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Upgrading the logic board

K

kramerica2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 15, 2009
146
6
I'm really curious about the subject, and perhaps someone around here could clarify the issue.

Is it possible to replace the logic board + cpu + ram of a mid-2010 MBP, with a late-2011 MPB?

I've seen some discussions about the issue, but couldn't find a good answer. I know how PCs work, and have installed PCs in the past from scratch (cpu, Mobo, RAM, GPU, etc..). I don't know much about macs, but it shouldn't be different.

If a 2011 logic-board has the same physical dimensions of a 2010 one (does it?), I can't see why it's not possible.

Any input on the subject would be very appreciated.
 
You can check ifixit.com for the instructions on how to disassemble the MBP and that may give you an idea on how similar they are.

My guess is that they aren't completely the same. But they may be similar enough.

And although I think it would be pretty sweet to do what you are thinking about, the cost of a 2011 logic board is going to be pretty stratospheric, so you won't save much money, or you'd have to really luck out and find someone with a completely bust MBP whose Logic Board was in perfect condition... and still I wonder about the price.

So yeah, basically check ifixit and post pics when you do it. :D
 
In short, it's not possible, unless you're willing to swap out virtually everything apart from the unibody enclosure.

Even if it was a simple swap, the price would be similar to that of buying a 2011 one and selling your old one.
 
lamboman said:
In short, it's not possible, unless you're willing to swap out virtually everything apart from the unibody enclosure.

Even if it was a simple swap, the price would be similar to that of buying a 2011 one and selling your old one.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the answer, but could you elaborate on that?

What do you mean everything? I'm pretty sure that i don't need to change:
HDD, optical drive, keyboard, trackpad, camera.

Do I need to change the wifi, BT ? If so, why?

Thanks again, appreciate the effort.

PS. please put financial considerations aside. I just want to focus on the technical details of the subject.
 
kramerica2 said:
Thanks for the answer, but could you elaborate on that?

What do you mean everything? I'm pretty sure that i don't need to change:
HDD, optical drive, keyboard, trackpad, camera.

Do I need to change the wifi, BT ? If so, why?

Thanks again, appreciate the effort.

PS. please put financial considerations aside. I just want to focus on the technical details of the subject.
Click to expand...

http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/48642/Replacing+logic+board+with+new+version

Of course, optical and hard drives won't need to be changed as they are standardised, and the trackpad/keyboard should be the same, but aside from that, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are now a single unit, and the camera requires a different connector, according to that link.
 
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