Late 2011 Macbook Pro: Logic board failure, 4th time in 6 months.

[apoenq]

You shouldn't, the 15" 2011 is hopelessly outdated without USB 3 and BT 4.0, and when El Capitan comes, the 2011 won't be able to support Metal, while your 2012 would be able to support Metal.

Hi thanks for the quick reply. 🙂 anyone has other comments? thanks!

 

[sim667]

Run diagnostics, and see what comes up. In general the 13" MBP`s are very solid machines.

Q-6

Thats why I bought one. I'd not thought about diagnostics.

I've got a gut feeling its a small part of the screen system that tends to wear out after heating up and cooling down a lot. For a period I was using my machine to mix visuals a lot, and I think that probably took its toll

 

[Benji1337]

Having had MacBook Pros replaced 4 times in the past, I was never asked to sign a NDA. All I had to do was release interest in the machine, and sign that Apple wasn't responsible for data loss/failure to wipe data. FWIW, I had an Early 2011 MBP 15". I went through, like, 8 logic boards in the first year all due to the GPU. I was constantly at the store for video problems again. About a week after the 1-year warranty ended and I purchased AppleCare (about a month after the last logic board replacement too), I started having video problems. Took it back, and got a 2012 Retina 15" to replace it and Apple had me pay a hundred and some-odd dollar upgrade fee.

That machine had everything replaced within a year, plus 3-4 logic boards for GPU problems (ironically it was in the same recall as the 2011), and was replaced by a late 2013 discreet GPU model. One year, 3 logic boards with dead dGPUs, an external casing and SSD later, they refunded me the value of the late-2013 model and I bought a nMP.

Long story short, don't buy a MacBook Pro with a dGPU. From my experience they are nothing but problems and your local store will end up hating you, like mine does me. If would like the full story, please check out my blog in my signature. I talk about the whole thing, including the iPhone 5 I was dealing with a the same time that had 14 replacements.

I've been given a brand new 2015 retina model as a replacement. Happy days.

 

[Queen6]

I've been given a brand new 2015 retina model as a replacement. Happy days.

Great result, Apple need to stop and think about the design of the 15" MBP. Thin & light is all well and good, however combined with high power components is a disaster waiting to happen. If they have any common sense come Skylake they will retain the present physical size and allow for a larger thermal envelope.

Q-6

 

[Benji1337]

Great result, Apple need to stop and think about the design of the 15" MBP. Thin & light is all well and good, however combined with high power components is a disaster waiting to happen. If they have any common sense come Skylake they will retain the present physical size and allow for a larger thermal envelope.

Q-6

Agreed, but right now I can't complain. The new £2000 model is a considerable upgrade on my 2011 model. Plus this new one comes with a new warranty and I've got 3 years more applecare to take care of me.

 

[Queen6]

Agreed, but right now I can't complain. The new £2000 model is a considerable upgrade on my 2011 model. Plus this new one comes with a new warranty and I've got 3 years more applecare to take care of me.

Absolutely Apple`s aftercare is generally second to none. All the same if you look at the history of Apple`s portables with dGPU it`s simply a tragedy. The simple fact is Apple`s design ethos for portable High Power Mac`s is simply not aligned with current technology.

I even remember Steve Job`s stating in an interview, that Apple was looking to drop the dGPU as soon as reasonably practical. As now Apple only offers one model with the dGPU it would seem to be coming to fruition.

Am happy you got a "win" a lot of others have had far more issue, it`s also good for Apple making good on a bad situation with the customer. At the end of the day there is good reason why PC based mobile workstations are considerably thicker, with significantly more ventilation, Apple can do many things, however they can't change the laws of physics.

Q-6

 

[Ledgem]

At the end of the day there is good reason why PC based mobile workstations are considerably thicker, with significantly more ventilation, Apple can do many things, however they can't change the laws of physics.

