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> When did MacBooks became famous for "bad solder joints"? There has been more[1] than one[2] case where GPUs in MBPs stopped working because of bad solder joi

> When did MacBooks became famous for "bad solder joints"? There has been more[1] than one[2] case where GPUs in MBPs stopped working because of bad solder joints. And ifixit has a guide about how to fix your mac by putting it in the oven[3] to reflow the solder joints. 1: https://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/product_info.php?products_id=813 https://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/product_info.php?product... 2: https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/ https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/ 3: https://ifixit.org/blog/6882/why-i-drilled-holes-in-my-macbook-pro-and-put-it-in-the-oven/ https://ifixit.org/blog/6882/why-i-drilled-holes-in-my-macbo...

slantyyz 8y ago
I had one of those problematic 2011 MBPs, and reballing/reflowing/baking was only a band-aid. For many users, the issue was known to recur after implementing the fix. Even for the eventual repair order, Apple stuck in the same logic board with the same parts. I think the main difference was that those logic boards throttled the CPU to run cooler. That early 2011 Macbook Pro was the first laptop I ever had (by any manufacturer) that died. I was lucky I still had the MBP around by the time Apple issued the repair order. I was able to swap out my dead logic board and eventually unload the laptop.
- linuxlizard 8y ago
  I had one of those problem units, too. After a lot of back and forth, Apple swapped the main board. I had no subsequent problems. Yay, Applecare.
  - slantyyz 8y ago
    My AppleCare had lapsed the time it died. The logic board was already replaced once while it was under Applecare, and maybe 3 months after the first logic board replacement, the GPU flickering issues started recurring. At that point, I didn't have the board replaced again under AppleCare because it was clear they were going to replace the logic board with one that for all intents and purposes, had the same design (?) defect.
scarejunba 8y ago
That was an nvidia problem. All their laptop chips were affected that were in one family. Dell replaced my motherboard four times over it. If MacBooks are famous for it, so are all laptops with an nvidia gpu.
- danShumway 8y ago
  To be fair, most of those other laptops aren't made by a company that's famous for meticulously stressing details and restricting hardware configurations so that consumers won't need to research or worry about internals. The PC vs Mac hardware dichotomy is best summed up as, "Apple gives you less choice so that they can exercise more quality control."
  - oceanswave 8y ago
    That PC vs Mac dichotomy really doesn’t carry into pre-built PCs and definitely not into pre-built laptops and other portables. Both have a responsibility for quality control.
    - danShumway 8y ago
      I agree in principle, but there is still a difference here. Dell sells way more PCs (in much more varied configurations) than Apple does. They're generally more repairable, and they're generally cheaper. They're also willing to let you max out specs and build weird configurations; configurations that arguably don't always make much sense. That range means they also sell a few objectively cruddy laptops, so you need to be careful and read reviews and do comparisons before you buy. Apple positions itself as different from those companies. The comparison I'm making above isn't something that only self-building PC nerds understand; the same explanation is what I give to regular consumers who are trying to decide whether to go with Windows or Mac - people who will never try to build their own stuff. "Should I buy a Windows PC or a Mac?" "Do you want to spend a lot of time researching brands, reading reviews, and thinking about hardware specs?" I think the point still stands that Apple is positioning itself in a different category than companies like Dell. If not, I'm gonna have some complaints about that $3K price tag. The closest comparison is something like the Microsoft Surface - an expensive, premium device, with low repairability and configuration options, but (theoretically) increased reliability with a streamlined experience that "just works" out of the box. When the Surface line has problems, I put more blame on Microsoft than I would put on a company like Dell in an equivalent situation.
coldtea 8y ago
>There has been more[1] than one[2] case where GPUs in MBPs stopped working because of bad solder joints More than one case in 20+ millions units sold? I'm not sure that qualifies as "famous for".

slantyyz 8y ago

I had one of those problematic 2011 MBPs, and reballing/reflowing/baking was only a band-aid. For many users, the issue was known to recur after implementing the fix. Even for the eventual repair order, Apple stuck in the same logic board with the same parts. I think the main difference was that those logic boards throttled the CPU to run cooler. That early 2011 Macbook Pro was the first laptop I ever had (by any manufacturer) that died. I was lucky I still had the MBP around by the time Apple issued the repair order. I was able to swap out my dead logic board and eventually unload the laptop.

linuxlizard 8y ago
I had one of those problem units, too. After a lot of back and forth, Apple swapped the main board. I had no subsequent problems. Yay, Applecare.
- slantyyz 8y ago
  My AppleCare had lapsed the time it died. The logic board was already replaced once while it was under Applecare, and maybe 3 months after the first logic board replacement, the GPU flickering issues started recurring. At that point, I didn't have the board replaced again under AppleCare because it was clear they were going to replace the logic board with one that for all intents and purposes, had the same design (?) defect.

scarejunba 8y ago

That was an nvidia problem. All their laptop chips were affected that were in one family. Dell replaced my motherboard four times over it. If MacBooks are famous for it, so are all laptops with an nvidia gpu.

danShumway 8y ago
To be fair, most of those other laptops aren't made by a company that's famous for meticulously stressing details and restricting hardware configurations so that consumers won't need to research or worry about internals. The PC vs Mac hardware dichotomy is best summed up as, "Apple gives you less choice so that they can exercise more quality control."
- oceanswave 8y ago
  That PC vs Mac dichotomy really doesn’t carry into pre-built PCs and definitely not into pre-built laptops and other portables. Both have a responsibility for quality control.
  - danShumway 8y ago
    I agree in principle, but there is still a difference here. Dell sells way more PCs (in much more varied configurations) than Apple does. They're generally more repairable, and they're generally cheaper. They're also willing to let you max out specs and build weird configurations; configurations that arguably don't always make much sense. That range means they also sell a few objectively cruddy laptops, so you need to be careful and read reviews and do comparisons before you buy. Apple positions itself as different from those companies. The comparison I'm making above isn't something that only self-building PC nerds understand; the same explanation is what I give to regular consumers who are trying to decide whether to go with Windows or Mac - people who will never try to build their own stuff. "Should I buy a Windows PC or a Mac?" "Do you want to spend a lot of time researching brands, reading reviews, and thinking about hardware specs?" I think the point still stands that Apple is positioning itself in a different category than companies like Dell. If not, I'm gonna have some complaints about that $3K price tag. The closest comparison is something like the Microsoft Surface - an expensive, premium device, with low repairability and configuration options, but (theoretically) increased reliability with a streamlined experience that "just works" out of the box. When the Surface line has problems, I put more blame on Microsoft than I would put on a company like Dell in an equivalent situation.

coldtea 8y ago

>There has been more[1] than one[2] case where GPUs in MBPs stopped working because of bad solder joints More than one case in 20+ millions units sold? I'm not sure that qualifies as "famous for".