macbook 13.3" MB exact replacement or upgrade??

I have a white macbook 13.3" with a motherboard that apparently has gone belly up. It refuses to be powered by the battery. It instantly shuts off if the power adapter is disconnected. I've installed a new apple battery and battery connector. I've reset the power controller, and I am out of options.

I am considering replacing the MB and I have a few questions....shortly after I got my mac, apple began shipping same version but with a slightly faster cpu (2.2 ghz I think), and a real video subsystem with its own memory (not the Intel 950 integrated graphics chip).
1) Does any body know if i can fit the newer version MB in my machine? If so, do you know the board number?
2) how can I find out the model/MB number of my current machine? (I removed the tag on the outside of the box)
3) Any pointer to a reputable company that sells OEM mb's are reasonable prices?

Thanks for any assistance. (no, I did not buy the protection plan...I've owned probably 25 Win notebooks and they all have lasted a min of 4 years, and Macs are so much better...right?)
-J

Forget about using a main board - logic board from a later model in an earlier model MacBook. It won't work, different components and chipset.

If you really know for sure the main board is defective, you can replace it yourself. Go to the ifixit web site and look up your year model MacBook and then price a new board. The same site also has instructions on how to change out parts yourself.

Link

You can find your exact model number by clicking on your Apple menu, select "About this Mac" and then select "More Info".

Regards.

chscag said:

Forget about using a main board - logic board from a later model in an earlier model MacBook. It won't work, different components and chipset.

Click to expand...

Well, that is exactly the point. I know the video chipset is different, and the processor has the same form factor, but a higher speed capability. Because of a different video subsystem, routing on the board will have changed, along with other component placements. Because the updated board fit into a case with the identical surrounding components (disk drive, kbd, display, and ports) I would expect the form factor of the new board to be identical to the old one. Perhaps some mounting holes or tabs have been relocated which would prevent mounting it....or, because of heat issues, some modifications have been done that would not allow backwards capability......this is exactly what I am trying to find out. My suspicion is that the new board has the exact same form factor as the one it superseeded. My hope is that the mounting arrangements are the same, as well as the placement of the off-board connections (or at least close enough to work). Simply saying it has different components does not necessarily mean it won't work.

thanks for the pointer to ifixit
-J

Mactrack (Iphone App) says the early2009 white macbook has an Nvidia card, 3.0gb sata support and max 6gb ram support. Ifixit.com mentions that the layout of the new logic board different, so that might cause issues.

I think it will. I checked Ifixit.com to see if the install instruction for the logic board is different between the pre-Santa Rosa/Penryn and the post-Santa Rosa/Penryn and they are exactly the same. Which leads me to believe it will work.

Plus

I'd be interested in knowing what you find out. thanks for the post...