Project MacBook Air 11" Early 2015 Core i7

It’s alive! I swapped the logic board and storage from an early 2015 MacBook Air 11" Core i7 2.2 GHz 8GB RAM 512GB SSD into the working chassis of an early 2014 MacBook Air 11" Core i5 4GB RAM no storage in better condition, and have a great little ultra portable. The story:

The early-2015 MacBook Air was the last of that line to be offered in an 11" form factor, and I found a lightly battered but supposedly fully functional example of a maximum-spec 2015 11" (Core i7 2.2 GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) on eBay:

The 2015 11" MacBook Air while it was still running

It arrived missing most of the bottom plate screws, stinking of having been in a smoker’s home, and not quite matching the description:

 Well worn but fully functional ... It runs perfectly fine. The screen is bright and I can't see any dead pixels, though it is possible there are some that I can't see. The battery is still functional, though not great of course. It's still the original battery.

However, this laptop has been well used and is dinged up. All the corners of the laptop are banged up and part of the coating on the Space key has been worn. Please see the pictures for all the details. Plus, the hinge on the display has gotten weaker and if the screen is tilted back a lot it won't stay in that position.

It initially ran “okay.” The left speaker wasn’t working (a $5 part). The battery was degraded to about 1/2 it’s initial capacity and was prone to doing the “sudden drop” thing where 53% charge drops to like 17% charge almost immediately. The hinge was loose but serviceable. Over time, the ashtray stank subsided and I was no longer considering investing in an ozone generator.

While it was running I pulled the full specs: MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015), Intel® Core™ i7-5650U CPU @ 2.20GHz, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, APPLE SSD SM0512G (500GB), Intel HD Graphics 6000.

Within a couple of days of using it, though it just died. The AC adapter no longer gave an orange or green light, and once the battery charge was gone, I couldn’t get it to come back. Best I got was the “needs charging” screen flashing up momentarily. Sigh.

As I started looking into buying spare parts, I realized there were mostly-complete “parts” machines on eBay for less than what I’d spend total buying replacements piecemeal. I found a Core i5 (“Apple MacBook Air A1465 Laptop i5-4260U 1.4GHz NO HDD 4GB RAM 11" - 2014 NO OS”) listed with this descripton:

MacBook Only. NO AC Adapter Included. These items have been tested, and are guaranteed to be in good working condition. Outer Case may show some minor scratches/scuffs from normal use.

This was a multi-unit auction, so the pictures were only supposed to be representative apparently, but definitely showed an intact keyboard:

The 2014 11" MacBook Air photo from eBay auction

It was listed for $99, free shipping, but as soon as I added it to my watch list the seller sent me an offer for $89. Okay, done. 

It arrived missing the up and down arrow keys, which I found on Replacement Laptop Keys. When I raised the issue with the seller, they refunded $14.72 (the cost of the replacement keys, including tax and shipping).

The missing up and down arrow keys on the 2014

The 2014 as I received it

In for a penny, in for a pound, if I was going to spend even more money on this project, I was going to swap in a brand new battery. iFixit ($60; $72 with tax and shipping)) or NewerTech ($75; $93.69 tax + shipping)? Or NinjaBatt ($50; $54.74 with tax, free shipping)? NinjaBatt seems to have been around for a while (their website dates to 2019, which isn’t forever, but it suggests they’re not a total fly-by-night operator), and there are negative reviews out there for all the aftermarket options (and positive reviews, too, of course). If it’s gonna be a total crapshoot, might as well go with the cheapest one... But their website only says their batteries are good for “Charge cycles: up to 500.” (Apple’s OEM batteries are supposed to be good for 1,000 cycles, but mine - albeit a decade or so old - are in “service battery” condition with half their capacity, after about 600 cycles...)

iFixit claims their batteries match Apple OEM specs. For $17, and to support iFixit the provider of so many great teardown and repair guides ... Eh. iFixit it is. (I should also note that years ago I picked up a NewerTech battery for my MacBook Pro 15" and it died - completely - like 2 weeks out of warranty; all they were willing to do was a 5% discount off a replacement battery. Left a sour taste in my mouth.)

They also helpfully provides battery optimization instructions:

For optimal performance, calibrate your newly installed battery: Charge it to 100% and keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Then use your device until it shuts off due to low battery. Finally, charge it uninterrupted to 100%.

The Swap

Started with the 2015 (left) and 2014 (right) MacBook Airs:

Top of the 2015 and 2014 MacBook Air laptops

Bottom of the 2015 and 2014

Following the iFixit instructions, using a good set of Wiha tools, an illuminated magnifying glass, and some generic spudgers (etc.), I tore apart the 2015, which was ... Just a little nasty inside.

Gak-choked cooling fan and vents from the 2015

Getting the logic board out was a little tedious and precise and I was glad that, for once, I had the right tools.

Logic board loose from the 2015

While everything was apart, I used the left over cleaning supplies and MX-5 thermal paste from my GPU project to redo the thermal paste on the CPU.

Removing and reapplying thermal paste

Did the same on the 2014, and then reversed the iFixit directions to install the 2015 logic board into the 2014, with the iFixit battery.

iFixit battery and the 2014 patient ready for the OR

2015 logic board and iFixit battery installed in the 2014

Hooked it up to an AC adapter and breathed a sigh of relief when the light went orange and the machine powered on. Still waiting on the replacement keys to arrive, but otherwise, it’s all set and works amazingly well. Have it running Monterey.

All buttoned up and running great!
2014 MacBook Air with a 2015 Core i7 logic board and new battery.