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How common are logic board failures with Apple Silicon Macbooks?

Did your M1/M2 macbook experience a logic board failure?

  • Total voters
    70
  • Poll closed .
Allen_Wentz said:
I made no comment about AppleCare, which I sometimes do purchase. The statement "Personal experience. I've had many issues with modern macs vs the older ones" is what I consider to be anecdotal and unscientific.

Silly polls like this one drive me kinda crazy because statistically they mean nothing, yet some folks (even some educated well enough to know better) treat them as meaningful.
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No need for the pearl-clutching, I didn't mean to offend anyone with my statement. I make choices about products based on my personal experience, same as everyone else. I have had several issues with modern macs, SSD failure (Nov 2021) Failed display (Feb 2023) and then a Logic board failure (May 2023) Maybe I was just unlucky and bought a couple of lemons, who knows?
The only issues I've had in the past with older macbooks (2012-2015) was a failed magsafe DC board connector, I ordered a new one for $5, popped it in and was back in business. The other problem was my 2015 needed a new battery which Apple replaced under their battery recall program. Not too bad considering the age of those machines.
So, yes I do consider modern macs to be less reliable. Your experience has obviously been different, which is great! None of this really matters anyway, you do you! Cheers!
 
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rovostrov said:
Personal experience. I've had many issues with modern macs vs the older ones.
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Personal experience is too small of a sample size to have any meaning. My experience is the exact opposite of yours. Doesn't mean anything. And this poll doesn't mean anything either. That's now how you get meaningful statistical data.
 
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Basic75 said:
Personal experience is too small of a sample size to have any meaning. My experience is the exact opposite of yours. Doesn't mean anything. And this poll doesn't mean anything either. That's now how you get meaningful statistical data.
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hahah! Wow, ok then..
 
rovostrov said:
hahah! Wow, ok then..
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It's just to say one's experience/track record with a brand of products does not constitute the reference point for all - I did not have any logic board failures in the last 10 years starting with a 2013 21-inch iMac (still going strong), a 2015 13-inch MBP, a 2020 13-inch M1 MBP and more recently a 2021 16-inch M1 Max MBP - but that means little overall as well.

It's worth remember also that machines were easier to service when parts other than the logic board or display were failing, such as RAM or SSD - now everything is integrated, if the RAM fails for example that calls for a logic board replacement. That may increase the perception that logic board failures are happening at a higher rate (since the Apple Silicon transition anyway).
 
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I have never had a logic board failure with any Mac that I've used, and I have used some really old ones or ones known for failing in some way (a 2010 Macbook Pro with an Nvidia GPUs for example, while not as bad as the 2011 I heard plenty of talk about them) to counteract the high-failure rate anecdotes with my own personal anecdote 😁

I doubt Apple Silicon makes it any less or more likely to fail, unless it was due to all of the Intel heat.
 
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arnolds1 said:
I am careful with my Macbook and it rarely leaves my home. So the only thing reason I find value in Applecare might be to repair any logic board failures that I might come across. I am curious - how many of you folks with M1/M2 Macbooks (Airs or Pros) have encountered logic board failures that were not caused by a user/accident.

P.S. I noticed a concerning trend around logic board failures while using a thunderbolt dock to both charge and display to external monitor - this is exactly how I use mine - so that is even more worrisome.
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I have an M1 MacBook Pro 2020, and it has had no logic board issues, for what it's worth. IMO if my Mac needs to use Applecare, then that is reflective of the quality of Apple production.

That said, I have already replaced the 1) Keyboard - warranty and 2) Speakers - my cost.

I am not certain I'll be replacing this machine with an Apple device in the future if the quality remains the same. I paid too much for this machine to be having all of these issues already.
 
AlexJaye said:
I have an M1 MacBook Pro 2020, and it has had no logic board issues, for what it's worth. IMO if my Mac needs to use Applecare, then that is reflective of the quality of Apple production.

That said, I have already replaced the 1) Keyboard - warranty and 2) Speakers - my cost.

