MacUpgrades.co.uk offers a wide range of fixed price upgrades and repairs for your Apple computers. You can drop in to our offices in Sawston, Cambridge or if you are not local you can either have us collect or send in your computer yourself. Sameday fitting is available for most items, contact us for details. We also offer on site installation services and training on your premises.
Macupgrades offers a wide range of on-site services for your Apple equipment. We offer all of our upgrade services, and most of our repair services too.
All our engineers have at least 15 years of experience with Apple hardware and software
Enter your serial number into the box below for specific upgrades for your machine. Each upgrade has been tested in the machine we list it for. Compatability is 100% guaranteed or your money back.
How to find your serial number in software
You can find your Mac's serial number in Apple System Profiler: Select the Apple Menu > About This Mac, then (depending on the version of OSX you are running) click the System Report button or the More Info button. This brings up System Profiler, and on the Hardware Overview that is displayed by default you should see your serial number, and be able to copy/paste it. The procedure does vary slightly between different versions of OSX.
If you can't boot your Mac
If your Mac is not working, the serial number is printed on the computer casing but the location varies. Here are the main locations of serial numbers on Apple computers.
Unibody MacBook Pro - Laser etched onto the base.
MacBook, Early MacBook Pro, PowerBook G4 - Inside the main battery bay. Remove battery to locate.
iBook (White) - Under the keyboard. To lift keyboard, pull back on the release tabs between the F-keys.
Intel iMac, iMac G5 - Underside of the foot/stand.
iMac G4, iMac G3 - Underside of the iMac.
Mac mini - On the underside of the Mac mini.
Mac Pro 2006-2012 - On rear of machine near graphics card ports.
PowerMac G5 - On lower chassis under side panel. To remove side panel, lift lever on rear of Mac.
PowerMac G3, PowerMac G4 - Label on the back of the Mac.
Your Mac's Model Identifier can be found in System Profiler. You can use the drop-down menus above to be taken to a page that displays upgrades specifically for your exact model.
This tool is also available on its own page, with a list of all Model IDs here.
COVID Update: Online orders and mail-in repairs/upgrades are happening as normal. Collection and drop-off are operating by appointment - please call us on 01223 833 412 to book a slot.
MacBook Pro 15" 2006-08 Upgrades
This page covers all the upgrades we sell for the original MacBook Pro 15"
before the Unibody redesign, made between 2006 and 2008. Choose the
type of upgrade you are looking for from the tabs below. (Not
the right Mac? See here for
more MacBooks and MacBook Pros, or here for
all Macs.)
If you want specific upgrades for your exact model, choose it from the Model ID links below, or enter your serial number here:
This page covers the early (2006-2008) models of the 15" MacBook
Pro.
Announced in January 2006, alongside the
iMac
Core Duo, this machine replaced the aging PowerPC G4 based PowerBook
range. Models covered on this page are the "pre-unibody" models.
All of these have a silver keyboard. The later Unibody models
(October 2008 onwards) have a black keyboard and are dealt with
on their own page: MacBook
Pro 15" Unibody. We also have pages on the MacBook
Pro 13", MacBook
Pro 17" 2006-08 and MacBook
Pro 17" Unibody.
As well as the change of processor between the MacBook Pro and PowerBook
G4, this machine moved to a SATA rather than IDE drive (the first
Apple laptop to do so), and replaced the PowerBooks PCMCIA expansion
slot with the new ExpressCard/34. Airport Extreme and Bluetooth
are built in and a SuperDrive is standard on all models. However
the FireWire 800 port was dropped on the very first revision
15" version,
leaving just FireWire 400 and USB 2.0. Later revisions replaced
the FireWire 800 port.
Apple specifications for the original 15" MacBook Pro can be found here and the glossy screen version introduced in May 2006 here.
In October 2006 the line was updated to use the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and take up to 3GB of RAM (as opposed to 2GB on the original model), the missing FireWire 800 port was also added to the 15.4" version. Apple specs here.
In June 2007, a further revision bumped the speed up to 2.4GHz, updated
the Airport card to use the 802.11n draft specification, and
allowed up to 6GB of RAM to be installed. Apple specs here.
A minor refresh was made in November 2007 - specs here.
In February 2008 the MacBook Pro moved to the Penryn processor running at 2.4, 2.5 or 2.6GHz and introduced a multi-touch track pad. Compatibility for upgrades was unchanged. Apple specs here.
The MacBook Pro looks similar to the 15" PowerBook G4 Aluminium - it is the same colour, although slightly thinner and with a slightly larger screen.
The best way to distinguish this machine from the earlier PowerBook G4
is to check System Profiler for the CPU type (Intel Core Duo or Core 2
Duo), although it can also be easily identified by Apple's new MagSafe
power connector - the power cable is held on magnetically when attached,
eliminating the possibility of damaging the machine by tripping on the
power lead.
This machine can be distinguished from the later MacBook Pro 15" Unibody
by the keyboard colour. Machines dealt with on this page have a silver
keyboard. Later Unibody models have a black keyboard.
There are also 17" versions of the MacBook Pro, which has their own
pages. Compatibility between the two ranges of machines is very similar,
although not identical, and dates of revisions vary. See the pages for
the MacBook
Pro 17" 2006-08 and MacBook
Pro 17" Unibody.
