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

[fabioroberto]

Hi "fabioberto",

It seems I had success with your method! Thanks a lot!

Cheers

Great!
[doublepost=1478276243][/doublepost]

Hi,
I had the same issue! I tried all possible ways until I remembered to use an bootable USB installer for macOS Sierra. Not for installing all system again but only to get in macOS Utilities and use the Terminal. And the command worked!

I dont know if I can post this link here, but it explains how you can do an bootable USB installer: http://osxdaily.com/2016/09/23/create-boot-macos-sierra-installer/

Thanks for help

 

[javaTN]

Don't need to use any special equipment, but remember to download this:
http://tim.id.au/laptops/apple/macbook/mbp15_mid2010.pdf

And a higher power soldering iron might make the process easier.
Good luck to you.

Hey therionchu, thanks so much for sharing this! I have done small soldering projects on not-so-valuable devices... what kind of soldering iron did you use and what size tip?

Also found out that the Taiyo Yuden capacitor is out of stock for a while on most websites... but their sales referred me to a pretty much identical capacitor that is in stock...
http://www.digikey.com/product-deta...ica/GRM32EC80E337ME05L/490-13972-1-ND/6155802
(Just to share for anyone else looking to buy the capacitor)

EDIT: Also might be a silly question but... is this capacitor polarized?

 

[jmostl]

Hi fabioroberto,

Your instructions helped me fix my MacBook Pro 6,2 and bring it back to life. Thank you! I had been using OS X 10.7.5 and gfxcardstatus in Integrated Only mode, but it was becoming unbearably slow. So, I upgraded from 10.7.5 directly to 10.12.1, used a MacOS Sierra USB installer to get into the recovery mode terminal (recovery mode on the Macbook drive wasn't giving me a terminal!) and followed your instructions. Now the Macbook is 10 times as fast as before and there are no more crashes due to graphics switching!

Except for one problem. There are no more random crashes during normal use of apps such as Safari, etc., but every once in a while there is a crash when I press a button to wake the computer from sleep. It crashes and reboots. Any idea what could be going on there? Could that be related to Automatic graphics switching option or sleep options?

Now that I have your fix in place, should I stop using gfxcardstatus and disable Automatic graphics switching, or should switching be enabled?

Thanks again!

 

[javaTN]

@fabioroberto I just made your changes on my macbook in the meanwhile (waiting for SMD to come next week)... I don't see any logs in Console app when I type 'gfx0'. I did verify the modified kext is loaded by seeing an Unknown signer for the GraphicsPowerManagement

 

[fabioroberto]

Hi fabioroberto,

Your instructions helped me fix my MacBook Pro 6,2 and bring it back to life. Thank you! I had been using OS X 10.7.5 and gfxcardstatus in Integrated Only mode, but it was becoming unbearably slow. So, I upgraded from 10.7.5 directly to 10.12.1, used a MacOS Sierra USB installer to get into the recovery mode terminal (recovery mode on the Macbook drive wasn't giving me a terminal!) and followed your instructions. Now the Macbook is 10 times as fast as before and there are no more crashes due to graphics switching!

Except for one problem. There are no more random crashes during normal use of apps such as Safari, etc., but every once in a while there is a crash when I press a button to wake the computer from sleep. It crashes and reboots. Any idea what could be going on there? Could that be related to Automatic graphics switching option or sleep options?

Now that I have your fix in place, should I stop using gfxcardstatus and disable Automatic graphics switching, or should switching be enabled?

Thanks again!

jmostl
Great! I'm happy for you.

Some persons are with this issue when MPB wake up. Here never happened. Solid.
Try reset SMC, this can help you.
When you will reboot is recommended that put in auto mode (Automatic graphics switching). I prefer auto always. Here working well.
Try with Automatic graphics ever, this can fix your issue (and turn off gfxCardStatus, using it just to status).
Good luck.
Cheers.
[doublepost=1478307609][/doublepost]

@fabioroberto I just made your changes on my macbook in the meanwhile (waiting for SMD to come next week)... I don't see any logs in Console app when I type 'gfx0'. I did verify the modified kext is loaded by seeing an Unknown signer for the GraphicsPowerManagement

javaTN
Sierra? If yes, is not displayed. Apple put this log kind as dev.
If kext is successfully loaded and Cinebench app run okay (fps between 8 - 10), don't worry.

 

[therionchu]

Hey therionchu, thanks so much for sharing this! I have done small soldering projects on not-so-valuable devices... what kind of soldering iron did you use and what size tip?