I don't think the PC designs are the way they are purely because of heat. In fact, many of those design decisions don't make sense at all. A plastic chassis (a material that is a poor heat conductor)? Having the heating vents on the bottom of the laptop (heat rises, and these vents will be covered if used on a lap or soft surface)? Sure, not all PC laptop designs are like that, but I've seen a good many that are. Perhaps we don't hear about it as much because PC laptops are generally not used for as long as Apple's are, and when they break down, nobody is surprised. They're cheaper, Windows bogs down and people "upgrade," or some random component fails... we talk about using our MacBook Pros for 4-5 years or more, but the time scale is shorter by a year or two for the PC side of things.

So while I'd agree that the discrete GPU has proven itself to be a weak point, I think it's misguided to attribute it to Apple's internal thermal designs. Apple wants to get rid of the dGPU so that it can make its computers even thinner (MacBook Air, and now the new MacBook). That the MacBook Pros are as "thick" as they are is very likely because Apple couldn't get them any thinner, given the design constraints of the thermal control system.

 

[Queen6]

The PC`s I am referring to are professional grade Workstations, that cost significantly more than the average rMBP. Cool air is drawn through the base and generally exhausted at the rear. The chassis even in the case of a MBP has very little to do with the active cooling system of a Notebook, the exception being the passively cooled rMB. The 15" MBP has always been on the limit of it`s thermal envelope, hence the reoccurring issues over the years.

With the introduction of the Retina, cooling of the 15" has significantly improved, equally at full load it`s not unrealistic to observe CPU/GPU close to 100C. Heavy use of the same can induce "thermal shock" generally it can be observed 2-3 years from point of sale when frequently the dGPU fails, equally only Apple knows the statistics, however dGPU failure is not uncommon, or unknown.

Apple likely have multiple rational for moving away from the dGPU, reliability, cost of repair and replacement are but one aspect. I am fairly certain that Apple would rather not have a significant number of the 15" MBP`s models under enforced warranty extension due specifically to dGPU related failure, number one it`s bad press, especially as Mac`s in general are extremely reliable and do generally outlast PC counterparts by several years.

If you require a 15" for work or study purpose, then one should proceed with acknowledgement of the potential risk of premature failure, equally if you don't have a direct need, it may be considered prudent to avoid Mac portables with dGPU, as longterm reliability is clearly questionable.

Q-6

 

[iamMacPerson]

I've been given a brand new 2015 retina model as a replacement. Happy days.

Yay! Congrats. Enjoy your new MacBook Pro!

Perhaps we don't hear about it as much because PC laptops are generally not used for as long as Apple's are, and when they break down, nobody is surprised. They're cheaper, Windows bogs down and people "upgrade," or some random component fails... we talk about using our MacBook Pros for 4-5 years or more, but the time scale is shorter by a year or two for the PC side of things.

So while I'd agree that the discrete GPU has proven itself to be a weak point, I think it's misguided to attribute it to Apple's internal thermal designs. Apple wants to get rid of the dGPU so that it can make its computers even thinner (MacBook Air, and now the new MacBook). That the MacBook Pros are as "thick" as they are is very likely because Apple couldn't get them any thinner, given the design constraints of the thermal control system.

Not the higher end Win portables. In some cases the higher end models actually cost more then the MacBook Pro so when they fail the customers are just as pissed. These complaints are always just masked by the oodles of people who buy the $400 Celeron special from Best Buy. When those specials break down, yeah no one really cares and they usually just go buy another one. Those higher end PCs typically use similar components compared to Macs, and generally do last 4-5+ years.

I agree that Apple is trying to remove the dGPU from machines, which is probably a good thing. Remember though, only the Pro's had a second GPU and they are the ones most prone to failure compared to even older MacBooks and MacBook Airs. Considering the non-dGPU and dGPU model 15" Retina model have similar cooling systems, I'd venture to say that it is a thermal problem, unless you want to say that it just so happens that every GPU Apple has picked has been prone to failure either on purpose or on accident. You gotta remember, shoved inside that machine is not only the CPU, but the iGPU in the CPU package and a quad-core CPU. All these things generate more heat then any other MacBook. This is the reason the 13" MacBook Pro hasn't received a quad-core CPU, its thermal envelope can't support it now.

