Replacing a logic board in my PowerBook model A1095

Welcome!

"A1095" is a PowerBook G4 model number, not a MacBook, made between April 2004 and Jan 2005. Can you confirm you have a PowerBook and not a MacBook, a newer and more capable computer with different troubleshooting steps.

A pixely display can be something other than the logic board. The first thing to do is to attach an external monitor and see if the artifacts also appear on the external one. If so, yes you will need a logic board. If the image on the external is normal, the logic board is fine but you have a problem in the display itself, its cable, or a gadget called an inverter.

The PowerBook has been out of production so long there is little hope of finding a "new old stock" part. Logic boards supplies for old Powerbooks of all kinds are dwindling and pulled boards are badly overpriced. You will have an easier time finding another working Powerbook.

My point is to not blindly buy a logic board at this time. There is a good chance you could spent 10X the present value of a used PowerBook on parts and labor and still have a non-working computer.

Probably the better thing about a portable Mac is the shipping is less

than a desktop, for hardware repair. And the small lighter unit is best

sent intact to a repair shop for testing; they could then offer a cure of

its ailments to include a repair of the original logic board.

Depending on your location (mentioned earlier) may limit your options.

I've had good experience with portable Mac computer by sending out

across the continent from AK to NC. A shop in that vicinity has all the

workstations and skilled knowledgeable labor to restore most Macs.

If you are in the US or north america, and want to restore the running

condition of an older Mac portable, you could try powerbookmedic,

wegenermedia, or some of the others out there. Also ifixit repair guide

listings include some of these. Parts are the rub. A previously repaired

logic board, plain and in a box, invites damages in excessive handling.

So the unit intact is best sent for evaluation and estimate. Wegener

is one that now sends out a box. (When I first sent Mac portable there

I made a super-box and padded it well. But didn't get the box back.)

In any event...

Good luck & happy trails! 🙂

Be sure to look into the DIY videos @ owc, & also ifixit 'repair guides' for

G4 17-inch PowerBook models; check, because there's more than one.

•NewerTech® : Batteries : PRAM Battery for PowerBook® G4 17-inch...

NewerTech PRAM Battery for PowerBook G4 17-inch Aluminum (1.5GHz-1.67GHz)

give you high-performance, quality, and longevity to your battery upgrade.

https://www.newertech.com/products/pram_al17_15-167.php

+ Installation instructions (3MB PDF)

And note the main power battery is hard to get; one source no longer shows

any on their site (OWC) for any PPC G4 legacy Portable Mac computers. Not

sure where one may look; but, in order to sustain correct power management

and CPU speed, the main power battery should be present even if not in use.

For update parts or replacement items for various Macs see MY UPGRADES

links to OWC to lookup your? model PowerBook5.5 (April 2004) 17-in, etc.

to see what may be available for hard drive, optical drive, RAM, etc.

OWC used to have 'Nu Power' &/or NewerTech main batteries for legacy G4

PowerBook and iBook. ~ They no longer show stock, just 'discontinued' now.

Other makers or suppliers may have something, not certain about quality.

In any event...

Good luck & happy trails! 🙂

Hello again Suzy,

Most online parts dealers do not rely on our memory of logic board part numbers, so kindly provide a search-by-model widget. The number "A1095" is not unique to one model. There were two 15-inch PowerBooks with that number. One had a 1.33ghz processor and the other had a 1.5ghz processor. Best to replace in kind for the best chances of success. I do not know if the boards are interchangeable. Most sites will step you through with a list of models list by screen size and processor type/speed, so that should get you to the right one.

To find which processor yours has, please use this lookup function that should return which A1095 you have by entering the serial number:

https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/

To find the serial number, remove the battery and look inside the battery bay. Apple has a similar function but it seldom returns results for long-obsolete models.

Where are you in the world? I may be able to turn up some US resources but, honestly, many of those I relied on to repair Powerbooks a decade ago are have either closed their doors or have stopped carrying/run out of PowerBook parts. PowerBook Medic, one of my trusted vendors "back in the day," lists logic boards for the A1095 but all are out of stock.

I asked your general location because these are international forums; if I recommend a vendor who does not ship to your part of our good Earth, I've not helped you.