Also found out that the Taiyo Yuden capacitor is out of stock for a while on most websites... but their sales referred me to a pretty much identical capacitor that is in stock...
http://www.digikey.com/product-deta...ica/GRM32EC80E337ME05L/490-13972-1-ND/6155802
(Just to share for anyone else looking to buy the capacitor)

EDIT: Also might be a silly question but... is this capacitor polarized?

Hi, the iron that I used is a temp-control soldering iron with Hakko T12-BL tip.

PS: Ceramic capacitors are non-polarized.

 

[HediSlimane]

Hi, the iron that I used is a temp-control soldering iron with Hakko T12-BL tip.

PS: Ceramic capacitors are non-polarized.

First of all, great thread.

For those who attempted to fix it with the capacitor. Could you please explain how you do it?

Because in the video, the guy uses a heating station or something.

Do I simply melt and apply solder?

 

[boojoo007]

Sure, greyosx. My method is more complex than fabioroberto's method but I used it because I'm familiar with the command line. This is all on El Capitan. I can't speak for Sierra, but I will likely do this on Sierra once that is released, so I'll try to update people on how that goes.

1. Disable system integrity protection

To do this, you need to enter recovery mode by holding down Command-R on boot up. Once in recovery mode, open the terminal and then type "csrutil disable". After that, reboot the machine.​

2. Enter Console Mode.

Hold down Command-S on boot up.
​

3. Backup the old kext.

First type "mount -uw /" to make the hard drive writable. Next, you need to make a temporary folder to store the backup. I used /_temp. Type "mkdir /_temp". Now we need to copy the kext to the backup folder. "mv /System/Library/Extensions/AppleGraphicsPowerManagement.kext /_temp/"
​

4. Copy in new kext

This is where my method differs from fabioroberto's. I will use the command line to install the new kext. Fabioroberto used an app called Kext Drop. The exact commands to run here will depend on where your new kext is. Your new kext will be the one you downloaded from fabioroberto's post or maybe you made one yourself as per fabioroberto's instructions. My new kext was on my desktop. "cp -r /Users/greg/Desktop/AppleGraphicsPowerManagement.kext /System/Library/Extensions/"
​

5. Install new kext

Run "kextcache -v 1 -m /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext.caches/Startup/Extensions.mkext /System/Library/Extensions/". I don't know exactly how this command works, but I got it off a different post about a similar problem. That post is here: http://www.asyncro.com/2014/03/24/macbook-pro-discreate-graphics-card-issue-fix-updated/
​

6. Reboot

Type "reboot now". The computer will output some stuff to the command line and reboot after a minute or two. The first reboot WILL FAIL. That is expected. Don't panic. It should automatically reboot again, and on the second try it should boot normally.
​

Good luck and let me know if anything is unclear.

Hello,

I just got duped into buying a macbook pro 2010 and I am having the GPU problem. I have mac Sierra installed. I am total dummy so sorry for these dumb questions.

Once I get into recovery mode, there is no Utilities to enter terminal. Has that been removed or am I just blind?

I have downloaded the new .Kext files so I hope that works once I get past the first step. As a patch Im using the gfxcardStatus 1.8.1

Thanks!

 

[fabioroberto]

Hello,

I just got duped into buying a macbook pro 2010 and I am having the GPU problem. I have mac Sierra installed. I am total dummy so sorry for these dumb questions.

Once I get into recovery mode, there is no Utilities to enter terminal. Has that been removed or am I just blind?

I have downloaded the new .Kext files so I hope that works once I get past the first step. As a patch Im using the gfxcardStatus 1.8.1

Thanks!

Create a bootable USB flash drive with the macOS Sierra.
Can be usefull: https://macdaddy.io/install-disk-creator/

Start by the flash drive, not for installing all system again but only to get in macOS Utilities and use the Terminal. Type the command to disable SIP.
Reboot.

 

[dontworry]

Finally getting around to an update.

First, a big thanks to fabioroberto and iMacC2D for the amazing information and help.

The .kext file changes made my MacBook usable again instead of crashing constantly, works great for most everything. I did find that there were some limitations, like hooking up to an external display sometimes, so I decided to try the capacitor swap. The fix was overall pretty easy if you have some soldering equipment. Reading the repair manual is mandatory for anyone doing this this fix. So is watching the Louis Rossmann video.

