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I was curious if it is possible to swap a Macbook Pro 2011 logic board with one from the 2012 model. Looking at the pictures below it looks possible…. Macbook Pro 2011 logic board: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/QWKKP… Macbook Pro 2012 logic board: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/11bHZ… Has anyone attempted it?
It’s a model A1286 which goes back to the late 2008 15" Unibody. The only thing that concerns me is the Thunderbolt port. UPDATE 2/7/16 FYI check these logic boards for this recall if you are having any issues: https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro…
I see a lot of mixed or unclear answers here from people who claim to know what they are saying. What gives me the right to say I know? Well, I just did it last week! I have an early 2011 model 15" MBP with a matte screen. I purchased a mid 2012 non-retina logic board (without the heat sink → reused my original one) and installed it successfully, upgrading my USB ports, Thunderbolt port, CPU, and GPU. It’s like having a new computer! The display cable was a tight fit, but working carefully and with a gentle yet firm hand, I was able to fit it into the logic board port. The only other difference is that the new boards do not have the small heat sinks over the USB controller and one other controller (not sure what they are). I’ve read that one guy butchered his old board and superglued the screw mounts onto the new board. Another person reported superglueing the heat sink directly to the controller. Both of these ways seemed a bit barbaric and unclean to me, so I just left the two controllers be; figured they would have the screw mounts if they needed the brackets, but they don’t. So over a week later, my laptop has been running completely fine. Actually super, because of all the upgrades! I have installed iStat Menus and have been monitoring my temperatures. Everything is within normal ranges during various workloads! I have also swapped out my DVD Superdrive with my original 750GB 5200RPM HDD, replacing the main drive with a 1TB Samsung 850 Pro. Oh, and my bluetooth module has been changed a long time ago, to allow AirDrop and Handover to work… as you see, just about everything in my laptop has been changed. I just really like my matte screen, and cannot believe they don’t make them any more. These new “anti-glare” displays have nothing on the matte! So the answer to whether an early 2011 logic board (15" MBP) is swappable for a mid 2012 non-retina one is: It absolutely is, and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise!
I recently purchased a 2012 unibody and 2012 display and put a late 2011 logic board in it. The only thing that didn’t line up was the heat sink. But everything else worked fine. I’m not sure if you were going from a 2011 unibody to a 2012 board. The lcd cable will fit fine either way yet I’m sure you will not have the high resolution with a 2011 display.
It is not possible. Apple re-designed the LCD cable adapter on the logic board making it not interchangeable.
Hey guys, I have just swap a Mid 2012 non retina logic board with the Early 2011 MBP. Works fine. The only glitch is the Automatic Graphic Switching seems not working. It always stay with High performance but not switch. I can even enter my original S/N into the Nvram with Set System Serial Number software. Anyway, my MBP is out of warranty and it is early 2011 model with AMD graphic went wrong by well know reason just after my Apple Care expired. So, DIY and works. I bought this logic board on Taobao and cost me US$560.00. Charles
@marcel151 -The system I’m banging on right now is a 2011 system which I replaced the logic board with a 2012. There is a slight alteration needed on the LVDS cable otherwise no issues with either gloss or matte displays.
Where do I find the logic board, and just to be sure I have a A1286 motherboard it’s the Early 2011 model with a i7 quad core processor, I would want an upgrade if possible. And where do I find all the other upgrades you did?
Hello everybody, are there any known issues with the glossy/matte/HR/non HR displays? All interchangeable? Could I put a 2012 board from a Macbook with glossy 1440 display into a 2011 Macbook with 1650 matte display? Connectors will fit, graphics will work? Thanks a lot!
I have Successfully Swapped a Late 2011 13” Logic-Board to a mid 2012 13” Logic board i came across a tutorial on Youtube posted by a tuber named “psycolana” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swQIx4Vq...), you have to trim the plastic edge on the display data cable and it fits into the Logic board without any problems.
