Mid 2010 Macbook Pro 17"

[ada1985]

Hello,

I'm pretty new to the forum and definitely no tech here.. I see a mid 2010 17" Macbook pro on my local market place and it's got two red lines running down the screen.. They want $450.. Is this an issue that can be fixed easy? I would have to take it to a repair shop obviously.. And would probably try and get them down on the price if it's worth it..

Thanks

 

[iHorseHead]

Hi!
You could get a better MacBook for that price + it's unsupported.

 

[ada1985]

I would be using it to DJ.. I need the bigger screen.. I don't need something that's up to date.. These go on eBay refurbished for over $600 and the 2011 models for around $800..

 

[chrfr]

Hello,

I'm pretty new to the forum and definitely no tech here.. I see a mid 2010 17" Macbook pro on my local market place and it's got two red lines running down the screen.. They want $450.. Is this an issue that can be fixed easy? I would have to take it to a repair shop obviously.. And would probably try and get them down on the price if it's worth it..

Thanks



View attachment 1788926

These are prone to GPU failures. Avoid 2010-2011 15 and 17 inch models altogether. Even $450 is far too much for any of these.
Also, eBay “refurbished” just means the computer has been cleaned off externally. It’s a term that means nothing.

 

[ada1985]

I thought it was only the 2011 models that have the AMD chip failure???? and the 2010 models that have the Nvidia cards are fine??

 

[iHorseHead]

I thought it was only the 2011 models that have the AMD chip failure???? and the 2010 models that have the Nvidia cards are fine??

I have MBP mid 2010 13 inch and it's fine.

 

[ada1985]

From what I read it's the 2011 models in the 15" and 17" sizes that have the GPU issue, and from I understand the chip sets in the 2010 models of those sizes don't have the issues as the 2011 models do.. I don't think the 13" models don't face those issues...

 

[baypharm]

I bought a 2010 17” with anti-glare screen at launch and never had any issues with it.

 

[mrt.plt]

You're buying an 11-year-old laptop for $450... that's not a good deal at all. And it has vertical lines on the screen which could mean anything. If you really need a large screen you might be better off getting a later 13-15" MBP and a portable external screen.
PS: Are you sure you can't get a better deal? I can get a 2010 17" MacBook Pro for $230.

 

[mbp17forever]

Hello,

I'm pretty new to the forum and definitely no tech here.. I see a mid 2010 17" Macbook pro on my local market place and it's got two red lines running down the screen.. They want $450.. Is this an issue that can be fixed easy? I would have to take it to a repair shop obviously.. And would probably try and get them down on the price if it's worth it..

Thanks



View attachment 1788926

Hi Ada

people who say things like “11 years old machine” or “buy the 15 inch” mean that you have to change your preferences, and that’s not what you came here to ask. Some people need to understand that there is a number of users who actually need a portable Mac with 17inches screen and unfortunately we have to look to 10-12 year old models, because no newer models of this screen size exist. Same goes also for people who need upgradable RAMs and SSDs.

Now, regarding your question, these lines on the screen looks more like a screen/display failure than a gpu failure. Even on the 2011 with the known dGPU problem if you use dosdude1 method then you can fix them. But from what i see on your pictures it’s nothing like that, so possibly it cannot be fixed.

second hand 17”s from 2010 cost around 400 with flawless screens. With these lines on the screen the machine loses around 150-200 of its value

 

[mrt.plt]

people who say things like “11 years old machine” or “buy the 15 inch” mean that you have to change your preferences, and that’s not what you came here to ask. Some people need to understand that there is a number of users who actually need a portable Mac with 17inches screen and unfortunately we have to look to 10-12 year old models, because no newer models of this screen size exist. Same goes also for people who need upgradable RAMs and SSDs.

People say things like that because it is indeed an 11-year-old machine. I actually used one of those and liked it a lot, they're great laptops. But we're talking about $450 for a machine that has an i5-540M.
You can literally get a 2013 15" Retina MBP, and thanks to the higher resolution, it'll be quite similar (if not the same) to a 17-inch. You can get a 16" MBP. You can get another 17" laptop and Hackintosh it. Get a 13" MBP and an external screen. Anything but paying $450 on an 11-year-old obsolete laptop.
PS: I just realized that I am replying to someone nicknamed "mbp17forever"

 

[mbp17forever]

People say things like that because it is indeed an 11-year-old machine. I actually used one of those and liked it a lot, they're great laptops. But we're talking about $450 for a machine that has an i5-540M.
You can literally get a 2013 15" Retina MBP, and thanks to the higher resolution, it'll be quite similar (if not the same) to a 17-inch. You can get a 16" MBP. You can get another 17" laptop and Hackintosh it. Get a 13" MBP and an external screen. Anything but paying $450 on an 11-year-old obsolete laptop.
PS: I just realized that I am replying to someone nicknamed "mbp17forever"

actually you replied to someone nicknamed mbp17forever against getting a mbp17 😉

i tried to explain that you advise someone to not get the laptop they want but another alternative. Of course someone can get a 2013 15 rMBP (also 8 years old machine) but it also has graphics issues and no upgradability (and also smaller screen).
a 16 rMBP has 4x the price. a hackintosh 17” is a completely other product.
the MBP 17” has smaller bezels than todays macbooks (except the 16”) and a resolution (1920x1200) that still most todays 17” laptops use.

There are many 2010-2011 17” out there that work perfectly fine with Catalina Patcher, if you find them in a grade-a condition. No reason to avoid them if you want a Macbook Pro at 17” for a price around 500. That’s why i said not to spend 450 for this machine with the obvious screen problem.

 

[AlexMaximus]

I have a MBP 17’ from 2010 And I bought it new when it came out. You are somewhat correct, the 2011 devices with the AMD graphics had the most problems and many gpu failures. However, a smaller number of the 2010 had gpu problems as well such as mine. I used it heavily on my 27’ screen the first five years, the gpu did go bad in year 6. I got it fixed temporarily for about two more years when it failed again. After some search I found an as-new main board and replaced it about three years ago. Since then only slight use, no external screen use any more and no games, so it’s perfect again till this day. Works as new with Mojave patcher, SSD and data doubler, the heavy lifting is done by my MP 5.1 tower since 2016. Perfect setup till this day. The question however remains what makes sense in 2021?
If you could get one in mint condition with only slight use, you could consider it, but I really doubt there are many good units left out there. 11 years are 11 years no matter who had the unit. No matter how nice the unit is, I would never ever get a unit with those red lines. This means the gpu is about to die, so you will need a new motherboard for that one Which will cost another 350 bucks at least.