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84 Comments
- noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19"This isn't an 'upgrade', this is a 'hack'."
Your point? You're taking a bit of hardware and replacing it with a bit of better hardware, I call that an upgrade.
Me POS Dell PC didn't have an extra drive bay but I added a second hard-drive anyway and stuck it to the case, was that a hack too? - gamabunta, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Nevermind, I'm an idiot.
- noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -9/+21B-b-b-b-but Macs can't be upgraded! I-I heard it from Microsoft!!
Glad I got that out of my system. Doesn't look like it'd be too bad to do. As always, be careful of doing things like this when under waranty. If something frys itself and you have to send the whole computer in, at least remember to switch the old one back in before you send it. - titlesaysitall, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Dude, my mom is a Hacker then, she plugged in a Keyboard.
- virtualball, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12... You're an idiot.
So when I painted my computer, it was a hack? Sweet!!! I'm a hacker!! - totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15Really? How many Windows notebooks allow for easy wi-fi card access?
- thanksgiving, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9very cool but there doesn't seem to be a large supply of the 802.11n cards floating about ebay :(
- GerbilSoft, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8"Really? How many [s]Windows[/s] PC notebooks allow for easy wi-fi card access?"
My ThinkPad T60p. The wireless card is right under the keyboard. Removal instructions are provided via the Hardware Maintenance Manual, which is available as a free download from IBM/Lenovo's website. Other ThinkPads are similar. - noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Fine upgrading through hacking. It's still an upgrade. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/upgrade
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7That gave me flashbacks to the times I had to repair iBooks... One of the worst laptops ever to work on... Anyone who has changed out an HD, CD, or logic board from one of those would agree...
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Why? We have a Sony Vaio notebook, two Acer notebooks and one Dell notebook. None of them have access to wi-fi internally to upgrade it (we have to use the PCMCIA slot). In fact, none of them have access to the hard drive like the MacBook we have (which slides out and is a user replaceable part).
- microbreak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4So does anyone know where one can purchase one of these Airport N cards? I've been waiting for iFixIt.com to sell em but so far no luck.....
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6uh..the article mentions that it is the same procedure.
- noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I'm sure it is possible. There are companies that do just about anything else to them. This looks simple enough to just save money and do it yourself though.
- gert2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6...You'd be replacing it with an identical part...but go ahead...
- earthtoandy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4nope.
- noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7A lot of them have it in a card slot that pulls out of the side. As for the rest, I'm sure it would be just as easy as this, you'd just have a wider range of available hardware.
- boxlight, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4how about upgrading a 20" Core Duo iMac from g to n?
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Juyle,
they are getting some pretty decent speeds with "n" -
http://barefeats.com/net80211n.html
Not sure if its worth taking apart my MacBook though :p - peestandingup, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Not the $999 one. It doesnt have the N card, I promise. But the rest of them do.
- nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@noah: Taking apart a MacBook is not difficult if you are careful. Neither is putting it back together. If you don't have the common sense to remember what you took out and where it goes then there are guides online for you, such as this one. Assuming you have another computer to get on the web or print out the instructions.
Unless you are a dumb ass you shouldn't screw anything up. Treat the machine like it's worth as much as you paid for it. - totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4thats pretty cool. wonder if some third parties will start providing installation of those.
- earthtoandy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3square peg, round hole.
and its 3 screws chief. - JuyLe, on 10/12/2007, -5/+8I'm asking myself since the hype of 802.11n began... What's the point for me as a normal user of my macbook to get the little n ?
- lifeinanalog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Now, if only we could swap out Motherboards to upgrade our Core Duos to Core 2 Duos. My MBP would be a happy Mac if that were the case! Right now it's only reasonably satisfied.
- ij00mini, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This guy has the screw sizes for further clarification when attempting this.
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/macbookpro_wireless_N_upgrade/macbookpro_N_card_install.html#storytop
Now if only I could get my hands on one of those Mac Pro cards. - noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4It fits your definition. : )
- Dolomite, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4did you even RTFA?
- noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -8/+10Oh I'm sorry was the upgrade comment too close to home to Winboys?