 

[Ledgem]

Considering the non-dGPU and dGPU model 15" Retina model have similar cooling systems, I'd venture to say that it is a thermal problem, unless you want to say that it just so happens that every GPU Apple has picked has been prone to failure either on purpose or on accident. You gotta remember, shoved inside that machine is not only the CPU, but the iGPU in the CPU package and a quad-core CPU. All these things generate more heat then any other MacBook. This is the reason the 13" MacBook Pro hasn't received a quad-core CPU, its thermal envelope can't support it now.

This is one of those things where it sounds plausible to say, but repeat it enough and it generates a widespread rumor that MacBook Pros have a faulty cooling system. I don't believe that they do. I haven't heard reports of 13" systems running dramatically cooler than 15" systems. My 2011 MacBook Pro (unibody design) ran cooler than my 2008 (non-unibody), and both were 15"; activating the discrete GPU adds on about 10˚C to the operating temperature, and my temperatures rarely go into the 80's. Does anyone know the maximum operating temperature of the graphics card and overall system? They're usually in the low 100˚C range.

The 2008 MacBook Pros were the first x86 MacBook Pros to have the faulty graphics card, which was recognized as being an issue with Nvidia's design of the card. The 2011 graphics cards were rumored to have issues with the soldering that lead to early failures, but I don't know that it was ever determined as conclusively as with the 2008 systems. We're talking two major system points, with Apple deciding to cover a few more for good measure. That is far from being every 15" MacBook Pro in existence, even though the cooling system hasn't dramatically been changed (if it has been changed at all) between generations.

When a computer component fails, what is it most likely to be? Based on frequency of reports, #1 is probably mechanical hard drives. #2, based on reports and my own experience (which includes desktop PCs and other systems), is graphics cards. Nothing lasts forever, and the failure could be due to various reasons. So yes, having the component in your computer puts you at risk, because it's just one more thing that could fail. Attributing it to Apple's thermal management system, particularly without good proof, just seems unfair.

 

[boomhower]

All you've proven is that you haven't dealt with the models in the Radeongate recalls. You effetively said "I know it's only the 2011 Toyota that has repeated and verifiable engine failures, but I have a 2010 and a 2013 Toyota and I haven't seen any issues." No one said that every dGPU is faulty. But it certainly appears that every dGPU sold by Apple in a notebook (and I'm suspecting Mac Minis since mine recently died too due to dGPU issues) that year was bound to fail.





You know the really sad part? I think you're totally overreacting to the dGPU issues, and yet the replacement that Apple sent me for my 17" Macbook Pro (the machine listed in my signature) was faulty out of the box. I'm awaiting yet another replacement at this point.

Over reacting? Possibly. But for me I do not need a dGPU, so no reason to risk it. I do not do a thing with my computer that a dGPU is needed for. But there are certainly risk with having one, so I would rather not have one.

 

[Hustler1337]

I have a Early 2011 MacBook Pro though has not yet reached the threshold to warrant a replacement. As this is my main machine which I use and need daily, I wanted to know what the average turnaround time for replacing the logic board is?

Don't want to wait very long for repairs as I need it for my studies. Would appreciate some help.

Thanks

 

[Vermifuge]

I have a Early 2011 MacBook Pro though has not yet reached the threshold to warrant a replacement. As this is my main machine which I use and need daily, I wanted to know what the average turnaround time for replacing the logic board is?

Don't want to wait very long for repairs as I need it for my studies. Would appreciate some help.

Thanks

Took 3 days

 

[boomhower]

I have a Early 2011 MacBook Pro though has not yet reached the threshold to warrant a replacement. As this is my main machine which I use and need daily, I wanted to know what the average turnaround time for replacing the logic board is?

Don't want to wait very long for repairs as I need it for my studies. Would appreciate some help.

Thanks

I did the depot service and want to say a week. I couldn't pick it up for three weeks so not really sure but it was certainly reasonable for free. My wife is using it now and still going strong. But I do fully anticipate a failure at some point down the road.

 

[Audit13]

The cost of replacing the gpu will probably run $500 to $600.

They'll replace it with the same gpu chip but hopefully a newer revision that runs at lower temperatures.