MBP 1,1-10,2 Force 2011 MacBook Pro 8,2 with failed AMD GPU to ALWAYS use Intel integrated GPU (EFI variable fix)

[max9999]

Please disregard. I found the solution above.

 

[JMVB]

Found this brightness control solution for High Sierra and Mojave
I tested it in High Sierra, works fine

GitHub - stecker870/MacBook-Pro-15-Zoll-late-2011-Graphics-Card-Fix-: Screen brightness control for MacBook Pro (15 Zoll, late 2011) Graphics Card Fix

Screen brightness control for MacBook Pro (15 Zoll, late 2011) Graphics Card Fix - GitHub - stecker870/MacBook-Pro-15-Zoll-late-2011-Graphics-Card-Fix-: Screen brightness control for MacBook Pro (...

github.com

EDIT: and also I have the wake after sleep working ok!!

I don't know if that is because the above fix, or because I prior removed the AMD X3000 kext...

 

[Hustler1337]

Guys, I think I may be experiencing the dreaded GPU issue but need someone to confirm the symptoms:

• Random system crashes - entire UI freezes, no mouse pointer movement, then black screen. System then reboots - often it would be stuck in a boot loop - e.g. Apple logo, fans at near full speed then sudden fan stop and restarts the boot automatically again. Sometimes it would manage to get through to the login screen and I can continue using the computer as normal until the next crash...

Any tips on what action I should take now (if things get worse and this is the GPU issue)?

I've had the GPU issue in the past and got the Logic Board replaced under their replacement program, so this is the replacement board. 90% of the time I've been using gfxCardStatus to force-run on integrated GPU and prolong the life of the MBP, but alas, I think the time has come again...?

Any help/advice most appreciated. Couldn't have come at a worse time when I need to use the MBP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE:

I think it's likely to be the GPU - I launched Whatsapp for Mac (which uses the dGPU) and immediately saw graphics glitches and the system rebooted in a boot loop until it finally managed to get to the login screen. Look like it may be wise to cut my losses here before it gets any worse and follow the steps in this thread?

 

[JMVB]

Guys, I think I may be experiencing the dreaded GPU issue but need someone to confirm the symptoms:

• Random system crashes - entire UI freezes, no mouse pointer movement, then black screen. System then reboots - often it would be stuck in a boot loop - e.g. Apple logo, fans at near full speed then sudden fan stop and restarts the boot automatically again. Sometimes it would manage to get through to the login screen and I can continue using the computer as normal until the next crash...

Any tips on what action I should take now (if things get worse and this is the GPU issue)?

I've had the GPU issue in the past and got the Logic Board replaced under their replacement program, so this is the replacement board. 90% of the time I've been using gfxCardStatus to force-run on integrated GPU and prolong the life of the MBP, but alas, I think the time has come again...?

Any help/advice most appreciated. Couldn't have come at a worse time when I need to use the MBP

Check the ram’s

 

[saldin]

I've remained in 10.11.6 (15G1510, since I'm afraid to update to the latest 15G22010 and have it be unbootable) for several years after my Early-2011 GPU died and I disabled it on EFI, and have been living without being able to put the laptop to sleep (executing halt every day after finishing work).

But now a few problems are starting to compound, like iWork and other software phasing out support for 10.11 and the COMODO root certs not being updated on Safari 11.1, and I'm wondering if it's possible to upgrade to 10.12.6 Sierra, or maybe even 10.13.6 High Sierra, the latest OS supported by my model...

I don't mind making a backup and wiping my hard drive to perform a clean install and then do a file restore. Does anyone know if there's a guide I could follow to do it? And also if there are any known issues on 10.12 and 10.13 like the sleep crash on El Cap?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pedro Manoel]

Hey guys i am on Mojave ( no issues till today ) , and after following the guide i had a shutdown on sleep today

