Apple remains mum as complaints mount over 2011 MacBook Pro GPU failures

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2015
With an increasing number of early-2011 MacBook Pros suffering from what appears to be similar issues relating to built-in discrete AMD video cards, owners are now calling for a replacement program.


Screenshot of MacBook Pro graphics issue. | Source: Apple Support Communities forum member "Andy_Gee"


As AppleInsider first reported in October, a significant number of early-2011 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro owners saw system crashes and graphics failures seemingly related to the laptops' discrete AMD-built GPUs. A follow-up report in January found an escalation of reported problems with one Apple Support Communities thread covering 157 pages with 206,237 views and 2,348 replies.

It seems the problem is getting worse. Now being referred to as a "club," the group of users affected by the apparent hardware malfunction is growing by the day.

As of this writing the main discussion thread regarding 2011 MacBook Pro GPU-related issues has swollen to 338 pages with a massive 538,585 views and 5,061 replies. The latest entries are dated May 13 and come from the U.S., UK, the Netherlands and Japan.

While Apple has yet to officially respond to affected MacBook Pro owners, some have found luck in taking their faulty computer in for service. During the extended AppleCare Protection Plan period, which is quickly approaching its three-year limit, some customers were able to get their logic board swapped out. The procedure is reportedly hit-or-miss as there is no official standing order to replace the part, though unconfirmed reports claim a few specialists have said the problem is known to Apple. In any case, instead of paying the price to switch out the component, some users have chosen to simply abandon the laptop as broken.

With no response from Apple, affected owners have started a Change.org petition addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi in the hopes of shining a light on what they call a "manufacturing defect." The petition has 2,726 signatures of a required 5,000.

Apple has in the past issued product recalls and initiated replacement programs for malfunctioning parts. Last August, for example, the company opened up replacements for certain mid-2011 iMac models that shipped with faulty video cards. Coincidentally, a variation of the component -- AMD's Radeon HD 6970M -- happens to be one of the GPUs early-2011 MacBook Pro owners are finding defective in their computers.



Symptoms usually present themselves during graphics-intensive operations like watching high-definition video, editing large photos in pro-level apps or merely running computation-heavy operations. Many users see their screen go blank unexpectedly, while others have experienced visual artifacts and banding indicative of a GPU failure.

A number of forum users have seen constant system reboots that arrive at a blue or gray screen upon restart. Apple's own documentation suggests that restarting an affected Mac in Safe Mode or resetting NVRAM/PRAM will solve this particular problem. In severe cases, a clean install of OS X is recommended.

Temporary workarounds have been suggested, but few have had lasting impact. For example, owners have seen success in rebooting to single user mode and performing a fsck to check and repair possibly corrupted files sometimes works, while forcing an affected MacBook Pro to use its Intel integrated graphics chip also helps for a short time. After extended usage, however, most systems revert to an inoperable state.

AppleInsider has reached out to Apple for comment and will update when a response is received.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 140
    rosujinrosujin Posts: 42member
    I have the same issue with my early '11 MBP. Gotta check the status of my AppleCare warranty.
  • Reply 2 of 140
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    Apple communications practice: measure twice, cut once.
  • Reply 3 of 140
    My MBP 17" has not seen a problem that I can point to yet. It does seem to slow down substantially for no apparent reason -- without the CPU, network, disk, or memory stats showing even moderate use.

    Because it is a 17" model, and I need that size, I cannot simply write it off and buy a replacement machine from Apple.
  • Reply 4 of 140
    hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by rosujin View Post



    I have the same issue with my early '11 MBP. Gotta check the status of my AppleCare warranty.

     

    Ditto. I've already be burned once by Apple's GPU failures (Nvidia 8600M GT).

  • Reply 5 of 140
    bclemansbclemans Posts: 1member
    I had my hard disk replaced 4 times and logic board 1 time to have it finally fixed!

    1st visit (9/13): Took it to Burlingame, CA store - was told need to replace hard disk on site. Paid ~$200 (my warranty expired)

    2nd visit: Picked up laptop, went home, restored my stuff and crashed again. Took it back to Burlingame store - was told: "probably just bad luck with a bad hard disk replacement", replaced another hard disk on site. No charge.

    3rd visit: Picked up laptop, went home, restored my stuff and crashed yet again. Took it to Stanford, CA store (just happen to be able to get a Genius appt there). Told my story. Genius said let's sent back to the factory. Told to pay a one time fee of ~$250 (when I pick it up) to get in fixed or until it get fixed. I researched in forum and figured it is probably either the AMD card or just a bad hard disk cable. So related my 2 cents to the Genius.

    4th visit: Factory replaced AMD card, hard disk cable and hard disk. I told Genius that I already paid for the hard disk once and Apple should waive the $250 fee. The manager waived the fee (great service). Took it home, restored everything and crashed once again!

    5th visit: Genius said she happens to have that specific hard disk in store, told me it will only take 15 minutes to swap it out and said I should give it a go. If it doesn't work, she is more than happy to send it to the factory again. So I let her replace just the hard disk.

    It has been working since 10/13.
  • Reply 6 of 140
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    This is one area I wish all companies were more transparent.
  • Reply 7 of 140
    ajbdtc826ajbdtc826 Posts: 190member
    This was my exact issue with my 2010. I talked to Apple for months about it and finally they admitted it was a lemon. Turns out, it wasn't the only one, huh? I'm not sure what the guts are between mine and the 11 but whatever the common denominator is, there's the issue.
  • Reply 8 of 140
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    hentaiboy wrote: »
    Ditto. I've already be burned once by Apple's GPU failures (Nvidia 8600M GT).
    It isn't Apple failure, but rather the GPU manufactures that design and run chips right at the limits of the process technology. GPUs just are not reliable. Think about it a bit, why did Apple under clock the GPUs in the new Mac Pro? I'm willing to state that reliability was a big factor.

