MacBook Pro 17" early 2011, possible revival?

"I hear you!! Apple missed the ball with the mobile creatives like you. I wish they hadn't dropped the 17"" either.

Maybe Apple will see the light and re-intro the 17"" as well as offer a 15"" which is modular (replaceable RAM & storage as well as type A USB ports and MagSafe power) system for the REAL working pro's.

For now your only hope is getting your logic board repaired. The whole issue with the GPU was the tantalum capacitors cooked from the high heat of the dedicated GPU which was the real issue of the black or white screen problems. Finding someone with the skills and parts to replace them is the answer Vs replacing the logic board.

As for building a hackintosh laptop using your current system. I don't see this as a possiblity with what there is out there for parts as all laptops simular to yours use custom parts.

Maybe we can collectively get the needed money to contract a board maker to create a replacement board with current CPU & GPUs. Wouldn't that surprise Apple!"

"I know this is going to sound simplistic, please give a try anyway ;-)

Zap the PRAM three times. I had the identical machine come in with a black screen last week. Tried replacing the display, nope, ldvd cable, nope, clean logic board, nope. Zapped the PRAM and there it was. The 17"" 2011 is the only machine I've had, that this fixed it.

Reboot holding down the P,R, Command & Option keys let it tone three times

http://www.macworld.com/article/2881177/..."

"I'm in exactly the same boat. I am a graphic artist running Adobe suite also. I am trying to decide if I should invest in a new MacBook Pro or refurbish my old 2011 17"" MacBook Pro.

What is the reason you are waiting for 2018 before you invest in a new one? I hate when they come out with the latest and greatest a month after I just bought one!!"

"So I purchased an SSD drive. I am curious once you install it how do you format it using your time capsule back up. If it has no bootable system on it how do you install one?

I will remove the 2 4GB ram cards from the computer that is failing (since I have two of the same computers). There where no 4 GB available.

Also, how I came to have two of the same models is crazy. I bought a new 17 inch computer at the same time I brought an older 17 inch model in to repair (a recall deal). Apple replaced my old one with a brand new one rather than repair it! I have been using the one I purchased with 8GB ram but now it is having problems so I am beefing up the replacement computer."

What graphics card is compatible with the 17 inch and yes I have the same problem.

"Hello Fellow Ancient MBP 17” users!! I’m running an early 2011 model. I’ve maxed out the RAM to 16 GB, installed a 2 TB SSD (Samsung 860 EVO) and installed some random China-made ExpressCard USB 3.0 Type A x2 card that sits absolutely flush with all other ports AND required NO drivers whatsoever to fully work with both Mavericks AND High Sierra (partitioned my SSD so I can run both OS’s)…so there is not much more I can throw at this old beast.

Recently, I dropped my precious…from a height of 42”…and it landed on a concrete bumper…because it slid off the hood of my SUV. It’s dead right? I thought so. But I had to know. It was on when it fell but had a black screen upon picking it up. Likely due to weight, the corner where the battery (and IR sensor) sits took the full impact…and somehow only the chassis was hit; the display “clamshell” was completely missed…meaning my hinge still works and the two “halves” of my laptop still line-up flush.

So I took a deep breath…and pressed my non-keyboard power key… and this dinosaur fired right up!! Tell me any retina or post-retina Apple laptop would survive such a brutal blunt force impact?!?! I do not think so! But wait, there is more…with the corner “crush” damage, the battery was now jammed into place…and the battery itself was cracked. I didn’t realize this (cracked battery) until a month later, when the machine began having spontaneous and frequent shutdowns. Failing motherboard was feared, but after a quick Apple Store diagnostic (which I had to beg for since our lovely 17” models are now all “legacy” products and worthy of no support in Apple’s eyes), it was the battery that was dying.

After some major effort, I was able to extract the massive battery and this is when I first saw the crack. Should’ve been expected since it was really the battery that took the brunt of the impact energy (saving the rest of the laptop in the process). Ordered a new battery…but again, with corner crush damage, a replacement battery would not fit in its designated compartment. So…I took my multi-head screwdriver…put a blunt hexagonal bit into it…grabbed a hammer….and yes, I started hammering that corner back outward…with only the bottom plate and battery removed. I hammered it…over and over and over again…I had no other choice. I tried running my laptop without any battery at all installed and it ran so painfully slow…constant beach-balling…and the only way to get another battery into it…was by punching out the crushed corner.

I could have disassembled the entire laptop…but that brings with it its own inherent risks. So I just went for it as it were. And here I am, typing this very post on my drop-proof hammering-proof MBP 17”!! But my IR cable did not survive the hammering :( Do any of you know a repair guide to replacing this component? Also, I wanted to share this story about how amazing Apple’s wrongfully discontinued MBP 17” truly is!! Modular laptop also equals more than hairline amounts of internal chassis space…and it was this ‘extra’ internal dead space that allowed for one of the leading corners to be smashed without killing the entire laptop!!"