
Early 2015 macbook pro ram upgrade upgrade#
(Est) $650 to upgrade your memory & void your warranty.


Keep in mind, if you undertake this type of modification, you will void any warranty on your MacBook, if there is one still in effect. Estimating that replacement memory chips would be around $200 and the work would be on the high end given that there are multiple chips to replace (say $450), you are looking at $650 to upgrade your memory.Ī quick look on Apple's website tells me that to upgrade a MacBook Pro from 8GB to 16GB is only $200. It usually costs between $350 and $500 depending on the severity and what parts are needed. I have sent many clients damaged logic boards to a firm in NYC that specializes in this type of work. Now, unless you are willing to invest in a rework machine and put in some practice reworking a BGA chip you are going to have to send this out to be done by someone with experience. So, can you get "bigger" memory chips? Yes.Īgain, in the pre-soldered RAM days of Apple it was quite easy to upgrade your memory. So, using the example I linked with DigiKey, you could have 8 modules of 16M for 128M or 8 modules of 512M for 4G. As for physical layout, pin out configuration, voltages, etc., they are identical. Memory modules (of a particular family) 2 only differ in density. You replaced the module(s) with larger ones.
Early 2015 macbook pro ram upgrade mac#
In the pre-soldered RAM days, when you wanted to upgrade your Mac with more RAM, were you stopped because there wasn't any more "real estate" on your logic board? No. To see what your particular CPU can address, obtain the CPU identifier from your machine and get the specs from Space to add more. When they become available, you can upgrade your Mac past the specified limit. This is because what was available at the time the product was released, higher density memory chips weren't generally available. Haven't you ever noticed that has tested higher configurations that what was technically specified by Apple? Depending on the type, the logic board and the memory modules available at the time may impose a limit less than what the CPU can address. If you notice, Intel states that it's determined by the "type of memory." This is where the logic board comes into play. For example, on an original i7-920 CPU, the maximum amount of memory that can be addressed is 24GB of RAM. There has even been conjecture on the "additional (physical) space" required for the new chips.įirst and foremost, the memory limit is primarily determined by the CPU. There has been a lot of speculation as to how much memory a computer can address. The key here is how accurately the rework station can deliver the heat necessary to flow the solder.īecause the heated air or infrared light is focused directly to the work piece, heat damage to the remainder of the board is mitigatedĪs for my personal experience, I have had GPU's replaced in Apple logic boards that weren't covered by Apple's GPU replacement program using this exact method and not only got a year's warranty on the work, but the logic boards lasted for years after.

A quick search on Amazon yields both infrared and hot air rework stations that vary in price from $150 to $6,000 depending on the the bells and whistles you want. However, obtaining a BGA rework station is not out of the realm of possibility either. It doesn't need to go back to the factory as doing BGA rework doesn't damage the board.Īre you going to do this with a soldering iron/gun that you get from Radio Shack or your local electronics supply store? No. 1 You actually don't need a significant amount of "electronic engineering" skill to remove a chip and replace it with another. Replacing a chip is actually quite an easy process if you have a BGA rework station and a little bit of practice.

There's a ton of responses out there whether you can/cannot re-solder memory chips to Apple logic boards in an attempt to upgrade RAM. The short answer is yes (anything is possible), but is it feasible?
