It is absolutely NOT easier to replace the top assembly on a retina series MacBook Pro, versus replacing the battery itself. I’ve replaced tons of these batteries. Even the most recent models up to 2018. With a little bit of patience you can have the battery out with a few minutes. The only pain is cleaning up the adhesive strips.
I had a spicy pillow MacBook Pro 2012 and after trying to remove the battery for 15 Minutes I just got pissed off and yanked it out out the case. I knew I could have burned my house down but I could have thrown it into the cat litter box and burry it, throw it outside.
Kinda had the same situation with a 2011 model i acquired from ebay. Received it, was slow as molasses, even after an OS reinstall, which also took way too long to install. Linux worked fine on it, so I decided to replace the battery to make it a linux machine. Installed the battery, boot up macOS and was many times faster. Never really did much more research on it, but this video confirmed it for me.
Yea I would have gone with a brand new battery. Changing out the entire top case is not worth it. You also never know what the CC will be with the used top case. A brand new battery is $40-50 and probably doesn't take as long too install compared to the top case... just my 2 cents.
@@TrulyS2345 yeah I at least use the ad block for the normal ads if it’s sponsored. But, and I don’t know about you, I get enough hello freshly ads on twitter and Facebook. So maybe I’ll skip that too 🤣
Those services cater to very busy people that want to do some of the meal preparation. So you spend a bit more for convenience. It makes sense given that those with the disposable income to by Apple products may be willing to spend more for meal prep convenience.
Hi Luke, I am a small business owner (music teacher) that has had their 21.5" iMac core duo since 2011 (it is a late 2009 model). With your tutorials, I was not only update the hard drive and ram, but I was able to get this machine to run Catalina, which prior to last week felt like an impossibility. It feels like a brand new computer in comparison now, I can't believe it! I wouldn't have been able to do this as easily without the information on your channel, so you deserve a heart-felt thank you! I hope that all is well with you and that you continue making this great content!
Woah.. it is totally time to upgrade. You got every bit of use out of a 2009 and should be proud of yourself. Let that be a backup. You can find a like new used 15” MacBook Air M2 for like $850-$900… maybe $1,000 if you want 512gb And seriously you’ll notice everything is MILES better. Wifi6, new retina displays, Magic Keyboard, high end speakers.. it’s a massive upgrade. You’ll fall in love. Unfortunately they don’t make those massive screens anymore but you don’t need it.. hard to explain til you see one. Do you have a Best Buy in town? If so, go check out a display model. You can get a new 16” but even used the price will jump to double.. ~$2,000 (worth it, but quite expensive). Godspeed Mr Music
I loved this video. I own the same, late 2013, 15" retina MP, with the identically same hardware upgrade, love my 1 TB SSD, and I'm so glad that you were able to bring one of this great, like you said it, one of the best MP design. I love mine, won't trade it for a brand new, other than MP. thanks for the video, and bravo Luke!❤❤
I don't think this MacBook will ever exceed 85W power consumption. The reason it throttles so badly may have something to do with the fact MagSafe adapters come in different flavours, going as low as 45W. It does work, I tried it, and indeed I've seen battery charge going down under heavy use. So perhaps it may be capping the power usage to not turn off even with the smallest power brick.
I see a dozen or so of these each month thru my repair lab. they're quick and easy and work great so long as the graphics subsystems haven't shit the bed. I have 2 myself.
Maybe I'm the weird one, but I just wouldn't be able to accept a free macbook from a relative or friend knowing it could be fixed for a small amount of money, while they were convinced it was broken. Aside from that, good vid.
At the 11:50 mark of the video, he mentioned he plans to resell this cleaned up and spruced up Macbook - and as a surprise, hand over the funds of the sale to the relative that gave him this computer.
I have the 2.4Ghz 16Gb 512Gb dual graphics version of this and it still rocks. I still get a couple of hours out the battery which is remarkable for a 9 year old laptop.
