I was wondering what the processor being soldered to the motherboard meant. well yes i know its soldered to the board itself but how easy would it be to unsolder it and add a c2d to my coreduo mbp.
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mbp processor upgrade
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well that a great load of help...
anyone know where i can get detailed pics or somewhere posting someone trying this?
Google? But really... The idea of unsoldering a 400+ pin surface mounted cpu with a proper desoldering station (much less without) just seems kind of risky to me.
But by all means, break new grounds - and take pics.
Unsoldering isn't as easy as it sounds. Unless you are very experienced and have the right equipment it would be a disaster. I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who would be able to do this for you.
I'm going to be dissembling my mbp to fix a dent from dropping it , upgrading the ram and hard drive, dvd drive around christmas and will check out the processor. Just to double check i can just drop the c2d in and its pin and motherboard compatable.
, upgrading the ram and hard drive, dvd drive around christmas and will check out the processor. Just to double check i can just drop the c2d in and its pin and motherboard compatable.
The Core 2 Duo Processor connects to the motherboard via 479 pins. These pins are on the underside of the processor package, (click here for a picture,) in an approximately 1.5" square area. The pins, however, are sandwiched between the processor silicon substrate and the motherboard. That means that you can't even get at the pins.
I have microcomponent soldering experience, and I wouldn't even dare try it on my own equipment. (If you would be willing to pay me $500 plus the cost of parts, and sign a waiver that absolves me of all warranty, I would be willing to attempt it for you, though.)
I have microcomponent soldering experience, and I wouldn't even dare try it on my own equipment. (If you would be willing to pay me $500 plus the cost of parts, and sign a waiver that absolves me of all warranty, I would be willing to attempt it for you, though.)
so each of those 479 pins are soldered to the motherboard. (insert pic of my eyes rolling to the back of my head and then head blows up)
I'm not afraid of opening up my laptop and know alot about my pc and laptop repair but my old laptop, gateway , had a socket for it's processor. Also my soldering skills are decent.
p.s. ehurtly thanks for the offer but i think i'll skip...
I'm not afraid of opening up my laptop and know alot about my pc and laptop repair but my old laptop, gateway
, had a socket for it's processor. Also my soldering skills are decent.p.s. ehurtly thanks for the offer but i think i'll skip...
Yup, each pin is soldered. Although, it might be even harder. In the past, Intel has made what they call 'Ball Grid Array' mobile processors, which have their pins packed even TIGHTER together, and then, without even pins on the bottom, just solder points. I don't know if they offer the Core Duo this way or not, though. I do have an old 486 that was mounted this way. I did succeed in de-soldering it, but couldn't solder it back on again.
this thread makes me smile...
But only because I know this guy will try it anyway.
Working for a notebook manufacture years ago, I've seen how they are soldered on, and personally I don't think it's passable to do it by hand... at least not by someone who isn't trained to do it.
But only because I know this guy will try it anyway.
Working for a notebook manufacture years ago, I've seen how they are soldered on, and personally I don't think it's passable to do it by hand... at least not by someone who isn't trained to do it.
so each of those 479 pins are soldered to the motherboard. (insert pic of my eyes rolling to the back of my head and then head blows up)
I'm not afraid of opening up my laptop and know alot about my pc and laptop repair but my old laptop, gateway
p.s. ehurtly thanks for the offer but i think i'll skip...
He's what I would do If I were you. Sell your Core Duo Macbook Pro on eBay (just make sure everything is working properly and it is in good shape). With the difference in money that you would use on a Core 2 Duo Chip, use it to buy a C2D Macbook Pro.
Even if you could (which you can't) upgrade a CD to a C2D I still wouldn't do it, since you would be voiding your warranty and the chances of screwing up is very high. I have opened a Macbook Pro before and it is not as easy as you might think. It's not like opening a desktop computer. In order to make the MBP so thin and small, apple clutters everything together, making it very delicate and cluttered.
If you do what I am tell you I am sure you will break even...
This thread is dumb as hell. The idea of doing it is horrible.
UNLESS YOU ARE HIGHLY TRAINED, YOUR MBP will DIE!!!!
not worth it for 7-30% performance gain. your mac already has great speed, be happy.
If you feel like you really need it. sell it on ebay. wait, probably a company like xcelerate your mac or someone will do it if you pay them. and they will warrant it.
UNLESS YOU ARE HIGHLY TRAINED, YOUR MBP will DIE!!!!
not worth it for 7-30% performance gain. your mac already has great speed, be happy.
