Poor performance and bad video, but passing all diagnostic tests?

[robertparker]

A week ago, I took my MacBook Pro (2011, 17-inch) to the Apple Store for the GPU issue.
https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

Apple ran the video test and it passed.

Apple later ran other diagnostic tests on it and it supposedly passed all the tests, but I was told today that there's my laptop is "running very slowly", but that Apple does not know what is causing the issue since it is passing all the tests.

Apple then told me that the issue could be with the with the logic board and that it would cause ~$800 to replace the logic board.

I called Apple Support and I told Apple Support that Apple Store told me that my computer is running slowly, but that it passed all the diagnostic test. Apple Support told me that I am not qualify for a logic board replacement under the video issue recall since it passed the video test. "It could be some other problems unrelated to the GPU".

I don't know what to do anymore. Apple clearly don't want to fix the issue that it has already acknowledged.

I refuse to buy another product from Apple until Apple fixes my defective laptop that I paid $2700 for.

 

[Goatllama]

Make Time Machine backup, wipe laptop clean and do fresh install of OS X, problem persist?

Activity Monitor doesn't tell us anything?

Did the geniuses give any hints? Or they just had no idea?

I mean, diagnostics test hardware, and if that is fine, it's gotta be software. Is your MacBook unexpectedly restarting as well or just running slow?

 

[robertparker]

Make Time Machine backup, wipe laptop clean and do fresh install of OS X, problem persist?

Activity Monitor doesn't tell us anything?

Did the geniuses give any hints? Or they just had no idea?

I mean, diagnostics test hardware, and if that is fine, it's gotta be software. Is your MacBook unexpectedly restarting as well or just running slow?

I took out my hard drive and put in an empty one.

I can't even do a backup because it now takes 10 minutes to even boot. And that's on top of the graphic issues that it was having before.

 

[Goatllama]

Did you switch cables when you switched hard drives? Could be bad HD cable. Well, I guess not if the problems were happening before you switched hard drives.

Activity Monitor doesn't tell us anything?

Did the geniuses give any hints? Or they just had no idea?

Is your MacBook unexpectedly restarting as well?

 

[robertparker]

Did you switch cables when you switched hard drives? Could be bad HD cable. Well, I guess not if the problems were happening before you switched hard drives.

I was having trouble before.

Activity Monitor doesn't tell us anything?

High CPU activity. FAN at maximum speed.

All thermal sensors indicate normal temperatures.

Did the geniuses give any hints? Or they just had no idea?

"You logic board might be bad."

Is your MacBook unexpectedly restarting as well?

Yes, in fact, sometime it won't even boot (or at least takes so long that I gave up).

 

[Goatllama]

High CPU activity from what? What processes or applications?
When did the problem start? Anything noteworthy (OS update, new application/modifications)?

 

[robertparker]

Here's my favorite part: "There is a loose screw inside your laptop. It might have shorted your logic board."

Translation: "it might be you fault". Thanks for shifting the blame!

High CPU activity from what? What processes or applications?

System

When did the problem start? Anything noteworthy (OS update, new application/modifications)?

It was just having video issue before. The performance issue is something new. Nothing noteworthy.

 

[Goatllama]

Did they at least tighten up the screw?

As for CPU usage in Activity Monitor, do you mean like SystemUIServices? I don't see just 'system' in my Activity Monitor.

 

[robertparker]

Did they at least tighten up the screw?

He didn't know where it came from, but it is supposedly "a logic board screw".

As for CPU usage in Activity Monitor, do you mean like SystemUIServices? I don't see just 'system' in my Activity Monitor.

kernel_task
[doublepost=1453343911][/doublepost]Apple Support wants me to pickup the laptop from the Apple Store (that's not even near me) and bring it to another Apple Store that's 65 miles away for a second look since the problem cannot be pinpoint exactly.

The performance issue is not just something I notice: I was specifically told by the technician that my MacBook Pro is running slowly.

 

[Goatllama]

Have you tried resetting your SMC? Or perhaps they did that at the bar?

