MBP mid-2015 screen vignetting

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This morning when I woke up my MBP, the screen stayed black (cue ominous music) but the external monitor worked perfectly. Thinking a bit got lost somewhere, I rebooted and on start up the screen was circled in white, like a vignette, black in the middle. Very low contrast. The  showed up with the progress bar and the external monitor came on just fine. The login screen was very washed out and vingetted but I could see enough to enter the password. Went searching for backup keyboard to use the MBP in clamshell mode, so I'm using it now with my external monitor.

Did a quick search online and didn't see many posts on this, none with solutions other than "take it to Apple." It's out of warranty and past AppleCare, so I'm on my own. No local repair shops and Apple stores are closed in the US until April. I can exist in clamshell mode, but it's awkward. So, any suggestions? Is it the screen and, if so, is it toast? I suppose I could try replacing the entire screen assembly, and the ifixit process doesn't seem too difficult, but is there a solution other than replacing the entire screen? Is it worth it to spend $600 for the parts for a five year old machine? I do take this machine on travel (when not confined because of the pandemic), so having a working screen is important. Thanks!
 
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OK, so I called the local Experimax store, they had the part and the repair price was lower than the cost of the part itself from ifixit. Dropped the Mac off, ran some essential errands, came back a hour later and Bob's-your-uncle, all fixed. New screen is working perfectly. High recommendation here on Experimax, if you have one in your area.
 
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Is it a dual graphics model? To me, it sounds like a graphics issue. So if it has dual graphics, maybe one of the cards isn't working fully?
 
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Bob, the external monitor worked perfectly, so it was definitely NOT the GPU at all. Just the MBP display screen. There were several posts on the Internet with similar issues. No known fix other than replace that I could find. And the replacement screen is great, works perfectly, so definitely not the GPU.
 

chscag

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High recommendation here on Experimax, if you have one in your area.

That's good to know but unfortunately we do not have an Experimax in our area. There are however, numerous Apple stores in this area but right now they're all closed. I probably should look around for an AASP in case I need one in the future. My Apple Care is still good until Jan 2021.
 

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OK, so I called the local Experimax store, they had the part and the repair price was lower than the cost of the part itself from ifixit. Dropped the Mac off, ran some essential errands, came back a hour later and Bob's-your-uncle, all fixed. New screen is working perfectly. High recommendation here on Experimax, if you have one in your area.

Jake, thank goodness there are still facilities open to help the likes of you and, more importantly for you, congratulations. You have still got a working Mac. Bravo, friend;D

Ian
 
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Ian, the idea of checking with Experimax today was kind of a long shot. I called to see if they had a similar laptop, but they said they thought they had the part in stock and when he quoted the price, I told him I'd be there in 15 minutes. While they were swapping it out, as I said, I ran some errands and when I got back about an hour later, it was waiting for me. Great service and very handy. They did have some 2012's on display, along with a trio of iMacs for very reasonable prices. I think when the iMac I have managing my home automation finally dies (It is 11 years old) I will give one of them a go as a replacement. I don't need the latest and greatest just to run the software for me, so a good refurb maybe 4-5 years old will do nicely.
 

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OK, so I called the local Experimax store, they had the part and the repair price was lower than the cost of the part itself from ifixit. Dropped the Mac off, ran some essential errands, came back a hour later and Bob's-your-uncle, all fixed. New screen is working perfectly. High recommendation here on Experimax, if you have one in your area.

A big CONGRATS Jake! Nice job troubleshooting with the external monitor...and lucky you to have an Experimax near you...AND...had the part...AND at a lower price than iFixit!:)

We used to have a nearby Experimax...but I think they closed in the last 12 months or so (not sure why). Also...I have found iFixit's prices to be on the higher side. But strange that the Experimax price was lower than iFixit (parts & labor). Do you know if Experimax installed a used or new part?

In any case...really awesome your MacBook Pro is working again...and...you were able to get it repaired quickly & affordably!:)

- Nick
 
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Nick, I didn't ask, and I really don't care a lot if it's new or not. The case is flawless, the screen is also flawless. The warranty is 90 days, so if I have any issues I can get it worked on. I think they also cleaned the dust out as it is running about 8 degrees C cooler than before. iFixit wanted US$600 for the part. Experimax fixed it for US$445 plus tax on the parts. Good bunch of guys in the store, too. I'm a happy camper to have it back in such quick order!
 

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