- fusionFactor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Don't be a cheap ass.
- lilrabbit129, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Basically because most likely you don't have the PCI-E 1x slot required.
- JonForTheWin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I'd like to upgrade a MacBook to have a wireless card that uses a chipset that doesn't require firmware. Like a RaLink one. That'd be nice.
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5noahhoward,
right-if its an external wi-fi card, sure. But the latest notebooks we have all have 802.11g built in. Certainly not as simple as the OP claims, and at best, the same as this procedure for the MacBook. - defectDS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@Juyle
I'm in it for both the speed and the range (well who'da thunk?). My router is currently in the office and I like to sit in the family room with my MacBook Pro, which is on the opposite side of the house. I can barely get a signal from there, and it goes on and off from time to time. Since I'm hearing n gets twice the range, I am gonna pick up an Airport Extreme soon. - brutalentropy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Yeah they're a pain. I do it all day long right now. Gotta love the heat shield on the top AND bottom, as if they couldn't have molded it in to the plastic that's already covering the parts. You gotta take about 50 screws out just to GET to the components. Total pain. On the other hand, LCD replacements on iBooks are one of the easiest repairs I do. In and out in 10 minutes.
Macs look great, but they can be such a pain to work on. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Macs look great, but they can be such a pain to work on."
One word for you:
eMac
Need I say more? - earthtoandy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Core 2 Duo = Already has the right hardware
- bigredgpk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I loved the G3 Powerbooks. The Lombard and Pismo where the best computers to work with. You could rip out the HDD, CD-rom, pram battery, memory, CPU, modem, and the screen in a matter of mins
They kinda remind me of a Thinkpad i had 5 years ago... are the still like that? - huntr2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So is there a 802.11n Wireless Driver for using the thing in Windows XP via bootcamp?
- gaucho4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hmm, I wonder if I can swap out the Airport Extreme card from my original iMac G5 and replace it with one of the draft 802.11n cards.
- P5ycHo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Due to many indifferences, the spec was delayed and delayed and delayed.
Now the people behind the specs are too late and companies are releasing hardware based on draft specs.
This is not the hardware manufacturer's fault. Its the spec guys who were fighting.
Now they have a wide range of drafts in the wild.
I hope that future releases learn from this and also from the HDDVD/BD indifferences. If they don't deliver in a reasonable amount of time and they fail to agree on specs, this kind of ***** happens. - markthegoth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1possible in the mac mini?
- zenwhen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I would do this right now if an online retailer offered the card.
- HiT0, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3news like this just drives me f**cking nuts
802.11n is not even a finished wireless standard, and won't be for another 2 years possibly, and yet companies are releasing hardware based off of the draft (draft = incomplete) specification. 802.11n cannot even coexist with other 802.11b and g networks without causing severe interference as of yet, so by using 802.11n all you are doing is pissing off your neighbors (if they have 802.11b or g) because they can't figure out why their wireless signal has suddenly gone to *****.
People, if you live in an area with alot of other access points (most of which will be using 802.11b or g), don't use 802.11n until the specification is actually completed, please! It's ok to have hardware capable of 802.11n as long as n stays off. Then in a couple years when the standard has been finalized, you'll be able to upgrade your firmware and use 802.11n without worry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11#802.11n - Fallooza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1why not?
- derleiermann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The Airport extreme card is PCI Express mini format as the one in the Macbooks.
If the one in your G5 is PCI Express (can be but last time I checked it wasn't) then you can upgrade it, if not you can't. - Oobitsa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's my question too. Alternatively, is there an external USB N adapter that I could use to hook such a machine up to one of the new airports?
- easy4lif, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1why don't you contact them and ask them to sell it. I'd buy one later after my about another year when I have the cash & courage to go thru with it
- jialuolu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Anyone know if it's possible to replace the card in 17" C2D iMacs?
- jman8888, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Socket in a Core2..
Even though a 2.33 Core2 is 800$ (But 1.6 is 6**$ Cheaper. I'd Like a 400 Cheaper Macbook with a 1.6 Processor) -
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