I've saved those batteries by jump starting with same voltage then plug back in to completely charge works everytime. What usually happens is people run the charge so low and there's built in safety if the voltage is too low it won't charge by jump starting it with the same or slightly higher voltage it brings up the volts to a chargeable voltage
I just got a used 2013 MacBook Pro 15 inch for $200 and I gotta say its actually perfect what it cost. Display is nice and bright and the typing experience is exactly the same as my old 2012 MacBook Air. The reason I got this computer is because I accidentally cleaned my MacBook air's display with a Clorox wipe and it ruined the display and I wasn't going to pay close to $400 for a new screen on an old MacBook Air. I checked on Facebook marketplace and I lucked out on finding a MacBook Pro for $200 and aside from couple dings on the front by the apple logo, the computer runs smooth and fast enough. This is my first 15 inch MacBook anything and I gotta say that Im starting to like the size.
You say you bought the top case on eBay for $60 but what condition was it in? Used? How is the keyboard? The trackpad? How many cycles are on the battery? The problem with buying a used topcase on eBay is you don't know for certain what you're going to get. For $50 more you could get a new battery and replacement kit with instructions and tools from iFixit and know for sure what you're getting. And, in my opinion, replacing the battery is a lot easier than replacing the topcase for someone without your experience.
I just did this with my 2014 MBP with retina and dual graphics/Nvidia. We still use it to manage our business. when you are running spreadsheets and the like these are awesome machines that perform well. still fast. My total cost for battery only (no top case) was 105 dollars. No matter, it was still a bargain compared to buying a new machine.
Ahhh limp mode - posted on My Mate Vince's channel about this very issue. When the battery dies in a macbook, my commodore 64 will beat it to loading stuff. He swapped the battery and it ran great. Keep this in mind folks, the computer isn't stuffed, just needs a new bowl of ions to chomp on when it wakes up in the morning. :)
Had a similar issue with a 2012 macbook pro, temps were not being read correctly (issue on mainboard) so it would thottle like it was overheating (cpu was fine at 120degF), SMC reset did not work so i ended up just removing the thermal profiles from the OS after i made sure it was on its most recent update, as updates or reinstalls took around 20hrs
@Ken Ninane true, although the one i worked on battery was not swollen, It just came down to, how many hours was i gonna put into it (i dont charge much for friends and family), although i felt like they got ripped off as they paid over $400 for it. I also replaced the hard drive cable as it was a known failure on that model
I have this exact model and I love it. The only thing that irks me about it is: When you connect it to an external display, it automatically selects the discrete graphics (the NVIDIA GForce) which causes the machine to heat up much more than if it would use the IRIS Pro integrated grapics. I have run 2 screens with the only Iris version (another logicboard) and it runs so much cooler than the dual graphics version. I guess it depends on what you use the machine for, but a manual switch between the two graphics card options would have solved that issue.
If you haven’t: Change the thermal paste. It should be done at least every two years, as it becomes more inefficient over time. I do this regularly on my ‘15 15" MBP and it does make a significant difference.
@@megatryn Hej, In fact due to your comment I went back in and replaced thermal paste I had put on a few months ago. At that time, I put way too much. This time I replaced with paper thin (or even less) paste. And so far, its around 5-7 degrees cooler already under similar load and the benchmarking is significantly improved. So thank you!
@@Beyonder1881 That’s awesome! I’ve also found that different thermal paste quality can make a difference. I usually use Noctua as I’ve found it good and easy to get a hold of. I’ve tried some no-name brands as well and had a 2-3 degree difference.
Great idea replacing the top case! Wish I thought of it before replacing the battery on my late-2013 MBP last week. Battery bulging was affecting the trackpad function. Thanks!
I’d recommend getting something like Al Dente (Mac app) and setting a charge limit. 80% is really good, but even 90% is fine (if you want to have more use per charge, you probably wouldn’t notice a huge difference between 90 and 100), and is much better than always charging to 100%. Up to you if you want to do that, I just find that I’m using my laptop on a charger because I know it won’t last me all day anyway, so I’d rather it hang at a lower safer percentage
I guess the longest way was for internal parts explanation, cause removing the battery is not that hard... even cheaper . A week ago I've replaced on my early 2013.. patience and few expired credit cards :) Thanks for the video!!!!
That is the exact spec I had. After about 9 years, there was a fault with the IO board. Apple fixed it, swapped the entire top case, battery, etc - so had a charging cycle of 1. Sold it for £550!