Heres is the log

<spoiler>
Anonymous UUID: 1682F01B-A18F-78C5-3018-0E2A1F3FFE4E

Tue Jul 14 16:29:07 2020

*** Panic Report ***
panic(cpu 6 caller 0xffffff7fac01f83d): "GPU Panic: mux-regs 2 0 1 0 0 0 severity 3 WS-ready 1 switch-state 0 IG FBs 1 EG FBs 0:0 power-state 6 3D idle HDA idle system-state 1 power-level 20:20 connect-change 0 : UH eHlPH
E0L H(L @ H HH
!: GPU is not found. PCI config access fails!!!
\n"@/BuildRoot/Library/Caches/com.apple.xbs/Sources/AppleGraphicsControl/AppleGraphicsControl-3.28.4/src/AppleMuxControl/kext/GPUPanic.cpp:170
Backtrace (CPU 6), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff8b7ee4b6e0 : 0xffffff80293ae6ed
0xffffff8b7ee4b730 : 0xffffff80294ea185
0xffffff8b7ee4b770 : 0xffffff80294db8ba
0xffffff8b7ee4b7e0 : 0xffffff802935bb40
0xffffff8b7ee4b800 : 0xffffff80293ae107
0xffffff8b7ee4b920 : 0xffffff80293adf53
0xffffff8b7ee4b990 : 0xffffff7fac01f83d
0xffffff8b7ee4b9f0 : 0xffffff7fab73bc23
0xffffff8b7ee4ba20 : 0xffffff7fac07deb9
0xffffff8b7ee4ba50 : 0xffffff7fac833a0d
0xffffff8b7ee4bb20 : 0xffffff7fac833942
0xffffff8b7ee4bb60 : 0xffffff7fac8335e3
0xffffff8b7ee4bba0 : 0xffffff7fac82d2ee
0xffffff8b7ee4bcd0 : 0xffffff7fac82d6e9
0xffffff8b7ee4be00 : 0xffffff7fab6ac9d4
0xffffff8b7ee4be50 : 0xffffff7fab6ac73c
0xffffff8b7ee4be80 : 0xffffff7fab6b3113
0xffffff8b7ee4bed0 : 0xffffff8029a58d8c
0xffffff8b7ee4bf30 : 0xffffff8029a56e72
0xffffff8b7ee4bf70 : 0xffffff8029a563cc
0xffffff8b7ee4bfa0 : 0xffffff802935b0ce
Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(519.15)[D5F2A20D-CAB0-33B2-91B9-E8755DFC34CB]@0xffffff7fab6a2000->0xffffff7fab6eafff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.9)[BFDEB8D4-50FE-3DDB-87B7-F6A504393830]@0xffffff7fa9c95000
com.apple.kext.AMDLegacySupport(1.6.6)[B7ED5B85-C76E-33EF-BB44-33CA9D9042BB]@0xffffff7fab737000->0xffffff7fab858fff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily(1.4)[3E8E9870-2E41-33F6-ACBF-35DDC08F22B5]@0xffffff7faa28d000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.9)[BFDEB8D4-50FE-3DDB-87B7-F6A504393830]@0xffffff7fa9c95000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(519.15)[D5F2A20D-CAB0-33B2-91B9-E8755DFC34CB]@0xffffff7fab6a2000
com.apple.driver.AppleMuxControl(3.28.4)[EB8D7A77-E073-36EB-A5B1-A3672CA840A3]@0xffffff7fac011000->0xffffff7fac023fff
dependency: com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl(3.28.4)[200F1816-A734-3977-B7AE-7A6B2363059F]@0xffffff7fac005000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily(1.4)[3E8E9870-2E41-33F6-ACBF-35DDC08F22B5]@0xffffff7faa28d000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.9)[BFDEB8D4-50FE-3DDB-87B7-F6A504393830]@0xffffff7fa9c95000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(519.15)[D5F2A20D-CAB0-33B2-91B9-E8755DFC34CB]@0xffffff7fab6a2000
dependency: com.apple.AppleGraphicsDeviceControl(3.28.4)[400C2E21-0880-36D7-AC5E-6B9BC885F158]@0xffffff7fac008000
com.apple.kext.AMD6000Controller(1.6.6)[774DEC5B-95D1-3A18-B4D7-0469DAB59E23]@0xffffff7fac060000->0xffffff7fac18dfff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily(1.4)[3E8E9870-2E41-33F6-ACBF-35DDC08F22B5]@0xffffff7faa28d000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.9)[BFDEB8D4-50FE-3DDB-87B7-F6A504393830]@0xffffff7fa9c95000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(519.15)[D5F2A20D-CAB0-33B2-91B9-E8755DFC34CB]@0xffffff7fab6a2000
dependency: com.apple.kext.AMDLegacySupport(1.6.6)[B7ED5B85-C76E-33EF-BB44-33CA9D9042BB]@0xffffff7fab737000
com.apple.kext.AMDLegacyFramebuffer(1.6.6)[C17741E6-97E9-3F0B-8EF8-533036EADFFD]@0xffffff7fac825000->0xffffff7fac846fff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily(1.4)[3E8E9870-2E41-33F6-ACBF-35DDC08F22B5]@0xffffff7faa28d000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.9)[BFDEB8D4-50FE-3DDB-87B7-F6A504393830]@0xffffff7fa9c95000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(519.15)[D5F2A20D-CAB0-33B2-91B9-E8755DFC34CB]@0xffffff7fab6a2000
dependency: com.apple.kext.AMDLegacySupport(1.6.6)[B7ED5B85-C76E-33EF-BB44-33CA9D9042BB]@0xffffff7fab737000

