Introduction
Accessing the RAM in this computer is straightforward and requires minimal disassembly.
Tools
Parts
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Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:
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Three 13.5 mm (14.1 mm) Phillips screws.
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Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.
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Using both hands, lift the lower case near the vent to pop it off two clips securing it to the upper case.
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Remove the lower case and set it aside.
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Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.
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Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.
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Release the tabs on each side of the RAM chip by simultaneously pushing each tab away from the RAM module.
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After the RAM chip has popped up, pull it straight out of its socket.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
3 comments
Great guide. Comments @ the screws gave me a heads-up on what to look for. No problems, no hassles, & in a short time, my memory is doubled. Wish I could do that for my brain. Thanks!
Hi,
thanks for the guide, I plan to upgrade my 15” early 2011 2.3 GHz MBP today. I am changing my 750GB HDD to a Firecuda 2TB SSHD (can’t afford the SSD I wish I could get into currently), and I plan to upgrade my RAM from the 8GB to 16GB as well to give my 2011 a little sprucing up. I have performed a full time machine backup to my 2TB WD passport pro external HD (It’s set up as a RAID 0 device and has a thunderbolt 1 interface, which I was glad for bc a USB 2.0 interface would have taken like 3 days or blown up my computer.
My questions are:
1. Is there a preferred order to switch out the internal hard drive and memory? Do I need to switch out one first then boot up and shutdown, or can you safely upgrade the HD and RAM at the same time?
2. Is there anything else I need to do before upgrading the HD besides a time machine backup? Do I need a “bootable OS?” Whatever that is? Thanks!
Dustin -
I completed this several years ago, sorry for just now giving credit. I was able to upgrade my MacBook Pro 15” Early 2011 with 16GB of RAM. It has been running great ever since. Probably 4 years now maybe longer?? Thank you!
jayfish -
Step 1 (technically step 9 - replacing the base plate) Apparently one of my screws was a micron or two smaller than the others. This screw belongs to the hole above the optical drive, which is also apparently a couple of microns smaller than the others. It took seven attempts to figure which screw had originally been in that hole; all the other screws were too large, but fitted perfectly everywhere else.
Bizarre much?
Will -
It might be a matter of how the screws are driven in, and not that they're slightly different sizes. When I reassembled my MacBook, a couple of the screws, including the one over the optical drive you mention, were hard to drive in and jutted up a little bit instead of sitting entirely flush. Swapping screws didn't help. The solution was to unscrew them and drive them in at a bit of an angle - perpendicular to the slightly curved surface of the back plate where the screw holes were, instead of fully vertical with respect to the ground the Macbook is sitting on. Doing it that way, the screws were easier to drive in and they all ended up flush in their holes. Didn't matter which screws they were. (I swapped a few around just to check after reading this.)
Andrew Janke -
I had no such screw issues. Either there are differences in manufacturing lots or I just got incredibly lucky during reassembly!
xtophr -