Early 2009 Polycarbonate 13" MacBook 7,1 w/ geforce 320m

[ghostboi]

So I'm looking to have a little fun tinkering around with my "new" MacBook, and I want to replace the geforce 320m that's in it now. I'll be in there anyway replacing the batter and the memory, so why not? I know I'll have to remove the old one and solder a new one in its place, so I'm not worried there. I want something that could handle running metal in case my regular MacBook dies for some unforeseen reason. As of right now I have this polycarb Mac running on the latest version of Catalina, but I'd feel more comfortable with it running Big Sur should that MacBook die or something. Does anyone have any suggestions or know where I can find a compatibility list?

 

[DeltaMac]

MacBook7,1 is a mid-2010 model, not 2009.
But, your question about upgrading to a metal-supporting graphics chip is likely to end with just one answer: nope.
Your willingness to solder does not change the reality that alternative graphics chips for the older MacBooks do not exist.
You CAN install a patched Big Sur, but you won't get graphics acceleration.

 

[Jack Neill]

A SSD Raid 0 works fantastic in these and doubles R/Ws if you can live without the DVD drive