I Bought A $100 Core i7 Macbook Pro... Big Mistake?
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
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Today we're going to see whether this $100 15" Apple Macbook Pro from eBay was worth it. Are there any problems? Let's find out! #Apple #Macbook #Restoration
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Nathan Sivewright
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Music Used:
"Jazz Brunch "
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons...
Update: Whoever told me to stack paper / cardboard on top of the GMUX chip, thank you! That actually worked 😅
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A hint for you for removing small scratches in the metal bodies of these MacBooks. Try using Comet Bleach Powder. It is slightly abrasive and does wonders for aluminum machines.
@@kenmotovlogs5884 I'll have to try that! Although the scratching wasn't all that bad on the laptop thankfully 🙂
@@psivewri yeah it works amazing for removing minor to medium scratching. Makes apple stuff look new
how u bought macbook for cheap on ebay and me search so expensive than yours...hmmm
I’m just here to say that your haircuts looks like a woman in her late 40’s. All you’re missing is a dress.
You just have an air to your videos that is so appealing.
I've been staying up all night now it's 430 am and I've been watching his videos all night
😂 true
Don’t u mean MACBOOK air?
XD
Because he's not corrupted by fame
If this was Louis Rossmann taking apart this Mac he'd say something to the effect of "Hell no. What did they do to you poor little Macbook?"
"How dare they sodomize this poor MacBook?"
@@BigTylt "who long screwed the short hole!?"
I was thinking the same thing lmao
I think Louis mentioned that Apple's "Fix" for this was putting a rubber pad on that chip to push it down 24/7 lol
@@loganloree5755 I believe that was for the RAM pins on the 2012 13” models though
I recently bought a Macbook Pro 13" Mid-2012 due to you showing me how good these lovely machines are especially with a bit of work. Thank you for the great content!
Well, this reminds me of a discovery I made earlier this year. My local disability service provider had been given three laptops that were no longer in use, to take apart for their science program. I noticed that one of them was a MacBook Pro, so I took it onto myself to restore it to its former glory.
I did my research, and figured it was a 2010 model, with a Core2Duo processor. Looking inside, I found that while the logic board was intact, it was missing it's hard drive and battery. At least the DVD drive still had the MacOS install disc inside.
I purchased a cheap refurbished 750GB hard drive, and a new battery, and placed them in. It was then I discovered it was a 2011 15 inch model, with an i5 processor. So that broadened my horizons. I installed High Sierra OS onto it, and then increased its memory to 16GB. So it now works practically good, or as good as you can get.
Now it had a few flaws, like the performance working faster when connected to a power supply, and some of the keys on the keyboard not working. But I can live with those flaws, given I can compensate with a Bluetooth keyboard I found at the Salvation Army for $3AU.
So in all, I got myself the perfect device for video editing, graphics design and app development. And to think it was going to be taken apart for educational purposes!
I would have gone with a 120 or 240GB SSD, it will make the system much more responsive and it'll feel faster.
Laptop : * is a bit dirty *
Nathan : *EUCALYPTUS OIL*
Make a video on your eBay searching methods. You always find the best priced stuff in the world
GerardoMjr yesssssss
it’s more so careful reading
@@variousrebuilds or BS
@@notme1581 yeah I mean I saw a $200 macbook air used probably mid 2012 and its already a sketchy seller...What more if its A macbook pro...So yeah this could be BS
I buy from ebay and local Facebook marketplace and offerup. When you start to actually look for good deals, it's more or less luck. You just have to be persistent.
2017: MSI GS63VR with GTX 1060, $600
2018: Gigabyte Laptop with GTX 1060, $250
2019: Powerspec 1510 with GTX 1070, $500
2020: Zephyrus M15 with RTX 2070, $700
2021: i7-9700K with RTX 2080S PC, $800
2021: Dell Latitude 7300 Ultrabook, $200
Some of my best PC/Laptop purchases
Someone really butchered repairs/upgrades on this laptop. Such a shame!
does it really matter? for 100$.. id buy it, repair it and then find a use for it or sell it
No, it doesn't matter. But it's still a shame to see people needlessly damage an expensive piece of technology.
