Logic Board Died - Replace Board or MBP?

[ikck]

I took my Macbook Pro into an authorized apple retailer after it wouldn't boot up anymore. It was confirmed to be the logic board. It's an early 2008 and did not have apple care so I was quoted $899 to have it fixed there.

Need some advice / suggestions. Before telling him to go ahead, would it be more worthwhile to just replace the whole mbp with one of the newer models?

 

[shoebobs]

I took my Macbook Pro into an authorized apple retailer after it wouldn't boot up anymore. It was confirmed to be the logic board. It's an early 2008 and did not have apple care so I was quoted $899 to have it fixed there.

Need some advice / suggestions. Before telling him to go ahead, would it be more worthwhile to just replace the whole mbp with one of the newer models?

I would suggest you sell it as-is/for parts on eBay. Take a look at past auctions to get an idea of what you could expect to get for it. Last I checked you still may be able to get a decent amount that you could use towards a new MBP. People will pay good money if the screen/casing, etc is still in good condition, as the screen especially is expensive.

You never know if your logic board was a one time issue or if something just generally is wrong with the machine that may appear again. I doubt there would be a major recurring problem, but at this point I would suggest just getting a new machine.

Plus I think your early 2008 model has the NVIDIA 8600M GT which, according to various accounts may or may not be a ticking time bomb.

Finally, at the risk of turning this into a "should I buy now or wait" thread, you may want to hold off on a new one if you don't absolutely need to replace it now, and wait for the rumored refresh. I used to have an early 2008 MBP, and after comparing it to the current i5/i7 machines, it seems very far behind. The Sandy Bridge refresh is supposed to be an even bigger leap.

 

[puttputt]

blast that sucker with a heat gun. Search for my thread about the topic.
It might work out for you and save you some $$.

 

[SDub90]

Can you bring it to an apple store? The early 2008 had an 8600M GT so you would still be under the extended warranty if that's the culprit.

It's worth a shot.

 

[ikck]

I would suggest you sell it as-is/for parts on eBay. Take a look at past auctions to get an idea of what you could expect to get for it. Last I checked you still may be able to get a decent amount that you could use towards a new MBP. People will pay good money if the screen/casing, etc is still in good condition, as the screen especially is expensive.

You never know if your logic board was a one time issue or if something just generally is wrong with the machine that may appear again. I doubt there would be a major recurring problem, but at this point I would suggest just getting a new machine.

Plus I think your early 2008 model has the NVIDIA 8600M GT which, according to various accounts may or may not be a ticking time bomb.

Finally, at the risk of turning this into a "should I buy now or wait" thread, you may want to hold off on a new one if you don't absolutely need to replace it now, and wait for the rumored refresh. I used to have an early 2008 MBP, and after comparing it to the current i5/i7 machines, it seems very far behind. The Sandy Bridge refresh is supposed to be an even bigger leap.

Great to note, thanks. A friend who is an apple tech also suggested the 8600 problem as well (which my machine does have). I might be able to hold off on replacement so I'll keep tabs on the refresh.

blast that sucker with a heat gun. Search for my thread about the topic.
It might work out for you and save you some $$.

The tech that looked at my machine says the LB is fried so I don't believe frying it more would work although I'll take a look at your topic, thanks.

Can you bring it to an apple store? The early 2008 had an 8600M GT so you would still be under the extended warranty if that's the culprit.

It's worth a shot.

The authorized retailer said it was indeed the LB but I'll ask him about the video card today.

 

[NickZac]

Replace it, hands down. Also, check up on the GPU issues to see if you may be in that category.

Putting money into an older, less current machine, which almost surely has a higher probability of having other issues is not worth it. At a grand for replacement, you can get the entry MacBook for that much money, and for a few hundred more the 13 inch MBP or MBA, which is a better way to go IMO.