iPhone CPU Swap Data Recovery
CPU swap is the last-resort data recovery path for a board that will never power on again — snapped, badly water-damaged, or ruined by a previous repair attempt. It is added on top of the data recovery price for your specific model, and it comes with terms you should read before sending your device in.
We ship your device to our third-party repair partner, who performs the board-level work in their clean, dedicated microsoldering facility. Lake Forest Computer handles intake, logistics, insurance and communication end to end — you deal with us, not them. Current lead time is 4–6 weeks door to door. All parcels ship USPS with signature required.
| Repair | Price | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| CPU swap — added to the data recovery price for your device. For snapped or broken motherboards, botched repair attempts, long-screw damage, boards that can't otherwise be fixed, and extreme water damage. | +$315 | 4–6 weeks1–4 weeks at the depot bench |
Bench time is the swap and recovery attempt itself. Door-to-door, including shipping both ways, is 4–6 weeks.
- $25 to ship your device to the depot.
- $25 to ship it back to you.
- $50 round trip in total.
- All parcels ship USPS, signature required, both directions.
- Insurance is available and quoted at intake based on the declared value you request — tell us what the device is worth to you and we will price it before anything ships.
- No donor board or parts needed from you — the depot stocks iPhone donor boards and parts.
- In most cases there is no fee if the swap is unsuccessful; you pay return shipping only.
- A $60 bench fee applies to unsuccessful jobs on devices previously worked on elsewhere.
- The device comes back non-working, successful or not. The CPU, EEPROM and NAND are returned loose in a bag, along with your original board, not soldered to anything.
- A successful donor board is retained by the depot for reuse in future repairs.
What these faults actually are
What a CPU swap actually is
When a board is too damaged to power on — snapped in half, corroded through from water, or left worse than before by a previous repair attempt — there is no way to recover data by fixing that board. Instead, the CPU, EEPROM and NAND storage chips are removed and transplanted onto a healthy donor board, which lets the data be read off in a way the original board never could support again.
You do not need to supply anything
The depot stocks iPhone donor boards and the parts this repair needs. You send your damaged device; nothing else is required from you to attempt the recovery.
Read this before you send your phone in
The device comes back non-working, whether or not the recovery succeeds. The CPU, EEPROM and NAND chips are returned to you loose in a bag, not soldered to anything, along with your original board. If a donor board is used successfully, the depot keeps that donor board for future repairs — it is not returned to you. We state this plainly because it surprises people who expect a working phone back; this repair recovers your data, not your working device.
How depot repair works
You contact us and describe the fault. We confirm the price from the table above, take payment for shipping, and send you the details to get the device to the depot. Our repair partner diagnoses it, performs the board-level work, and tests it. It ships back to you USPS with signature required. Door to door, budget 4–6 weeks.
Questions before you ship? Call or text (661) 903-9050 or email contact@lakeforestcomputer.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get a working phone back?
No — not under any outcome. This service recovers data, not a working device. The device returns to you non-working either way.
Do I need to send a donor board?
No — the depot stocks iPhone donor boards and sources parts as needed. You just send the damaged device.
What exactly comes back to me?
Your original board, plus the CPU, EEPROM and NAND chips loose in a bag — they are not resoldered to anything you receive back.
What if the recovery doesn't work?
In most cases there's no fee and you pay return shipping only. A $60 bench fee applies if the device had already been worked on by another shop before it reached us.
What happens to the donor board if the recovery works?
A successful donor board is kept by the depot for reuse in a future recovery — it does not ship back to you.