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s-arash

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
4
0
hi

8 months ago, my imac suddenly started to crash, the screen became black with vertical lines, the color of the lines and screen changed everytime, i checked the internet,apple hardware test said that my logic board and etc are working fine, after that i reset the nv/pram and smc,installed graphic firmware v.20, format the hdd and installed the mac os and windows again, but the problem didn't solve
there's no applecare in my country, so i gave it to some local warrenty in my country, he said there's nothing wrong with logic board, i just needed a small service

after 8 months, i'm facing the screen with vertical lines again, its usually happens during the game.

what's the problem?


iMac Mid 2011 27"
Intel Core i5 3.10GHz
4GB Ram
6970M 1GB VGA
1TB Seagate (checked it on apple hard replace, it was ok, doesnt need replace)
Mac OS 10.7.0
Windows 7 SP1 (Bootcamp)
 
Last edited:

Nihilius

macrumors newbie
Aug 7, 2012
23
0
Problem like that is usually caused by GPU failure. Does your iMac have warranty left? If it does you should be able to get a replacement machine.

If your warranty has expired then you're pretty much out of luck. If you are handy you could replace GPU yourself but Apple doesn't officially support it. 6970m GPU is also quite expensive (around $500 IIRC) and hard to come by. You might find a professional to replace it for you. I once asked a local guy ands he told he would charge about $50 for the job if I could provide him with parts needed.

So last time you had this problem it was fixed when you took it for service? Maybe GPU is just overheating. Maybe there's some dust or something that affects GPUs cooling. You could take it for service again and see if they can do anything about it.
 

Brisket

macrumors newbie
Nov 17, 2012
1
0
I am having the same problem, I have the same computer and also run bootcamp. When ever I launch a game the display will crash on both Mac OS and Win7.

I'm taking my iMac into an applestore on tuesday to have it looked at :(

From what I can tell it is a graphics card issue, as I've reinstalled both OS' and drivers multiple times... I wish I could just open my computer, but I'd probably lose my applecare
 

fastlanephil

macrumors 65816
Nov 17, 2007
1,289
274
I am having the same problem, I have the same computer and also run bootcamp. When ever I launch a game the display will crash on both Mac OS and Win7.

I'm taking my iMac into an applestore on tuesday to have it looked at :(

From what I can tell it is a graphics card issue, as I've reinstalled both OS' and drivers multiple times... I wish I could just open my computer, but I'd probably lose my applecare

It's a bad GPU. I'm ready to do a logic board swap on my old iMac G5 that was doing the same thing. I finally found a decent price on a logic board and bought the necessary tools. I want to try and run Opcode's old Studio Vision Pro on it.

I just bought Apple Care on my 2011 iMac. I'm glad I did now!
 

s-arash

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
4
0
if its gpu problem, why apple hardware test says nothing about it? and how did they fix it 8 months ago?

and about overheating, how to check my gpu temp in windows? i used many softwares they say wrong values in windows like 50669 but in mac its around 70-75 in normal state
 

s-arash

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
4
0
here is the image

and DIY soloution? my warranty expired 1 month ago
 

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tears2040

macrumors 6502
Aug 27, 2010
401
1
here is the image

and DIY soloution? my warranty expired 1 month ago

So by you not paying $120-$200 for a warranty to be extended for another 2 years this is what you have to deal with..... You my friend will learn the hard way.....
 

ibirmingham

macrumors member
Sep 30, 2012
46
20
So by you not paying $120-$200 for a warranty to be extended for another 2 years this is what you have to deal with..... You my friend will learn the hard way.....

Why would one need to buy applecare? Are iMacs that unreliable?
 

tears2040

macrumors 6502
Aug 27, 2010
401
1
Why would one need to buy applecare? Are iMacs that unreliable?

I would say any piece of electronic without warranty is bound for failure. That could be a cellphone, tv, computer to even the computer in a car engine. I would not own a single piece of equipment without it being under warranty. If I do I know that it's on me if it fails.

I just bought a new car and paid $2K for an extended 2 year warranty that covers tires, gap insurance, theft and some other bs I don;t even know. Point is, I pay for PEACE of Mind.
 

s-arash

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
4
0
So by you not paying $120-$200 for a warranty to be extended for another 2 years this is what you have to deal with..... You my friend will learn the hard way.....

as i said in first post, there's no applecare in my country
 

ibirmingham

macrumors member
Sep 30, 2012
46
20
I would say any piece of electronic without warranty is bound for failure. That could be a cellphone, tv, computer to even the computer in a car engine. I would not own a single piece of equipment without it being under warranty. If I do I know that it's on me if it fails.

I just bought a new car and paid $2K for an extended 2 year warranty that covers tires, gap insurance, theft and some other bs I don;t even know. Point is, I pay for PEACE of Mind.

Makes sense, just miss the good old days when everything just worked...
 
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