I just changed the battery in a 15.4 inch late 2015 MacBook Pro with 2tb Fledging M13 ssd, repasted the cpu gpu, installed Monterey, when talking to apple help he said that apple is changing battery on this MacBook Pro late 2015, o'well, My first MacBook and It was fun doing this work. Thank You for Video's on how to work on items.
It uses unnecessary battery, it’s not productive and is only a gimmick plus mostly apple laptops are used by creators and professionals, they need functionality and efficiency rather than a battery hungry touchbar, so they had to remove it for the general public
realistically, It would've saved me alot of time if it was just the BATTERY alone! and not the topcase along with the battery to be replaced. although I understand if he's doing it all just to add more time for the video to reach more than ten minutes...which is pretty susceptible for every content creator
Nice! I have the same 2012 first retina now and have a bad battery…. Looking forward to change it soon and make a video about it for my Spanish audience
Thanks for this! As someone with arthritis in my hands, I couldn't see how I was going to be able to get that old battery out of mine. This procedure (while more involved), looks a lot easier.
I have a mid-2015 MBP, everything runs smooth, with a still more than capable CPU. While I am still happy with it, I am having a hard time finding accessories which can be used with the TB2 ports. Would you be able to make a video on what accessories can be found to work with TB2 ports?
I have same Mac Pro book 2014 Mid. WiFi not working. I changed WiFi card but still not working. Tried usb dongle not working since upgraded to Big Sor. Any one has got any idea how to work the WiFi ? Now using with Ethernet cable
I will always think gluing the damn components is donkey logic! There is no good reason and it makes repair near impossible... Apple I love you but tighten it up! The f'in batteries dont need to withstand a damn bungee jump!!!
so i just bought a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) 8gb ram 256gb ssd for 80$ . The battery life is about 4 hours heavy use , what are the recommended replacements / upgrades i can do budget or not , have improved performance with gaming (just the 3DS Emulator) i haven't found not one video on my model
Great video content.. I have been following your channel for few months now and I tell you, learned a lot. I have been Windows user for my entire life except now I converted to MacBooks and using them exclusively. Kids had old MacBooks that did not work - from 2007 through 2013 - total of 6 machines. I started tinkering with all of them few months ago and what I discovered ease of which these older machines can be upgraded and recovered. You covered many videos for these years of MacBooks and it was very helpful. Now I am using 2013 MacBook Pro for every task both personal and business. Looking for 2015 machine that I can buy and then perform full upgrade... any thoughts anyone? I personally do not trust what eBay offers, so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Great job Luke and keep up the good work.
I beg to strongly disagree. I have a MacBook of the same vintage with the same specs. It is on its third battery. Swapping the battery is _much_ simpler then swapping the logic board and display to a new top case. Give it a bit of solvent, time to soak and careful prying and the battery just pops out.
I have an early 2013 MacBook Pro that I still use as my main computer. Love it. It has the i7 processor which is still viable for most tasks in my opinion. How do you wipe a drive and do a fresh install?
I too have a late 2013 MBP 15" high end model. Almost 2 years ago It was dumped in a trash can and I rescued it. It had severe delamination so I spent almost 2 days removing it. I just purchased a new battery from iFixit as I notice trackpad was not clicking like it should. I opened bottom and noticed a swollen cell which was cause. Now I have cleaned this baby inside out and applied new paste as well. Upgraded SSD to a turbo 1TB. What it does have is a solid horizontal line when you boot. After a while it goes away but I am left with several very thin lines (4 or 5) that are on the screen. Using the right wallpaper you can barely see the but one does obstruct the display contents in apps. I was thinking of getting a new display but damn they are anywhere from high $200 to $400 on eBay. Not going to do that for this machine. Does anyone know where you can get the cheaper? Luke seems to find them real cheap. Otherwise very nice machine, nice display albeit the issues mentioned and running Monterey 12.6.1.
