MacBook Pro 15 Inch 2010 A1286 Graphics Repair

These older MacBooks are getting long in the tooth but add 8GB and an SSD Upgrade and they are a surprisingly capable machine.

If your 2010 Model has started randomly restarting with Kernel Panics or is suffering from graphical anomalies its most probably suffering from a graphics issue.

The Issue:

Unlike the 2011 graphics fault, the 2010's issue is not actually with the graphics chip (GPU) itself. Its actually caused by one of the power rails to the GPU becoming unstable. More specifically the Frame Buffer Power Rail which switches power states depending on how much power is required by the GPU. The instability is caused by failing capacitors which either perform less efficiently in their old age or even partially short and cause a high resistance.

The capacitors used for this job were too small, not adequate. and were mainly used as a compromise to free up space between components.

Symptoms:

  • Graphical Glitching on Internal and External screens
  • Random Restarts
  • Random Black Screens
  • Black Screen when Booting Up
  • Kernel Panics

 

What models are affected?

Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i5" 2.4Ghz Mid-2010 15" - MC371LL/A - MacBookPro6,2 - A1286 - 2353*

Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i5" 2.53 Mid-2010 15" - MC372LL/A - MacBookPro6,2 - A1286 - 2353*

Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i7" 2.66 Mid-2010 15" - MC373LL/A* - MacBookPro6,2 - A1286 - 2353*

Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i7" 2.8 Mid-2010 15" - BTO/CTO - MacBookPro6,2 - A1286 - 2353*

 

Our Fix:

We remove the faulty capacitors and extend the solder pads on the logic board allowing us to mount larger, more modern capacitors which are much more reliable.

New Capacitor

How much does it cost?

This a 2008-2010 Component level repair and so we charge £179.00 inc VAT

If you are still running a slow 'spinning' hard disk we can combine this repair with an SSD upgrade and offer a deal for both at once. Please contact us for more information.

 

Timescale:

We tend to do these in batches every 2 weeks. If you drop it off a day before the next batch is worked on for example we should have it ready to collect in 2 -3 days once it has been tested fully. Our online repair portal will keep you updated with pics and diagnostic information throughout the repair process.

If you want to go ahead please try our online booking system , email sales@uksl-ltd.com or call us.

 

Warranty:

We offer a 6 Month Warranty covering the work we carry out only. This does not cover any other issues such as the graphics chip failing itself.