replace motherboard A1229 with a 1261

I don't see much of a problem with this.

With the exception of the keyboard -- which retains the "ambient lighting" capability but eliminates the "embedded numeric keypad", replaces the "enter" key next to the right-hand "command" key with a second option key, and has a different function key mapping -- and the trackpad -- which adds support for "multi-touch gesturing" (two finger scroll, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag) -- the 17-Inch "Early 2008/Penryn" MacBook Pro effectively is externally identical compared to the previously released "MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 17-Inch (Mid-2007/Santa Rosa) that it replaced. The "MagSafe" power connector and integrated iSight video camera also remain. Here's more detailed information on a comparison of the two: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ma...