2014 Macbook Pro 13" Retina 2.6 GHz Logic Board upgrade

[Arkannos]

Hello,

I have a mid 2014 Macbook Pro Retina 13" 2.6 GHz (A1502) and I was wondering if it is possible to upgrade the Logic Board to the 3.0 GHz Core i7. I have already swapped out the SSD for a 1TB instead of the 128 GB from factory. Am I able to do this? I have found the parts, but information on doing the actual upgrade seems a little muddy. Is this possible?

 

[pm-r]

Am I able to do this? I have found the parts, but information on doing the actual upgrade seems a little muddy. Is this possible?

Try checking here:
Apple/Mac/OS X News, Tips and Tech Articles - xlr8yourmac.com

It used to be THE PLACE to check for Mac upgrading updates and various equipment hacks.

I don't know if such mods are still being supported on the later more recent Mac models.


- Patrick
======

 

[Arkannos]

Thank you Patrick. It doesn't look like they have anything beyond 2013 MBP upgrades. I'm finding a lot of conflicting information on being able to swap from an i5 to an i7. It'd be a nice way to double up my RAM as well.

 

[ferrarr]

See if ifixit.com, iFixit: The Free Repair Manual, has an answer in their answer forum, someone there may have tried it.

 

[Arkannos]

See if ifixit.com, iFixit: The Free Repair Manual, has an answer in their answer forum, someone there may have tried it.

Well it looks like it IS possible to upgrade Logic Boards within the same model year. I've tracked down parts and I can swap out my Core i5 for a Core i7. Prices are around $900 for a 3.0 GHz i7 with 16 GB of RAM, so perhaps I'll see what Apple announces on September 10th for their next MacBook Pro line. Fingers crossed for modular components.

 

[pm-r]

so perhaps I'll see what Apple announces on September 10th for their next MacBook Pro line. Fingers crossed for modular components.

I sure wouldn't advise holding my breath for that wish. You might get to see some modular components, but I'll bet they'll be all put together as a single unit.

A lot of space can be gained by having everything soldered together and replacing a lot of sockets, and can save manufacturing costs as well. So nothing that you would be hoping for.

BYW: Have you checked any speed scores for the difference between the Core i5 and Core i7 for the type of work that you might be doing. I thought I read somewhere that the Core i7 was only a lot faster when doing some specific tasks. Otherwise, and if that was the case, it may not be worth doing the replacement at that cost. That's a pretty hefty price tag!!!

But maybe come September 10th, you may get your wish fulfilled and a lot of us could be quite surprised. It would be very nice to be surprised as it may indicate a change in Apple's design direction. That could be quite possible with Sir Jonathan Ive now out of the direct Apple picture and his "make it thinner" design emphasis.



- Patrick
======

 

[Arkannos]

BYW: Have you checked any speed scores for the difference between the Core i5 and Core i7 for the type of work that you might be doing. I thought I read somewhere that the Core i7 was only a lot faster when doing some specific tasks. Otherwise, and if that was the case, it may not be worth doing the replacement at that cost. That's a pretty hefty price tag!!!

But maybe come September 10th, you may get your wish fulfilled and a lot of us could be quite surprised. It would be very nice to be surprised as it may indicate a change in Apple's design direction. That could be quite possible with Sir Jonathan Ive now out of the direct Apple picture and his "make it thinner" design emphasis.

======

I'm nothing if not a dreamer, lol.

I was considering the i7 board swap, but in all reality I don't think it's worth it. It may be an upgrade, but it's a costly one using used or refurbished components from 2014, so I'll keep holding my breath on Apple. I don't know how they justify selling a PRO device with static components. I bough my wife a MBP in 2011 and it has a new solid state drive and room for a RAM upgrade. It's still an incredibly fast computer. I do a lot of work in Logic Pro and I'm planning on getting Final Cut, so I was enticed by the idea of having two cores at my disposal, but I've been making it work for this long, so I suppose I'll keep on keeping on.

I've also read that Ive will still be consulting on Apple designs, but I'm hopeful that his departure might tone down the design-centric mindset that Apple has been in for the last few years. At least when Steve Jobs was around there was balance between design and functionality. I see Tim Cook as more of a money guy, and while that does wonders for shareholders, it tends to alienate loyal customers. I don't want to make this into a rant, so I'll stop here.

 

[ferrarr]

The 13" models were always limited by their dual core, while the 15" models had the quad core.