If you feel like you really need it. sell it on ebay. wait, probably a company like xcelerate your mac or someone will do it if you pay them. and they will warrant it.
i have read that the actual dimensions of the chip are different, being the Core 2 Duo is slightly larger..which is why it took so long for Apple to redesign their logic board, and add a few ports to it in the meantime. If it was that easy, wouldnt apple do it?
its not worth risking a 2k dollar laptop for such a small and difficult upgrade...chances are you will ruin the laptop as well as both processors. Sell it and buy a new one.
its not worth risking a 2k dollar laptop for such a small and difficult upgrade...chances are you will ruin the laptop as well as both processors. Sell it and buy a new one.
No I'm serious that really made smile, I'm having a crappy day and I needed that. Thanks MR
This thread reminds me of how far people will go to have the latest and greatest specs. Like that one idiot, AstonMartonVanquish boy or whatever, he actually set his MacBook on fire just to convince Apple to give him a MacBook Pro. Hilarious. If you're reading this, I still laugh at you and I think you're pathetic
No I'm serious that really made smile, I'm having a crappy day and I needed that. Thanks MR
This thread reminds me of how far people will go to have the latest and greatest specs. Like that one idiot, AstonMartonVanquish boy or whatever, he actually set his MacBook on fire just to convince Apple to give him a MacBook Pro. Hilarious. If you're reading this, I still laugh at you and I think you're pathetic
ah i remember that. everyone on digg.com took their turn on flaming him. I was one. it was great.
Apple did just swap the processor.
The actual core of the Core 2 Duo is slightly different in dimensions than a Core Duo, but the substrate (the green board) that the chip is soldered to is exactly the same between Core Duo and Core 2 Duo. Same physical dimensions, same number of pins, same pin layout, same bus speed, same voltage. The only possible place where the difference matters is in the thermal solution. (Heatsink/fan.) Based on the issues the MacBook Pro had with bad heatsink mounting when it first came out, they probably wanted to make absolutely certain that the manufacturing process was all worked out before releasing it. Or maybe it really was supply issues. Who knows.
I have taken (on a PC notebook) a Core Duo out, put in a Core 2 Duo, and it worked absolutely perfectly. Didn't even do a BIOS upgrade. Of course, on the PC, it used a socketed processor, not one that was soldered in.
wow thanks for all the information. I have a low chance of selling it, I've dropped it and haven't been the nicest to my mbp . It's not worth the speed bump, for all work and danger. I will still be upgrading the dvd drive to one of the ones in the new mbp, and the hard drive.
Is their any advantage to soldering a processor to a board rather than socket it?
and ehurtly, do you have/had a job working with soldering small things together?
. It's not worth the speed bump, for all work and danger. I will still be upgrading the dvd drive to one of the ones in the new mbp, and the hard drive.Is their any advantage to soldering a processor to a board rather than socket it?
and ehurtly, do you have/had a job working with soldering small things together?
wow thanks for all the information. I have a low chance of selling it, I've dropped it and haven't been the nicest to my mbp
Is their any advantage to soldering a processor to a board rather than socket it?
and ehurtly, do you have/had a job working with soldering small things together?
The advantage to soldering is that the notebook can be smaller. (The socket does take up some 'thickness', after all.) And, it makes it non-upgradeable. (Which could be seen as a plus on the part of the notebook manufacturer. After all, you can't upgrade a MacBook Pro.)
I have non-job experience soldering small things. As I said, I have de-soldered a 'surface-mount' 486 processor, but I was not able to sucessfully get it re-soldered. I didn't try very hard, either, though, since it was already woefully out of date at the time.
While my offer was largely a joke, if you really are willing to (without any warranty whatsoever) sacrifice, er... risk your MacBook Pro, pay for the Core 2 Duo processor, pay for shipping both directions, and pay me $500 for the effort, I would be more than happy to attempt it. (If I succeed on yours, I might get up the nerve to try it on my own MBP.)
P.S. If you want to see what a MacBook Pro motherboard looks like, here is a picture. Of the three chips with 'goo' (thermal paste) on the left side, the top one is the processor, the middle one is the 'Northbridge' chip, the bottom one is the video chip. The big black 'Intel' chip just to the lower right of the video chip is the 'Southbridge' chip. The bottom of the board in this picture contains the ports that are on the right-hand side of the computer. You're looking at the 'bottom' of the motherboard. (That's right. All the major components are facing the bottom of the computer, not the top.)