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task
Boot args: -v -no_compat_check

Mac OS version:
18G103

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 18.7.0: Tue Aug 20 16:57:14 PDT 2019; root:xnu-4903.271.2~2/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: C41337A1-0EC3-3896-A954-A1F85E849D53
Kernel slide: 0x0000000029000000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff8029200000
__HIB text base: 0xffffff8029100000
System model name: MacBookPro8,2 (Mac-94245A3940C91C80)

System uptime in nanoseconds: 58800168222481
last loaded kext at 251942115611: com.apple.filesystems.msdosfs 1.10 (addr 0xffffff7fad032000, size 69632)
loaded kexts:
com.parrotgeek.SIPManager 1
com.apple.filesystems.msdosfs 1.10
com.apple.filesystems.smbfs 3.3.2
com.apple.kext.AMDRadeonX3000 1.6.6
com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC 1.70
com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor 1.9.5d0
com.apple.fileutil 20.036.15
com.apple.filesystems.autofs 3.0
com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsDevicePolicy 3.28.4
com.apple.AGDCPluginDisplayMetrics 3.28.4
com.apple.driver.AppleHV 1
com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet 1.0.1
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager 6.0.14d3
com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient 3.6.5
com.apple.driver.ApplePolicyControl 3.28.4
com.apple.kext.AMDLegacyFramebuffer 1.6.6
com.apple.driver.pmtelemetry 1
com.apple.driver.AppleMikeyHIDDriver 131
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAHardwareConfigDriver 281.52
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHD3000Graphics 10.0.4
com.apple.driver.AGPM 110.23.46
com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X 7.0.0
com.apple.driver.AGDCBacklightControl 3.50.12
com.apple.driver.AppleMikeyDriver 281.52
com.apple.driver.AppleHDA 281.52
com.apple.driver.eficheck 1
com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4331 800.21.31
com.apple.kext.AMD6000Controller 1.6.6
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklight 170.12.12
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltIP 3.1.2
com.apple.driver.AppleMuxControl 3.28.4
com.apple.driver.AppleSMCPDRC 1.0.0
com.apple.iokit.AppleBCM5701Ethernet 10.3.3
com.apple.driver.SMCMotionSensor 3.0.4d1
com.apple.driver.AppleLPC 3.1
com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4360 1400.1.1
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothUSBDFU 6.0.14d3
com.apple.driver.AppleSMCLMU 212
com.apple.driver.AppleOSXWatchdog 1
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelSNBGraphicsFB 10.0.4
com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin 1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleFIVRDriver 4.1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelSlowAdaptiveClocking 4.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl 1.5.6
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyEventDriver 255
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 255
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard 255
com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 354
com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient 408.250.3
com.apple.filesystems.apfs 945.275.7
com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver 3.0.1
com.apple.driver.AppleVirtIO 2.1.3
com.apple.filesystems.hfs.kext 407.200.4
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1
com.apple.BootCache 40
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0
com.apple.AppleSystemPolicy 1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleSDXC 1.7.6
com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 5.6.0
com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 329.260.5
com.apple.private.KextAudit 1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleSmartBatteryManager 161.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 2.0
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 6.1
com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 2.1
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 6.1
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 220.0.0
com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 201
com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 8
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 220.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOAcceleratorFamily2 378.18.1
com.apple.kext.triggers 1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOAVBFamily 760.6
com.apple.plugin.IOgPTPPlugin 740.2
com.apple.iokit.IOSkywalkFamily 1
com.apple.driver.AppleSSE 1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSurface 255.6.1
com.apple.kext.AMDSupport 1.6.6
com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib 281.52
com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib 528
com.apple.AppleGPUWrangler 3.28.4
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklightExpert 1.1.0
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport 519.15
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusPCI 1.0.14d1
com.apple.AppleGraphicsDeviceControl 3.28.4
com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl 3.28.4
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController 281.52
com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily 281.52
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBAudio 315.6
com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily 206.5
com.apple.vecLib.kext 1.2.0
com.apple.iokit.IOEthernetAVBController 1.1.0
com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 1200.12.2
com.apple.driver.mDNSOffloadUserClient 1.0.1b8
com.apple.driver.corecapture 1.0.4
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP 2.3.0
com.apple.kext.AMDLegacySupport 1.6.6
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginLegacy 1.0.0
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily 6.0.0d8
com.apple.iokit.IOSlowAdaptiveClockingFamily 1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController 1.0.18d1
com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily 519.15
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltEDMSink 4.2.0
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPOutAdapter 5.6.9
com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport 6.0.14d3
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport 6.0.14d3
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothHostControllerTransport 6.0.14d3
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily 6.0.14d3
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMultitouch 263
com.apple.driver.usb.IOUSBHostHIDDevice 1.2
com.apple.driver.usb.cdc 5.0.0
com.apple.driver.usb.networking 5.0.0
com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBHostCompositeDevice 1.2
com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBHub 1.2
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice 408.250.3
com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily 1.8
com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily 1.8
com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily 1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleXsanScheme 3
com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily 11
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPInAdapter 5.6.9
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPAdapterFamily 5.6.9
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltPCIDownAdapter 2.1.5
com.apple.filesystems.hfs.encodings.kext 1
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI 267.50.1
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 301.270.1
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltNHI 4.7.9
com.apple.iokit.IOThunderboltFamily 6.8.6
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub 900.4.2
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.7.3
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 288
com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBEHCIPCI 1.2
com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBUHCIPCI 1.2
com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBUHCI 1.2
com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBEHCI 1.2
com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBHostPacketFilter 1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 900.4.2
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHostMergeProperties 1.2
com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 2.1
com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 2.1
com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1
com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 2.0.0
com.apple.security.quarantine 3
com.apple.security.sandbox 300.0
com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1
com.apple.driver.DiskImages 493.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleFDEKeyStore 28.30
com.apple.driver.AppleEffaceableStorage 1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 2
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTDM 456.260.3
com.apple.driver.AppleMobileFileIntegrity 1.0.5
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageDriver 145.200.2
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice 408.250.3
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 408.250.3
com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 2.1
com.apple.kext.CoreTrust 1
com.apple.driver.AppleCredentialManager 1.0
com.apple.driver.KernelRelayHost 1
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHostFamily 1.2
com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBCommon 1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleBusPowerController 1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleSEPManager 1.0.1
com.apple.driver.IOSlaveProcessor 1
com.apple.iokit.IOReportFamily 47
com.apple.iokit.IOTimeSyncFamily 740.2
com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 3.4
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 6.1
com.apple.driver.AppleSMC 3.1.9
com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.9
com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4
com.apple.kec.pthread 1
com.apple.kec.Libm 1
com.apple.kec.corecrypto 1.0