I got a 2012 Mac Mini just like that. The RAM slots were busted apart and the top RAM wasn't even in place. It was pretty much held by gravity due to the bottom cover covering it physically. Otherwise, the RAM could simply fall out with a simple shake. Soon after, the IR connector that indicates whether the Mac Mini is on or not tore off. It still worked, but the light indicator doesn't work anymore so I can't really tell if it's on or off. I complained to the seller that the RAM slot is broken and the light indicator (IR sensor) also broke off. They said they had no clue about it and that if I wanted a refund or not, then to message them but I'd have to pay for it to be sent back. I said no, I'll just keep it, but told the seller to make sure next time that they actually list what's actually there. From that whole experience, I believe the person who originally owned this Mac Mini butchered upgrading the drive because the hard drive wasn't even the original Apple hard drive. I know that because well, the hard drive was at the bottom bay, not the top bay. That tells you the owner attempted to upgrade the Mac Mini. 2012 Mac Minis usually come default with the hard drive on the top bay, not bottom.
I also hate it when people lose the screws, and so many were lost here ! Like it's not that hard to put them on a box at least, even an ice cube tray !
@@Pingoinnn to be honest you don't really need all the screws it's just more work the next time you want to change something and if you do it very often the chance of stripping a screw adds up.
The design of this Macbook still really does hold up. I thought this was much newer than 2010 at first.
Thank you for showing us that you don’t always have 100% successes. You have great skills and persistence with your content. That is appreciated.
What do you call a bunch of drunk ghosts?
Methylated spirits
Ba boom
This is so bad I love it lol.
"I'd have to resolder that chip."
*Louis Rossmann would like to know your location*
Likely the graphics chip is coming off the board. Use some foam to have it press down with the bottom lid.
Yeh do this Nathan. Otherwise if you could borrow a hot air soldering gun, you probably wouldn't really need to completely resolder, just reflow what's already there.
Graphics chip is probably fine. He already pointed out it was the gmux chip
Kerigan Creighton exactly. Put sticky foam on it to push down when bottom plate is applied. When the chip is under lid and hotter, solder is swelling and making better contact with chip.
You guys really have no idea how any of it works lmao
@@swag-cc4uc do you know how it works then?
Quite a steal for under 100 bucks!
I got a macbook pro for $30 and its good🤫
@@sndfcx How
@@N0Xa880iUL ebay
@@sndfcx I see you’re liking your own comment hmmmm
@@mansour7117 cause hes bullshitting
The graphics issues on these 2010 15" mbpros are caused by an small capacitor (C9560). You'll find a few videos about how to repair this model by searching "c9560 2010 macbook pro"
The usual problem is the tantalum capacitor, however that causes kernel panics, and eventually the inability to boot. In this case it appears to be the solder under the gmux that is the issue.
9:17 found who let the dogs out
You can put some foam on the faulty chip to keep it under pressure.
Or a small/trimmed case foot pad.
Like apple did in these laptops.
They put rubber pad on the chip, and said it has been repaired.
got the same model of MacBook for free from a neighbor, turned around and sold it for 375$ today!
Apart from the gMux chip that needs resoldering, replace the C9560 capacitor before it fails. That cap is in the GPU power rail.
I truly liked what you've done with this laptop! The GPU problem is a shame, but it works!
I totally agree about the soldering,I've fixed up a few macs in the past and it's a nightmare sometimes.
$100?!?! I offered $180 for a macbook (late 2008)(core 2 duo)(2gb ram) and the seller told what crack im in and he said that nobody would ever say yes to that offer lol
8:57 like oh my goodness I thought I heard gunshots in my house
SAME I SHIT MYSELF
Sometimes having good headphones are curse
I used to really like your videos as they were always an inspiration to repair and learn about old tech but this video wasn't as satisfying as I hoped for. I cannot understand why you hadn't the time to entirely fixing such things as the missing screws or the twisted hard drive ribbon cable as those were cheap and easy fixes. I am well aware that this macbook isn't really a screamer anymore but the whole point in your videos was the satisfaction of watching you fixing exactly this type of issues to restore not only the machine itself but also some of its former glory.
