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Macbook Pro Late 2011 Startup Graphics Issue

Is anyone else on the beta and having similar results? Just curious if the boot issue has been addressed in this update or if it has gone away on my machine for other reasons. either way, I'm glad that it has cleared up, hope it stays that way
 
natjonesart said:
Is anyone else on the beta and having similar results? Just curious if the boot issue has been addressed in this update or if it has gone away on my machine for other reasons. either way, I'm glad that it has cleared up, hope it stays that way
Click to expand...

I am using 2011 late Macbook pro with 2TB SSD raided hard drive with 16gb RAM.
I was having the exact same issue mentioned here , tried many troubleshooting method to get it fixed nothing seems to fix the issue . I even erased my hard drive and did a complete time machine restore. I was looking for solutions and came to your post so I updated my mac with Sierra 10.12.4 Beta version. It was all working fine like you said but just to check if this is a temporary fix I started firing all the APPS to confirm if the issue still persist. When I entered Time machine it happened again the MAC froze and did a self shutdown and I got the grey screen. To get in to the login screen I did try PRAM resent again and I was able to log back in but the issue came back, so even if you computer seems to boot fine without any graphical glitch I don't think its a permanent fix . Seems like the ultimate solution is to replace the GPU chip to get it fixed completely .It all kick-started after I did Sierra update.
 
Hello Guys,

I am about to buy a labtop "Mac BookPro 15 Inch Late 2011" with this issue, Do you recommend it for me?

I can live with this issue, if it is only appears when start up?

I am waiting your quick response.
 
Medoo43 said:
Hello Guys,

I am about to buy a labtop "Mac BookPro 15 Inch Late 2011" with this issue, Do you recommend it for me?

I can live with this issue, if it is only appears when start up?

I am waiting your quick response.
Click to expand...

No. While this start up distortion references something that is not a functional problem, the 2011 MacBook Pro is very prone to GPU failure due to a poor design by Apple & AMD. Apple ran a program through two months ago that replaced defective parts, but the replacements were just new or refurbished versions of the same defective part, so the issue was never actually fixed. Now that the program has ended, when the GPU dies, it will render the computer inoperable, and you would have to pay out of pocket to have it fixed. Even if you have the $600-1,100 to fix the issue, Apple no longer supports the 2011, so you would have to find a 3rd party repair service that has access to a part that Apple has since stopped producing.

Consider the 2012 Unibody, which is far less prone to this issue, or a 2011 13-inch, which doesn't have a dGPU.
 
I took mine MAC to a local repair shop and they told me that the graphics card overheated and fried the mother/logic board. They did not quote me an exact price and this was mostly because I was in hurry when they called to update me, but said it would be a couple hundred dollars to replace the board and card and then a couple hundred dollars in labor. In the short term I asked them to do data recovery off my hard drive because there are things I need off of it ASAP for work.

My questions now is..

1. Since Apple considers the computer a "legacy" item due to its age, is it worth spending $500-600 to fix?

if not...

2. Where can I order the parts myself at reasonable prices?
 
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I have the same issue on my late 2011 mbp 15 inch.

+ sometimes pictures on safari won't load correctly. it kind of the same glitchy pattern
 
I have the exact same issue on my late 2011 15", that horizontal glitch line was there before replacing the logic board at the genius bar and after receiving it from them a month ago. The tech noted that this was not a hardware issue and was related to the OS(I'm running Sierra) that apple was already well aware of happening to certain models. I had the same issue with the video card about 3 years ago and apparently they didn't have this quality program then because I was charged 300 dollars to replace the logic board. Now I'm selling this before I run into more issues, I wonder if installing an older OS might do the trick at getting rid of this suspicious line.
kWfj7T9.jpg
 
I have the same problem at the photo. It has started today. I had a problem with my bluetooth - cut of bluetooth speaker (just in external monitor mode) and try to fix it I did nvram. and this glitches at startup started after nvram.
I made hardware test; no problem detected.
I restored my Mac from my backup. same issue. not solved.

I hope It is not about graphical card or hardware. 🙁 can be fixed by software updates.

my Mac is early 2011 15" - AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1024 MB
[doublepost=1488137439][/doublepost]
leonurdo said:
I have the same problem at the photo. It has started today. I had a problem with my bluetooth - cut of bluetooth speaker (just in external monitor mode) and try to fix it I did nvram. and this glitches at startup started after nvram.
I made hardware test; no problem detected.
I restored my Mac from my backup. same issue. not solved.

I hope It is not about graphical card or hardware. 🙁 can be fixed by software updates.

my Mac is early 2011 15" - AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1024 MB
Click to expand...

when I started on external monitor It seems no problem.
 
Just to say I'm getting this too now following an upgrade to a flashed HD 5770 in a 2009 Mac Pro and after a PRAM and SMC reset following installation so it's not restricted to Macbooks.
 