EOF
Model: MacBookPro8,2, BootROM 87.0.0.0.0, 4 processors, Intel Core i7, 2,5 GHz, 10 GB, SMC 1.69f4
Graphics: kHW_IntelHD3000Item, Intel HD Graphics 3000, spdisplays_builtin
Graphics: kHW_AMDRadeonHD6770MItem, AMD Radeon HD 6770M, spdisplays_pcie_device, 1 GB
Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x80CE, 0x4D34373142353637334648302D4346382020
Memory Module: BANK 1/DIMM0, 8 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x029E, 0x434D534F384758334D314131333333433920
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0xD6), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.106.98.102.31)
Bluetooth: Version 6.0.14d3, 3 services, 27 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: Wi-Fi, AirPort, en1
Serial ATA Device: Micron_1100_MTFDDAK256TBN, 256,06 GB
Serial ATA Device: HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS31N
USB Device: USB 2.0 Bus
USB Device: FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
USB Device: Hub
USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
USB Device: BRCM2070 Hub
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller
USB Device: USB 2.0 Bus
USB Device: Hub
USB Device: IR Receiver
Thunderbolt Bus: MacBook Pro, Apple Inc., 25.1
</spoiler>

 

[meilon24]

Huge thanks to @AppleMacFinder and all the other contributors. I started using this fix two years ago, currently in combination with the @dosdude1 Catalina Patcher and I've had no major problems so far.
One annoyance however is that uploading Canon Raw files to iCloud Photos is unbearably slow with the integrated GPU and slows down the entire machine significantly.
com.apple.photos.ImageConversionService usually takes up around 150% CPU time and it can take several hours to finish even with just a few photos.

Has anybody experienced this too?

 

[jon08]

Hey guys, one quick question:

would it be possible to swap my late-2011 15" MPB (8,2) logic board with a logic board of a 2012 MBP?

My MBP:
8,2
late 2011 15"
i7 2.2

MBP 2012 logic board with a heat sync:

Intel Core i7 2.6ghz
8gb ddr3
Nvidia GTX 650M 1GB

 

[gglapatate]

There is not *one* guide to write up. Many roads lead to Rome. The best option would be if AppleMacFinder would update the first post of this thread pointing to the best alternatives.

