24" iMac (Late 2006) Freezing Issues

[djkessler3]

I have been having freezing issues lately and am trying to diagnose what might be causing the problem, whether it's hardware or software, and what specifically might need to be fixed. The freezing tends to occur when running any program (Safari, iTunes, Photoshop, iChat etc.) for a duration of time. For example, when typing in the address bar of Safari, the cursor will stop blinking, the pointer will switch to the pinwheel, and stay hung up until I position the mouse over the dock or activate Expose, upon which it will complete the text I typed. This will repeat endlessly until I restart. Other symptoms are occasional blocks or lines of static across the screen, which usually clear up when I switch into Expose.

I have read many articles and forum posts regarding the graphics card I have (NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT) and how it is causing many users problems. However, I wanted to check and make sure it was a hardware issue before I spend money to get it fixed or upgraded. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mstam]

Test the memory first:
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20050524014158525
See if you can find a recent Mac version of memtest86.

If it won't pass, plz post here so we can find you some new aftermarket memory.

If it passes, test your HD. See if Western Digital's DOS version of their data lifeguard tools work. If this test passes as well, contact Apple for a repair.

I bet 80% it's your memory.

 

[MacAndy74]

Test the memory first:
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20050524014158525
See if you can find a recent Mac version of memtest86.

If it won't pass, plz post here so we can find you some new aftermarket memory.

If it passes, test your HD. See if Western Digital's DOS version of their data lifeguard tools work. If this test passes as well, contact Apple for a repair.

I bet 80% it's your memory.

Yes it could very well be Memory...
But, from my side of the fence as a 'Support Guy' I've also seen some 2006 iMac's with leaking capacitors / bloated capacitors. But I hope it isn't this, as it would mean replacing the logic board - and that's never cheap.

 

[darrellishere]

you have a graphics card failure, its happened to a massive amount of our generation of late 2006 imacs, including the 20" imac. It seems related to excessive heat and bad design. Unfortunately our 20" models have soldered in graphics cards requiring a hefty replacement of the entire logic board. You are lucky however, if I recall right your 24"s graphics are not soldered and easier and cheaper to replace/repair.

First thing I would do to halt your freezes is install smc fancontrol and set it to a very high setting. This will speed up the fans and stop your freezes, however it is a none permanent fix and too noisy, but has worked for almost all of us.
And book an appointment at the apple store. Good luck!

 

[Fini]

I've been dealing with the same issue on my 06 24. It's progressed recently with the weather warming up and SMC no longer holds back the video artifacts and freezing. I guess it's time to look into a replacement video card. Does anyone happen to have part number and a source?

Good luck with your 24.

 

[scooter932]

I also have the late 2006 24", and I also have the graphics, heat and locking up issues. Threads on Apple's forums point to these things.

But I found our graphics card: http://www.welovemacs.com/6614179.html

Apple PN: 661-4179

Cost is $200. Not bad considering it would be $500 or more to have Apple of a third party outfit handle the repair. My only concern is we don't have solid evidence our issues are caused by this part, and I'm hesitant to just throw money at the issue.

Has anyone tried replacing this part? Any success? How do you get the iMac open to install the new part?

 

[scooter932]

Just found another for $187

http://www.applepalace.com/apple-ma...-7300-gt-128mb-24-inch-late-2006-661-4179.asp

I'm getting more tempted to give this a try...

 

[indg]

most likely the logic board design flaw exasperated by heat. it's a widespread problem with the late 2006 intel imac that apple is refusing to acknowledge. instead they are charging $900 to replace the logic board, which makes no sense for a computer that isn't even worth that much on the open market.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1467276&tstart=0
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/imacrecall