Installing MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Heat Sink

  • Author: iRobot
  • Difficulty: Difficult
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The heat sink helps keep the processor cool and happy.

Sections
Tools
Relevant parts
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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Battery  ¶ 

  • Use your fingers to push both battery release tabs away from the battery and lift the battery out of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 2 — RAM Shield  ¶ 

  • Remove the four identical Phillips screws from the memory door.

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Add Note Edit Step 3  ¶ 

  • Lift the memory door up enough to get a grip on it, and slide it toward you, pulling it away from the casing.

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Add Note Edit Step 4 — Upper Case  ¶ 

  • Remove the three Phillips screws in the battery compartment near the latch. Apple was nice enough to tilt these screws at a slight angle to make them easier to remove.

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Add Note Edit Step 5  ¶ 

  • Remove the following six screws:

    • Two T6 Torx screws on either side of the RAM slot.

    • Four Phillips screws along the hinge.

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Add Note Edit Step 6  ¶ 

  • Remove the four Phillips screws on the port side of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 7  ¶ 

  • Rotate the computer 90 degrees and remove the two Phillips screws from the rear of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 8  ¶ 

  • Rotate the computer 90 degrees again and remove the four Phillips screws from the side of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 9  ¶ 

  • Do not yank the upper case off quickly. The case is attached to the logic board via a ribbon cable.

  • Lift up the back of the case and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case.

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Add Note Edit Step 10  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the trackpad and keyboard ribbon cable from the logic board.

  • Remove the upper case.

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Add Note Edit Step 11 — Optical Drive  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the orange SuperDrive ribbon cable from the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

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Add Note Edit Step 12  ¶ 

  • Remove the following three screws:

    • Two black T6 Torx screws on either side of the SuperDrive.

    • One longer silver T6 Torx screw at the back of the drive near the speaker.

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Add Note Edit Step 13  ¶ 

  • Use one hand to pull back the speaker cable and use your other hand to lift the optical drive up and out of the computer.

  • If you have a CD or any other object jammed in your optical drive, we have an optical drive repair guide.

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Add Note Edit Step 14 — Logic Board  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the ten indicated connectors from the logic board.

  • The connectors have different positions for the four MacBook Pro revisions covered by this guide, and their locations are highlighted in the three pictures on this step.

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Add Note Edit Step 15  ¶ 

  • Rotate the large display data cable to the left and disconnect the small right thermal sensor cable beneath.

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Add Note Edit Step 16  ¶ 

  • Remove the single black T6 Torx screw securing the clear plastic shield over the right ambient light sensor.

  • Lift the clear plastic shield off the right ambient light sensor.

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Add Note Edit Step 17  ¶ 

  • Peel up the orange Kapton tape securing the left thermal sensor cable to the logic board.

  • If you have a MacBook Pro 17" Model A1229, this is the middle thermal sensor.

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Add Note Edit Step 18  ¶ 

  • Remove the following twelve screws:

    • Seven 6.5 mm T6 Torx screws.

    • Two 7.6 mm T6 Torx screws securing the battery connector to the lower case.

    • Three 7.8 mm T6 Torx screws.

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Add Note Edit Step 19  ¶ 

  • Lift up the left side of the logic board and disconnect the multi-colored power connector from the bottom of the board.

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Add Note Edit Step 20  ¶ 

  • Grasp the logic board at the left side and at the thin section near the right fan, and rotate the logic board out of the lower case.

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Add Note Edit Step 21  ¶ 

  • If the right speaker assembly remains attached to the logic board, hold the logic board with one hand and slide the speaker up slightly to free it from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 22 — Heat Sink  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the two antenna cables attached to the AirPort Extreme card.

  • The cable with the gray shielding attaches to the left side connector, while the cable with the white shielding attaches to the right side.

  • If you have a MacBook Pro 17" Model A1229, there are three antenna cables attached to the AirPort Extreme card instead of two.

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Add Note Edit Step 23  ¶ 

  • Remove the single black T6 Torx screw from the top right corner of the AirPort Extreme card.

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Add Note Edit Step 24  ¶ 

  • Lift the AirPort Extreme card up and slide it out of its connector.

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Add Note Edit Step 25  ¶ 

  • Remove the two silver T6 Torx screws from the top left and bottom right corners of the left speaker assembly.

  • The magnet in the MagSafe connector may pull the upper screw towards it after the screw has been freed.

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Add Note Edit Step 26  ¶ 

  • Lift up on the left speaker assembly and rotate it slightly. It is not possible to entirely remove the speaker yet, as it is still connected to the left I/O board beneath.

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Add Note Edit Step 27  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the right speaker from the left I/O board. Make sure to pull on the top section of the white connector, not the cable itself.

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Add Note Edit Step 28  ¶ 

  • Lift the right speaker assembly out of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 29  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the two cables attaching the left speaker assembly to the left I/O board.

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Add Note Edit Step 30  ¶ 

  • Peel up the iSight and inverter cables which are attached with a mild adhesive above the left fan.

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Add Note Edit Step 31  ¶ 

  • Remove the five T6 Torx screws securing the fans to the lower case.

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Add Note Edit Step 32  ¶ 

  • Lift the heat sink and attached fans out of the computer.

  • If you are replacing the heat sink, be sure to transfer the attached thermal sensor to your new heat sink.

  • If you need to mount the heat sink back into the laptop, we have a thermal paste guide that makes replacing the thermal compound easy.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

For more information, check out the MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 device page.

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Required Tools

Spudger

$2.95 · 50+ in stock

T6 Torx Screwdriver

$4.95 · 50+ in stock

Phillips #00 Screwdriver

$4.95 · 50+ in stock

Arctic Silver Thermal Paste

$8.95 · 50+ in stock

Related Products

MacBook Pro 17" (Models A1212/A1229) Heat Sink

$19.95 · 4 in stock

MacBook Pro 17" (Model A1261) Heat Sink

$19.95 · 1 in stock

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