Anyway. Even if this post now will quickly drown in the sheer length of this thread, I think this is currently one of the better guides:

#####__ The Guide __#####

This guide assumes that you run a stock system. Problem just occured. That means:
This guide assumes that all kexts are still in their default location /System/Library/Extensions.
Having all AMD-kexts there except one is beneficial for 'proper' operation.

To get some display acceleration back it will be necessary to force the machine to not boot into discrete graphics (dGPU) but directly into integrated graphics (iGPU). This will give you back your laptop – but you will lose some features: e.g. the ability to drive an external display. Thunderbolt data connections should work.

The initial procedure:

– To start from a clean slate: reset SMC and PRAM/NVRAM:

shutdown, unplug everything except power, now hold

<leftShift>+<Ctrl>+<Opt>+<Power>

release at the same time;

– Now power on again and hold

<Cmd>+<Opt>+<p>+<r>

at the same time until you hear the startup chime two times.

– Boot into Recovery by holding

<Cmd>+<r>+<s>

– Disable SIP:

csrutil disable

– disable dGPU on boot

nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00

– enable verbose boot mode:

nvram boot-args="-v"

– reboot into single user-mode by holding

<Cmd>+<s>

on boot

– mount root partition writeable

/sbin/mount -uw /

– make a kext-backup directory

mkdir -p /System/Library/Extensions-off

– only move ONE offending kext out of the way:

mv /System/Library/Extensions/AMDRadeonX3000.kext /System/Library/Extensions-off/

– let the system update its kextcache:

touch /System/Library/Extensions/

– wait for the kextcache process to finish
then

reboot

Reboot normally:
you will have an accelerated iGPU display.


But the system doesn't know how to power-management the failed AMD-chip.
For that you have to either manaully load the kext after boot by:

sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions-off/AMDRadeonX3000.kext

Automate this with the following LoginHook:

sudo mkdir -p /Library/LoginHook
sudo nano /Library/LoginHook/LoadX3000.sh

with the following content:

#!/bin/bash
kextload /System/Library/Extensions-off/AMDRadeonX3000.kext
exit 0

then make it executable and active:

sudo chmod a+x /Library/LoginHook/LoadX3000.sh
sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook /Library/LoginHook/LoadX3000.sh

Preventive measures for future use

There are two further caveats to know: This is reversible when the SMC/PRAM/NVRAM is reset. If that happens the GPU-power-pref nvram can/has to be set again to force the use of the iGPU from boot-time.

Since this can happen quite easily (and is often erroneously recommended way too many times than it is actually useful), you should probably prepare for such a scenario and create a simple script to greatly speed up the process and also make entering the necessary variable much less error prone:

sudo nano /force-iGPU-boot.sh

– Enter the following content to this file:

#/bin/sh
sudo nvram boot-args="-v"
sudo nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00
exit 0

– Now make that executable:

sudo chmod a+x /force-iGPU-boot.sh

In the future, when the SMC/PRAM/NVRAM gets reset to default values it is now possible to boot into SingleUser with:

<Cmd>+<s>

– And after mounting your boot-volume read-write to execute just:

sh /force-iGPU-boot.sh

This setup has now one kext in a place Apple's installers do not expect. That is why in this guide SIP has not been reenabled. If an update that contains changes to the AMD drivers is about to take place it is advisable to move back the AMDRadeonX3000.kext to its default location before the update process. Otherwise the updater writes at least another kext of a different version to its default location or at worst you end up with an undefined state of partially non-matching drivers.

After any system update the folder /System/Library/Extensions has to be checked for the offending kext. Its presence there will lead to e.g. a boot hang on Yosemite and Sierra, an overheating boot-loop in High Sierra.

Further: this laptop is overheating, no matter what you do. The cooling system is inadequate and the huge number of failing AMD chips are just proof of that.

To prolong the life of this now hacked machine it is advisable to abstain from really heavy lifting over prolonged stretches of time. Strictly follow the usual recommendations for laptops: use on hard surfaces, keep the fans and fins inside it clean. Using any fancontrol software with relatively aggressive settings should also help: like smcFanControl, MacsFanControl, or TGPro (the latter both commercial).


This is fairly complete and what I do recommend to everyone asking me.
Nevertheless. We're not done here, yet. Improvements are welcome. Share them!

hello , when i "

touch /System/Library/Extensions/ " , i reboot normaly and it is in verbose mode but the line don t stop and it is not boot .
how can i " manaully load the kext after boot" ?

 

[kohsamui100]

My MBP 2011 15" had the GPU reflown and the software mod done a few years ago, and has worked well for a few years until the display became completely dead. I had the GPU reflown again toady, cleaned and replaced the thermal paste and repeated the GPU disabling procedure, and was able to get it to work again.

