MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 Teardown

TeardownTeardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions.

Featured GuideThis guide has been found to be exceptionally cool by the iFixit staff.

It's a teardown-o-rama! We're on teardown Round 3 this week, and we just won't stop. Our next contender: the newcomer MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display. This year's edition is a lightweight, but we're sure it'll pack a punch. No matter what it's packing, it's no match for our teeming teardown tacklers. Join us as we battle our way into Apple's latest laptop.

But wait, there's more: punch in your Facebook, jab(ber) on your Twitter, and catch a hook with your Instagram, and make sure you never miss a round.

Tools MacBook Pro and Air 5-Point Pentalobe Screwdriver Plastic Cards Spudger T5 Torx Screwdriver T8 Torx Screwdriver Phillips #00 Screwdriver Tweezers

Step 1 — MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 Teardown

We've done this seven times before, but biting into a 13-inch professional-grade Apple is always a juicy treat.

Let's check out the latest tech specs: 13.3-inch 2560-by-1600 pixel (227 ppi) retina display 2.4 or 2.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Optional 2.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core

i7 available) 4, 8 or 16 GB DDR3L on-board RAM 128, 256, 512 GB or 1 TB SSD storage Intel Iris Graphics Thunderbolt 2, USB 3, and full-size HDMI I/O

Step 2

Right away we spy something unfamiliar: Model A1502 has never before been seen in the wild. Does that mean this critter's all new? We're about to find out.

Starboard-side ports include: SDXC Card Slot Full-size HDMI with 1080p output USB 3.0

More ports on the port side! Another USB 3.0 2x Thunderbolt 2

Step 3

By now, we're not even surprised to find the lower case held in place by pentalobe screws. Just ... disappointed.

It looks like this new revision has lost its cool—or at least half of it, as we're now down to a single fan.

Apple's holiday redecorating didn't stop there: rearranged cabling, a displaced SSD, and a drastically revised battery now deck these halls.

Step 4

As ever, Apple warns of tragic consequences if we attempt to service, remove, or engage in polite conversation with the battery.

Warning, schmorning—you know how we feel about these labels. First rule of disassembly: disconnect the power. There is no shock like forgetting where the

power lies. We pop off the battery connector, but that fancy new battery controller board ain't goin'

nowhere. Those little screws, they do nothing! The board hosts some tricky wires that are soldered and

routed to hold it in place. This assembly is turning into a serious brain teaser.

Step 5

We spudger our way through the antenna cables and extract the slumbering AirPort card. Don't worry—we promise to put it back before it wakes up.

It may reside in the same right-side location as ye olde model, but this here Broadcom BCM94360CS is a different animal.

New 802.11ac Wi-Fi tech claims triple the performance of 802.11n.

Step 6

Taking a peek under the covers of the revised AirPort Card, we find: Broadcom BCM4360 5G Wi-Fi 3-Stream 802.11ac Gigabit Transceiver Broadcom BCM20702 Single-Chip Bluetooth Processor with a High Performance

Integrated 2.4-GHz RF Transceiver Skyworks SE5516 Dual-Band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WLAN Front-End Module

Step 7

SSDs may not spin like other hard-disk drives, but the one in the 13" MacBook Pro Retina sure does like to hop around!

This Pro comes with a base 128 GB of flash storage, with the larger models sporting 256 or 512 GB.

Apple notes that the 512 GB model is configurable up to 1 TB of storage, just in case your kitten archives won't fit on the dinky 512 GB SSD.

Notable bits and pieces: SanDisk 05131 016G 16 GB NAND Flash (total of 8 x 16 GB = 128 GB) Marvell Semiconductor 88SS9183 SSD Controller SK Hynix H5TQ2G63DFR DDR3-1600

Step 8

Wingardium leviosa! The I/O board cable practically floats out of its sockets. Our handy-dandy magic wand Pro Tech Screwdriver makes speaker screw removal seem like

magic. Another swish and flick and the speakers are charmed out of the rear case.

We're happy to report that these speakers-who-must-not-be-named are fairly easy to remove—no dark magic required.

Step 9

Oh MBP battery adhesive, you're breaking our hearts. We've fought this battle before—multiple times, in fact.