    While not the same thing my MBP from 2008 is also showing signs of a GPU failure. In this case the internal display seems to loose every other column. It could be LCD related as external displays work fine. Sadly things are much better in the PC world.

    I wish this wasn't the case bu the fact is video cards go bad frequently.
  • Reply 9 of 140
    disturbiadisturbia Posts: 563member

    Those are so ancient MacBooks. It's not Apple's fault. Come on folks. Upgrade! Upgrade!

    P.S. Joking! Joking! Joking! :smokey:

  • Reply 10 of 140
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    This is one area I wish all companies were more transparent.
    Unfortunately it can't happen in the USA. If you don't have all your ducks in a row some lawyer will take a public comment as policy or a sign of a defective part an sue to no end. Basically nothing can be said publicly until the problem is identified and an official solution planned. Otherwise every creepy lawyer out to make a buck tears into you using any public comments as fodder for his legal cannon.
  • Reply 11 of 140
    aussiepaulaussiepaul Posts: 144member
    Apple should just instigate three years of defects warranty across all it's computer products, except maybe the Airs to maintain a low end price competition...
  • Reply 12 of 140
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    disturbia wrote: »
    Those are so ancient MacBooks. It's not Apple's fault. Come on folks. Upgrade! Upgrade!
    [SIZE=9px]P.S. Joking! Joking! Joking! [/SIZE]:smokey:
    Actually my 2008 is ancient, I'm just not ready to up grade. Hoping for something next generation real soon.
  • Reply 13 of 140
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    wizard69 wrote: »
    Unfortunately it can't happen in the USA. If you don't have all your ducks in a row some lawyer will take a public comment as policy or a sign of a defective part an sue to no end. Basically nothing can be said publicly until the problem is identified and an official solution planned. Otherwise every creepy lawyer out to make a buck tears into you using any public comments as fodder for his legal cannon.

    Good point, and that's sad.
  • Reply 14 of 140
    beltsbearbeltsbear Posts: 314member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Disturbia View Post

     

    Those are so ancient MacBooks. It's not Apple's fault. Come on folks. Upgrade! Upgrade!

    P.S. Joking! Joking! Joking! :smokey:




    If a 2011 Macbook will not last to 2014 I don't think that user will buy another Apple product.  Lets face it, Apple products are premium products.  They should last.

     

    PS - My 2011 Macbook pro is currently working fine. 

  • Reply 15 of 140
    frankeedfrankeed Posts: 15member
    I'm on my 3rd logic board. The first one failed after 2.5 years, the second one after 6 months (probably because they used an old board as a replacement. Fortunately they were both replaced under AppleCare. However, I'm now without AppleCare or a repair warranty and am concerned about how long it is until my 3rd board fails.
  • Reply 16 of 140
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by waldobushman View Post



    My MBP 17" has not seen a problem that I can point to yet. It does seem to slow down substantially for no apparent reason -- without the CPU, network, disk, or memory stats showing even moderate use.



    Because it is a 17" model, and I need that size, I cannot simply write it off and buy a replacement machine from Apple.

    Severe slowdowns can actually be the result of overheating caused by dust accumulated in the heat sinks and fan ducts.

    Open up the computer and clean everything up with a compressed air can. Pay particular attention to the fans and fan blades.

    It can make a dramatic difference, and at the very least it's worth a try.

  • Reply 17 of 140
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by LordJohnWhorfin View Post

     

    Severe slowdowns can actually be the result of overheating caused by dust accumulated in the heat sinks and fan ducts.

    Open up the computer and clean everything up with a compressed air can. Pay particular attention to the fans and fan blades.

    It can make a dramatic difference, and at the very least it's worth a try.


    Opening up a unibody MacBook Pro is easier said than done...

  • Reply 18 of 140
    disturbiadisturbia Posts: 563member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post





    Actually my 2008 is ancient, I'm just not ready to up grade. Hoping for something next generation real soon.

    It's not ancient. It's a symbol of beauty and class.

     

    On the same note, I see a top of the line MacBook late 2014 in your future ;)

  • Reply 19 of 140
    disturbiadisturbia Posts: 563member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by BeltsBear View Post

     



    If a 2011 Macbook will not last to 2014 I don't think that user will buy another Apple product.  Lets face it, Apple products are premium products.  They should last.

     

    PS - My 2011 Macbook pro is currently working fine. 


    Agreed. You are absolutely correct.

     

    And, I am sure Apple will do something about this as they've done in the past and many times.

  • Reply 20 of 140
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    Apple should just replace them all, no hassle. That would be the right thing to do.

    Apple has to be extremely careful about admitting fault, however, because that is ringing the dinner bell for class action lawyers who will advertise on late-night TV like [I]"have you or someone you love been experiencing difficulty reading text on a MacBook Pro? Does the screen look like a bunch of lines that don't look like the Mac desktop? Then you may be a victim of MacBook Pro graphics card failure syndrome and entitled to relief. Apple Inc. has admitted a flaw in their graphics hardware. Call the toll free number on your screen to speak to the lawyers of Bagum, Tagum and Billum. There is no obligation."[/I]
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