 

[jon08]

People with a faulty GPU: how to do a clean install of macOS when if you restart your MBP it won't boot unless you type those codes to force it to use the Intel GPU?

 

[jon08]

So up until now there is still no way for an 'AUTOMATIC OVERRIDE', ie. automatically forcing your MBP to always use Intel GPU rather than having to type that code and whatnot to force it on each restart?

 

[jaynaland]

You type that thing only once each time you install major updates. You don't have to do it on each restart. Follow this MikeyN's guide.

There are other ways to permanently disable AMD GPU card by doing hardware modifications. Follow Dosdude1's method or Arda Yilmaz's gmux solution. The latter method can be used to restore brightness control.

 

[jon08]

You type that thing only once each time you install major updates. You don't have to do it on each restart. Follow this MikeyN's guide.

There are other ways to permanently disable AMD GPU card by doing hardware modifications. Follow Dosdude1's method or Arda Yilmaz's gmux solution. The latter method can be used to restore brightness control.

I wouldn’t dare to tinker with hardware, but I’d try that MikeyN’s guide. Btw, is that guide limited to certain OS’s or will it work on any macOS up to High Sierra (including HS)?

 

[kohsamui100]

Has anyone tried replacing the tantalum capacitor in the 2011 model? If it's the culprit in the 2010, then it might be the same with the 2011...

 

[jaynaland]

Btw, is that guide limited to certain OS’s or will it work on any macOS up to High Sierra (including HS)?

It will work up to High Sierra, but on HS you might get wakeup/sleep problem, when it crashes anytime it goes to sleep. With Sierra or earlier OS versions you shouldn't have any problem.

 

[JMVB]

It will work up to High Sierra, but on HS you might get wakeup/sleep problem, when it crashes anytime it goes to sleep. With Sierra or earlier OS versions you shouldn't have any problem.

I used the linux method and removed the r8911

Then upgraded to HS, and no wake up or brightness problems at all

Check my post

 

[MacTinkerer2011Fan-Pun]

Hi all
Thank younfornthe fix
This been working for a while on my mbp 17 late 2011 8,3 but somehow when i replaced the battery, the mac cannot detect my intel hd 3000 gpu and only shows "Display 8MB" with sluggish performance and searching not working on folders. Tried to fix again using the nvram on single user ,ode but no succeed? Any advice?
Thanks

This happened to me but the problem only seems to happen if I re-enable SIP after the fix. So I have had to leave SIP off. i.e. I do "csrutil disable" at the start but I don't do "csrutil enable" at the end.

 

[jon08]

Hey guys, I'm happy to report that after long struggles with trying to find a PERMANENT fix for this crappy GPU I finally found one that works like a charm! Now I can restart my MBP and it will boot normally by using the Intel GPU rather than the faulty AMD GPU and I no longer have to bring it back to life after each restart!

Below I'm sharing the exact steps I followed and I hope it can help someone else as well.

First of all, many thanks to @jaynaland for pointing me into the right direction and then @MacTinkerer2011Fan-Pun for his continual help.

I have a 15" late-2011 MBP and I'm on High Sierra 10.13.6 (with Security Update 2020-003 installed). (This would probably also work with Security Updates 004 or 002 etc. but can't say for sure, though.)

I mostly followed the procedure by arhirienko from GitHub, though I had to add some of my own tweaks in order to really make it work. It is a very straight-forward manual, but please make sure to follow the instructions very closely and to type the commands precisely:

1. Reset SMC. (Shutdown your MBP, unplug everything except charging cable and hold leftShift + Ctrl + Option + Power for about 15 secs. Then let go and you should see the the light on the charging dongle flash once.)
2. Reset PRAM. (Turn on your MBP and immediately hold Command + Option + P + R buttons. Hold it until you hear the chime at least 2 times.
3. Shut down your MBP and turn it on again and then boot using Command + S.
4. Manually type nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00 and run it.
5. Manually type nvram boot-args="-v" and run it.
6. Manually type reboot and run it.
7. Boot using Command + R (this may take a bit longer for the progress bar with Apple logo to boot).
8. Go to Utilities in the menu bar above and open Terminal.
9. Disable SIP: manually type csrutil disable and run it.
10. Manually type nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00 and run it.
11. Manually type nvram boot-args="-v" and run it.
12. Manually type reboot and run it.
13. Boot using Command + S.
14. Manually type /sbin/mount -uw / and run it.
15. Manually type mkdir -p /System/Library/Extensions-off and run it.
16. Manually type mv /System/Library/Extensions/AMDRadeonX3000.kext /System/Library/Extensions-off/ and run it.
    
