Last ditch effort to Apple GPU problem for old Macbook Pro...

[MAVA]

Last ditch-effort to repair APPLE GPU problem for old Mack book Pro's

Here is the skinny on this.

I have three machines, yet my pipe-dream would be to resurrect all three, but they are not worth-it by the outside-world(too expensive to fix/not worth it).

I have:

A) Model A1261 2008 17" MacBookPro- I love to get this one going for my father.

B) Model A1150 2006 15" MacBookPro-My machine. It has been oven cooked over eight times that the video connector is a cinnamon color.

C) No clue on the model number 2.5GHz 2008 15" MacBookPro- My cousins, but has dead USB's and dead memory slot from being oven-cooked too many times too..

I have done the "baking of the motherboard" in the household cooking oven, yet it works, but does not last...

Maybe I can make some kind of two-heat gun approach jig, and contain the heat with a home made aluminum can sleeve to contain the heat??? Melt in some no-clean flux help with the re-flow... Maybe it last?

Throw-in the towel take a chance on a cheap eBay motherboard?

I know on the A1150 the replacement boards are like $20-$30 worth gamble, but the A1261 is about ten-times ($200-$300) Which is silly expensive, and then the other 15" may just need a new board(used)....

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks,

Martin

[piernov]

Re: Last ditch effort to Apple GPU problem for old Macbook Pro...

No, the replacement logic board on eBay are crap, they will have a dead GPU too.
For the A1150 I think you're out of luck, I don't know where you could find any good GPU. However those GPU don't die as often as the NVidia from 2006-2008, some boards still have a working GPU if they were lightly used. But you cannot know before it dies in 1 month or 3 years.
For the A1261 you may be able to find a new fixed GPU (white underfill, datecode 0830+) with a lot of research but you still have to have the tools to replace it (BGA rework station).

Also, don't try to really reflow those GPU. The issue is not with the balls but the chip itself. It doesnt' need to be reflowed, only heated up to like 200°C.
All the 820-2262 boards on eBay have a defective GPU (black underfill, datecode before 0830)

[MAVA]

Re: Last ditch effort to Apple GPU problem for old Macbook Pro...

No, the replacement logic board on eBay are crap, they will have a dead GPU too.
For the A1150 I think you're out of luck, I don't know where you could find any good GPU. However those GPU don't die as often as the NVidia from 2006-2008, some boards still have a working GPU if they were lightly used. But you cannot know before it dies in 1 month or 3 years.
For the A1261 you may be able to find a new fixed GPU (white underfill, datecode 0830+) with a lot of research but you still have to have the tools to replace it (BGA rework station).

Also, don't try to really reflow those GPU. The issue is not with the balls but the chip itself. It doesnt' need to be reflowed, only heated up to like 200°C.
All the 820-2262 boards on eBay have a defective GPU (black underfill, datecode before 0830)

Some Ebay boards carry a working warranty, those are no good either?

Let me understand this, so all this "oven baking" YouTubes is not about the "cold/bad" solder joints, but bad GPU's, so then is why these "oven baking" proceses work? Are we not reflowing the solder? or is it the the old GPU's are running MORE hot that the solder joints are failing?

I think I found my answer, so is this it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AcEt073Uds

In essence, ALL MY MacBook Pros NEED A NEW GPU?????



Is the youtube video true?

Where can I get the chips? Got some links?

Thank you,

Martin

[goontron]

Re: Last ditch effort to Apple GPU problem for old Macbook Pro...

^ Louis knows his shit. These chips are crap. And really, it's not the silicon, its that green part on the bottom.

Some GPUs do have faulty balls. Nvidia is common. I had one die from bad solder. I verified that by throwing it in the oven at 150. Still didn't work, verified all the necessary support components were working, still no go, sit there and flex the GPU to the point of breaking the PCIe socket on my board? It sorta works. But that's not the case with apple.

[MAVA]

Re: Last ditch effort to Apple GPU problem for old Macbook Pro...

^ Louis knows his shit. These chips are crap. And really, it's not the silicon, its that green part on the bottom.

Some GPUs do have faulty balls. Nvidia is common. I had one die from bad solder. I verified that by throwing it in the oven at 150. Still didn't work, verified all the necessary support components were working, still no go, sit there and flex the GPU to the point of breaking the PCIe socket on my board? It sorta works. But that's not the case with apple.

Thank you for the reply,

I contacted Louis, and he declined to fix it a year or so ago, so now it makes sense.

I got nothing to loose, but to blow them up my self

Sily, I went through a lot of Apple posts here, and one showed the links to some outfit in China for GPU's, but did not save the link

Martin

[ngen33r]

Re: Last ditch effort to Apple GPU problem for old Macbook Pro...

There is a guy on eBay that does does excellent reball work for $75. macbooklaptoprepair is his userid i think. He has done a few for me and all are still working with leaded balls. Might not be worth the price but if you need a permanent fix and aren't in a rush might we worth looking into.

[goontron]

Re: Last ditch effort to Apple GPU problem for old Macbook Pro...

There is a guy on eBay that does does excellent reball work for $75. macbooklaptoprepair is his userid i think. He has done a few for me and all are still working with leaded balls. Might not be worth the price but if you need a permanent fix and aren't in a rush might we worth looking into.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AcEt073Uds

[piernov]

Re: Last ditch effort to Apple GPU problem for old Macbook Pro...

Firstly reball is useless, and well, $75 for a reball? he probably doesn't even bother and put the motherboard in the oven.