Showerthought: I tried fixing a 2012 MacBook Pro with a $20 logic board from eBay and it actually booted, which makes me wonder how many 'dead' boards are just misdiagnosed.

The board had a single corroded capacitor near the RAM slots that I replaced with a generic part from my junk bin, and now I'm questioning every 'for parts' listing I see online, so has anyone else had a crazy success with a supposedly junk component?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_patel1mo ago

You’re totally right to question those listings. A huge number of boards get written off for a single bad power rail or a tiny bit of corrosion. I’ve pulled working RAM and CPUs from “dead” boards more times than I can count. The trick is knowing which models commonly fail from one cheap part. Why do you think repair shops charge so much for simple fixes?

wyatt_ross271mo ago

Tbh repair shops gotta cover overhead and pay for skilled labor. It's not always about the part cost.