To make matters worse, the screwed-in battery caddies of yesteryear have moved over the trackpad, burying the poor thing alive.

We launch the rescue effort with our friends, iOpener and plastic card; after a hearty swig of patience, we set to work.

Victory! At long last, the awkward battery assembly is wrested from the case. The new center panel batteries proved to be the toughest to extract due to the cable

armature surrounding it and some crazy-strong adhesive.

Step 10

Take a look at that six pack! Here's the muscle: coming in at 71.8 Wh this 11.34 V battery is ever-so-slightly down on

oomph from last year. But thanks to other improvements, Apple claims a 9-hour battery life during normal use.

With the battery free, we finally get a better look at the connector. It's certainly nice to see a more conventional battery connector, rather than the earlier

revision's contact board shenanigans. But at what cost, Apple?

Step 11

We spudge off some sticky foam screw coverings and remove the heat sink to find...goopy thermal paste.

As Apple rolls out Intel's new Haswell processors and Iris Graphics, we're seeing a massive heat sink consolidation trend—the CPU and GPU are now close neighbors, and get to share a pad on the heat sink, making for a cleaner and more streamlined design.

Step 12

With the heat sink gone, it's time to cool off! Well, time to take the fan off at least. The brushless Nidec fan isn't blowing us away with any new innovations, but we appreciate its

efforts to keep things from boiling over.

Step 13

We're getting down to brass tacks as the I/O board comes out for inspection. Included ICs:

Parade Technology PS8401A HDMI Jitter Cleaning Repeater An HDMI jitter-cleaning repeater chip compensates for HDMI signal skew

caused by long signal traces, connectors and cables. Without jitter-cleaning technology, systems may fail the HDMI 1.4 jitter compliance test or exhibit poor video performance.

NXP Semiconductors PCA9501 8-bit I/O Expander with an On-Board 2-kbit EEPROM Genesys Logic GL3219 SDXC Card Reader Controller

Step 14

A few measly connectors are all that stand between us and total logic board liberation; they are dealt with harshly.

The MBP's secrets can run, but they can't hide. Also, they can't really run. That would be a cool upgrade, though.

Then again...

Step 15

Here it comes, the component we've all been waiting for: the logic board! Here's what we've got for ICs:

Intel SR18A Core i5-4258U Processor Micron D9PXV 4 Gb (512 MB) DDR3L SDRAM (total of 8 * 512 MB = 4 GB) Cirrus 4208-CRZ Two-Channel Low Power HD Audio Codec Intel DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 Controller Fairchild Semiconductor DD18BB 220A Texas Instruments 58872D TI 37 CF61 E4 K03P0 2L4 62DP

Step 16

Back side of logic board: Micron D9PXV 4 Gb (512 MB) DDR3L SDRAM MXIC MX25L6406E 64M-bit CMOS Serial Flash Texas Instruments Stellaris LM4FS1EH Microcontroller Cypress CY8C24794-24LTXI Programmable System-on-Chip Broadcom BCM15700A2 P13WVR 12612NEE Linear Technology LT3957 B29255

Step 17

Next to come out is the MagSafe 2 port. We're happy to see that the power adapter resides on its very own connector,

meaning that if you need to replace it, you won't need to replace any extra parts along with it.

While it still holds the same MagSafe 2 technology, the connector has been updated slightly from previous versions.

Flying through components, we come to the dual Mic—hidden under a rubber cover. The time for eavesdropping is over, Mic; you've been exposed.

Step 18

We already coaxed the battery from its gooey perch above the trackpad; does this metal plate really think it can slow us down?

Don't worry—steel is weak to fire—we attack with iOpener; it's super effective! Under that hefty metal armor, we find much the same trackpad as in the 2012 edition. ICs include:

Macronix MX25L2006E 16M-bit CMOS Serial Flash Broadcom BCM5976 Touchscreen Controller (as found in the earlier versions and the

iPhone 5)

Step 19

The usual black rubber conceals the display hinge screws and some new adhesive. Hey Apple, do you think next time you could mark up the screws removed during

display replacement? You were so close this time. We let this display off with a warning, but if you're dying to see inside, how about a blast from

the past? This display, as with its predecessors, must be replaced as an assembly; there's no parting out

this bad boy.