Considering you are sponsored now makes it even more confusing you didn't spend those few bucks for a proper restoration. I hope that you will have enough time for your up coming projects!
Exactly my thoughts. This seems to be a half-completed project.
This guy used to have decent repairs (not the best, just fine repairs) but this video really shows he's just throwing videos for the $$ and no quality at all in mind.
Unsubscribing now.
I'm trying to get a video out every week. It takes a lot of time to make videos of this quality and it's literally just myself doing every single part. I understand what you're saying, but if I stopped at every single little hurdle it would take far to long to get these videos out.
@@psivewriStop saying ‘Somethink”. It’s pronounced ‘Some - Thing’. You sound like a 6 yr old.
@@psivewri I for one will not unsubscribe because of this one video, but neither would I if I had to wait a few days longer for the next video. Much more important to me is the content of your videos and that in the end it's a complete thing and I can feel the satisfaction again of watching you making something broken whole again. If that means to wait another week to see your next video please take your time!
Of course I couldn't help but notice the production quality of your videos which by the way is deservedly appreciated but to me your unique selling point is the patient and meticulous way you fix the equipment. Please do not break this habit!
How funny that this popped up on my feed. I just bought a 2011 15" MBP on ebay.
kbreezy same
I never had a MacBook, but i love your vídeos. Thanks man.
2010 MacBook Pros had no graphics issues it was the 2011s and newer that brought that on, the reason why this one is glitching out is because as he stated “it looks like the seller tried to replace the this macbook with a different year screen” he did, he put a 2012 screen in there, so it will never work right unless a 2010 screen is put in.
I have this exact model. I put in a 1TB SSD like you and then removed the cd/dvd and put another 1 TB SSD in it’s place as well. 8 GB of ram like yours. It runs pretty good. The only caveat is I have to run MacFan on a fairly high setting as relating to what you saw if I don’t the machine will get so hot it will basically freeze up, especially when rendering or editing video. The output through the apple display port is ok. I think it’s 2K max as opposed to 4K but who cares. For a 10 year old machine it’s still pretty darn good.
You should have tried to reflow the graphics chip. They sometimes develop cracks in the solder because of thermal expansion. Flexing it may have restored it temporarily, but you should consider applying heat to it.
Hey, I've been watching repair videos like this for a long time now and I've always wanted to try this myself. Do you have any tips or advice for me (also an Australian) to start repairing macbooks or other devices?
I got a barely used dell inspiron with a celeron n3060 for $100 USD here in Albania and I thought it was a steal. You should see why I think you got an absolutely great deal for the price
This is a 2010 dual core i7, these weren't plagued with graphics card issues, the quad core 2011 i7 models, however, were. I'm sure this would work great with the proper display and all it's screws.
The review was refreshing and informative. The macbook is now in a better condition.
Bought a Late 2011 15" MBP with an i7 2.4GHz, 16GB RAM, 1GB Graphics and a 512GB SSD for $100NZD. Graphics somehow still works completely fine, replaced the thermal paste and it's running a lot cooler. Only down is the key caps are loose and the battery doesn't last long (Under $100 to fix anyways) so I can't complain.
what a steal bro! wow!
Rather than resoldering I'd just apply heat to it. Use an old Halogen lamp with a rig to keep it a 5mm above the chip for an hour or so. That might reflow the solder enough to make a good connection. It might not work - the board itself could have physically warped from all the heat those things generate, but costs nothing but a bit of time to try. Using a hot air station is harder because the chip will tend to move as soon as the solder reaches melting point.
Awesome as always bru!
8:43 You can "resolder" these chips by blowing at it with a heat gun
X_creeper_of_MLG_X that’s not even the problem with this particular model at all. The frame buffer capacitor becomes weak after time because it isn’t large enough. It’s supposed to put out 1.05V -when the cap is bad, .3V. Once the cap is changed this is the most reliable a1286 by far. the heatgun will work because it’s heating the area around the capacitor as well, so it works for like a day and you’re right back where you started. I think his board was bent, in which case, good luck.
