Question about MacBook

Whatever you'd pay to buy a new logic board will probably buy you a much later model used MacBook Air or MacBook Pro on craigslist or eBay. That would be my choice.

 

Don't count on me too much on this, but I believe all logic boards from the pre-unibody MacBook (the white square one) are the same (NOT the unibody model that came in 2009). If you're really dedicated and if you're a collector, then you could replace the logic board (but double-check that the connectors and stuff work). However, as chabig said, chances are that if you're a regular user, you're better off investing into a new computer (or at least a computer not too old), because I believe that the only 2.4GHz Pre-Unibody MacBook (the one you mentioned) was released in 2008 and doesn't even work with the latest OS.

 

The logicboards in the early Macbooks look the same, but their mounting screws and internal connections vary between the models so much that no two models are compatible.

 

As someone who has upgraded an early 08 machine to early 09 with a board swap (and soon to be doing it again with a Late 07 machine), there are a few subtle differences. First and foremost, all the MacBooks prior to Late 07 are different from the Late 07-Mid 09 machines. They use completely different internal wiring, and a board upgrade from, say, an early 07 to a late 08, would not be compatible. Secondly, the Late 08-Mid 09 machines use SATA-based disk drives, so you'd need a new disk drive. Third, the Early and Mid 09 heatsinks differ from the 08s, and those differ from the 07s, and those differ from the Core Duo models. They aren't compatible at all... Forth, the Early and Mid 09 boards and bottom pans have different mounting points than the Late 07-Late 08 machines, so putting an 09 board in wouldn't work. You would need a new bottom pan. Fifth, Late 08 and beyond can run the latest version of OS X. Sixth, the unibody boards (late 09- 2010) are not compatible at all with the Mid 09 and below machines. Similarly, the special aluminum 08 MacBook, which looks like a pre-rMBP, also uses a completely different kind of board and therefore wouldn't be compatible with anything else. Finally, the board prices aren't too bad actually. I got my 2 09 boards for $60 from eBay. The seller was MacOfAllTrades, and he had multiple boards from various years for sale. Another great source for parts and boards is PowerBookMedic.com. The have plenty of boards and parts for pretty cheap.

Hopefully this helps! Let me know if you need any help with the board upgrade since I've done it twice now, and will be doing it for a 3rd time as soon as I have the money for the disk drive, heatsink, and bottom pan. I also need a bunch of screws, RAM door, and a new battery for it, but none of that is because of the upgrade