MacBook Pro 17" Unibody RAM Replacement

Written By: Andrew Bookholt
  • Comments: 35
MacBook Pro 17" Unibody RAM Replacement

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

4

Time Required

10 minutes

Introduction

Use this guide to replace your MacBook Pro's RAM.

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    • Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:

    • Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.

    • Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.

    important to reassemble the "lower case" successfully: the threads of the seven 3mm phillips screws are drilled at an angle :-/

    mysterioes -

    Same issue with me. After reassembling my 13-inch and my 17-inch, one of the screws are sticking out ever so slightly. Very annoying, especially since I scratch whatever surface I'm on now.

    Kyle Spadaro -

    Very important note; this guide is NOT correct for the Macbook Pro 17" A1297 late '11.

    The A1297 has an assembly adjacent to the optical drive, identifiable by 4 antenna connectors, 1 usb cable (with very small connector) and one PCI-e flat cable running across the optical drive.

    I did not take pictures, but found one on the web. I'm very new to iFixit and have no idea yet on how to create a guide, but here's the picture showing the assembly on top (this pic only has 3 antenna wires, the A1297 has 4, but at least you'll know what to look for.

    - carefully undo all connections and 2 screws

    - remove the assembly and flip it over

    - again carefully remove the shielding tape

    - undo 3 tiny screws

    - gently pry the airport card from the assembly (the flat cable will be a bit of a pain)

    - reverse process with replacement card.

    image can be found here:

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2446...

    Remon -

    It helps if you mark the holes where the long screws go so you can easily find them when the time comes to button things up. Also, a little dish or custard cup to hold those tiny screws is essential.

    Human -

    3 x 13.5 mm screws are actually TWO different types! Return to EXACT SAME HOLES.

    -I discovered this on my mid-2010, but from comments, sounds like it may affect other models as well

    2 x 13.5 mm screws are pointed ends

    1 x 13.5 mm screw is a FLAT end <- CORNER HOLE

    These areTWO slightly different lengths, and must return to correct holes. If you put the flat end screw in the wrong hole, it will stick out slightly. If you put either of the pointed screws in the wrong hole, they will go in all the way, but will not catch threads, and will simply fall out when laptop is flipped back over.

    scottbernardis -

    I printed out the image above and taped each screw to the photo as I removed each one, just to make sure I put them in the right location.

    Grace Morris -

    This is a brilliant suggestion! I did this for all the steps that involved removing screws, numbered the sheets, and that made it very easy to put it all back together in reverse. Thanks!

    Steve Adamczyk -

    Be sure to use Loctite on the screws when re-attaching the bottom of the computer. The screws can and will fall out once they have been removed for repairs if you do not put Loctite on them when you reuse them. Otherwise, purchase new screws before repairing the computer as the new screws come with Loctite material on them. (I have personal experience with this problem.)

    johnpartridge -

    Be sure NOT to Buy this Battery from iFixit. I bought it from eustore.ifixit.com and the Condition of Battery is : Service Battery ,

    from the &&^&^$^ first day.

    Till today my battery Cycle Count is: 80.

    I’ve tried everything as: Battery Calibration, resetting the SMC, PRAM, reinstalling the battery,

    and Service Battery warning still there.

    Just DO NOT BUY crappy, trash from here.

    I have very bad experience.

    Doruntin Koci -

    Hi Doruntin,

    we’re more than sorry to hear about your bad experience.

    I’ll inform our customer service team who’ll reach out to you and offer either a replacement or reimbursement.

    If ever you’d need assistance again, please feel free to directly write to eustore@ifixit.com, as comments are not regularly checked for service issues.

    I’m confident that we’ll find the solution that suits you best!

    Sandra Hiller -

    PLEASE OBSERVE: The image of the left speaker used is NOT for a 2011 model. A 17inch MacBook Pro A1297 - LEFT SPEAKER + MICROPHONE - 2011 has IDENTIFYING NUMBER: Apple Part #:922-9821, 922-9822. And its COMPATIBILITY: 17 inch MacBook Pro Unibody A1297 - Early 2011 MC725LL/A 2.2 i7 - Early 2011 MC725LL/A 2.3 i7 - Late 2011 MD311LL/A 2.4 i7 - Late 2011 MD311LL/A 2.5 i7

    kenneth krabat -

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    • Wedge your fingers between the lower case and the vent, and lift upward to release the two clips holding the lower case to the upper case.

    • During reassembly, carefully align the lower case and then press it firmly until both clips engage.

    • Remove the lower case.

    I recommend using anti-static protection, i.e., wearing a ground strap, or at least touch metal chassis inside the computer before unplugging cables. Otherwise, you might create an ESD discharge into your RAM and have to replace it like I did!

    d68ef792 -

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    • Whenever working near the logic board, it is always wise to first disconnect the battery to avoid short circuits.

    • If present, grab the plastic tab attached to the battery connector and pull it toward the front edge of the device. For Late-2011 models the battery connector will not have a tab and is simply a plug that inserts straight down into the motherboard--to remove pry the plug straight up.

    • If the plastic tab is missing, use a spudger to pry the connector up from its socket.

    • Pull the tab parallel to the face of the logic board.

    This step is a little difficult in reverse, that is, when re-attaching the battery. It helps to tilt the laptop up so you can see the edge of the board that accepts the plug. It may look like there are two slots for it, it goes in the bigger slot that is further away from the board.

    yary hluchan -

    Is this step really necessary? It is not part of the instructions how to replace the HDD in Apple's User Manual of the 2011 17" MBP.

    Tobias Hahn -

    As it says in the step: "Whenever working near the logic board, it is always wise to first disconnect the battery to avoid short circuits." It is not required, but it is simple insurance to avoid a $1000+ repair should you accidentally short components on the board with something metal.

