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El Capitan Public Beta broke down my Macbook Pro

M

macpt

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 8, 2015
18
20
Portugal
Hi! So I've been using Mavericks on my Macbook Pro 2011 until a few days ago. I also played some graphically intensive games on Windows like Battlefield 3. Everything was always rock solid.

These days, wanting to upgrade to Office 2016, I did a clean install of El Capitan public beta.

The first fews days worked out ok, just a few glitches here and there. But today, the screen got some graphics corruption and the system locked up. Sadly, my main work laptop never booted any system again, not even Windows. I guess my Radeon HD6490M is gone! The only way I booted El Capitan again was by removing AMD kexts from Extensions system directory.

So heed the warning, El Capitan may very well fry your gfx and kill your Mac.
 
thirdeyeopen666

thirdeyeopen666

macrumors 6502
Sep 16, 2007
460
128
This has nothing to do with 10.11. Your graphics card would have gone regardless of which OS you were running. Take it in to the Genius bar. It's possible there is an extension program that will cover the repair. If not, you'll pay something like 300 for a flat rate repair.
 
M

macpt

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 8, 2015
18
20
Portugal
The only change to the MBP was the installation of El Capitan. A lot of people complained Yosemite did the same to their Radeons. I know it's probably a factory defect, but it was TRIGGERED by El Capitan.
So beware, do NOT install this at all!
 
SlCKB0Y

SlCKB0Y

macrumors 68040
Feb 25, 2012
3,431
557
Sydney, Australia
macpt said:
The only change to the MBP was the installation of El Capitan. A lot of people complained Yosemite did the same to their Radeons. I know it's probably a factory defect, but it was TRIGGERED by El Capitan.
So beware, do NOT install this at all!
Click to expand...

Ahem, I was thinking the same thing but not about them.

Its a COINCIDENCE. C-O-I-N-C-I-D-E-N-C-E.

Pretty much every one of these MBPs dies eventually.

https://www.apple.com/au/support/macbookpro-videoissues/
 
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M

macpt

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 8, 2015
18
20
Portugal
SlCKB0Y said:
Ahem, I was thinking the same thing but not about them.

Its a COINCIDENCE. C-O-I-N-C-I-D-E-N-C-E.

Pretty much every one of these MBPs dies eventually.

https://www.apple.com/au/support/macbookpro-videoissues/
Click to expand...


Facts speak for themselves, why a bunch of you are trying to sell a spin on why my only professional laptop broke down doesn't really help repair it. I wonder what changed with Yosemite that started breaking down so many people's Radeons.

I will try to send it in for repairs at an apple authorized repair shop, and hopefully they will cover the costs, otherwise it's only good for TextEdit. I highly doubt they will recognize the video cards issue in my country in Europe, here it doesn't work like US class action suits.
 
fisherking

fisherking

macrumors G4
Jul 16, 2010
11,252
5,563
ny somewhere
your experience is your experience, this is obviously not happening to everyone. come here for help, advice...not to 'warn everyone' about something that is not universal. and getting defensive, or abusive, will only get you banned here. this is a pretty good community, use it wisely...
 
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chrfr

chrfr

macrumors G5
Jul 11, 2009
13,707
7,277
macpt said:
I highly doubt they will recognize the video cards issue in my country in Europe, here it doesn't work like US class action suits.
Click to expand...
It's not a class action suit, it's worldwide repair program, so the authorized repair center will fix it. The problems with the GPUs in these computers existed long before Yosemite. In fact, in this thread, someone believed Mavericks broke their GPU: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...phic-cards-on-macbook-pros-and-imacs.1663022/
The problem isn't specific to, or caused by, any one version of OS X. People have had problems for years with these.
 
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T5BRICK

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,314
2,391
Oregon
macpt said:
So heed the warning, El Capitan may very well fry your gfx and kill your Mac.
Click to expand...

No, it won't. An OS update cannot cause a hardware failure. You just happen to be using a laptop with a known hardware defect, and the fact that it failed is purely coincidental. Fortunately, Apple will replace the logic board under their repair extension.
 
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keysofanxiety

keysofanxiety

macrumors G3
Nov 23, 2011
9,539
25,302
macpt said:
The only change to the MBP was the installation of El Capitan. A lot of people complained Yosemite did the same to their Radeons. I know it's probably a factory defect, but it was TRIGGERED by El Capitan.
So beware, do NOT install this at all!
Click to expand...

The 2011 MBPs have issues with graphics cards failing. This is a documented issue. There's a class action lawsuit against Apple for this, and they repair units free-of-charge that have this issue. It's a known problem. It's merely a coincidence that the installation of a new OS made the issue apparent.

Also it might be beneficial not to be so patronising in future when spewing conjecture.
 
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maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
[MOD NOTE]
Closed for moderator review

The thread has been reopened. Please keep the discussion civil, debate the topic, do not attack/flame the posters.
 
Last edited:
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Mindinversion

Mindinversion

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2008
357
129
Yea, I'd definitely be looking at long term usage and temps on this one. It's possible that there was enough wear and tear on the card that, when updated with a new set of drivers, The resulting performance changes pushed the card over the edge. That's not the fault of the OS, and the above scenario is a huge stretch, but it is POSSIBLE. I've said for YEARS that the temps that Apple GPUs are typically exposed to are WAY too high for continued usage.

