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MBP 1,1-10,2 GPU Kernel Panic in mid-2010; what's the best fix?

Guys, do not worry too much about software hacks, just solder in a new capacitor and you will be fine! I got the unused capacitor from Volker (many thanks btw!) to do that, and GPU switching is working again ever since (including Cinebench and External Screen). Still to be seen whether it reverts to faulty state later on: I had the GPU und Video ram replaced last year as this was the suggested fix then- only to find that it reverted some 2-3 months after the replacement to the faulty state again. Probably the heat of re-soldering temporarily "fixed" the capacitor or so. But anyway, I am optimistic now.
Many thanks to all who found out and have been testing these fixes. Our machines are far too good to be thrown away. And to be thrown away because of this ridiculously cheap capacitor - this is the sad part of the story. Some geeks fix it - the rest is going with workarounds or just buy new. Sad enough, Apple, that you never found out the real cause(s) for the GPU mess with the (but not only the) 2010 MBP 15, or did not bother to let us know, and that you never had the cool to just say, hey, it is just this crappy capacitor and we will fix this for you anytime for free. Because this is what I would expect from the most profitable company on earth selling really great products.
 
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I'm interested in replacing the capacitor in a friend's 2010 MBP. Would this work: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lot-of-2-Pan...613266?hash=item1a17554292:g:aZoAAOSw3ydVjWd1 ?

I'm not sure as it says it's rated for 2v:

EEF-SD0D331MR

Capacitance: 330uF
Tolerance: 20%
Voltage Rating: 2V
ESR: 7 mOhms
Operating Temp Range: - 40 C to + 105 C
Package / Case: 7343-31
Dimensions: 4.3mm W x 7.3mm L x 2.8mm H
Dissipation Factor DF: 0.06
Ripple Current: 3.5A
 
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iMacC2D said:
Had the same issues with my 15-inch Mid 2010 machine. The repair extension program had since expired and because the machine had entered vintage status, replacement parts were no longer available.

I'd already bought soldering tools to repair a Mid 2009 MacBook Pro, so I decided to have a shot at changing the troubled capacitor. Problem solved. Not the easiest repair in the world but it would be a straightforward job for an electronics repairer or anyone skilled with a soldering iron.

This would be the better solution for anyone that isn't content with a temporary software fix, boots between multiple operating systems or needs the use of the higher powered graphics hardware.

C9560.jpg
Click to expand...
hi...i got a MBP 15'' which had this kinda kernel GPU problem... i tried to fix it by aplying this solution of replacing the malfunctioning capacitor... it eventually solved the problem of constants restarts..
but after two days it started to get stuck on processor while i'm workin or surffing on the internet...unable even to shutdown normaly so i have to force shutdown by pressing power button.
So i wanna know if your mac had this kind of issues when you replaced the mulfunction capacitor.
and i'd appreciate if u could share any solution about my mac problem.
please help.
 
Just wanted to provide an update for my mid-2010 i5 15" MBP.

I had the capacitor replaced with an aluminium capacitor for $76 CAD. Before I left the shop, I ran the cinebench 15 test with a clean installation of 10.12.6 and it finished without any panic.

I'll test it over a few days but I think the MBP will be good for a couple of more years.

I actually bought this i5 MBP for parts but decided to try and make use of it since it did boot and everything worked. I was happy until I discovered the panic issue. I bought it for $65 CAD without a charger and hard drive. Add in the cost of the capacitor replacement and the total cost was only $141 CAD. A bargain in my opinion for a functional mid-2010 15".

I want to thank everyone for helping me with this issue.
 
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I just replaced my Cap, (the kext solution did work, but somehow re-setted once in a while and I had to re-apply it).

The following Cap was used (requires scratching the PC board a bit) and seems to work well so far, zero crashes
https://www.digikey.fr/product-deta...c-components/EEF-CX0D331R/PCE4275CT-ND/816445

It was a bit difficult to get the old Cap off, be sure to use a solder iron that can heat up well and don't use a tip that is too small. I also added some more solder to both sides of the old Cap, this helped to maintain the heat while switching quickly from one contact to the other to keep the solder points liquid.

At the same time I did a nice clean out of the whole board as well as replace the thermal paste on the CPU and Graphics chip, Apple really did a terrible job!!
I live in France, if anyone in surrounding countries wants a Cap, let me know, I had bought a few.

On the left the original Cap and poor thermal paste job - on the right, replaced bigger Cap and cleaned CPU.
DSCF2328.jpg DSCF2336.jpg
I hope the machine will remain stable over the long run, will report back if issues.... :)

A BIG THANKS to the community and especially Fabio Roberto for all the help!
 
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sidneyk said:
I just replaced my Cap, (the kext solution did work, but somehow re-setted once in a while and I had to re-apply it).