    Andrew Bookholt -

    There was no tab on my model. Battery is affixed to board and screws must be removed.

    bhodges2 -

    Mine also, and looks as if removing connector could damage motherboard.

    Stephen -

    The battery on my 17” mid-2010 (MC024LL/A -A1297 ) is held by 3 specialty screws CR-V1 (3-wings similar to Mercedes-Benz tri-star)

    It has a tab which I pulled straight up

    The connector to the motherboard came away easily by pulling toward the front edge.

    Peter Grierson -

    * There is no tab on the A1297 (late 2011) model's battery connector. Be careful with the connector, it chips off the edges easily! Otherwise the same as bhodges2 & Stephen's notes.

    ** (Pleas also include the exact Model and Part numbers like P/N: MD311D/A; Mod.: A1297 in the comments and notes for your MBP)

    Pingumann -

    Why are there no guides for the Late 2011 17" MacBook Pro A1297 (2.4GHz i7 quad core, MD311LL/A)??? I just replaced the RAM in mine and discovered that not only is there no tab on the battery connector, but the connector pulls straight up, perpendicular to the logic board, rather than parallel. I almost ripped the wires out of the connector by trying to pull it out parallel to the logic board like this guide instructed! After finally getting it out, my advice to those with the Late 2011 model is to use a spudger to loosen the edges of the connector then lift the connector straight up to get it out safely.

    Dave -

    I replaced the display on my late 2011 model and noticed that it was quite different than the tutorial given here so I detailed all the differences to help others with late-2011 models on my blog: http://johnfixesstuff.blogspot.com/2014/...

    jmueller -

    I just put an SSD in a model #A1297 - MC226LL/A and the battery connector had to be removed by pulling it parallel to and away from the logic board — in other words, not up. I was definitely a bit confused when I tried to pull it up.

    Doug Hogg -

    With some dexterity and carefulness, the MagSafe could be removed from its place without the need to remove the whole logic board!

    Phil Boy -

    Same here, I used a head-band light to see it and got it done without removing anything but the battery connection, the charging port and the display data cable. Then I had to do it again because amazone sent me the wrong charging port, the board has different width between screw holes, and on closer look, different components soldered on, also. AND, one is labeled 2008, the other 2009… make sure you get the correct one, the other ( “wrong”? ) might work, but I’m not risking it! So why does the 2008 fit in my 17” macbook pro(5,2) mid-2009 and the one labeled 2009 does not fit ? It is what it is…

    Tom Seaman -

    The battery on my 17” mid-2010 (MC024LL/A -A1297 ) is held by 3 specialty screws CR-V1 (3-wings similar to  Mercedes-Benz tri-star)

    It has a tab which I pulled straight up

    The connector to the motherboard came away easily by pulling toward the front edge.

    Peter Grierson -

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    • Release the tabs on each side of the RAM chip by simultaneously pushing each tab away from the RAM.

    • These tabs lock the chip in place and releasing them will cause the chip to "pop" up.

    • After the RAM chip has popped up, pull it straight out of its socket.

    • Repeat this process if a second RAM chip is installed.

    Steps are not really in reverse order, they are but missing one step. There is a plastic snap that must be moved so the bottom will go back on there. As commented on the first page, the screw holes are all at an angle. Make sure to find the angle. Also the blue lock-tight was never mentioned. Also a great opportunity to clean.

    bhodges2 -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Andrew Bookholt

585795 Reputation

9 comments

Thank you iFixIt. Your tutorial gave me confidence to move forward and get inside my computer. I agree with bhodges2, a great opportunity to clean. I'd keep a can of compressed air handy next time. I would also use a separate compartment for each screw. I treated the case like a wheel, lightly tightening each first. Still, the 3mm screws do not seem not entirely interchangeable. Mixing them around, not forcing anything, eventually worked out.

paleo5 -

These instructions worked perfectly, thank you!

Ruth H -

Folded masking tape to make two sided.Made rectangle like shape of Mac.Put the screws on the tape in order, so I would not mix screws or loose them.That process took longer than installation. Done in 10 mins..No need to remove battery.Put finger on metal stated by Apple.Now going to add 16gigs more in my IMac.Thanks for the illustrations Andrew !!!!

Gary howarth -

Hi may i know what is the maximum size of GB for RAM that model A1297 MBP 17" Early 2009 can support? can it support 16GB. TIA.

rewtz -

Late 2011 Macbook Pro 17" A1297 2.5GHz i7-2860QM supports 1600MHz DDR3 RAM according to Intel's Ark (http://ark.intel.com/products/53476/Inte...), faster than what Apple suggests. I tried 2x8GB 1600MHz SODIMMs (opposite 2x16GB maximum as supported by Intel, yet cannot find the modules anywhere) and it works. The machine is a lot faster compared to the default 1333MHz RAM.

aramis -

I've never used any guides or taken anything apart before. This was as simple as can be, screws out, unplug battery, pop memory out, insert new one, plug battery in then screw on the back and done. Took me tops 10 minutes.

Johnathan Tokar -

I am like Johnathan a novice in repairing or replacing anything in a computer but Andrews brilliant guidance gives me the guts to try. I have a MacBook Pro 17” model A1297, processor: Intel Core i7, processor speed: 2,66 GHz, processor quantity: 1, cores quantity: 2, L2-cache (per core): 256 K, L3-cache: 4 MB, Memory: 8 GB, connection speed between the processors: 4,8 GT/s, Boot ROM-version: MBP61.005A.B00. What of those units do you assesses as worth replace?

Peter Bekcic -

Everything went great, but a bit of clarity on how to insert RAM and how firmly to press would have been nice. I was a bit hesitant, figured I’d break it. But all was good!

Kathleen Standard -

Way easy!! Thanks!

Leo Lambert Jr -