The MacBook
Aluminium, released in October 2008 (later replaced by the very similar
MacBook Pro 13"), also looks similar. However the MacBook has a smaller
13.3" screen.
System Profiler (Apple menu > About
This Mac, then click on the "More Info" button) will also tell
you what type of Mac you have.
The other Intel Core/Core 2 Duo based Apple laptops are the white and black MacBooks, but as well as having a smaller screen, these MacBook come in white or black plastic, rather than the aluminium of the MacBook Pro.
There are multiple revisions of the pre-Unibody MacBook Pro 15.4",
and while compatibility is similar there is a difference in the amount
and type of RAM they can use and a few other differences.
To tell the difference between revisions, check the CPU type and speed in System Profile, and compare to the below.
1st Revision: Released Jan 2006 with a 1.83GHz, 2.0GHz or 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo CPU. Has no FireWire 800 port on the 15.4" model. Maximum RAM 2GB (either 2 x 1GB modules or 1 x 2GB). SuperDrive slot in the front. Apple specs here and the glossy screen version here.
2nd Revision: Released Oct 2006 with a 2.16 or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU. Has FireWire 800 port across the range. Maximum RAM 3GB (1x 1GB + 1 x 2GB modules). SuperDrive slot in the front. Apple specs here.
3rd Revision: Released June 2007 with a 2.2GHz or 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU. Has FireWire 800 across the range. Maximum RAM 4GB (2 x 2GB modules). SuperDrive slot in the front. Apple specs here and for the November 2007 refresh here.
4th Revision: Released February 2008 with a 2.4GHz, 2.5GHz or 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (Penryn) CPU. Has FireWire 800 across the range. Maximum RAM 4GB (2 x 2GB modules). SuperDrive slot in the front. Apple specs here.
If you are still unsure you can contact us on 01223 833 412, or by email for confirmation. If you want to upgrade but aren't happy to install your upgrades then we can help. Simply ask our engineers for further details.
Not suitable for first revision MacBook Pros, so only for models with a Core 2 Duo processor, not the original Core Duo models. Second revision models can not use 2 of these chips together.
2
Only suitable for models from June 07 onwards - models with a system bus speed of 800MHz can run up to 6GB in 1 x 4GB + 1 x 2GB.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 3 / 5 - Reasonably easy.
Turn off the machine and remove the power cable and battery. The RAM is
accessed via a cover on the bottom of the machine secured by three screws.
Remove the holding screws and install the new RAM. See chapter 3 of this Apple user guide (pdf) - for the early 2008 version, but procedure is the same on earlier models.
All MacBook Pros come with a SuperDrive at as standard. Models dealt
with on this page (SuperDrive slot on the
front) use an IDE drive, later models (SuperDrive slot on the
right-hand side) use SATA. It is also possible to use an external device
via FireWire or USB 2.0.
Blu-Ray is not fully supported in OSX. Disks can be mounted and read, but movie playback requires third party software.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
The MacBook Pro 2006-2008 uses a 2.5" SATA drive. It cannot use
drives with a height above 9.5mm. All the following drives are compatible.
If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.
Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 4 / 5 Difficult
For the pre October 2008 MacBook Pro, the internal hard drive is difficult to get to, and is not classified by Apple as a user installable part. Installing a replacement drive during warranty will void any remaining warranty.
Mac Upgrades does sell drives for user installation, but we cannot offer instructions or support for the install.
For models listed in, and suffering the fault mentioned in this Apple advisory.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Expansion Card Upgrades
All MacBook Pro 15" machines covered by this page have an ExpressCard/34
slot for expansion. This is a modern, high bandwidth slot, considerably
superior to the old PCMCIA found on the PowerBook range.
There is also an internal slot for the Airport Extreme card, which can be replaced or upgraded.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy (Express34 slot only).
Install any supplied software, turn off the machine and insert the ExpressCard into the socket on the machine.
Restart machine and away you go.
Keyboards & Mice
The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Cables & Tools
Listed below are cables, tools and related products
we supply for this Mac.
The very
first model of MacBook Pro 15" (Core Duo processor, not Core
2 Duo) does not have a FireWire 800 port, only FireWire 400 and USB
2.0. All other models dealt with on this page have FireWire 400,
800 and USB 2.0. eSATA can be added as an expansion card.
This can be connected to this Mac to access a 3.5in SATA drive. But this Mac does not use a 3.5in SATA drive internally.
Complete Machines - Refurbished
Any complete machines of this type or similar that we have for sale are listed here. Please note that these are refurbished models with a 3 month warranty, and that delivery is likely to take 3 - 5 working days. These can be purchased online with the standard website courier delivery charge for the mainland UK only. Please contact us for a quote on shipping to other areas.
There are none available.
Repair Services for this Mac
Here are the various repair services we offer for this Mac. You can have us take the machine in for evaluation, or book a fixed-price repair if you already know what the fault is and the service is listed below (for services without parts, please see the relevant tab on this page for compatible parts that we sell). If you know what the fault is, but we don't have a fixed-price repair listed below, please contact
us for a quote.
