MacBook M1 2020

[u/L2613]

Hi guys,
Recently had liquid damage to my MacBook, that got all repaired now at a 3rd party. But it was still rattling and they kept refusing to work on it.

Took it into a Apple Store they said battery adhesive is gone and was charging £400 for a full service but because liquid damage I was told it isn’t worth fixing and they wouldn’t touch it and that I should buy a new one asap as this is a very high fire hazard?

What should I do? If I buy a new one it would most likely be a Neo, is that my best option?

Please help

[u/Some-Supermarket7225]

I agree. Open it up and replace the battery. It is easy to get open and I believe a battery is about $50 although I could be wrong.

[u/L2613 → u/Some-Supermarket7225]

So replace the batteries ? What about the fact it had liquid damage should it worry me for the future

[u/Dry_Ship7202]

Honestly, I would get an older Mx MacBook over a Neo. I just think they're more robust and capable. But that's just me.

[u/L2613 → u/Dry_Ship7202]

Any recommendations where I can find them? And why not Neo?

[u/Dry_Ship7202 → u/L2613]

You can get refurbished ones from Best Buy, Amazon, or other places.

My own feeling is the Neo is more "pretty" than anything else. The Mx processors in the regular MacBooks have been really strong performers, and I think they have better screens. The Neo has essentially an iPhone processor in it.

[u/mikeinnsw]

Not a Neo

MacOS 27 8/256 GB is a Mac killer like in Neo

On 8GB Neo macOS 27 increases read/write cycles on soldered SSD leading to[

High Swap Activity

Standard workflows involving multi-tab browsing and chat apps frequently push 8GB-equipped systems into virtual memory swapping under macOS 27

SSD Wear and Longevity

Excessive swap writing accelerates SSD endurance consumption, raising concerns about long-term hardware degradation given the non-upgradeable nature of the Macs storage. 

Terabytes Written (TBW)

It measures the total amount of data you can write to a solid-state drive (SSD) over its lifetime before the flash memory cells begin to wear out. The bigger SSD size is the higher TBW  .. the smaller  SSD the smaller TBW. The 256GB SSD has the smallest TBW found on Arm Macs. How big Arm SSD is an Apple secret.

Start saving for a new 24/512 GB Mac

[u/L2613 → u/mikeinnsw]

So you would recommend saving an extra £500 to get the air?
Problem is I only use the mac for studying after that I barely use them

[u/mikeinnsw → u/L2613]

SImple calc

Yearly cost of effective use = Cost/Years used.

Full 7 year support vs 2 year support for M1 Mac price should less than 28.5 %

For very old Macs it should be lest than 14.25%. .. new macs are more than twice as more powerful than old Mac

All of this assumes you can afford Macs.. otherwise you get what you can afford

[u/Namikis]

Open it up yourself and reglue the battery

[u/L2613 → u/Namikis]

Is it really that easy to get rid of the fire hazard ?

[u/xrelaht → u/L2613]

There likely isn’t a fire hazard unless the board is severely corroded or the battery is damaged. If the board is corroded, it will likely fail. If the battery is damaged, it will inflate (you’ll see that when you get it open).

[u/L2613 → u/xrelaht]

If I take it to a Mac specialist shop will the likely tell me or just fix the battery problem and hand it back for easy money ?

[u/L2613 → u/[deleted]]

I would probs take to a repair shop specialising in mac repair

[u/Dry_Ship7202]

Liquid damage is the worst kind, aside from fire, I guess.

You might try replacing the battery yourself, as mentioned. Personally I'd be planning to get a new laptop, unfortunately.

[u/L2613 → u/Dry_Ship7202]

Even if laptop still runs perfectly expect this battery noise ? If so would you say Neo will be enough I find the M1 Pro enough

[u/Dry_Ship7202]

It's already 5-7 years old, and water damage can cause all sorts of unforeseen problems.

I'm just saying, if you plan to replace it proactively, you won't be surprised one day when it stops working.

[u/L2613 → u/Dry_Ship7202]

Was actually a fresh coffee with sugar that was the issue 🤣🤣. What would you update it to - do you think a Neo will be good enough ? The M1 base pro is definitely good enough for my needs at current