
GPU glitches in 2016 MacBook Pro models - binaryapparatus
https://9to5mac.com/2016/11/25/2016-macbook-pro-gpu-problems-glitches/
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lsllc
Wouldn't be a MacBook Pro if it didn't have some kind of GPU problem.

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krackers
Why is it that the GPU always seems to be the failure point on mac notebooks?
I've personally experienced the external gpu on the 2010, 2011, and 2014
models all fail right around the 3 year mark.

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superdude
The integrated MBP models seem to be a bit more reliable and run cooler. Too
bad you can't get a 15" without a discrete GPU anymore.

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boulos
You can always force the power settings into keeping the discrete GPU off.

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WayneBro
Nobody can call the new Macbook Pro "best in class" when they don't even ship
with the best in class GPUs from Nvidia.

These machines are essentially build beautiful traps. So, please don't give
Apple your money. You don't need the most recent Macbook Pro. Just wait 6
months and buy a used one. Please don't support a company that actively works
against you in order to secure their infamous 40% profit margin for doing
nothing more than severely limiting your choices.

I always buy used or third-party refurbished Apple equipment and I avoid
buying apps from either of their app stores. I hope you do the same.

~~~
spronkey
Ten years ago, I was a staunch Apple fan. I liked their product line-up - it
was simple, easy to understand, and the products were good. If you needed
power, you bought a Pro. If you needed value, you bought the non-pro. Both
sides had good parts, were generally well built, repairable, and at the time
used standard stuff. The OS was improving at a rate of knots as well.

Some time in the last 5 years, I've gone from being a big fan, to really not
liking Apple much at all. Primarily because they've gone back to their older
attitudes toward standardised parts; they've removed user-serviceability on
batteries, memory, storage, yet haven't offered any real concessions to their
_ridiculously_ expensive upgrade prices.

Their non-US pricing is infuriating, too. With current currency conversion
rates, the base MacBook Pro is $250 USD more expensive in New Zealand _after
all taxes are taken into account_ than it is in the USA, and it only gets
worse from there.

Computers do not need to be disposable appliances. The used market for Macs is
awful now, flooded with 2GB/64GB MacBook Airs that are near useless, and 128GB
storage on the lower end rMBPs with only expensive custom third party upgrades
available from OWC or Transcend putting a premium on the more spec'd out
models.

In the past, you could just buy whatever used (or new) Mac is approximately
right for your needs, and fill it to the brim with RAM and a fast SSD when you
needed to. I got 3 usable years out of my 2006 MacBook, 4 usable years out of
my 2008 MacBook Pro, and only 1.5 years out of my 2013 15" rMBP. At the time,
it was already just over the limit for my work machine budget, and I had to
retire it due to needing more RAM. I'm quite positive I would still be using
it today had I been able to upgrade it. But instead I bought a second hand
MacBook Air for iOS development and put up with Linux and Windows on an Ivy
Bridge-E desktop that I could only use properly half the time.

Many things they've been doing recently have been actively hostile to users
with basically no legitimate recourse. Pentalobe screws? Bricking iPhones with
third party home buttons? Limiting availability of genuine parts, causing
Chinese counterfeit market flooding? _Multiple_ proprietary SSD blade card
formats that are essentially pin swaps of existing standards? _Glueing_
batteries? Lightning instead of USB?

It might be semi alright if you live in the USA near an Apple Store, and can
take advantage of some of their better policies, but the point is that they
don't need to do any of this stuff in the first place.

~~~
pier25
Same here. I live in Mexico and the pricing situation is just ridiculous. We
are paying 20-25% more than in the US.

Not only for buying the products themselves, but also for the repairs which
are way more expensive. When all the 2011 MBP GPU fiasco I was asked for $1500
when in the US Apple asked for about $300 for the exact same repair.

I've been with Apple for over a decade and just bought a Surface Book. Windows
is not perfect, but Microsoft is doing all the right choices lately and Apple
only produces eye rolls.

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jeffhiggins
For modern Macs, this seems like expected behaviour. My 2012 MacBook Pro and
my late 2014 5k iMac regularly glitch out like this.

