” with the 6750GPU. I recently swapped out the 7.2K HDD for an SSD and it’s actually been running cooler, I keep my fans dialed up a touch with smcFC, but I still worry, and this is my main work machine (out of AppleCare).

I'd say as soon as you've got some time. Takes about 15 minutes of polishing to get them really shiny and flat, I use a flat bar wrapped in brown paper 3/4 times for autosol as its ever so slightly abrasive. These fail mainly I think because of the poor plates, serious excess paste on the GPU which heats up the pcb part and not the die when it switches from descrete to GPU in particular. That excess paste also turns into a microscopic light grey sticky dust, breaks off and goes under the solder balls themselves. I have seen with my own eyes that the CPU can transfer heat to the GPU pasted Apple's way..

Prevention in this case is far better, cheaper and less problematical than the cure with these models! I have repasted/reprofiled over a dozen as preventative measures to those still working and surprise, surprise their GPU has not failed. Funny that!

And if anyone in the UK, particularly London M25 and Surrey Kent area need any maintenance work and not a reball you know where the pm facility is :D
 
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Lead free solder, there's your problem right there, it's crap. Same reason PS3's (especially the first "Fat" models) pack it in. The solder can't handle the heat as well.
The heatsink rework sounds like a very good idea too for helping things run cooler and reduce the risk of failure.
 
It´s just silly

It is in the nature of every product that it might age. Even incredible technique like macbooks.

If a device, a laptop, a car or even e loaf of bread ages it might show some issues.

if the issues appear during warranty, fine the manufacturer has to repair them, if they appear after the warranty ended, you have to pay for the repair.

Even for stupid americans, who claim millions when the empty a fresh cup of coffee on their leg and wonder that the hot coffee is really hot, have to accept, that ther is no infinite warranty on any product. Go and sue your bakery when your bread is uneatable after 6 month.
 
I hear once u take Apple to court, u'll get money back or a new laptop...

All those parents did over 'mistaken' in-app purchases anyway ...

Apple gets what commin to them..


(And this is why i hate fruit) :p

That's one looking busted display there. Reminds me of playing Darkseed (interlaced mode) on Amiga.
 
Lead free solder, there's your problem right there, it's crap. Same reason PS3's (especially the first "Fat" models) pack it in. The solder can't handle the heat as well.

Yep, but having 80% too much paste spread all over the pcb and heatsink with a pitted die contact plate to bind to the GPU doesn't help much either. Mine still has its original lead free soldering it just runs a lot cooler pasted and lapped my way.
 
By the way

leadfree soldering is used in electrical devices in the more developed countries since 25 years. Without any issues after the first 1-2 years.
 
It is in the nature of every product that it might age. Even incredible technique like macbooks.

If a device, a laptop, a car or even e loaf of bread ages it might show some issues.

if the issues appear during warranty, fine the manufacturer has to repair them, if they appear after the warranty ended, you have to pay for the repair.

Even for stupid americans, who claim millions when the empty a fresh cup of coffee on their leg and wonder that the hot coffee is really hot, have to accept, that ther is no infinite warranty on any product. Go and sue your bakery when your bread is uneatable after 6 month.

Wow, and I just mentioned Poe's Law not even 5 seconds ago! Is he being sarcastic? Is he serious? Is he just egging us on? WE DON'T KNOW!
 
wow the timing on this is crazy.

my friends 2011 macbook pro displayed this issue twice YESTERDAY.

serendipitous. hope apple acknowledges this.

He's lucky, and probably lives in a rather cold location? Mine is faulty for 8 months now.
 
leadfree soldering is used in electrical devices in the more developed countries since 25 years. Without any issues after the first 1-2 years.

But energy, medical, defence, aerospace and infrastructure are still allowed to use lead. To add to other evidence I know that from q3 2010 to q3 2011 there was a lot of bad lead free solder in the market. Had my friend who builds radio transmitters going insane at the time as 2011 was the 5 year exemption on using lead ending soldering high power transistors. He reballs any broken ones to a third party company with leaded solder and they stay fixed.
 
I have a 2011 MBP 15" but have never experienced any issues. Should I be worried? Like are all 2011's ticking time bombs?
 
Lawsuit? Quit whining and bake your logic board. Works wonders.

I hope you're joking. There's a limit to how much a person let Apple get away with things. They sold me a defective product for 3000$. It has a design flaw. All machines of this particular model are failing. I will not bake my machine or do an other crazy trick. They are at fault, and they should pay.
 
just telling the truth

Sorry guys

but I´m really just sick of this whining people who don´t have anything else to do than bashing users of other devices or bashing on companies without even trying to fix their own lives.

Mostly people who have no technical knowedge are the ones who whine the most.

All solderings are aging, that is why a car is not soldered, but more permanentely fixed. And if a soldering point ages the resistance grows and that produces heat. polishing a soldering point will not help it just shines. If you want to fix something like this you have to resoldere it, e.g. withe a heating fan instead of a soldering iron.

And No, no company should pay for something like that, if comanies would have to pay for this, it would be like a lifetime warranty, which has to be paid for. So just stop whining.
 
Do you?

I've been in a few class action lawsuits - which neither makes me a lawyer or an expert on CALs, but I pay attention... Micron ram price fixing, Apple monitor size false advertising, iTunes book sale price fixing, and a few others...

Every time I've seen a pittance of a refund that accounts for a single percentage point of the amount of money I was wronged. But the lawyers get 40-50 million - which accounted for about 40% of the CAL.

And the defendant lawyers get paid, too.

So I stand by my "parroted myth" - the lawyers win.

Here Here, and they cost this much because the lawyers CHOOSE to get paid 300, 400, 500 per hour for their services.
 
hmm wonder about my early 2013 retina MBP... The display often won't turn back on after sleeping. But I can tell the machine is active, I can ssh into it, hear noises as I hit buttons and adjust the keyboard backlighting brightness. But I have to power off and power back on to get the display back.
 
It is in the nature of every product that it might age. Even incredible technique like macbooks.

If a device, a laptop, a car or even e loaf of bread ages it might show some issues.

if the issues appear during warranty, fine the manufacturer has to repair them, if they appear after the warranty ended, you have to pay for the repair.

Even for stupid americans, who claim millions when the empty a fresh cup of coffee on their leg and wonder that the hot coffee is really hot, have to accept, that ther is no infinite warranty on any product. Go and sue your bakery when your bread is uneatable after 6 month.
That warranty bit is rubbish, regardless of the amount of warranty, there is an expectation that a product will last a certain amount of time. I've had all my upholstery in a car replaced years after the warranty period ended and numerous other products replaced or repaired way after the warranty period ended.
 
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