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Some 2011 MacBook Pros Experiencing GPU Glitches, System Crashes
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I get a similar issue every now and then with my rMBP if Chrome crashes for example, and it switches from discrete to integrated. Screen starts glitching and stuff, but switching to discrete via gfxcardstatus stops it, or reopening Chrome and if it switches back to discrete.
I have an Early 11 MacBook Pro 15" AMD 6750M/8 GB RAM and I haven't experienced any graphical issues but I did have to have my entire logic board replaced cause it just wouldn't turn on any more one day, which I think may have been caused from a power surge in the charger :/ now I have had a replacement for about 4 months and all is good except for the fact that they scratched up the lid bad when they were fixing it 
it use to be in pristine condition, but there's nothing I can do about it now
it use to be in pristine condition, but there's nothing I can do about it now
If it's attached to the screen through BGA soldering, it was tragedy foretold. BGA+AMD GPU is a disaster doesn't matter the laptop brand.
Thankfully, my early-2011 with the AMD 6750 (1 GB) GPU hasn't started acting up. I'm disheartened to read about this issue, though. My MacBook Pro before this one was an early-2008 which had to have the logic board replaced in 2010 due to the issues with the Nvidia 8600 GT graphics card. Apple has to get these GPU issues straightened out.
YES typical fanboy responses.
After just yesterday these boards were plastered with people complaining that all of Samsung products are garbage and fail.
Because, well, you know, Apple products never have issues!
How timely this article is. The past year I had my 2011 MBP in clamshell mode and never seen a problem. Yesterday I took it out of clamshell mode for the first time in a year and started to see weird artifacts on my screen. A reboot would fix the issue but it would come back a few minutes later.
I then put my MBP back into clamshell mode and everything is working fine again. So long story short I don't see the problem in clamshell mode.
I have an early 2011 MBP - 15in with 1GB Graphics card and the high res display. I have experienced the exact problem mentioned in this article, which has rendered the computer almost unusable. It sometimes requires 10 attempts to boot up without failing (in the form of glitchy gray lines). The issue seems to be "rectified" when using gfxCardStatus to force the computer to use integrated graphics only. I'm out of warranty, unfortunately. The Genius Bar offered to replace the logic board, but after reading through the thread mentioned in the article about so many users with the same exact problem, I have been hesitant to go forward with this. You will see, if you look through that Apple Support Communities thread, that many other uses have had this problem recur - if not immediately, then down the road - even after the logic board replacement... and even after multiple replacements.
NOT getting taken care of
To those saying this is an isolated incident and that Apple is taking care of it - that is NOT true! There are many people suffering with this issue. Sure Apple is replacing logic boards at the CUSTOMER'S expense, Apple should be replacing them for free.
To those that say we should get Apple Care - why should I need an extended warranty to get a quality product? I have never bought Apple Care because I take excellent care of my Macs and in 20+ years have never had an issue that Apple has not taken care of. Like the battery recall on my last laptop. That laptop is now almost 10 years old and still powers up like a champ every day.
I love Apple and I love my 15" MBP but please stop saying this is isolated and they are taking care of it. Taking care of it would be a replacement program for the logic board.
To those saying this is an isolated incident and that Apple is taking care of it - that is NOT true! There are many people suffering with this issue. Sure Apple is replacing logic boards at the CUSTOMER'S expense, Apple should be replacing them for free.
To those that say we should get Apple Care - why should I need an extended warranty to get a quality product? I have never bought Apple Care because I take excellent care of my Macs and in 20+ years have never had an issue that Apple has not taken care of. Like the battery recall on my last laptop. That laptop is now almost 10 years old and still powers up like a champ every day.
I love Apple and I love my 15" MBP but please stop saying this is isolated and they are taking care of it. Taking care of it would be a replacement program for the logic board.
is this due to mavericks because i was getting screen glitches in my 2011 15' with the 6750m and i downgraded to 10.8.5 and the problem goes away
That's terrible, my friend had the 8600M GT issue, I have the 2011 pro I hope mine does not also poop out. Especially if Apple isn't going to cover it, if it was in fact their fault. Its terrible when they know the issue and it costs them nothing to replace* them but they won't.
*During the court room case of 8600M GT, it came to the attention t hat it would have cost nothing to apple to replace the bad chips because Nvidia was responsible for covering the replacement.
2008 MBP Nvidia'gate' redux
I wonder if it's from 'lead-free solder'...
I don't know if you're referring to the "blinking screen" problem with the nVidia 9400m chipset, but Apple actually issued a fix for that one-- a firmware update-- nearly 3 years later! I almost tossed my early 2009 MBP until that fix came out, now it's a usable machine again.