Step 20

MacBook Pro with Retina Display 13" Late 2013 Repairability Score: 1 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)

Proprietary pentalobe screws continue to make opening the device unnecessarily difficult. The battery assembly is now entirely, and very solidly, glued into the case, thus complicating

replacement. Additionally, the battery now covers the screws and cable holding the trackpad in place. It is impossible to replace the trackpad without first removing the battery.

The Retina display is a fused unit with no protective glass. If anything ever fails inside the display, the entire ($$$) assembly will need to be replaced.

The RAM is soldered to the logic board, following the lead of the MacBook Air. Pay for the upgrade now, or be stuck with 4 GB forever. There is no chance of upgrade.

The proprietary SSD is now in a PCIe format, but still isn't a standard drive. Cross your fingers for future compatible drives; for now, you're stuck with what you've got.

Comments

Guide

Awesome Job! I love these teardowns.Bill O, Oct 25 2013

Is it me or does the heat sink not cover the CPU of the Haswell package?Heng, Oct 25 2013

Not sure if this is something you guys at iFixit have considered as far as environmental impact is concerned (and I could be wrong here as i don't know the process myself). If something needs to be replaced on an Apple product and is returned under warranty or Apple care then the entire unit is replaced for the customer. The defective unit is then repaired, refurbished and resold to the consumer at a refurbished price. That still results in that particular piece of technology being out there in use and not on a scrap heap.Again I'm not sure if I am missing something in the process here but this seems like a decent way to keep technology in circulation and off the scrap heap, at least if it's covered under warranty or apple care.Garreth, Oct 26 2013

You forgot to find out who manufactures the screen monitor...Samsung or LGhoho, Nov 13 2013

You forgot to find out what brand is the LED screen used in the MBPr 13' late 2013..Is it Samsung or LG?hoho, Nov 13 2013

I just had to change my 2011 MacBook pro 13 inch battery as it was getting pitiful, if there is no way of easily changing the battery it will probably be the last MacBook I buybrian whittle, Dec 18 2013

Is the CPU user replaceable or is it soldered onto the board?Elisha Jesudason, 7 days ago

Step 5

How many Wi-Fi antennas are there?Tom R, Oct 25 2013

There are three antennas, I think. They can be seen on the first picture at step five.Nils Kuhnert, Nov 6 2013

Step 7

Since you have torn down both the new 13" and 15" rMBPs, can you advise whether the PCIe SSD modules are cross-compatible between models (and with the mid 2013 Airs)? i.e. do they use the same PCIe connector and are they the same physical size?I would hope after much chopping and changing that Apple has finally settled on a common module design, making it easier to repair / upgrade one of the few remaining user-replaceable parts.AmusedToDeath, Oct 28 2013

I just bought a MBP today, and i think the SSD size will be a problem for me in some years because i bought the 128GB model, do you think that i would can buy a new SSD in the future?Adan Olachea, Dec 27 2013

Step 16

Wonder what that extra Micron 4Gb chip is doing?mbeatty, Oct 25 2013

I’m not sure but it seems like a kind of biffer for Broadcom chip? Broadcom chip often lie with memory chipq3jw34017, Oct 25 2013 I wonder how many memory modules compose to option 16Gigabyte. Maybe 8Gigabit x16?? if 4Gigabit x 32 it will be very very disappointq3jw34017, Oct 25 2013

Step 20

What's it take to get a Repairability Score of Zero?Bryce, Oct 25 2013

I guess the device would have to be completely unrepairable or you'd need to damage other components to get to the defective one. Having to remove the glued-in battery (!) to get to the touchpad fringes on that...The MacBook is not totally unrepairable; it's just very complicated.Alex1985, Oct 26 2013

Heng,From the Ars Technica review of this iFixit teardown: "the CPU and GPU on one long die and the chipset in a second, smaller die". From the iFixit photo the CPU/GPU chip has the thermal goop on it to connect to the heat sink and the chip set does not. This makes sense as the CPU/GPU die is a much bigger power/thermal hog than the chip set.Carson Stuart, Oct 27 2013