This was maybe 57.8x more complicated way to do it than just to change a new battery. It takes about 5min to remove old battery to 2013-2015 Retina with IPA and a plastic card. Then 5-8 minutes to clean the 2-sided tape residue off. And I have done it only to less than 5 machines. Also, there is dozens of more possibilities to screw things up when you are changing the logic board and other stuff to another machine than when you are just changing batteries. And in any case I don't see the wisdom in buying a used battery. Could be good but its a crap shoot anyways.
i got a late 2013 15 inch macbook pro. its the core i7 model with 16gb ram, 500gb ssd and the gt750m graphics. paid 130 for it fully working and the battery only has 250 cycles on it. it was sold as spares or repairs by the seller but they showed it as fully working. the reflective coating hasnt even come off the screen yet
is it ok to buy 2015 model for logic works ?? or even lower model like Macbook pro 2013 ?! i just want to use logic pro and i dont want to spend much money , any model sugeste ?
A bad track pad can cause it to slow. Any sensor circuit would do the same. I wouldn't gamble 60 on a top case without knowing cycle count of the installed battery or if even the keyboard is good. Stick with battery only. Unless you are an apple auth repair then apple dictates top case for a battery 🤦♂️
Looks on eBay for a 2013 15” retina mbp, cheapest is $350. Conclusion: the secret to getting a $60mbp is to have a family member who wants to give you one cheap.
Luke - love your videos. Every time I watch one of your videos you have a different Mac. Can you come clean and list (to us mortals) your entire mac collection, :) Which industrial warehouse/hanger are they stored in again? Cheers from Australia
Totally the reason why I dislike those machines. After 2012 Apple likes to solder down RAM and glue in batteries. Hard pass. Was that top case battery combo you put in even new? Why didnt you repaste the thermals?
can u help me for my macbook pro having M1 chip...? actually i lost the "macintosh HD partition " and it is now unallocated .. accidently i removed the partion instead of erasing the partition for reinstalling the MacOS .
Any Mac (intel based) from 15-12 years back are better than any mac now. cause they should be extremely cheaper. new macs are a waist of money. for the price of a new mac studio, you can...buy a used mac mini, imac, couple of up-gradable mac laptops, some mac accessories from the same time line and....a used car heck a couple of used cars from offer up or facebook market place if you really work the angles
Good grief stop calling them “sponsors” they are Ads. RU-vid premium members pay for no advertising, calling it a sponsor seems to get around this. Put this crap at the end of the video so we can at least ignore it. I get you need to pay the bills but I want Ad free content it’s what I pay RU-vid for.
I found this bizarre. Why would anyone possibly go to the trouble of replacing the whole top assembly with a used one, with no idea how well its battery works (let alone its keyboard), when you could just replace the battery itself with a new one? To point out that there is "a lot of glue" doesn't really explain it. What did I miss or not get?
How many cycles were achieved on the battery before it died please. Is it correct Apple suggest 2000 cycles before the battery is compromised? I own the exact same model.
Just sold my mid 2014 retina for $300 here in the dominican republic last week 😂 all funcional but the screen was scratched af and someone still bought it
No replacing the thermal paste while at it? It’s guaranteed old and crumbly. I’d bet the temp would go down 5-10 degrees if you do and it wouldn’t turn the fans on as much.
Hi im a new subscriber. Im interest on the laptop that you fix , Could you please 🙏 please sell me that mac, to do my university projects, at the moment I am with a tablet for the university but it is very uncomfortable please 🙏😊.
BRO, you have a higher change for braking something taking off parts than just replacing the battery. Id' rather do the battery than taking the whole shit out.
that is so wasteful why did u not just replace the battery. so unnecessary, expensive and wasteful Edit: also its not easier to replace the top case instead of changing the battery.
Great video, I have a similar issue with my 2014, gave it to a friend to fix, he replaced the battery, but then it started throttling again after a few hours of use. It was running sooooo good...very snappy...We now don't know why it is doing that
@@surena9451 Thermal paste was replaced as well. Last I heard he was going to try to change the charging port as the mac started throttling again and would not charge the new battery
You are always getting all these apple products for super cheap and fixing them for cheap, yet none of us can find any of these products for cheap to attempt repairs.
I need a Mac book and a iMac I have a laptop ipad and desktop/server but I need a MacBook and iMac that can run the latest macOS because I want to code apps do my iPad and my moms device