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

Also found this:
1. Go to About this mac under the apple in the upper left and click on More info
2. Click on system report
3. make a note of what it says after Model Identifier
4. go to your master drive – System -Library – Extensions – IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext -Contents – Plugins – ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext – Contents – Resources – find the name from step 3 and move it to a folder that you can find again if needed.
5. Restart and you’re done
Alternately, this seems to do the same thing as the above 5 steps but automatically:

Solved the problem on 2013 MacBookPro

OK, so I have a 2013 late model MBP, and I have been having this issue for some time now ... In my case, when I run the hardware diagnostics, it says that I *MAY* have a faulty PMU or PCU or power whatever logic board thing-a-ma-jig ... However, I had to replace my screen a few months back because I dropped the MBP and cracked my screen, and the screen I bought from ebay had some of the wires cut and I didn't read the fine print before I made the purchase (it was only $200 and other than the wires being cut (not the video cable, but the other ones) it works great! But since I put this screen in, I've been having the high CPU utilization in my kernel_task process and my MBP ran slower than molasses ...

Well, after much experimentation, research, trial and error, I finally solved the problem... here is what you need to do:

Open up terminal (If you don't know what that is, you have no business doing this in the first place)...

type (or copy and paste from here):

sudo mv /System/Library/Extensions/AppleSMCLMU.kext ~

that will move it to your parent home folder

Reboot!

( https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-solve-kernel_task-high-cpu-usage.1706948 ) (though it is from 2014)

Here's another good checklist: http://www.cnet.com/news/kerneltask-process-taking-up-an-inordinate-amount-of-cpu

And I found this from 2013: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5497235

 

[robertparker]

Have you tried resetting your SMC? Or perhaps they did that at the bar?

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

Believe me, resetting the SMC is the first thing I do before trying something else.

Have you tried resetting your SMC? Or perhaps they did that at the bar?

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

Also found this:
1. Go to About this mac under the apple in the upper left and click on More info
2. Click on system report
3. make a note of what it says after Model Identifier
4. go to your master drive – System -Library – Extensions – IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext -Contents – Plugins – ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext – Contents – Resources – find the name from step 3 and move it to a folder that you can find again if needed.
5. Restart and you’re done
Alternately, this seems to do the same thing as the above 5 steps but automatically:

Well, I brought in my Mac with a blank hard drive so it's definitely not anything to do with software.
[doublepost=1453344976][/doublepost]I suspect that Apple is digging in and trying to deny as many repairs as possible.

 

[Goatllama]

I dunno, putting that command into the terminal can't hurt. Worth a shot. And the computer is 5 years old, if they repair it for a price that seems fair.

 

[robertparker]

I dunno, putting that command into the terminal can't hurt. Worth a shot. And the computer is 5 years old, if they repair it for a price that seems fair.

Well I will try it when I pickup the computer, but really just going to pick it up from that Apple Store and go to the other Apple Store as instructed.

And the computer is 5 years old, if they repair it for a price that seems fair.

Really? It's been having this problem (at least the graphic problem) long before it is 5 years old, but every time I bring it in "I am sorry sir, but since it pass the video test, your laptop is not qualified."

And this is not every an outlier issue. Apple itself has acknowledged the issue: https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

One time the graphic issue happened right at the Apple Store (it's intermitted), but Apple did nothing.

 

[Goatllama]

Who knows, maybe that particular store's diagnostics machine is busted (in which case they have a lot of explaining to do). Second opinion sounds like a good idea. Hope it works out.

 

[robertparker]

Who knows, maybe that particular store's diagnostics machine is busted (in which case they have a lot of explaining to do). Second opinion sounds like a good idea. Hope it works out.

No! It's a bureaucratic runaround intended to wear me down until I give up.

 

[Goatllama]

 

[MrAverigeUser]

you could run the free diagnostic software --- etrecheck.

 

[robertparker]

you could run the free diagnostic software --- etrecheck.

I am picking up my laptop tomorrow.

I have requested the full diagnostic results in print form.

 

[ron1004]

My 17" symptoms were much the same as yours.

Set "gfxCardStatus" to Discrete Only and run graphic intensive apps.


My late 2011 17" was repaired in Sept 2014, which was before the repair program was announced, and they refunded my money later.

In the shop it passed all their tests, .......but couldn't boot past the blank grey screen.

 

[robertparker]

Verified slow computer and recommended mail-in service, customer declined repair.

MRI - passed
Computer is running really slow
Cooling System Diag - Stalled on gray screen, did not complete loading test
VST - Passed
ASD EFI 3x - Passed
Missing bottom case screws
Screws loose inside of the computer
Missing battery screws
Missing MLB screws
GPU is possibly failing
Recommend main-in service
[doublepost=1453512435][/doublepost]I brought it to another Apple Store.

There were two other people there who brought in 17" 2011 MacBook Pro for video issue.

One clearly failed with multiple vertical lines. The other looks normal and passed the video test like mine did.