@@natethegr8420 shit
Or you can put the entire laptop in a fan forced oven set to 400 deg F for 2 hours and guaranteed it will self solder... just joking.
This made me so happy 😁 I love that generation of MacBook pros!
Nice find, if I lived in Australia I'd be able to repair that issue, I have the tools to do it but the cost of shipping it to me would be astronomical, and even if it weren't, it'd mean trusting it to a stranger and the international postal system. :(
If you find someone in Australia who can fix it then you'd have a really nice system for its age.
a limited system with shiet components yeah =D Lol
@@liukang3545 Yeah. Just being an i7 doesn't change the fact it is only a dual core processor.
You could fix that graphics issue. Just apply heat shielding tape to surrounding components, then heat up the chip until the solder joints are liquid (chip should move slightly at this point). Make sure the chip is in position and remove the heat.
You can google on heating chip using heat fan to resolder it. Just be careful not to destroy it and anything around in the process.
Just got a 2011 i5 MBP from my grandma for free. She went out and bought a new 2019 Air because she said this one was slow. I cleaned it up, and now it's got a 500 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM. Good machine.
Keep going up my man;). Continue with your awesome vids!!
3:38 the extra antenna connector and short camera cable is because the screen is from a 2011 macbook pro 15 inch and that is a 2010
Perhaps using some Kapton Tape put where the bottom of the board meets the chip could apply enough pressure to work as a fix to the chips issue? I did something similar for a friends computer and it works years later.
That package writes “ Chinese Tea Ceremony” in Chinese. So is the MacBook from China?
Probably not seeing that it used to be a buyable box to mail to people
@@dieguito0512 F
Harsh Gogia u too
This is the best tech youtuber yet!!!!
Very good video, do more videos like this please. I LOVED THEM
Man I want your 2009 Macbook. Its the best one
I just got the exact same Macbook off Letgo for $25, but with a toast battery. I'm too broke to buy a new battery, and the Magsafe charger was loose, so I permanently soldered the power cord to the power daughterboard. Atrocious, but fits my needs.
I love these Mac videos! And I love that you show how they run two of my favourite games; Minecraft and Terraria! Keep it up ❤️
At the start how you where sitting reminded me
When my mom was sitting on a chair with a belt about to hit me😂
I'm from the Philippines, and I literally ordered Bosisto's Eucalyptus Oil all the way from Australia because of you.
I'm really enjoying these macbook videos
I know a guy in Wollongong that can re-solder the chip for you he does component level repairs like Mr Rossmann.
You should make a collab video with Hugh Jeffreys on resoldering the component. He recently started doing board repairs and I bet it'd be really interesting to watch it ☺️
Or Louis Rossmann lol
@@TragicAyk Or all three together.
Undervolt the CPU on this thing by like -100mV and you'll prob drop the core package temp by a reasonable 10-15 degrees on avg under full load.
How?
Hi there, I watched your channel for the first time I must say, this MacBook dilemma I've been through some as well, but indeed just subscribed to your channel, I am based in Perth Western Australia
Macbook Pro from 2010 doesn't have GPU problems. It's only a resistor that needs to be changed that makes all the graphics go crazy and most of the times, Kernel Panic. BTW If any external monitor works fine that malfunction its most likely the flex cable from the display.
I was also facing the same problem. The Problem is coming due badly fitted display connectors or due to a bad display.
8:58 -- what the hell, I was reading the comments and then I freaked out when I heard gunshots
I wish you could have done the soldering as well - it would have been more interesting and satisfying
I have this same model. Its worth it if u get it in working condition
the power chord is supposed to wrap like that they have those two hooks for a reason
The shooting game scared the crap out of me haha the surround sound made me think someone was beside me haha
When the GMUX chip gets hot, the solider heats up making a secure connection again.
