Help to diagnose a fault please

[helentiff]

Hi, I am new to the forum and joined hoping for some advice from knowledgable people regarding a fault on my late 2014 iMac 27 retina.

Using it a few days ago the screen went totally grey. I restarted and it wouldn’t load, getting stuck about three quarters of the way on the apple loading icon.

I could start in safe mode and there were big lines down the screen (pic attached).

Did the repair run on disk utility and no errors found.

Tried updating to Mojave (was running high Sierra) and still no joy.

Took it to apple who said the following:

“Verified hardware failure, no signs of misuse but out of warranty. Requires logic board repair as graphics part of board seems to have failed .”

For them to repair it’s £580 plus vat, something which I think is mad to pay to repair a machine that’s 4.5 years old. Plus that only gives me a 90 day warranty apparently.

Does anybody know how easy/hard this would be to repair? I took it to a computer repair shop and they said they can’t do it as it’s too hard to get the screen off without cracking it...

If it’s a big thing to repair I’ll have to buy a new one but that’s really out of my reach at the moment unless on finance but I’d really rather repair than replace if it’s not too costly. It was working very well for me ahead of this issue.

AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2048 MB graphics is what it is.

Thanks for your time!
Helen

 

[JustMartin]

Certainly sounds like the graphics card is the problem. Getting into the slimline iMacs is not trivial, but people on here have done it often. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+Retina+5K+Display+Teardown/30260 shows some of what is going to be involved. Looks like the graphics are an integral part of the board, so you'd be looking for a replacement logic board. Might be worth a look on eBay if you want to do the work yourself.

 

[shahzad haider]

i think graphics drivers issue or your mac is pressed by some weight. that's why it is showing lines on your screen

 

[tassyk]

There are some computer shops that specialise in repairs on imacs. A google search in your area might find one that won’t be as expensive as Apple.

 

[stayupforever909]

You could have a chat with these guys

https://rossmanngroup.com/

 

[Fishrrman]

Looks like a graphics failure to me.

You really don't have too much choice here, either...
- get it repaired,
or
- start shopping for a replacement.

This is the main reason I prefer the Mini to the iMac.
No graphics display problems...

... and that's why -- if you DO decide to look for a replacement -- I'd suggest a Mini instead of an iMac.

 

[JustMartin]

You could have a chat with these guys

https://rossmanngroup.com/

I would guess if the original poster refers to £s and VAT, then she would not be interested in a New York based repair shop

 

[Bertrude]

Your defective 2014 iMac will be covered by UK Consumer Law (assuming you bought it here) which roughly means that products have to be fit for purpose for 6 years (if they are items expected to normally last at least that long).

https://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

You should be able to get it repaired for free under this law (but will probably have to go to the retailer you purchased the iMac from):

The primary responsibility to provide a remedy is on the seller, which would be Apple if the goods were purchased from the Apple Online Store or an Apple Retail Store. If the goods were purchased from a third party reseller of Apple products, the primary responsibility to provide a remedy will lie with the reseller.

I'd politely remind them of this and ask them for a repair under this law instead of paying their considerable fees.

 

[stayupforever909]

I would guess if the original poster refers to £s and VAT, then she would not be interested in a New York based repair shop

I was thinking if a board level repair is possible. Or if the only route would be a logic board replacement.

 

[mikehalloran]

Certainly sounds like the graphics card is the problem

All the armchair experts know this.

Although it can be a GPU or logic board issue, you've stated the symptoms of a weak NV RAM battery. Apple uses a BR2032 but a CR2032 is fine for diagnosis if going in yourself. Slap one in there and use blue painter's tape to hold it together.

Reset the NV RAM. If anything changes, the battery is your likely culprit. You can get away with the CR2032 if you have an SSD only in there. If HDD or fusion, get the high-heat BR2032 from Amazon.

 

[SaSaSushi]

All the armchair experts know this.

According to the OP, Apple themselves have diagnosed this iMac with a failed GPU and the symptoms fit this scenario perfectly.

A failing NVRAM battery may cause volume or time settings to reset.

A failed NVRAM battery will result in an inability to boot the machine at all but I've never heard of it causing graphical glitches like those in the OP's photo.

That's almost always a logic board or GPU failure.

Yes, you could get a logic board/GPU and replace it but if you're not doing the work yourself (and it is not an easy repair) it will likely cost as much as Apple is charging you.

See this guide for step by step instructions on replacing the logic board.