Since putting everything back together it's like my MacBook is new again. Here's some pics of the process taken with iPhone 7.

 

[fabioroberto]

Finally getting around to an update.

First, a big thanks to fabioroberto and iMacC2D for the amazing information and help.

The .kekt file changes made my MacBook usable again instead of crashing constantly, works great for most everything. I did find that there were some limitations, like hooking up to an external display sometimes, so I decided to try the capacitor swap. The fix was overall pretty easy if you have some soldering equipment. Reading the repair manual is mandatory for anyone doing this this fix. So is watching the Louis Rossmann video.

Since putting everything back together it's like my MacBook is new again. Here's some pics of the process taken with iPhone 7.

nice work! Cheers.

 

[OrigamiGangsta]

nice work! Cheers.

Omg Thank you!

now i have a reason to replace my battery, to put back my harddrive.. and install new os!
im trying to find a friend who could help me with the capacitor!

so to make sure, u only need to replace one piece to make the hardware fix work right?

 

[fabioroberto]

Omg Thank you!

now i have a reason to replace my battery, to put back my harddrive.. and install new os!
im trying to find a friend who could help me with the capacitor!

so to make sure, u only need to replace one piece to make the hardware fix work right?

I always recommend, try the kext fix. If no more GPU Panic, the replacement of the capacitor will work.
Good luck.

 

[boojoo007]

Can you please share what your method was for installing the kext?

I'm waiting for the release of Sierra to do the fix just to avoid any possible issues.

I used Kext Drop in Sierra after typing the csrutil disable thing after creating a USB bootable installer of Sierra. I'm getting the same results in console when doing the search GFX0.

Hopefully this is fixed! Cinebench does not seem to be working in sierra for me however. Well see if I get crashes still.
Thanks!

 

[dontworry]

Omg Thank you!

now i have a reason to replace my battery, to put back my harddrive.. and install new os!
im trying to find a friend who could help me with the capacitor!

so to make sure, u only need to replace one piece to make the hardware fix work right?

I only replaced the one capacitor.

I also replaced my battery earlier this year, and had already added dual SSDs and maxed the RAM previously.

Feels like a new computer now!

 

[javaTN]

Hi, the iron that I used is a temp-control soldering iron with Hakko T12-BL tip.

PS: Ceramic capacitors are non-polarized.

Hey all... I finally got to swapping the capacitor last night. For roughly $80, I was able to save the life of my Macbook and I'm so happy Ill be able to squeeze a few more years out of it!

I am not a soldering pro... but I definitely wouldn't want to do this if it was my first time with an iron.

sidenote: @dontworry that new capacitor looks huuuuuge!

I would highly recommend going with the smaller one (that I mentioned in an earlier post) as it will be MUCH easier to install.

I followed the iFixit tutorial on disassembling the Macbook, which is very straightforward. Just be careful and take your time.

Just some other information to put it all out there incase you are interested in replacing the capacitor...
I had to heat my iron up to 400*C before I saw the solder on the original capacitor start to come loose. I didn't want to make it any cooler as to minimize the time the board would be exposed to high temperatures.

Tools I used:

• Hakko T18-BR02 soldering tip
• Kester SN96.5/AG03/CU.5 lead-free solder
• Aven desoldering wick 1.5mm wide
• Xtronic #3020 digital soldering station
• Rosin soldering paste flux from radioshack
• Econoled all-in-1 pocket slotted philips torx screwdriver set (a must have for any iDevice repairs) [this kit has tweezers that I used to hold the capacitor too]
• Digi-key CAP CER 330UF 2.5V X6S 1210 (Part #490-13972-1-ND)

I hope all of this information helps anyone and thank you so much to all those who have done the research for us and helped out so much!

 

[rafael.scheid]

Hi

First of all, great post with great help. Thank you so much.

Second, does anyone know what is the real problem with the tantalum capacitor?
As far as know (definitely not far LoL) tantalum caps are really good for this type of application. They shouldn't loose performance so easy in time, are made to operate in high frequency, heat, fit in small places and bla bla bla...
so, what's wrong?

And, I live in this hole called Brazil and wasn't able to find caps 300uF 2V or 2,5V, imagine the smaller ones, those with no need to scrape the board. A white fly with blue eyes around here. To import, 2 dollars in caps and 50 for the shipping, meaning almost 200 of my crapy money... WHAT??? is it coming from the moon? LOL.
Tantalum stuff I can find in buckets for less than a dollar on an eBay type website we have hare, but I don't know the source of that stuff. I'm not even sure if they are good for the job or what.

