14-inch MacBook Pro
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Repair website iFixit has posted a teardown of the 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro using an Apple repair manual and found a few changes in the new model besides the M2 Pro chip.
Apple has one official guide for the 14 inches MacBook Pro Right away M1 Pro chip, and i fix it said it also works for the new models. The main reason is that Apple used similar manufacturing processes for the M1 Pro and M2 Pro MacBook Pros.
The i fix it Teardown found that the M2 Pro has a smaller heatsink than the previous generation. The 2021 MacBook Pro used an 8GB Samsung LPDDR5 module, versus two SK Hynix 4GB LPDDR5 on either side of the M2 Pro chip.
To find out the reason for the change, i fix it changed in Dylan Patel, principal analyst at SemiAnalysis.
ABF substrates were in very short supply when Apple made the design choice, he said. By using four smaller modules instead of two larger ones, they can reduce the routing complexity within the substrate from the memory to the SoC, leading to fewer layers on the surface. This allows them to further expand the limited substrate stock.”
Patel also said 128GB storage models are getting harder to find and more expensive to purchase as the smaller dies are phased out. As a result, Apple went from four smaller 128 GB modules on the 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro to two larger 256 GB modules on the 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro.
In the YouTube repair video, i fix it gave the 14-inch MacBook Pro model a “preliminary” repairability rating of five out of 10, based on the assumption that Apple will release new repair manuals in the future. If the company does – or doesn’t – i fix it will likely revise its score for the device.