Macbook Pro board replacement

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mac0user Author

Level 1

19 points

Macbook Pro board replacement

My MacBook Pro does not turn on at all and does not have any signs of life.

- I did upgrade to macOS 14.1 in mid-october, as soon as it was available.

- some moments later that day, the temperature went up to 105°C so I turned it off immediately.

- later that day I turned it on but noticed it is not charging.

- later it shot down due to battery 0%

- since then it is completely dead, no signs whatsoever.

- I sent it to some local technical service and they said there's a problem with the main chip, which is glued to the board, therefore the board must be replaced.

It has no physical or liquid damage. Indeed it looks like new, eventhough it is a little over 2 years since I purchased it.

I suspect either the upgrade messed it up, or some non-standard charging cable that I have been using for a while. A few weeks before completely shuting down, one of the C-Type charging ports stopped working.

Now since we don't have an official Apple Technical service provider here in Albania, I'm in the talks to send it to Italy for repair.

Technical details:

Model: MacBook Pro 16″

Version: macOS 14.1

Ram: 16GB

SSD: 1TB

What could be the cost for a board replacement for this model?

Is it worth to replace the board or is it better to just drop it and get a new laptop?

What would you do?

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Dec 9, 2023 5:53 AM

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Answer 1

Allan Jones

Level 9

77,888 points

Dec 9, 2023 8:53 AM in response to mac0user

We are not Apple can cannot quote repair costs.

Based on repairs discussed by other end users in these forums, a new logic board can be 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a new computer depending on the sub-model of the computer, not including taxes, shipping, and border crossing costs.

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

68,630 points

Dec 9, 2023 5:18 PM in response to mac0user

Is this an Intel model or an Apple Silicon Mac?

If it is an Intel model, then it does not surprise me that the Logic Board has failed. The Logic Boards on the 2018-2020 Intel Macs seem to have a much higher rate of failure than other models.....especially the 2019 model. If it is the Intel model, then I personally would not repair it and instead put the money towards a new laptop since the 2019 model has multiple issues. Repair prices do vary by region, but expect to pay at least $600 US....only Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will be able to provide you with an exact price. If the battery has never been replaced, then that is another cost you will need to consider will occur at some point (usually needs replaced at 3-5 years). If the Top Case Assembly (includes Keyboard, Trackpad, Touchbar, Speakers, and Battery) has been replaced, then the battery was also replaced. Battery replacement is about $250 US.

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Answer 3

chdsl

Level 2

410 points

Dec 9, 2023 8:37 AM in response to mac0user

Maybe, you should try another power cable or another power adapter, or both. If nothing helps, find out how much the repair costs in Italy, and whether it is worthwhile buying a new laptop? I'm sure there should be some good technical persons in Albania you can show your MacBook to get a second opinion.

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Answer 4

chdsl

Level 2

410 points

Dec 10, 2023 1:50 AM in response to mac0user

mac0user wrote:

Also, I had the top case replaced about two years ago because of coffee damage on keyboard, and as you estimate, I paid around $290 for that.

Well, your MacBook had a liquid damage, which most probably had damaged the logic board too. I don't think it's worth repairing.

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Answer 5

mac0user Author

Level 1

19 points

Dec 10, 2023 1:34 AM in response to Allan Jones

Yep, I also did some research afterwards and came to conclusion if probably have to pay somewhere between $600-$1200 which is quite a lot for a repair.

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Answer 6

mac0user Author

Level 1

19 points

Dec 10, 2023 1:32 AM in response to chdsl

Well, I've tried another power cable and the adapter is OK as well. Also have checked on 3 repair services in Albania but they either didn't have parts for replacement or did not deem it worth their time to do it. So I'm currently stuck with the option to send it aboard or buy a new laptop. This one cost $2800+$200 taxes as I bought it from the Apple website a little over 2 years ago.

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Answer 7

mac0user Author

Level 1

19 points

Dec 10, 2023 1:40 AM in response to HWTech

Thank you for the detailed response.

This one is an Intel model unfortunately.

Also, I had the top case replaced about two years ago because of coffee damage on keyboard, and as you estimate, I paid around $290 for that.

All in all, this model has proved to be a repair nightmare. I'm beginning to consider throwing it on the bin and getting a new one, hopefully a less nightmare model. Thanks.

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Answer 8

mac0user Author

Level 1

19 points

Dec 10, 2023 3:39 PM in response to chdsl

There's a tiny chance it could be because of the liquid damage because if was so small, (just a very small bit of coffee drop) that I even ignored it when it happened almost 2 years ago, until it gave the signs 3-4 days after the event. But now that you mentioned that, it could be a reason, and it could have short circuited the board or chip and put extra load on some components over time. It could be the reason why a few weeks prior to its death, one of the charging ports failed. So it may have been a sleeping issue since then, slowly consuming some components over time. Thanks for the responses. I think that's enough evidence and thought to make me decide to buy a new one instead of trying to revive the dead.

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Answer 9

mac0user Author

Level 1

19 points

Jan 21, 2024 11:44 AM in response to mac0user

UPDATE: I ended up buying a brand new Macbook Pro M2, 16 inch, 512 SSD, 16GB RAM, for 2000 Euros.

I hope this one doesn't break down too because if it does, I'm never going to buy another Apple product.

It's just that Macbooks are very convenient, but if they're not reliable too then it's pointless to waste time and money on them.

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Answer 10

Cj5452

Level 1

24 points

Jan 29, 2024 5:46 PM in response to HWTech

this is all what happened to me. I am disappointed apple does not consider this a faulty part or issue for which they pay for repairs. they told me not enough of these problems have been documented so I went ahead and paid the $600....and then found out they didn't document my repair though the technician verbally said it was a logic board replacement. very disappointed in apple.

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Macbook Pro board replacement

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