I'll start with kext mod... But, do any of you, guys, know a way to make some caps hit my address with a lower price? I would be forever grateful.

Many thanks for all you've been doing here.

 

[dontworry]

sidenote: @dontworry that new capacitor looks huuuuuge!

I would highly recommend going with the smaller one (that I mentioned in an earlier post) as it will be MUCH easier to install.

The pictures can be deceiving, it's not that big. Definitely less work to get the same size, but it wasn't that difficult.

 

[OrigamiGangsta]

so i bought a new battery... and voila my mbp was back to life! but.. only lasted couple hours..my hd went corrupt as soon as i bumped it to the table
but i tried the kext fix! and it works well, while it lasted, i guess is time to update ram and hd for ssd
and see who can replace that capacitor around here in Berkeley -.-

 

[Cyman Sez]

Yes.

I don't know about external monitors, but I assume it will do as it's limiting the graphics capability.

[doublepost=1479961123][/doublepost]Capacitor - $3.27
Installation - $125
Fixing your MBP when the boyz at the jeanyus bar didn't know what they were talking about - priceless

Okay, it's been a week since I had the capacitor replaced, and I've had no kernel panics since. Winnah, winnah, chicken dinnah! I'm running an Apple Cinema Display external monitor, and it's working fine.

Here's the capacitor link,
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/taiyo-yuden/PMK325AC6337MM-T/587-3976-1-ND/4950530.

It's non-tantalum with the small footprint that doesn't require scraping the logic board as referenced in other posts. I had it installed by Lou at DataLogic Computer Services in Orange County, CA. He's at 714-241-1913, in case anyone wants to contact him. Below is a pic of the board with the new capacitor in place and the old one removed.

Thanks again!

 

[zenohua]

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.

You saved my mac, thank you so much!

 

[MacGyverBookPro6.2]

Guys, I have to say, big up for all the digging out and dragging together of information summed up in this thread! Repairing is caring and I will soon get my lovely "330uF 2.0v capacitor on the logic board at position C9560" replaced I hope. For now, the fix that fabioroberto suggested (using the command line version from gregwtmtno, without the need for the csrutil command as it seems) and it worked as far as I can tell now.

Oh and I am on a MacBookPro6,2 running 10.6.8.

 

[OrigamiGangsta]

I guess now i have a different problem, I got a SSD put a fresh install of Sierra, disbaled SIP installed the KEXT with Kext utility.
Everything works.. but.. now if i move from 1 room to the other the mbp crashes, then i get the 3 beeps related to ram,
i do a NVRAM reset and comes back to life.. :/

what should i do now?

 

[fabioroberto]

I guess now i have a different problem, I got a SSD put a fresh install of Sierra, disbaled SIP installed the KEXT with Kext utility.
Everything works.. but.. now if i move from 1 room to the other the mbp crashes, then i get the 3 beeps related to ram,
i do a NVRAM reset and comes back to life.. :/

what should i do now?

Memory issue. Clean it.
Or try using only one bank

 

[Cyman Sez]

[doublepost=1479961123][/doublepost]Capacitor - $3.27
Installation - $125
Fixing your MBP when the boyz at the jeanyus bar didn't know what they were talking about - priceless

Okay, it's been a week since I had the capacitor replaced, and I've had no kernel panics since. Winnah, winnah, chicken dinnah! I'm running an Apple Cinema Display external monitor, and it's working fine.

Here's the capacitor link,
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/taiyo-yuden/PMK325AC6337MM-T/587-3976-1-ND/4950530.

It's non-tantalum with the small footprint that doesn't require scraping the logic board as referenced in other posts. I had it installed by Lou at DataLogic Computer Services in Orange County, CA. He's at 714-241-1913, in case anyone wants to contact him. Below is a pic of the board with the new capacitor in place and the old one removed.

Thanks again!

View attachment 674426

[doublepost=1480294738][/doublepost]Another improvement I've noticed with the capacitor replacement is a reduced number of wifi dropouts. Along with kernel panics occurring after installing Yosemite, I got frequent wifi dropouts that required resetting (power on/off) the wireless router. This seemed to be another undocumented feature of Yosemite from what I could gather on other forums. Again the Genius Bar offered no solutions. Since changing out the capacitor I have not been getting the wifi dropouts. Don't know why this should be so, but happy, happy, joy, joy. Has anyone else come across this with either the hardware or software change?