Chosen Solution
Hi guys, I’m new to this forum. Found this site while searching for help… My MacBook Pro restarted by itself while in use and it happened a couple of times till it just went dead. I’ve poured through tons of posts on this and have tried SMC reset, NVRAM reset, hold down power button for 10 secs with MagSafe cable unplugged and plugged it back in, continuing to hold for 10 secs. The battery check button also shows battery is fully charged. MagSafe cable shows bright green. Just no sign of life at all. The screen remains black with very faint fade to dark grey. When I press on the power on button, you can see very faintly the screen goes black again. You actually need to look very closely to see something is happening. I’m in a country with no Apple service centre. Any suggestions on how to diagnose if it’s a a logic board issue or battery issue, now that it won’t power up at all? I could potentially purchase a new battery and new board and replace it if I know what might be the problem. I’ve previously replaced the HDD with a 1TB hybrid SSHD and replaced the RAM up to the max 16 MB last year. Everything was working perfectly before this saga and now it won’t even chime. Question: I believe the latest logic board that’ll fit into the unibody is the mid 2012 i7 2.9 GHz. If I change it, with the new CPU, assuming SMC would also be onboard, I have a high chance of solving my problem, True or False? Thanks in advance! Jiordano
Not sure I follow your True/False question here: The CPU and the SMC chips are soldered on the logic board so a proper replacement logic board will have both present. lf you are buying one without these chips I wouldn’t buy it. As far as upgrading the logic board yes you can fit in a 2012 board but you’ll also need to swap out the RAM as the required speed is higher than your current RAM (added costs). You’ll also have some issues with the display both fitting in the LVDS cable and the iSight camera is different between the series. From your description it does sound like the CPU has failed. Unlike the 15” MacBook Pro’s the 13” 2011 models only have the onboard Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU services. I would recommend you stick with one of the older 2011 logic boards, you may want to get the better late 2011 2.8 GHz board which will also work in your system. Here’s the IFIXIT guide you’ll need to follow: MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 Logic Board Replacement. The best board IFIXIT has presently is this one MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Early 2011-Late 2011) 2.4 GHz Logic Board and the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Early 2011-Late 2011) 2.8 GHz Logic Board is out of stock but you could let them know you’re interested in getting one.
