Make MacBook Pro 2011 Graphics Issue Reoccur

[ChickenSmudge]

Hello,

A couple of weeks ago my MacBook Pro 15" early 2011 started shutting itself off randomly. Sometimes it just froze with various patterns and such, indicating graphical issues. Eventually it wouldn't turn on. The sleep light indicator would turn on and stay lit and you could hear the HDD spinning, but no sign of life other than that. I tried a bunch of stuff including replacing RAM, resetting PRAM and SMC, using an external display etc. but still nothing. I figured it would be the known problem with the AMD GPU. I was honestly relieved since the repair program ends on February 27th and I'd rather have it fail now than on March 1st.

Anyways, I wanted to access my HDD without having to actually taking it out of the computer and I read that some people managed to get ⁓1 hour of access to the laptop until it crashed again if they covered their computer in a blanket and let it heat up for a bit. So I made the stupid decision to do just that. The computer still wouldn't turn on after it cooled down, but the next day it did.

The computer worked perfectly. And there's the problem. The computer is still working a week later. I've tried to kill it by stress testing it (it has now been running constantly for approximately 72 hours), as suggested by some people online, but the damn thing won't die.

I took it in to an Apple Store, but they couldn't find any problem. I talked to the technician and he said it could be discussable to maybe have it repaired free of charge if it failed after the program expired since I actually took it in before the program ended.

I doubt that the computer will run all smooth forever, should it be an issue with the AMD chip, so I'd rather have it fail now than in 6 months.

Now to my question
What is the best way to make video issues reoccur? Should I just continue stress testing the laptop? Should I limit the fan speed to create heat while stress testing it? Or should I just give up and continue using my computer as normal?

 

[CoastalOR]

What is the purpose of trying to make your MBP fail? Why go through the effort and bother when you could be enjoying life? You had the dGPU fail and a refurbished logic board installed less than a month ago. Continue using your MBP normally or sell it and get something else.

 

[ChickenSmudge]

What is the purpose of trying to make your MBP fail? Why go through the effort and bother when you could be enjoying life? You had the dGPU fail and a refurbished logic board installed less than a month ago. Continue using your MBP normally or sell it and get something else.

No, that's the thing. It wasn't replaced. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.
I want to be able to trust my laptop. Selling it to someone else would be just like selling them a machine with a ticking clock. In other words: Not right.

 

[CoastalOR]

No, that's the thing. It wasn't replaced. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.
I want to be able to trust my laptop. Selling it to someone else would be just like selling them a machine with a ticking clock. In other words: Not right.

My mistake, I did not read carefully enough. You can still sell it with full disclosure.

I would personally not continue to waste time trying to make it fail just to get a refurbished logic board before the extended repair program ends. The replacement logic board could fail again in the near future or not. There have been quite a few threads on MacRumors discussing this problem with some people having the replacement board failing sooner than later.

My sig shows I had my dGPU fail recently and the logic board replaced by Apple. The repaired MBP seems to works well. I do not trust it, so it is now a backup computer.

 

[j1104638]

You could try installing Windows through BootCamp (don't forget to set it up not to enable screensaver or go to sleep) and simultaneously launching Prime95 with large FFTs and GpuTest with FurMark on ultra settings there. This will stress the laptop the most AFAIK, stable ~90 degrees Celsius with fans all out and not being able to get charged. If this does not fail it in several hours, then probably all might be ok with it.

Now if you really want to fail it no matter what (BEWARE, Apple guys might find this out and deny the repair, do it on your own risk, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED), you might try half closing the lid (30-40 degrees instead of 90) - this stops the air flow, temperature rises to 100 degrees C and laptop ceases to work. Hard reset is necessary to launch it. (YOU'RE DOING IT ON YOUR OWN RISK! THIS MIGHT BACKFIRE!) Repeat until broken.

Or you might leave it with the lid slightly closed (like 60-70 degrees instead of 90) - this will make it 93 degrees C. Install temperature monitor and see how much closing the lid affects temperature. Find the biggest temperature which can be sustained long and leave it this way. Might break as well in some hours or days. ON YOUR OWN RISK.

Haven't done it myself to this extent but noticed the described behaviour recently.

You'd better backup before you do.

 

[jimmie32]

You could try installing Windows through BootCamp (don't forget to set it up not to enable screensaver or go to sleep) and simultaneously launching Prime95 with large FFTs and GpuTest with FurMark on ultra settings there. This will stress the laptop the most AFAIK, stable ~90 degrees Celsius with fans all out and not being able to get charged. If this does not fail it in several hours, then probably all might be ok with it.

Now if you really want to fail it no matter what (BEWARE, Apple guys might find this out and deny the repair, do it on your own risk, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED), you might try half closing the lid (30-40 degrees instead of 90) - this stops the air flow, temperature rises to 100 degrees C and laptop ceases to work. Hard reset is necessary to launch it. (YOU'RE DOING IT ON YOUR OWN RISK! THIS MIGHT BACKFIRE!) Repeat until broken.

Or you might leave it with the lid slightly closed (like 60-70 degrees instead of 90) - this will make it 93 degrees C. Install temperature monitor and see how much closing the lid affects temperature. Find the biggest temperature which can be sustained long and leave it this way. Might break as well in some hours or days. ON YOUR OWN RISK.

Haven't done it myself to this extent but noticed the described behaviour recently.

You'd better backup before you do.

It seems like the recent OS X versions (or the firmware) heavily throttles the GPU after it reaches anywhere near 80 degrees C, and then performance slows to a crawl so the heat doesn't go up either. It seems to be a way by Apple to avoid the problem from manifesting itself within the recall period (sounds like conspiracy though...)

I wasn't able to raise GPU temps any higher than 80 degrees C using any kind of graphics benchmark or stress test.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

No, that's the thing. It wasn't replaced. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.
I want to be able to trust my laptop. Selling it to someone else would be just like selling them a machine with a ticking clock. In other words: Not right.

Many report repeat failure after the "fix" by Apple, you will not be able to trust it again, if you can get it replaced it'll have a 90 day guarantee that's it. If it fails in that time it'll be fixed again but you just have to face facts your computer is on its way out it may last a few months it may last a year but at coming up 5 years old with no warranty you would be in the same situation whatever the GPU situation was, any piece of electronic equipment can fail at any time few for any one or many of thousands of reasons.

No computer is trustworthy at any age and the older they get the more likely they are to fail. When you have a warranty you can always get it fixed but if you want computer security you need enough funds to replace what you have when the warranty ends simple as that.

 

[jimmie32]

Many report repeat failure after the "fix" by Apple, you will not be able to trust it again, if you can get it replaced it'll have a 90 day guarantee that's it. If it fails in that time it'll be fixed again but you just have to face facts your computer is on its way out it may last a few months it may last a year but at coming up 5 years old with no warranty you would be in the same situation whatever the GPU situation was, any piece of electronic equipment can fail at any time few for any one or many of thousands of reasons.

No computer is trustworthy at any age and the older they get the more likely they are to fail. When you have a warranty you can always get it fixed but if you want computer security you need enough funds to replace what you have when the warranty ends simple as that.

With the recall program ending on the 27th internationally, if there are any doubts about the GPU, it's always a safer bet to take it in and get a "repair". Even if the repair does not directly address the problem, it essentially gives you 90 days of warranty on the Logic Board, which might give you more headroom for using it / selling it.