I am kind of a veteran of building PCs, so I wasn’t too worried about opening my mac. However, it did prove to be moderately hard. Here’s how I did it:
- Drive to WalMart
- Buy 2x 4″ RubberMaid putty knives
- Buy some sandpaper (fine is good)
- Drive home
This being WalMart, you’ll need to file the putty knives so the somewhat ‘unfinished’ edges become smooth to the touch. Wipe them off and remove the labels.
Now shut the mac down and disconnect everything and lay it upside down on a towel, with the back facing you. Wiggle both knives down the side and bend back gently. They shouldn’t go in that far, and when they stop, back off a bit to avoid damaging the metal foam in the case. If you bent back enough (gently) there should be some quiet pops as the plastic latches of the base come of the ridge inside the case.
You should be able to lever the back of the base up a bit. Rinse and repeat for the front. I used a small metal spatula for the levering of the base part.
Once you have the knack of it, I’m sure it’s just a two minute job, though upgrading the RAM is probably going to be the only thing that needs me to get ‘under the hood’.
Once you have the top off, there are four screws at the corners, and a small power connector at the front for the fan. You don’t need to disconnect the optical drive cable if you are careful. The storage subframe will lift right off and can be pivoted back quite happily.
Be CAREFUL. The drive frame connects to the main board not only through the cable, but through a riser connector. Lift straight up about a centimetre, and the riser should be disconnected.
Some great pictures of this procedure are here [macworld.com].