    ****CAVEAT: in my case the step no. 16 didn't work properly and I kept getting the following message: ... “Directory not empty”. For some reason I had the AMDRadeonX3000.kext file both in Extensions and Extensions-off folder when ideally the kext file should be only in the Extensions folder and by running step no. 16 you'd move this kext file into the Extensions-off folder. So what I had to do was force-delete the kext file from my Extensions-off folder in order to be able to successfully move it there from the Extensions folder.
    
    So, if you get the “Directory not empty” message after running step no. 16, using the following command to force-delete the kext from Extensions-off folder helped in my case:
    
    Manually type rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions-off/AMDRadeonX3000.kext and run it.
    Then repeat step no. 16.
17. Manually type touch /System/Library/Extensions/ and run it.
18. Manually type reboot and run it.

It will show a bunch of text in the screen (don't be alarmed, let it finish) and then it will restart again. On the second restart it will show a bunch of text in the screen again and then it will show normal login screen and your computer now should work properly.

Once your MBP is up and running again, you will now be able to shutdown/restart your MBP without fears of it not booting again.

One last thing to do is to turn off the verbose mode (ie. a bunch of text showing up on the screen when you restart your MBP), so follow these steps:

1. Restart your MBP and boot using Command + R.
2. Go to Utilities in the menu bar above and open Terminal.
3. Manually type nvram boot-args=" agc=0" and run it.
4. Manually type reboot and run it.

And you're good to go!

PS: it is advisable not to do any system updates after this anymore because it will likely result in having to do the whole procedure again!

As per GitHub:

If an update that contains changes to the AMD drivers is about to take place it is advisable to move back the AMDRadeonX3000.kext to its default location before the update process. Otherwise the updater writes at least another kext of a different version to its default location or at worst you end up with an undefined state of partially non-matching drivers.

After any system update the folder /System/Library/Extensions has to be checked for the offending kext. Its presence there will lead to e.g. a boot hang on Yosemite and Sierra, an overheating boot-loop in High Sierra.

 

[Andy343]

Hey guys, I'm happy to report that after long struggles with trying to find a PERMANENT fix for this crappy GPU I finally found one that works like a charm! Now I can restart my MBP and it will boot normally by using the Intel GPU rather than the faulty AMD GPU and I no longer have to bring it back to life after each restart!

Below I'm sharing the exact steps I followed and I hope it can help someone else as well.

First of all, many thanks to @jaynaland for pointing me into the right direction and then @MacTinkerer2011Fan-Pun for his continual help.

I have a 15" late-2011 MBP and I'm on High Sierra 10.13.6 (with Security Update 2020-003 installed). (This would probably also work with Security Updates 004 or 002 etc. but can't say for sure, though.)

I mostly followed the procedure by arhirienko from GitHub, though I had to add some of my own tweaks in order to really make it work. It is a very straight-forward manual, but please make sure to follow the instructions very closely and to type the commands precisely:

1. Reset SMC. (Shutdown your MBP, unplug everything except charging cable and hold leftShift + Ctrl + Option + Power for about 15 secs. Then let go and you should see the the light on the charging dongle flash once.)
2. Reset PRAM. (Turn on your MBP and immediately hold Command + Option + P + R buttons. Hold it until you hear the chime at least 2 times.
3. Shut down your MBP and turn it on again and then boot using Command + S.
4. Manually type nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00 and run it.
5. Manually type nvram boot-args="-v" and run it.
6. Manually type reboot and run it.
7. Boot using Command + R (this may take a bit longer for the progress bar with Apple logo to boot).
8. Go to Utilities in the menu bar above and open Terminal.
9. Disable SIP: manually type csrutil disable and run it.
10. Manually type nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00 and run it.
11. Manually type nvram boot-args="-v" and run it.
12. Manually type reboot and run it.
13. Boot using Command + S.
14. Manually type /sbin/mount -uw / and run it.
15. Manually type mkdir -p /System/Library/Extensions-off and run it.
16. Manually type mv /System/Library/Extensions/AMDRadeonX3000.kext /System/Library/Extensions-off/ and run it.
    
    ****CAVEAT: in my case the step no. 16 didn't work properly and I kept getting the following message: ... “Directory not empty”. For some reason I had the AMDRadeonX3000.kext file both in Extensions and Extensions-off folder when ideally the kext file should be only in the Extensions folder and by running step no. 16 you'd move this kext file into the Extensions-off folder. So what I had to do was force-delete the kext file from my Extensions-off folder in order to be able to successfully move it there from the Extensions folder.
    