Jackdown_101 said:
Just to say I'm getting this too now following an upgrade to a flashed HD 5770 in a 2009 Mac Pro and after a PRAM and SMC reset following installation so it's not restricted to Macbooks.
Click to expand...

Also just started getting it on MP2010 - passes all AHT and otherwise no problems.
 
The latest beta of 10.12.4 seems to have finally fixed the weird graphics boot glitch for me on my early 2011 17" MBP.

What was strange is that the machine went into a reboot loop after the installer had finished and then the SMC seemed to have reset itself. I'm not sure if they've changed something on a firmware level but if anyone has the same MBP and is running 10.12.3 it'd be good if you could share your SMC/BootRom version numbers etc for comparison. I forgot to make a note of mine prior.
 
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Twimfy said:
The latest beta of 10.12.4 seems to have finally fixed the weird graphics boot glitch for me on my early 2011 17" MBP.

What was strange is that the machine went into a reboot loop after the installer had finished and then the SMC seemed to have reset itself. I'm not sure if they've changed something on a firmware level but if anyone has the same MBP and is running 10.12.3 it'd be good if you could share your SMC/BootRom version numbers etc for comparison. I forgot to make a note of mine prior.
Click to expand...

I will try to upgrade beta of 10.12.4 now.

my Boot ROM ver: MBP81.0047.B2D
SMC ver (system): 1.69f3
[doublepost=1489079278][/doublepost]fingers crossed. lets wait and see.
 

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leonurdo said:
SMC ver is the same. Boot ROM different?
Boot ROM Sürümü: MBP81.0047.B32
SMC Sürümü (sistem): 1.69f3
Click to expand...

Hmm, it seems we don't have quite the same machine. Mine is listed as an 8,3 not an 8,2:

K0PDMPC.png


Either way it seems to have fixed the problem. It has also gotten rid of a battery issue I was having too whereby my brand new battery was depleting rapidly and stating "service battery" that has now gone and I'm getting ~5 hours again.
 
steppinrazor said:
I have the exact same issue on my late 2011 15", that horizontal glitch line was there before replacing the logic board at the genius bar and after receiving it from them a month ago. The tech noted that this was not a hardware issue and was related to the OS(I'm running Sierra) that apple was already well aware of happening to certain models. I had the same issue with the video card about 3 years ago and apparently they didn't have this quality program then because I was charged 300 dollars to replace the logic board. Now I'm selling this before I run into more issues, I wonder if installing an older OS might do the trick at getting rid of this suspicious line.
kWfj7T9.jpg
Click to expand...

Had the same issue, however Mac OS Sierra 10.12.4 update today resolved the issue with my MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011). I had previously had the Apple repair programme a few years ago for the video card, but that was a slightly different fault by covering all the screen.
 
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The horizontal line is fixed at my machine. I updated my OS and it is now starting up without the horizontal lines. Two weeks ago my screen went black and I was not able to turn my MBP. I heated up my GPU and the laptop is now working fine. I am sure that the problem will appear again, but for now I can make a backup.
 
same here, the glitchy horizontal line was fixed when i updated my OS a couple months ago, my guess is they finally came up with a patch. when i had my logic board replaced around january the tech told me apple was aware of this and looking into a solution.
 
My early 2011 Macbook Pro 17 is displaying a strange graphical glitch as it is loading OS Sierra, at just the point before the screen goes black for a moment and the progress bar zips across to the end (as normal). I've uploaded a photo of it with this message.

The machine has passed the extended AHT and I've not seen problems with it elsewhere, but in truth I do not use it much. I'm worried because I've not seen this on my previous Macbooks, and I know the GPU in the 2011 has a rather dubious reputation.

Can anyone shed any light on what this might be?
 

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Do you have FileVault enabled? That can cause minor graphical glitches on some older machines at the white loading screen.

If you're getting glitches elsewhere when doing other tasks, then it's definitely the beginnings of Radeongate.
 
I've been browsing around the forum and it seems a lot of people had this issue:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-late-2011-startup-graphics-issue.2004208/

It's not clear from the thread whether the issue was considered a hardware fault and the beginnings of the eventual death of the machine or not. Some were saying that the latest version of Sierra 'solved' the problem, but how can we be confident Apple haven't just found a way to paper over the cracks?

I got this Macbook fairly recently for what seemed like a good price, but I still have the option to return it. Do people think I should return it or keep it?
 
DangerousDave2k said:
My early 2011 Macbook Pro 17 is displaying a strange graphical glitch as it is loading OS Sierra, at just the point before the screen goes black for a moment and the progress bar zips across to the end (as normal). I've uploaded a photo of it with this message.

The machine has passed the extended AHT and I've not seen problems with it elsewhere, but in truth I do not use it much. I'm worried because I've not seen this on my previous Macbooks, and I know the GPU in the 2011 has a rather dubious reputation.
Click to expand...

If your discrete AMD GPU is dying, you could use this solution:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ntel-integrated-gpu-efi-variable-fix.2037591/
to disable it permanently and make your MBP work again!
 
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