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SyneRyder
I assume by 2012 MBP you mean the Retina model? I've never experienced
anything like this on my mid-2012 non-Retina MBP. (Hard drive issues, yes, but
not video glitches.)

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elcct
At least those glitches look professional

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Caballera
I purchase one (MBP 15). I did have some issues when using a external video
card adapter (using DisplayLink drivers) that was then plugged into a USB2 hub
that was then plugged into a USB-C to USB adapter. But since removing the
driver (and the video card adapter), I haven't had any issues.

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TTPrograms
2011 all over again, I guess.

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pier25
The 2011 was worse since it happened after the warranty expired. At least now
people can still get a refund or use Apple Care.

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the_mitsuhiko
What's worse is the battery life. It's ridiculously bad :-/

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qyv
Source?

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the_mitsuhiko
Me using it, collegues using it. It's not good st all for the workload i
usually have.

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dictum
Hijacking the thread: was the cause of the GPU glitch with mid 2011 iMacs
([https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203787](https://support.apple.com/en-
us/HT203787)) ever determined?

Mine had this problem. I've been obsessive about keeping all temperature
readings below 50C ever since it came back from repair.

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imaginenore
That's horrible PR for AMD, whether it's their fault or not.

I don't really care about Apple losing some money over this, they are
ridiculously rich, they will be fine. AMD, on the other hand, is the only
company that forces the CPU and GPU prices down. Though recently they have
fallen quite far behind Intel.

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AmVess
This is a bit naive.

AMD hasn't been competitive with Intel for almost a decade...there's nothing
recent about that.

AMD doesn't keep Intel's prices down, the market does.

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nindalf
> AMD doesn't keep Intel's prices down, the market does.

This is a reductionist view. For the market to bring those prices down, there
need to be at least 2 manufacturers of the same product who are not colluding.
If AMD went under and closed down, the market that you have faith in would not
magically create more companies manufacturing x86 components. This is because
only Intel and AMD have the patents and the licenses to patents required to
manufacture them. It's possible that someone would salvage those patents and
licenses from AMD and try competing with Intel... but what sane person would
do so after seeing AMD try and fail to do so for a decade.

In short, AMD's continued survival and success is required for a healthy x86
market.

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shad0wca7
As a side issue to the current crop of first-adopter issues (I'll wait till
this model is on its second generation - then I'm sure it will be a great
piece of kit). I was thinking about the outrage concerning the denomination of
'Pro' on these models - with people crying that they're no longer suitable for
'Pro' use but I think I've come to the conclusion that the 'Pro' user of 5
years ago is a dying breed - Apple sees a future where they no longer exist.

Think about it - music production, video editing, photo editing, graphic
design, coding.. These are all things which used to be considered extremely
difficult but have now been made easier with fantastic, accessible software.
Huge amounts of specialist hardware are no longer necessary or indeed
desirable in these fields and the new MacBook Pro recognises this - software
development (and other areas) are moving increasingly to the cloud and a huge
development machine is no longer a necessity..

I'd suspect that Apple sees the future of its products and services in the
cloud and the machines it provides will be slightly different gateways to that
future.

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rocky1138
I develop virtual reality games professionally. I cannot do that on a Mac Pro
or a Macbook Pro.

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foldr
Can you do it on any currently existing laptop that is not much heavier and
much thicker than a Macbook Pro?

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slantyyz
There are VR capable (gtx 1060) laptops around the size of the 2012 MacBook
Pros.

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foldr
Ok, could you link to one?

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emp_zealoth
Not the parent, but you could literally get off your high horse and google
"laptop gtx 1060"

I did that and had several options within 10 sec

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foldr
They tend to be 15" or 17". The new 15" Macbook Pro also has better 3D
graphics (Radeon Pro 450). It's not as fast as the gtx 1060, but it uses 35W
of power in comparison to 120W, and needs less active cooling. Apple generally
don't compromise on noise and battery life.

I'm sorry for the snarky nature of my previous comment, but in my experience,
all of the suggested alternatives require compromises which Apple are
justified in not making. I'm not sure why people think that Apple are obliged
to make laptops to suit every use case. If you just want a portable desktop,
there are plenty of other options.