[with the exception of the 2014 Macbook Pro 750m and the RiMac i5 with the 290x, both of which SURPRISINGLY run under 70c -- at least the ones I own do. Watching that MbP stay at 65c during marathon handbrake transcoding sessions absolutely startled the heck out of me]
 
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throAU

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,198
7,351
Perth, Western Australia
macpt said:
The only change to the MBP was the installation of El Capitan. A lot of people complained Yosemite did the same to their Radeons. I know it's probably a factory defect, but it was TRIGGERED by El Capitan.
So beware, do NOT install this at all!
Click to expand...

You don't know it was triggered by anything. Just because you changed your OS, doesn't mean that it may not have happened under the previous OS at the same time.

That said, running pre-release software you get what you get.
 
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M

macpt

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 8, 2015
18
20
Portugal
Mindinversion said:
Yea, I'd definitely be looking at long term usage and temps on this one. It's possible that there was enough wear and tear on the card that, when updated with a new set of drivers, The resulting performance changes pushed the card over the edge. That's not the fault of the OS, and the above scenario is a huge stretch, but it is POSSIBLE. I've said for YEARS that the temps that Apple GPUs are typically exposed to are WAY too high for continued usage.

[with the exception of the 2014 Macbook Pro 750m and the RiMac i5 with the 290x, both of which SURPRISINGLY run under 70c -- at least the ones I own do. Watching that MbP stay at 65c during marathon handbrake transcoding sessions absolutely startled the heck out of me]
Click to expand...

Well yeah that's clearly the most likely scenario. The Radeons fried by El Capitan public beta installation are piling on reddit.com right now, so warning has been given to all fellow Mac users. As for the patently sad and shocking replies given by a few on this thread, they shall wither away in irrelevance.
 
fisherking

fisherking

macrumors G4
Jul 16, 2010
11,252
5,563
ny somewhere
macpt said:
Well yeah that's clearly the most likely scenario. The Radeons fried by El Capitan public beta installation are piling on reddit.com right now, so warning has been given to all fellow Mac users. As for the patently sad and shocking replies given by a few on this thread, they shall wither away in irrelevance.
Click to expand...

where on reddit? not on the el capitan forum...? anyway, you're right, and everyone else here is wrong... :cool:
 
Apple_Robert

Apple_Robert

Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
35,649
52,437
In a van down by the river
macpt said:
Well yeah that's clearly the most likely scenario. The Radeons fried by El Capitan public beta installation are piling on reddit.com right now, so warning has been given to all fellow Mac users. As for the patently sad and shocking replies given by a few on this thread, they shall wither away in irrelevance.
Click to expand...
Your Mac had components in it, that were defective to begin with. As others have already noted, El Capitan did not bring damage to your Mac. It simply revealed a flaw that was already there, and one that was going to surface at any time under El Capitan, Yosemite, or Mavericks.

Instead of traversing around the internet posting a warning for Mac users to not install El Capitan, it would behoove you to focus on the core problem (hardware) of your Mac, which isn't the OS.

Yelling fire in a crowded building, just because you can, is not a wise thing to do, especially when your voice is founded in logical fallacy and denial.

There are good people on this forum. And many of them have been trying (politely I might add) to point out the clarity and truth of the situation, so that you will be a better informed Mac consumer. And instead of being thankful for the help offered, you wield your bellicose sword at any who dare to help you, or call into question the error of your supposition.
 
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M

macpt

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 8, 2015
18
20
Portugal
fisherking said:
where on reddit? not on the el capitan forum...? anyway, you're right, and everyone else here is wrong... :cool:
Click to expand...

Oh boy, you guys keep coming, what is hard to understand in my posts or in "Mindinversion" accurate description that shamed the incredule replies above ?

What is an el capitan forum ?! Since you asked about reddit, and actual MBP users might be undeterred due to the noise in this thread (such as misguided BasicGreatGuy above) here are the other Radeons burned by El Capitan beta that I found in minutes:

https://www.reddit.com/r/osx/comments/392v2g/beta_testing_os_x_1011_el_capitan/csyl055
https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp_...bp_early_2011_hangs_midboot_after_el_capitan/
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/3db8fw/el_capitan_public_beta_fried_my_macbook_pro_2011/

You're welcome.

Now I will leave you to it, deface the thread however you see fit.
 
fisherking

fisherking

macrumors G4
Jul 16, 2010
11,252
5,563
ny somewhere
macpt said:
Oh boy, you guys keep coming, what is hard to understand in my posts or in "Mindinversion" accurate description that shamed the incredule replies above ?

What is an el capitan forum ?! Since you asked about reddit, and actual MBP users might be undeterred due to the noise in this thread (such as misguided BasicGreatGuy above) here are the other Radeons burned by El Capitan beta that I found in minutes:

https://www.reddit.com/r/osx/comments/392v2g/beta_testing_os_x_1011_el_capitan/csyl055
https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp_...bp_early_2011_hangs_midboot_after_el_capitan/
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/3db8fw/el_capitan_public_beta_fried_my_macbook_pro_2011/

You're welcome.

Now I will leave you to it, deface the thread however you see fit.
Click to expand...

just to be clear...your replies are all good, but everyone else's 'deface the thread'? and, altho there's no discussion about the issue on the reddit el capitan forum, i checked out your links, and at least 3 people are having the problem (is one of them you?).

regardless, good manners works well here. and an issue isn't universal unless literally everyone has it.
 
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