Is the cost of a MacBook Pro Logic board a good investment v. just replacing the MacBook Pro?
There are several questions that you can use to make your decisionHow old is your MacBook Pro?How much will it cost for the logic board replacement?Is the rest of your MacBook Pro in good condition?Is a new MacBook Pro a manageable purchase at this time?I had to have my logic board replaced on my MacBook Pro in 2009 and I felt it was the right decision to do so. It was only $300 to replace my logic board out of warranty vs $2000 for a new machine and it met my needs for another three years afterwards. You didn't mention which model you had so I'll just share my general opinion. If you have a 2012 or later machine and everything else is in good condition I would replace the logic board. I have heard horrible things about the 2011 15″ model (85W wasn't enough power for a 6750M and quad core i7 and some needed multiple logic board replacements) so I'd think twice even if it met your needs, but I have an iMac with similar components and no issues. Anything older than a 2011 is likely going to be underpowered, especially if it's a Core 2 Duo model.
How long do MacBooks last?
I have a 2005 13″ MacBook and 2006 17" and 15" MacBook Pro all chugging along. The MacBook battery is dead, and I upgraded the disk drive on the 17" Pro about three years ago to 1.5tb. Everything's working just fine.P.s., I drove my car over my 17" MacBook Pro in 2009, it survived. I did have to replace the screen and DVD drive. It was an accident, nothing to do with my opinion of the hardware. Curiously, Apple didn't chose to share my story as a testimonial.Update: 8/2016. My 2006 17″ MacBook Pro, which has been turned on 24/7 for much of the past 5 years, is starting to have hard disk errors. Fortunately, I have my photos and music redundantly backed up. I'm moving to an 27″ iMac with an external drive system for archive, etc. The other 2006 MacBook Pro and 2005 MacBook are still chugging away. I use and iPad or iPhone for most of my former laptop stuff. Probably won't replace the laptops anytime soon.Update 6/2017: All three MacBooks are still working. The occasional disk errors on the 17″ continue, but the CPU and screen are still hanging in there. They are 11 and 12 years old.Update 1/2018 : the hard disk errors on the 17" required a reformat. Works better after rebooting.Regarding Apple.Frankly, I liked the 17″ screen. I want a 17″ display. Also, the prices charged by Apple for their 13 and 15″ pro systems as of 2016 are way too much for my taste. The 15″ is priced about the same as what I paid for the 17″ in 2006. These prices should be coming down, Apple! I also so dislike the trend toward less connectors and configuration options. I can live without a DVD drive. A thin form factor is sexy, but that's what iPads are for, IMHO.I ALSO WANT PORTS!!!!If I need a high-powered laptop, I'll probably look PC in the future. I used PCs for 20 years, moving to Mac in 2005 when I got sick and tired of PC class systems inability to manage video, etc, predictably, out of the box (2004–6 or so). The macs “just worked” and I loved them. No futzing.