Hans Van Riet1

Q: 2013 MacBook Pro replace motherboard or not

Brain Trust,

 

I need some advice here.

 

I have a fully decked out (500GB SSD, 16GB RAM) 2013 MacBook Pro and the speakers sound awefully distorted.

I did all the regular trouble shooting inclusing a clean install of the OS, no 3rd party apps and the problem still exists.

The distortion is NOT volume dependent, it's always there, as if the sound is clipped at all levels.

Now, the headphones out port is perfectly clean, so I think I narrowed this down to the (hardware) drivers for the built in speakers. I went to the Genius bar and they concurred and recommend a motherboard replacement. Since I have a month left on my Applecare, I could do this, but I hesitate. Professionally, I rely heavily on my machine on a daily basis and I'm afraid that an otherwise perfect machine with zero problems (other than the speaker problem) will get messed up.

 

What is your experience with a motherboard swap and what do you recommend I do? Live with the distortion and enoy a great Macbook, or go for the repair before the warranty runs out. NB I have a very old Macbook that I can use for the week or so that I will have to miss my machine.

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Oct 1, 2016 11:27 AM

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Q: 2013 MacBook Pro replace motherboard or not

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  • by Hans Van Riet1,Solvedanswer

    Hans Van Riet1 Hans Van Riet1 Oct 13, 2016 7:42 AM in response to Hans Van Riet1
    Level 1 (58 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 13, 2016 7:42 AM in response to Hans Van Riet1

    I'll answer my own question:

    Do it! I had a fantastic experience! Not only was my main issue, distortion in the speakers, correctly diagnosed and resolved, since the Genius also saw a tiny white spot on my screen (which had been there forever), I also got a brand new screen. Not only that, I got a new clamshell and bottom plate, so after 3 years of intensive use, my Macbook Pro looks like new again. Total costs under the Apple care program: $0.

     

    That's really the only issue with Aplle MacBooks: My excuse to buy a new one has gone out the window, this mahine will last me a few more years!