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MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement

What you need

  1. MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement, Lower Case: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:

    • Three 13.5 mm (14.1 mm) Phillips screws.

    • Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.

    • When removing these screws, note how they come out at a slight angle. They must be reinstalled the same way.

  2. MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Using both hands, lift the lower case near the vent to pop it off two clips securing it to the upper case.

    • Remove the lower case and set it aside.

  3. MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement, Battery Connector: step 3, image 1 of 2 MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement, Battery Connector: step 3, image 2 of 2
    • For certain repairs (e.g. hard drive), disconnecting the battery connector is not necessary but is recommended as it prevents any accidental shorting of electronics on the motherboard. If you do not disconnect the battery connector, please be careful as parts of the motherboard might be electrified.

    • Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.

    • It is useful to pry upward on both short sides of the connector to "walk" it out of its socket.

  4. MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.

  5. MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement, RAM: step 5, image 1 of 3 MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement, RAM: step 5, image 2 of 3 MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM Replacement, RAM: step 5, image 3 of 3
    • Release the tabs on each side of the RAM chip by simultaneously pushing each tab away from the RAM module.

    • These tabs lock the chip in place and releasing them will cause the chip to "pop" up.

    • After the RAM chip has popped up, pull it straight out of its socket.

    • Repeat this process if a second RAM chip is installed.

Conclusion

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

212 other people completed this guide.

3 Comments

Great guide. Comments @ the screws gave me a heads-up on what to look for. No problems, no hassles, & in a short time, my memory is doubled. Wish I could do that for my brain. Thanks!

dashbran1 - Reply

Hi,

thanks for the guide, I plan to upgrade my 15” early 2011 2.3 GHz MBP today. I am changing my 750GB HDD to a Firecuda 2TB SSHD (can’t afford the SSD I wish I could get into currently), and I plan to upgrade my RAM from the 8GB to 16GB as well to give my 2011 a little sprucing up. I have performed a full time machine backup to my 2TB WD passport pro external HD (It’s set up as a RAID 0 device and has a thunderbolt 1 interface, which I was glad for bc a USB 2.0 interface would have taken like 3 days or blown up my computer.

My questions are:

1. Is there a preferred order to switch out the internal hard drive and memory? Do I need to switch out one first then boot up and shutdown, or can you safely upgrade the HD and RAM at the same time?

2. Is there anything else I need to do before upgrading the HD besides a time machine backup? Do I need a “bootable OS?” Whatever that is? Thanks!

Dustin - Reply

I completed this several years ago, sorry for just now giving credit. I was able to upgrade my MacBook Pro 15” Early 2011 with 16GB of RAM. It has been running great ever since. Probably 4 years now maybe longer?? Thank you!

jayfish - Reply

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