The following Cap was used (requires scratching the PC board a bit) and seems to work well so far, zero crashes
https://www.digikey.fr/product-deta...c-components/EEF-CX0D331R/PCE4275CT-ND/816445

It was a bit difficult to get the old Cap off, be sure to use a solder iron that can heat up well and don't use a tip that is too small. I also added some more solder to both sides of the old Cap, this helped to maintain the heat while switching quickly from one contact to the other to keep the solder points liquid.

At the same time I did a nice clean out of the whole board as well as replace the thermal paste on the CPU and Graphics chip, Apple really did a terrible job!!
I live in France, if anyone in surrounding countries wants a Cap, let me know, I had bought a few.

On the left the original Cap and poor thermal paste job - on the right, replaced bigger Cap and cleaned CPU.
View attachment 711662 View attachment 711663
I hope the machine will remain stable over the long run, will report back if issues.... :)

A BIG THANKS to the community and especially Fabio Roberto for all the help!
Click to expand...
Great! ;)
 
You can scrape the motherboard on the positive side also if you are using a soldering iron, not an hot air station.

This helps soldering the positive side properly.
 
Hi everyone. Have posted in the thread before but am looking to fix this issue with the replacement of the capacitor. Could someone please confirm if the following is the correct aluminium capacitor:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181885624250

PANASONIC EEFLT0D331R CAP, ALU ELEC, 330UF, 2V, SMD PRICE FOR 5

Getting the soldering iron out is certainly a job for a professional and not me! I have contacted a couple of shops but they seem convinced that the mother board needs replaced and the want to run a diagnostics test to see what the problem is. For those who have chosen the hardware fix could you please give me an idea of the timescales involved in doing this repair and what it should cost.

Many thanks
G
 
Hi. Thanks. Bit far away! Am based near Venice in Italy but looking to take it to shop in Scotland when I am there on holiday. Was quoted £99 to run a diagnostics test and then any repairs and labour will be added to that.
 
@monteg2016, come to Toronto on vacation :)

My repair was cheap because I just asked him to replace the capacitor without performing any diagnostic tests. My Macbook works perfectly except when switching to the nVidia graphics chip so I was 99.9% sure it was a capacitor problem. If your laptop works perfectly with the software fix, just ask the shop to replace the capacitor.
 
I've successfully soldered a new capacitor a couple of weeks ago. My machine feels like brand new now!

I've done a little bit of soldering as a kid but haven't really touch it for 15 years or so. I used a classic soldering iron with a fairly small tip. It belongs to a friend, he bought it for quite cheap on Banggood.

IMG-3428.JPG


I went with the Panasonic EEFSX0E331XE I bought on Distrelec. They shipped it for a descent price considering their Chinese or United States counterparts (I live in France).

I'd say the difficult part was to remove the old capacitor. I had to heat it for a bit as it was well soldered on the motherboard. Scrapping the track to make room for the bigger capacitor was easy with a tiny flat head screwdriver. I had some flux spread at all time but it's the first time I were using it. To be honest, I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes.

Finally, As shown on other's motherboards, the original thermal paste job was really crappy and it ended up drying off after 6 or 7 years. I cleaned it up with isopropyl alcohol and applied a fresh one before re-assembling everything together.

I've ran Cinebench three times and have been using it quite intensely on Netflix and internet browsing. It's frequently plugged on a second screen and it hasn't failed on me so far. Before the fix, it would crash within the first 5 minutes after being swithed on (most of the time, I wouldn't have the chance to even launch apps like Chrome or Safari).

Thanks a million to @fabioroberto for your software fix that gave made me figure my mac wasn't completely worthless yet and @l.a.rossmann for finding the fix, sharing it with the community and help us understand that if we don't take care of those kind of s*#! ourselves, we're just good to suck it up and get ready to take it deep in the heart of the browneye.

Have fun!
 
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After my MBP sitting on the shelf for 2 years and had given up, i finally decided to do another search, as my wife wants to move away from Chromebooks and get on Mac, Exciting! But i didn't feel like spending 1k + for an email and word computer. I am so glad i found this thread.

I just did the software fix and I ran Cinebench successfully! Holy crap I never thought I'd have this machine working again without forking over 350+ I got 10.35 FPS and if all continues to run smooth the next month or so, I'll be buying one of those capacitors and probably taking it to a local repair shop as I've solder simple stuff in the past, but i don't feel comfortable doing this to my MBP and possibly screwing something up.

I also need to replace the battery on this bad boy, wont charge anymore, stays at 0%. I'm assuming that its just a bad battery needing replacement, anyone else have to do that?

Thanks again for everyone and their hard work!
 
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Audit13 said:
I had the capacitor replaced but, until then, this patch was working perfectly.

Off topic but how old is the battery? Tried disconnecting and reconnecting the battery?
Click to expand...

Glad to hear so many successfully fixes!

Original Battery so 7 years haha, I don't think I have since discovering the no-charge problem. I'll try this in a bit thanks!

Update - Checked the battery unplugged etc, ended up replacing the battery, works again!
 
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