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I have a 1.83GHz Core2Duo A1181 Macbook.
I am wondering if it is possible to swap the logic board for a 2.4GHz model, and if it is not possible, what would be preventing it. I assume they use the same size and shape logic board considering they’re the same generation.
Thank you in advance
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Although size and shape are exactly the same the A1181 has changed boards with the years. It’s not a matter of speed only, small connectors on the board have been modified too. A 2009 A1181 board doesn’t fit a 2007 machine. To be on the safe side I would suggest to always ask seller about compatibility. The board number changed at least 3 times with the years and every release introduced variations. Sticking with a board of the same release would surely grant compatibility. Board numbers read such as 820-xxxx-x
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I believe I have a Mid-2007 with a Mermom C2D on second glance. What’s theoretically the “best” board I can put in there?
@Koston Morin If you stick with the same EMC then the 2.16GHz should be the fastest that's surely compatible. I'm not sure a late 2007 Macbook board would fit, but the fastest is 2.2GHz, not a difference can be really felt. In general, I'd say the speed bumps on A1181 are pretty irrelevant. The only real different board is that of Macbook 5,2 of 2009 that can run El Capitan natively but doesn't fit in your Mac.
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It generally isn’t worth the cost to do a board swap on the A1181 due to the age of them and the fact you can only run up to 10.7 on the GMA ones (most) and 10.9 on the 9400M version (hard to come by) - yes, some people have patched newer versions of MacOS, but generally after 10.8 it wasn’t a good candidate with GMA boards, but the 9400M got up to 10.10 before it was no longer a good candidate. They also are limited to 2GB/3GB tested on the 2006-2007 models and 4GB/6GB tested on 2008-9 models. The other issue is the DDR2 RAM it requires is incredibly expensive and hard to get in anything useful (4GB+)
Your money is better spent on a 2012 13” MBP, a cleaning/CPU repaste and a new HD cable if you have no emotional attachment to this A1181. It’s much faster with a 3rd gen core i processor (i5 commonly), can run the current version of MacOS and can take much more RAM (8GB official/16GB tested).
You can keep the MB but the cost of the upgrade is more then the machine is worth unless you somehow get the board stupid cheap, which won’t be easy.
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The model I have is a Black model which has some emotional significance to me. It happens to have a battery detection issue on the motherboard (I've tested the Magsafe, Magsafe Board, Battery connection board, as well as a new battery) and figured id see if I can find a cheap replacement and see what the yields me. Your response was very helpful however, thank you!
It's about the same for sellers Nick, I've had for sale a late 2006 A1181 2.0Ghz board for about 50$ shipped, for months now. It seems price for such boards is not really the issue, either one needs it and pays even double or board will stay unsold forever.
@arbaman I didn't fix my A1181 and went to a 2011 Pro. Yeah I should have gotten a 2012, but at the time they still went for a good sum while the 2011 was dirt cheap in comparison. If I had to do it again I'd get a 2012. The BlackBook is GMA only while the white one can have a GMA or 9400M. I'd probably get a 2015 Retina at this point since 2011->12 isn't much in comparison to 2011->15. However if my 2011 board died I'd probably seriously look at a nice 2012 15 HR AG if the Retina was still a bit too far away or a 13" if those were still too expensive since the HR AG ones still go for a lot.
The problem is the value proposition. $200-250 2012 13" (which is cheap for a Mac; less if you can deal with minor cosmetic issues) or a expensive board for a decrepit system? I can get a whole 2008 A1181 for $50 or less, especially if I look around. The 2009 9400M transition A1181 is harder to come by.
@nick I'd never take the headache to sell a Mac for 50$..I'd rather take it to next charity and let them give it to someone in need :)
@arbaman And that's why the A1181 is rarely worth fixing... Most of the faults are about as much as a used one and the whole laptop is always cheap.
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Why are you swapping the logic board?
Here's a listing of all of the A1181 models for reference: MacBook's
Basically you can swap out the same EMC modeled ID'd and that's about it.
by Dan