I am not certain I'll be replacing this machine with an Apple device in the future if the quality remains the same. I paid too much for this machine to be having all of these issues already.
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That's a strange take. Any electronic product will never be 100% reliable, which is why products such as Apple Care (or something like Geek Squad Protection at Best Buy) are offered on the devices. If anything, Apple offering Apple Care directly (versus going through third parties like with GSP) shows that Apple is confident in their products and will stand by them.

The only scenario under which your need to use Apple Care could be indicative of Apple's quality control would be in situations where there is a systematic issue affecting numerous units of the same model (such as the issues with butterfly keyboards). More often than not, Apple has stepped up to offer replacements and/or repairs free of charge to affected units. However, if you were to have an accident (e.g., dropping your Mac or spilling water on it), using Apple Care in those scenarios would not be indicative of production quality in the slightest.
 
dmccloud said:
That's a strange take. Any electronic product will never be 100% reliable, which is why products such as Apple Care (or something like Geek Squad Protection at Best Buy) are offered on the devices. If anything, Apple offering Apple Care directly (versus going through third parties like with GSP) shows that Apple is confident in their products and will stand by them.

The only scenario under which your need to use Apple Care could be indicative of Apple's quality control would be in situations where there is a systematic issue affecting numerous units of the same model (such as the issues with butterfly keyboards). More often than not, Apple has stepped up to offer replacements and/or repairs free of charge to affected units. However, if you were to have an accident (e.g., dropping your Mac or spilling water on it), using Apple Care in those scenarios would not be indicative of production quality in the slightest.
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If Apple was that confident, they would not charge for standing by their products. There has definitely been a quality drop trend in the last decade. The penny pinching they get by on is blatantly clear for what it is. And Apple can notoriously ignore valid systematic problems for a very long time.

Also, I would never expect any company to cover customer-induced damage. THAT is what Apple Care should be for. Stand by your product and its quality? Offer a decent warranty for it without extra penny-pinching.
 
The HDMI port on my 14" MBP failed which required replacement of the entire logic board.
However, I think AppleCare is not worth it.
(I'm not stupid enough to think that personal experience represents statistical risk.)
 
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rovostrov said:
I used to be against buying AppleCare but a few months ago I bought a system that had an expiring AC policy.
I decided to renew it on the last day it was to expire. Exactly 1 week later, my Mac completely died. I shipped it to Apple and within 1 week, Apple returned a brand new MacBook Pro! Considering the increased unreliability, there is no way I would buy a modern Mac without AppleCare. It is actually cheap considering what they cost to repair since everything is glued and soldered together now
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I'm sure people have won betting on Double-0 in Roulette too. Doesn't mean it's a good bet to make. :)

Glad it worked out for you though.
 
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dmccloud said:
Name one computer manufacturer that offers a three year warranty for free...
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Asus and Lenovo offer for some of their high end configurations free 3 year warranty.

But This question goes in the wrong direction.

You stated „Apple offering Apple Care directly (versus going through third parties like with GSP) shows that Apple is confident in their products and will stand by them.“

In my opinion Apple offers Apple Care to make even more money not because they want to save the customer.
 
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One thing to keep in mind - many repairs for the MacBook Pro require replacing the logic board - even if the logic board is ok.

I had one speaker that died in my 16" MacBook Pro. The entire lower case needed to be replaced - including the logic board. Apparently the speakers are not separate parts that can be replaced.

So be careful not getting the AppleCare. Even simple failures on the MacBook Pro can be incredibly expensive to fix.
 
Yup that's what happened to my 2019 Intel MBP 16" - I regularly connect my MBP to a Razer CoreX eGPU running 4x 4k monitors with PD. Started to run into boot up problems around 2.5 years into using it, finally died on me just recently and upgraded to an m2 max 16" MBP. I guess time will tell in how durable these logic board / thunderbolt connectors are while using docks.

Currently using Caldigit TS4 as my main dock.
 
I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but the last Apple laptop that I had that had a logic board issue was an 11" (intel) MacBook Air. So, as you can see, it's been a while.
 
Not voting, as I can cast only one vote, but I have 3 (or 4 if you count the replacement) data points.

M1 MB Air - Working fine.
M1 14" MBP - Working fine.
M1 16" MBP - Died suddenly one day after like 10 months when opening a PDF. Replaced under warranty. Replacement - Working fine.
 
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