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Logic Board Upgrade, MBP 13" mid-2010 to MBP 13" mid-2012

Hi all,

I am wanting to upgrade the logic board on my MacBook Pro 13" (Mid-2010) with the one from the MacBook Pro 13" (Mid-2012). Both laptops have the same model number (A1278). By upgrading, I wish to increase the processor speed, maximum RAM, graphics capabilities, thunderbolt and have USB3.0 capabilities.

Essentially I want to put in this:

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2012) 2.5 GHz Logic Board

(although I'd try to find the i7 2.9GHz model)

And remove this:

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2010) 2.66 GHz Logic Board

Does anyone know if this upgrade would be possible? Would the new board fit correctly into my old MBP body (screw placement etc)? Will all the other connections will be the same (LCD, Battery, Fan, SuperDrive etc etc) or will I need adapters/converters. If so, it wouldn't be worth it. But If the two boards are directly interchangeable without any serious problems, this could be a nice upgrade and would breathe a few more years of life into my laptop!

Thanks in advance for help!

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2010) 2.66 GHz Logic Boardcrwdne2886500:0

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MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2010) 2.66 GHz Logic Board

$249.99

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2012) 2.5 GHz Logic Boardcrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2934075:0crwdne2934075:0

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2012) 2.5 GHz Logic Board

$249.99

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Hi,

anyone succeeded doing this ?

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

Is there anyone who already tried this?

I also have the same question and intention with Chrisbrown.

Thank you

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

also wondering this ? anyone ? :)

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

Yes, it is possible, I’ve just done it.

Major but not so troublesome issues:

1) The old heatsink (2010) does not fit the new motherboard. You’ve to buy one that fits (2011-2012).

2) The new battery connector faces upward, while the old one faces the battery itself. You have to buy a battery that has a connector that fits this new orientation.

Apart from that, the screw placement is the same.

The display data cable is a bit tricky to be put safely back in place.

Some connectors has a slightly different placement/orientations, but that’s not a problem.

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

@Giacomo Santerini

Ciao Giacomo so could you confirm you didnt have any compatibility problems as wifi antenna, camera etc beside the battery?

Im about to do the same, mid 2012 i7 into mid 2010 core 2 duo.

Grazie

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We get this question alot. You will notice that we spend a lot of time checking 100% compatibility. So for what you're trying to accomplish, the short answer is no.

The long answer though, makes it seem as though it could work.

All of the ports line up, batteries are the same. I would look through our parts list and take note of what parts are not cross compatible. My guess is that most of the issue lies in how the board mounts to the case.

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Thanks Scott. I appreciate your answer, and the work you guys do. I had noticed that it was asked a lot, but there never seemed to be any response from people saying if they had done it, and if it had worked.

I assumed if the model number of the boards were the same, they should mount to the case the same way...but never assume anything, right?

I will take a closer look through the parts list and see what I can come up with.

Thanks again!

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

But if I have a complete 2012 and move over everything into a 2010 housing? Beucase The 2010 housing look like new and 2012 look like !&&*. So use the 2010 housing with complete 2012 internals?

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

But if I have a complete 2012 13" with broken screen. If I move all The internals from the 2012 works perfect and my 2010 look like new. Soo if I move The whole complete internals to The 2010.?

The motherboards bracket with mounting holes under The keyboard.

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I've looked at many pix, but i need to get my hands on a 2012 board to confirm, but from the photos, they are physically the same, all connectors appear to match, mounting locations appear to match, heatsink is different, but fan location i think is the same, ports appear to be the same. I really want to know for sure myself, and if it works, i will definitely be upgrading to a 2.9 i7. I want the USB 3.0, and am sick of the sata issues that the early 2011 model has. maybe ill fix my screen too..... If somebody knows of or has a logic board from a mid 2012 model, fried or not, I will take the plunge and determine once and for all if this swap is possible!!!! Let's make this happen!!!

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Any updates did this every take flight and work?

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It will not work. The LCD, Camera and Fan connectors do not line up or are not the same. For more information see...

Replacing logic board with new version?

The replacement year is a little different but it's the same idea.

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Can anyone confirm this for the 13” model?

I am seeing a difference in connectors in the attached picture. Any work arounds?

Block Image

I keep getting the 3-beeps on boot. Ram is good.

upgrading from 2010 to 2012

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That's just the DVD drive, right? Not sure what that old connector is, but I'm sure you could order the new cable separately. The connector on the DVD drive should be the same.

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

Nope unfortunately it’s not. I could live without the CD drive. But this particular connector goes to the airport/Bluetooth and subwoofer. The really unfortunate part is that to replace it would mean taking apart the screen and replacing the whole antenna assembly. Aka lots of extra work :(

Doable yes. But not easily.

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I can confirm that it is replaceable on the 15" model. The only thing that isn't perfect is the video cable bar that holds it isn't long enough to fold down over the board connection like normal.

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what do you mean? the LVDS connector on the logic board? or the cable guide? how did you get around this problem?

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

The cable fits fine into the LVDS connector on the board, what I meant was the display data cable lock doesn't fully "lock". The following picture shows the "lock" I am terribly describing. It has the attached pull tab. https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/ig...

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I just want to confirm this again but you took a 2012 logic board and succesfully mounted it in a mid 2010. 15” mbp ? My logic board is acting up so an upgrade would be welkom.

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How did you get around the "lock" not fully closing? Does the LVDS cable stay properly secured if its not fully locked? Anyone able to recommend an alternative (non-permanent) method to keep it in place?

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Alexander, yes I took a NON-Retina 2012 logic board and fit it perfectly in a Mid 2010 15", no changes or modifications necessary to make it fit and it has been working everyday since.

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Chris:

Were you able to accomplish the board upgrade? I have the same unit as you described and I have done all I can to improve the speed (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD), and have hit the wall in terms of certain digital audio programs I use for composing music.

Jon

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Hi Jon,

I ended up not even trying. In 2013 I upgraded to MacBook Air (which I still use today) and sold the MBP. Although looking above at other answers, it seems to be possible.

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Hello Jon,

I'm in the exact same situation. Mid-2010 MacBook Pro 13" already upgraded to SSD, maxed out RAM and everything but now it's finally getting too slow to handle audio plugins. Upgrading to the 2012 2.9 GHz i7 could be ideal. Did you attempt the swap? Any success?

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I also have the same situation. Sorta. It seems a bit iffy about upgrading from mid 2010 to a 2012, so I was thinking about a 2011 model logic board. Because people say the 2009 to 2010 boards are basically interchangeable, I was thinking they may have went through to the 2011 model year and kept those interchangeable as well. Only a guess though and I dont have much money. But I love this computer so much and I even managed to get windows 10 on it, even after it was roughly 2 years too late for apple to support it on windows 10. But i managed to do it. Though, this thing really struggles in games... what games? minecraft java edition... it runs sorta fine on os x, but on windows it is glitchy and slow. I still cant think of any computer I could upgrade to with my money situation with the ports and everything I love about this one. So I want to do what I can to make this thing last for a very long time, aka, upgrading the logicboard and making it more future proof and usable for games/heavier. Thx in advance.

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

Same issue here. I want to take 2012 logic board and put in my 2011 MBP 13”, hoping to support Windows 10. But if it doesn’t I’m not too interested in doing it.

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