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My 2011 MBP logic board

BJB Productions

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
136
Well, my 2011 MBP just died. I had no signs of anything going wrong and then while I was using it yesterday it just decided to freeze on a grey screen. It said a graphics error occured and it shut down. I can no longer boot past the grey screen. I've swapped the RAM, swapped hard drives, and I can't even boot into recovery mode so I've pretty much ruled out all the possible scenarios. It has to be the logic board. :mad:

I signed the petition but I doubt anything will come of that any time soon. Apple would charge me most likely between $800-$1000 to replace my logic board since I am no longer covered under AppleCare.

Here are my options:
a. Purchase a new logic board and replace it myself. The cost would be about $450-500. And it's very likely that it will fail again since the manufacturing problem was never resolved.
b. Sell the computer on Gazelle or eBay for maybe $250-$300 and purchase a new machine.
c. (Politely) call up Apple and see what they can do.

I should add that I need a machine to work on - so I don't have a ton of time to wait around.
Thoughts?
 
Option d: Send your machine to a re-balling service to repair the GPU. Costs range from about $160-200. It is highly recommended to find a place that uses leaded solder, as the repair will be more durable.
 
saturnotaku said:
Option d: Send your machine to a re-balling service to repair the GPU. Costs range from about $160-200. It is highly recommended to find a place that uses leaded solder, as the repair will be more durable.
Click to expand...

Have you had this done? Any recommendations for where to get this done?
 
BJB Productions said:
Have you had this done? Any recommendations for where to get this done?
Click to expand...

I've been fortunate as my MBP has not succumbed to Radeongate, (and I didn't jinx it because my system is still under AppleCare until the end of July 2015).

These places frequently advertise their services on eBay. Search the listings and look at their feedback to gauge reputability.
 
saturnotaku said:
I've been fortunate as my MBP has not succumbed to Radeongate, (and I didn't jinx it because my system is still under AppleCare until the end of July 2015).

These places frequently advertise their services on eBay. Search the listings and look at their feedback to gauge reputability.
Click to expand...


Ones on eBay seem expensive. What about this guy? http://www.ps3specialist.com/macbook-pro-gpu-reballing-repair-service/

He says he uses lead free solder, I've heard I want lead?
 
BJB Productions said:
He says he uses lead free solder, I've heard I want lead?
Click to expand...

You've heard that because I said it in my first response. ;)

Apple's use of lead-free solder, tight system confines, and the thermally inefficient AMD Radeon 6000M line of GPUs all conspired to create this problem. Leaded solder might not prevent the issue from happening again all together, but you will greatly reduce the odds.
 
They should charge you $310 + tax to replace the logic board out of warranty; that's how much it cost me. Just take it to the Apple store and see what they say.
 
Please don't reball your MacBook.

It isn't a proper fix - the issue isn't with the solder joints, despite what anyone seems to think. The issue is that the chips themselves have failed. Reballing may temporarily get the machine working as it heat cycles the GPU but the problem isn't with the solder balls - even the unleaded ones are rated for much higher temperatures than the GPU will ever withstand under normal use.

If you've got 20 minutes spare, take a look at this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AcEt073Uds

Regarding fixing it, no harm in calling Apple and asking, or taking it into a shop. I do know that some people have been lucky and have received replacements. Otherwise it's really down to what your budget allows.

One suggestion I saw a while back that you may want to try is to get it fixed for $300 or w/e it'll cost you for a new logic board, then sell the MacBook and put the money towards a new retina one.
 
i started a post about the exact same thing yesterday. it sucks - believe me, i know.

however, there is a way you might be able to temporarily fix it. i simply turned on the computer while it was plugged in, wrapped it in some thick jackets, flipped it over, and let it get really, really, really hot.

then, i turned it off, turned it back on while resetting the PRAM, and boom - it is now working perfectly.

i don't think it got hot enough to melt and fix the solder, but the heat and expansion must have pushed the connections back together. this might work until you're able to find a good reballer in your area. ideally, apple will admit fault. there is already a class action suit filed, but who knows how long that will take.

either way, don't buy a new board, because they have been plagued with issues.
 
If you are looking for an instant sale website like Gazelle, also try NextWorth or BuyBackWorld to see who will pay the most for your broken macbook pro. Both companies should allow you to sell a dead macbook. Good luck either way!
 
Thanks everyone. I ended up finding a great deal on an open box 2014 rMBP so I purchased that. ($1500)

I'm planning on selling my Macbook Pro on Gazelle or a similar site. In this case there weren't really any amazing options, but I'm happy with my new rMBP and hopefully I can get a few hundred for my last one.
 
Reballing is not fixing, it is just a total ripoff scam ****. The chip itself is dead.

The reason the chip works again after reballing is that you are heating the chip itself to 217c+ just to get it off the board, and that heat is what brings the chip back to life. Until it dies again.

Do this. Pay Apple to repair it, run furmark on it until it dies, and keep having Apple repair it within the 45 or 90 day warranty. You pay them $300 or something to fix it. After the 2nd or 3rd failed repair they give you a retina.

Enjoy, you just spent $300 and got yourself a retina.

Or, if you're really broke, you can just sell that retina for $2000, buy a 2012 820-3330 based machine for $1400, and pocket the $600. So, you actually profit $300 to get an upgraded computer.. not bad!
 
I made an account just to respond to this after it came up in a google search.

I just had this issue with my Late 2011 MacBook Pro. I phoned Apple and explained it all to them but they told me to go to the original shop I got it from (it was through college, I qualified for a free one, so the 'shop' was the company that supplied it to me through that scheme) if I was to get it repaired under consumer law.

The company I got it from said that it wasn't covered under that, so I phoned Apple again to let them know since they said to come back to them if I had any issues. I got put through to a senior advisor of some kind in Ireland who very generously attached a code to my serial number saying I could have free replacement hardware, and if I needed anything more than a logic board he would update the code to include it. The only thing I would have to pay for is labour.

So I went to the local Apple approved reseller and got it shipped off for £50, expecting to pay another £40 when it was looked at since that's what they told me would happen. Then the company I originally got it from said they could do it for free with this new code I had.

Anyway, to cut an already long story short, it got shipped to them and they fixed it after several weeks - I got it back today. I was told that they were replacing the GPU on the phone, but the notice sheet it came with says they replaced the whole logic board, and the fact that my Time Machine backups don't work anymore seems to confirm that since I don't think swapping out the GPU would change the MAC address...

Anyway, it's worth asking Apple nicely if they can help somehow. They're aware of the issue and 'in the spirit of the season' they did this for me :)

I just hope it stays alive now :confused:
 
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