Chosen Solution

I´ve been reading a lot about replacing a display on a macbook pro. It seems to be fairly easy with the right tools. I was wondering, however, if it´s possible to replace the complete display assembly from a glossy one (1440x900) to a matte display (1680x1050). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Not so fast! The Apple Antiglare display is not the same as Apples base unit display! From Apple’s online store page: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/sh… MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display - 1680x1050MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display - 2560x1600MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display - 2560x1600 If you have a Hi-Res Glossy display it’s a easy exchange for the Antiglare via Apple or by getting their replacement part. If on the other hand you have the standard Glossy display I was told the Hi-Res display requires the AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1GB or AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB memory to drive it. And will not work properly with the AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB. Frankly, I think the cost of buying a new MacBook Pro via the online store would be cheaper than replacing the display. If you are exchanging out Apple displays. If you’re going with a 3rd party exchange out then they are taking your outer glass and sand blasting the glass (Matting it) and then rebuilding it, so theres no issue with the display logic. But it may not be as good as the Hi-Res unit. Make sure you’ve see up close what one of their conversions look like before forking over the money. I’ll agree the matte cover sheets are not very good. But at least you can change your mind.

Yes, in fact I’m tempted to do so myself :) UPDATE: I’d like to again state that it is, indeed, possible. It has been done successfully, though i am unable to find the guides for matte displays. I know that they are very slightly less complicated than the glossy screens, but I’ll see what I can do about a guide for you.

No no no no no. Dan’s advice is noise, even the original MCP79 based Unibody boards from 2008 will drive a 1680x1050 LCD no problem. 2008 and 2009 A1286 models use NVIDIA MCP79, which will work up to 2560x1600. 2560x1600 > 1680x1050. You do NOT need an AMD card from 2011 unless you want to output 4k over DisplayPort. An LP154WE3-TLB1 can be found online for eighty bucks, and the bezel is not necessary. The suggestion of buying a new machine is equally silly when you can perform this entire upgrade for less than the cost of one day of Manhattan parking. Finding the LCD is simple, finding the bezel is miserable. The bezel is totally optional though. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Display-for-… these people are idiots but it is ebay so you can always file a claim if they &&^& you over.

Don’t listen to Dan. As long as your Macbook Pro has graphics switching and your model was offered with the Matte HiRes display, it won’t be a problem.

  1. Identify the different models of display that Apple used (Samsung, LG, etc.) and purchase on eBay or reseller site
  2. Find genuine bezels on eBay or reseller site
  3. Find a bunch of videos on Youtube on how to disassemble and install the new screen. It can be a guide for glossy screens, it doesn’t matter
  4. DONE