The issue affecting the 2011 models is clearly a hardware problem; I guess the only workaround (aside from motherboard replacement) is to force it to use the iGPU all the time, which is only an HD3000. Bummer.
I think the 8600 thing with an Nivida problem, it happened to pretty much every laptop model across the PC makers to, they all had the same problem.
The other issues like failed logic boards, or this new GPU issue I think might be due to Apples obsession with quietness, most Apple laptops I've encountered ( My newest Apple Laptop is a G4 Powerbook, am considered a rMBP at some point. Maybe. My new Macs are desktops ), but whenever I use one, they seem to run REALLY hot on the default fan settings, and as we know, Heat kills electronics. Have any PC laptop models with these same chipsets been having issues?
Me too
I had this problem with my 17" early 2011 MBP.
I had to get it repaired twice. The first time it spent two weeks at my local apple store in Lincoln Park who did a phenomenally bad job and gave me a replacement motherboard with a bad RAM slot. Next I sent it by mail to the applecare and had it back fixed within 2 days.
I have Applecare, but let's be real: A product that costs this much should have a 3 year warranty included with purchase. Add it in to the price of the computer, but it should be included.
I one year warranty is insufficient for an Apple laptop. I have owned several of them and I don't think a single one of them did not require some repair after the warranty was over.
I had this problem with my 17" early 2011 MBP.
I had to get it repaired twice. The first time it spent two weeks at my local apple store in Lincoln Park who did a phenomenally bad job and gave me a replacement motherboard with a bad RAM slot. Next I sent it by mail to the applecare and had it back fixed within 2 days.
I have Applecare, but let's be real: A product that costs this much should have a 3 year warranty included with purchase. Add it in to the price of the computer, but it should be included.
I one year warranty is insufficient for an Apple laptop. I have owned several of them and I don't think a single one of them did not require some repair after the warranty was over.
I took my sister-in-law's 2011 17" MBP into the Apple Store last week after I couldn't fix her problems. It locks up after simple things like launching iPhoto. It also randomly shows bars on the screen at startup, or just hangs at boot.
I installed all the updates, fixed disk permissions, upgraded OS X, ran all the hardware tests, reset the PSU. Everything. I concluded it must be the GPU. I took it to the Apple Store and the Genius put it through a battery of tests. He also concluded it must be a logicboard/GPU failure.
He said I'd have to send it to their repair center and pay $311 to have it fixed. It's most certainly a design flaw, and yet we have to pay to have it fixed. Sounds like a recall. You'd think a $3000 computer would last longer than 2 years of light usage. It's almost like they only give you a 1 year warranty in order to force you to pay extra for AppleCare.
I installed all the updates, fixed disk permissions, upgraded OS X, ran all the hardware tests, reset the PSU. Everything. I concluded it must be the GPU. I took it to the Apple Store and the Genius put it through a battery of tests. He also concluded it must be a logicboard/GPU failure.
He said I'd have to send it to their repair center and pay $311 to have it fixed. It's most certainly a design flaw, and yet we have to pay to have it fixed. Sounds like a recall. You'd think a $3000 computer would last longer than 2 years of light usage. It's almost like they only give you a 1 year warranty in order to force you to pay extra for AppleCare.
I had it on my late 2011 MacBook Pro. It wasn't much of an issue until last year. I had the logic board replaced (out of warranty) and I've not had the problem since.
Nope the 2007-2008 pre-unibody MBP had defective Nvidia GPU's. Something to do with the transition to lead free solder.
These GPU fiasco's are probably why Apple can't wait to dump dGPU's...
Nothing to see here guys. I don't think anyone uses a 2011 MBP with ATI graphics anymore anyway? IF they do, its time to upgrade.
I had this issue with my iMac before the fix came through from AMD.
Had the Video card replaced, then the logicboard AND video card.
And then finally, after the replacement plan was implemented, AMD had shipped cards with the flaw fixed and I got one of those. The problem was fixed.
The only thing that would prevent the crashes was SMC Fan Control.
As soon as I turned it off - it would invariably go back to crashing.
This might work as a temporary solution until Apple/AMD issue a fix for the cards.
Had the Video card replaced, then the logicboard AND video card.
And then finally, after the replacement plan was implemented, AMD had shipped cards with the flaw fixed and I got one of those. The problem was fixed.
The only thing that would prevent the crashes was SMC Fan Control.
As soon as I turned it off - it would invariably go back to crashing.
This might work as a temporary solution until Apple/AMD issue a fix for the cards.