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Think my 2011 27" iMac is dying... advice?

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bungiefan89

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 5, 2011
565
76
When I got my 27" iMac in May of 2011, it was a top-of-the-line rig. 2 GB GPU, 1TB HDD, eventually upgraded it to 12 GB of RAM, the works. But she's had a troubled history...

First, in early 2013, I had some corruption in the screen. Covered by Apple Care: dodged a $500+ bullet.

Then, in late 2014, the GPU died. Mine was one of those models with the serial number that had faulty cards (Radeon HD 6970M), so I took it into a local TD Curran. They replaced the card (somehow still barely covered by warranty) for free, but I found out 6 months later that they'd replaced it with a 1 GB card instead of a 2 GB card... took them about a month to fix that problem properly...

And now, most recently, I've noticed my iMac seemingly at random switch to a blue/black/blank screen on the Mac OS side and Windows Bootcamp partition.

Given the history here, and the fact that my warranty is now completely expired, I'm worried my workhorse computer is on its last legs... and I don't know what to do! I saw a thread on here about how OWC could breath new life into my machine, but I wonder if it's time to just upgrade?

Money is kind of tight for me and I'm honestly considering switching to PC (losing a LOT of faith in Apple's ability to make quality hardware/software these days) but I'd first like to know if the glued-together new iMacs are as user-restrictive as they appear. Any advice on a post-iMac life?
 
My logic board had to be replaced in September. I had the same model purchased on launch day. The logic board in my 2008 MacBook before it had to be replaced as well. Their notebooks and all-in-ones heat up quickly and have crappy heat dissipation given all that's crammed into such a small space. When I took my iMac in for service, the repair dude told me he had seen a plethora with the same problems. I have no advice for you on post Mac life, but know that you aren't the only one in this boat. I'm a pretty techie person, but I don't know if I have the guts to open up my iMac myself to shove in OWC parts.
 
when it comes to desktops I wouldn't buy apple for the hardware. I only do because I need OS X. If you don't, I don't see the benefits. Apple these days is making unnecessary compromises for thinness with high operating temps and limiting accessibility for self maintenance.

The new iMacs - you will not get in there without a couple of spare hours and lots of confidence. They are getting more and more sealed up.
 
Opening a 2011 iMac is relatively easy compared to current iMacs that are glued closed. Videos on OWC and iFixit should give you some idea of the difficulty. Failing hard drives and GPUs are common in the 2011 iMacs ( I've replaced the HD and GPU on mine ). Often the Apple store genius bar will run video and HD diagnostics for no charge and you will know what you're facing. An assessment will help with any subsequent decisions to buy a new machine or get it repaired ( either by yourself or a reputable technician ) and should probably be your next step after backing up all your data first.
 
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Xteec said:
The new iMacs - you will not get in there without a couple of spare hours and lots of confidence. They are getting more and more sealed up.
Click to expand...
Agreed, and its tough to justify new purchases. I rolled the dice on a new iMac because for my needs running OS X makes too much sense.
 
Do you also have any artifacts on your screen prior to the black/white screen? If so, your GPU is overheating. Monitor your temps and see if this only happens when the iMac is really hot. Open it, remove the screen (which is pretty easy, see the OWC movies) and blow out the dust. I couple of months ago I added an SSD and blew out the dust in the fans. Now it's a lot cooler.
 
Starry said:
I just ordered a mid-2011 27'' with a AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics card. Should I be worried?!
Click to expand...
Nah, though I think AppleCare may be a good idea.

If I was concerned, I'd not drop 2k on an iMac myself :)
 
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