    So, if you get the “Directory not empty” message after running step no. 16, using the following command to force-delete the kext from Extensions-off folder helped in my case:
    
    Manually type rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions-off/AMDRadeonX3000.kext and run it.
    Then repeat step no. 16.
17. Manually type touch /System/Library/Extensions/ and run it.
18. Manually type reboot and run it.

It will show a bunch of text in the screen (don't be alarmed, let it finish) and then it will restart again. On the second restart it will show a bunch of text in the screen again and then it will show normal login screen and your computer now should work properly.

Once your MBP is up and running again, you will now be able to shutdown/restart your MBP without fears of it not booting again.

One last thing to do is to turn off the verbose mode (ie. a bunch of text showing up on the screen when you restart your MBP), so follow these steps:

1. Restart your MBP and boot using Command + R.
2. Go to Utilities in the menu bar above and open Terminal.
3. Manually type nvram boot-args=" agc=0" and run it.
4. Manually type reboot and run it.

And you're good to go!

PS: it is advisable not to do any system updates after this anymore because it will likely result in having to do the whole procedure again!

As per GitHub:

If an update that contains changes to the AMD drivers is about to take place it is advisable to move back the AMDRadeonX3000.kext to its default location before the update process. Otherwise the updater writes at least another kext of a different version to its default location or at worst you end up with an undefined state of partially non-matching drivers.

After any system update the folder /System/Library/Extensions has to be checked for the offending kext. Its presence there will lead to e.g. a boot hang on Yosemite and Sierra, an overheating boot-loop in High Sierra.

I followed your guide and it worked. I was using MBp for about 2 days, but when I tried to power on yesterday, its giving continuous startup chimes(nothing on screen). Any ideas what could have been wrong ? Sometimes when I power off (long press) and it starts without any chime and nothing on screen.

I have tried re-seating the RAM

 

[jon08]

I followed your guide and it worked. I was using MBp for about 2 days, but when I tried to power on yesterday, its giving continuous startup chimes(nothing on screen). Any ideas what could have been wrong ? Sometimes when I power off (long press) and it starts without any chime and nothing on screen.

I have tried re-seating the RAM

Hmm, hard to say. Unfortunately I'm no expert in this, but perhaps you could again try step 1 and 2 from my instructions above and report back what happens? When you reset PRAM make sure you hear the chime at least twice.

 

[gaetarra]

Hello jon08, do you still have brightness and sleep with this tutorial ?

Hey guys, I'm happy to report that after long struggles with trying to find a PERMANENT fix for this crappy GPU I finally found one that works like a charm! Now I can restart my MBP and it will boot normally by using the Intel GPU rather than the faulty AMD GPU and I no longer have to bring it back to life after each restart!

Below I'm sharing the exact steps I followed and I hope it can help someone else as well.

(...)

As per GitHub:

If an update that contains changes to the AMD drivers is about to take place it is advisable to move back the AMDRadeonX3000.kext to its default location before the update process. Otherwise the updater writes at least another kext of a different version to its default location or at worst you end up with an undefined state of partially non-matching drivers.

After any system update the folder /System/Library/Extensions has to be checked for the offending kext. Its presence there will lead to e.g. a boot hang on Yosemite and Sierra, an overheating boot-loop in High Sierra.

 

[jon08]

Hello jon08, do you still have brightness and sleep with this tutorial ?

Yes.

 

[Andy343]

Hello jon08, do you still have brightness and sleep with this tutorial ?

Worked for me too.

 

[subaiku]

Ok so I have a Macbook 2011 that I'm trying to install a new SSD drive in... before discovering this thread I had actually tried the steps here:

GPU problem - Boot Hangs on Grey Screen

I found this according to my problem in this thread: Boot hangs on grey screen (even when booting from USB drive with fresh OS X install) My MacBook Pro 15" Early 2011 with AMD Radeon HD 6750M exh...

apple.stackexchange.com

But I'm guessing I probably screwed something up since I am a newbie. When I restart I get this screwed up pixelated screen. You can tell that it's loading but then after awhile it turns into a black screen.

Video 08-09-2020, 8 13 35 PM.mov

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I then try to reboot from USB (High Sierra) which is possible and it doesn't have the screwed up pixelated screen, and use the steps from the first page:

nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00

nvram boot-args="-v"

reboot

But after rebooting it keeps rebooting from the USB and not from the hard drive (even when I choose it as the startup drive). I should note that during restarting I get a black screen with a lot of text which look like errors.

Video 08-09-2020, 7 14 57 PM.mov

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

*Update, ok so I took out the USB an tried rebooting and now all I get is the question mark folder.