Steps 1–33: Teardown
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Step 9
We're inside!
Disassembling this laptop is reminiscent of the old PowerBook G4 Titanium models, and very similar to the MacBook Air.
You remove the bottom plate, and everything is screwed into the upper case. The case is now Apple's custom-machined unibody enclosure.
The interior is cleaner and flows together better than the previous Pro.
Cable routing from various parts of the case to the logic board is simpler in this than the new MacBook because Apple had more room to play with.
Step 10
Removing the two 1 GB DIMMs. These chips are a new RAM type for Apple, 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM.
Apple claims this machine maxes out at 4GB RAM, but the Montevina chipset appears to support up to 8GB.
Shameless plug: You can upgrade your existing MacBook or MacBook Pro to 4 GB. We'll also be offering the RAM for the new Unibody machines in the near future.
Step 11
We're going to remove the optical drive next.
Disconnect these two connectors.
Step 12
To free the Superdrive, remove the following 3 screws
Two 2.8 mm Phillips screws.
One 3.5 mm Phillips screws.
Step 13
Liberating the optical drive from the confines of this beautiful machine.
Step 14
The optical drive is SATA for the first time. Panasonic model #UJ878A.
The superdrive in the last model was ATA, model #UJ857.
You can see the different connectors in the middle picture. The new, SATA connector is on top.
The rightmost photo is a shot of the new drive label.
Step 15
Pry the two fan connectors up off their sockets on the logic board.
Remove the following 6 screws:
Three 3.1 mm Philips screws.
Three 3.7 mm Philips screws.
Step 16
Removing the two cooling fans.
Apple has long used a unique fan design with a high number of fan blades. This allows them to achieve moderate airflow with low RPM. The slower the fan spins, the quieter it is.
Here's the complete spec on the memory module
http://www.hynix.com/products/computing/...
Hi,
somebody already tried 8GB? I saw that the new 17" Unibody has an option for 8GB so I am wondering if it is also possible in the 15" Unibody Pro.
What are the exact specs of the memory module? Is it 1066 6-6-6 or 1066 7-7-7 or the slowest one 1066 8-8-8?
Thanks for the info.
iFixit Staff
The original 15" Unibody does not support 8 GB, but later 15" Unibodies do.
Hi miro.
Thanks for your info. How comes? What changed in the models? Starting with which Model of the 15" MacBook Pro 8GB is supported? The one without ExpressCard Slot but with Cardreader or also older models of the 15" MacBook Pro. How can I identifiy if 8GB are supported or not?
looking forward hearing your answer soon.
Nobody knows?
The timing of the memory would also be interesting (CL).
Thanks
The little ribbon being pried is the optical drive; is the other one the airport/bluetooth/iSight cable? I need to disable these things and am looking for the easiest way to do it. I don't yet have a new 15" Macbook Pro because I need to find out before I order it.
iFixit Staff
You are correct. The upper cable is what Apple calls the 'camera cable' (leads to the display) and the lower one is the optical drive cable.
Does the same cable also connect to the Bluetooth and WiFi?
iFixit Staff
Yes, the cable connects to the camera, AirPort card, and Bluetooth card.
"disconnect those cables"...duh ! HOW ? the "camera cable" does not exactly look like your standard cable insert... how the @^%% do you disconnect this one without breaking it ?
iFixit Staff
Pull the connector toward the optical drive, parallel to the face of the logic board. This page is a teardown, and should not be used for disassembly. Check out our MacBook Pro 15" Unibody page for detailed repair instructions.
Can you please note if this optical drive is 9mm or 11mm high? Wondering if it is possible to replace with a slot-loading Panasonic Blu-Ray drive...
It's a Panasonic Super Slim which means it's 9.5mm
Therefore the Blu-ray drive doesn't fit.
How do you disconect the connector ?
Pull up, or sideways (towards the fan) ?
Ty :)
iFixit Staff
I went ahead and edited the step to make it more clear. Thanks for pointing it out!
Can you install a second SSD drive for raid 0 in place of the superdrive.
Not a Mac person yet.
Looking for a fast portable Photoshop processor. One draw back I see to the Macbook is only 256 in the video board. Photoshop wants at least 512 to activate OpenGL and the shader.