rs,
I missed this thread when you first posted. I'm glad to hear you got it fixed.
I have an Early 2011 17" MBP, which had a problem that turned out to be the second GPU on the mother board (sorry, Apple - logic board). I had the GPU replaced by a local Apple repair shop for a very reasonable price.
It occasionally crashes, so I suspect there is still a logic board problem. When it finally dies, I'll get the board replaced - I don't want to give up the 17" matte screen.
I upgraded to a 1 TB SDD and it is adequately fast for my needs.