I've recently found a (factory refurbished) logic board from a Macbook Unibody 5.2 (mid-2009; 820-2496-A) and want to replace the logic board of my Macbook Unibody 4.1 (early-2008) with it, so my Macbook can run a newer OS. I've already upgraded my Macbook with a 240GB SSD and 4GB 800MHz RAM.
Comparing pictures of the logic boards it seems like the connectors are the same, as well as everything else, except for the graphics chip (X3100 is my current, while the one on the new logic board is the x64-based GeForce 9400M). So visually it seems like the 5.2 logic board is perfectly compatible with the 4.1 version.
I'll probably receive the logic board just before Christmas (never know exactly this time of year), so I can try swapping the logic boards. Once I've succeeded (or failed) I will report to you guys here.
Has anyone tried doing this before? If it works, does my current OS X installation work with the new logic board or do I need to reinstall OS X?
Best Answer
I have received my new logic board today and installed it successfully. I also upgraded the Macbook with a 240GB SSD and 4GBs of RAM.
I only encountered 2 problems which can be worked around easily. The first one was the different SuperDrive connector. I simply didn't connect the SuperDrive, but you can easily order the right SuperDrive, since they're not that expensive. The second and most important problem I encountered was the different layout of the heat sink. This needs replacement as well in order to get it working properly. I'm still waiting for this part to be delivered. For now, my Macbook shuts down after a few minutes, because it gets too hot.
After I've received the right heat sink and installed Yosemite, I'll give you guys another update.