MacBook and MacBook Pro Not Upgradable to Intel Core 2 Duo

MacBook and MacBook Pro are not upgradable to new Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile (Merom) processor. Although Merom processor is pin-compatible with Intel Core Duo (Yonah) which is incorporated in MacBooks, both the MacBook and MacBook Pro have Ball Grid Array (BGA) interfaces so upgrading them to Merom is out of the question - unless you really like to solder, says Jason D. O’Grady in his blog at ZD Net.

He cites AnandTech article, which says:

“If you’ve got a Core Duo notebook with a PGA Socket-M interface, all you should need is a BIOS update and a Core 2 Duo CPU to upgrade your notebook. If you’ve got a BGA CPU, then you’re unfortunately out of luck as desoldering 479 balls from your motherboard without damaging it isn’t for the faint of heart”.

» MacBooks not upgradable to Merom | The Apple Core | ZDNet.com

AnandTech: Mobile CPU Wars: Core 2 Duo vs. Core Duo