iMac won't turn on, psu or logicboard says Apple Store

[JaySC]

I've done some searching and haven't come up with an exact answer to my questions. Hopefully you guys can help me out!

My 2008 24" iMac won't turn on. No fans, no HDD, nothing. This happened after a power surge, so I'm assuming it's toast. I took it to the Apple Store and they told me that it is either the logic board or the power supply but couldn't tell me which. It would seem to me that since it isn't doing anything when it's turned on that it's the power supply.

Does that seem like a logical answer? If so, I think I'll go on and order the psu from the ifixit store and do the work my self.

Thanks for any help provided!

 

[Hellhammer]

You can't know is it logic board or PSU. That sounds more like a PSU failure but it can still be a fried logic board

 

[DanielCoffey]

And to help prevent a reoccurrence once you have it fixed, have a look at a good UPS which has power conditioning.

APC is one major producer and for older iMacs something like the APC Back-UPS RS 900 would be suitable but for newer (current generation) iMacs you will need one which outputs a true sine wave when on battery so have a look at their APC Smart-UPS SMT1000I. You will, of course, need to visit the APC website for your own country to see the model with the correct sockets on the back.

 

[ZenErik]

It may be the PSU, but it may not be. It could be the board. It could be both.

Just curious, how much was Apple asking to fix it?

 

[JaySC]

Thanks guys. I'm thinking I'll order a psu and see if that's my problem.

I'm well aware of the benefits of a power conditioner, surge protector and UPS but this was in use at my folks house and they didn't have it on any protection.

Apple wanted $100 to install a psu and test it. If that was the problem, they'd credit that to the total cost which would have been a little more than $200. They quoted a logic board at $700, which (for Apple) seems about right.