With regards to the Methylated spirit would you use it as a motherboard cleaner? Like when you deep the motherboard into isopropyl alcohol in order to eliminate water when water spilling?
The main issue with these models isn't the GPU per se, its "rare' for it to die, the main issue is that (TLDR) the voltage rail for the VRAM fails. Apple used a capacitor they shouldn't have, and it dies. You can reheat it with something to get it working again, but you're more likely to do harm than good. I've never seen a GMUX fail though.
Edit: Chassis is likely from a 2012/2011 as it has the spare antenna cable lol.
Me: seeing prices on the website you made
I NEED TO FIND THE LINK !
Thought I was the only one! I NEED ONE!
You might want to check dosdude or realmacmods for that graphic glitches... perhaps you've got the feared AMD chips and can disable discrete graphics
i used to have a macbook pro with a core i7-2600k and 8gb ddr3 a couple years ago
I got a question about something. Is the newest Hp ProBook 6570b worth 120€? If you reply, it will be really helpfull so can you say yes or no?
Ya this mans was selling a mac with twice the ram and 4x the storage of his listing and it DID have screen issues at first lol
You dont have to resolder the chip, even apple repair service just stick a piece of foam there to put pressure kn the chip
You should do a part 2 fixing everything that is wrong. Including the chip. Let's learn together.
0:59 4gb RAM on the advertisement
2:41 Says 8gb RAM
They clearly had no idea what they were selling ahaha
@@psivewri or you were just showing us different ebay listing altogether
@@rajann44 Nope.
@@psivewri thanks for clearing the doubt. Btw nice video. Tc
I've bought macbooks before with all kind of off descriptions. Got a 2012 13" for 85 bucks said no RAM and no HD and didn't turn on.
Had no HD but had 8GB and it turned on. Slapped in a 80 buck black friday 1TB ssd and I'm good to go for under 200. Replaced my 50 dollar 2010 white macbook I upgraded to 16 GB RAM for 49 bucks. Loved that model. Most mac people have more dollars than sense.
Post a link to that eucalyptus oil spray mate, I can't find it on amazon.
This laptop has a really nice box.
I need to know how tf do you find that extremly cheap macbooks lmao
100 😂😂😂😭
They aren’t that good considering the specs and condition
@@HelixAdamOxford I wouldn't mind getting one from you...✌️
Very nice 👍🏼
Thank you for sharing ❤️
I now have eucalyptus cleaner for my self. I feel your videos are not complete without it :) Love the videos.
Why you didn't put the board to oven for few minutes? Like that you can resolder all components on the board.
Try liquid metal to reduce cpu temperature.
Gaming Zone GZ7 or eucalyptus oil
Oh my God! I'll still have one of these, I don't know when,
My Macbook Pro 8,3 runs Linux quite well and I can run it with the GPU disabled.
Weird question, but watch do you wear?
Couldn't those temps be down to the fact that theres a bunch of screws missing on the heatsink/fan assembly? I mean, mounting pressure has got to be pretty shotty.
How do you manage to buy laptops at such low price?
I’ve been looking on eBay for a cheap MacBook for my college studies since my current laptop is quite old and bedding is hard :/
i had the same 2010 one but.. 17" ! a very beast! sold for 400 euros two years ago. :)
Wait is the store your making actually real, I would love to see it
Take it to Apple, as they will replace the mother board under a recal due to the graphics chip issue. I have the same model and they replaced my motherboard for free.
So practice soldering chips till you are more proficient at it because then you would do a much better job of refurbishing
can you try to get your hands on a hp elitebook 2740p its crazy rare
Love your videos, greetings from Perú!
I had some graphical glitching on a laptop I recently got secondhand. I found out by reinserting the ram and that got rid of the problem. Maybe that could work for you?
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Just put a piece of paper on the gmax chip. MacBook’s case would hold it just fine
How’s the performance of this compared to the 2012 15 inch you got for $150?
i have never believed that he is getting the laptops for that price and doing the restorations
This dude cleans his tech like some mad OCD diagnosed cleaning professional
what's your go to screen cleaner ?