Apple Repair Worth it for 2012 Quad Core?

[Heynonny]

My 2012 Quad Core 17 has gone bad. Kernel panics intermittently. Hardware indication. Eliminated all software and peripherals as problem source by reinstalls and swapping out. Pretty much eliminated internal HD as source by running fresh OS from an external HD and unmounting the empty internal.

So. I hate to give it up. I see them used for $700 though frequently higher. Is it worth taking it in to an Apple store? Do they even have the logic boards anymore, and is the repair price apt to be higher than a used?

 

[adam9c1]

I think the 2010 is only end of life. Take it to the store for triage and a quote.
I think they'll do a flat rate repair...

 

[Synchro3]

The Mac Mini 2011 was announced obsolete last month. At the end of next year the Mac Mini 2012 will be announced obsolete, and you get no repairs and replacement parts: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624

I would do a repair.

 

[chrfr]

My 2012 Quad Core 17 has gone bad. Kernel panics intermittently. Hardware indication. Eliminated all software and peripherals as problem source by reinstalls and swapping out. Pretty much eliminated internal HD as source by running fresh OS from an external HD and unmounting the empty internal.

Have you tried swapping RAM in the computer? This is probably the most common source of kernel panics.

 

[tomjleeds]

Have you tried swapping RAM in the computer? This is probably the most common source of kernel panics.

This. Worst case, if you have two sticks, try them individually.

 

[Fishrrman]

If you do some "RAM swapping", and discover that -one- of the RAM slots in the Mini has "gone bad" on you... just use the remaining "good" slot with an 8gb DIMM...

 

[Boyd01]

How could anyone say if it's "worth it" when you haven't told us how much it would cost?

I have a 2012 quad also and use it for video editing. If it broke, I would want to get it fixed but it depends entirely on what that would cost. For $300, I'd do it. For $600, maybe not.

 

[Heynonny]

How could anyone say if it's "worth it" when you haven't told us how much it would cost?

Got me!

Poor and inaccurate thread title, which did not match the actual question I asked, which was whether anybody knew if Apple still had the logic boards and what the board and labor was apt to cost. Sorry for the lack of clarity.
[doublepost=1514933388][/doublepost]

Have you tried swapping RAM in the computer? This is probably the most common source of kernel panics.

I have tested the RAM exhaustively with TechTool then swapped the RAM and repeated. My understanding is that by reversing the slots you get at all the locations.

But I like the testing under actual load idea so I will do various combinations to see if any eliminates the panic; starting with the two original Apple 2GB modules back in. Of course since the problem is intermittent this will take a very very long time but I agree it's worth doing.

Thanks very much.

EDIT: Didn't take long; original 2GB modules failed in same way almost immediately. Just as a formality I'll try one of the now-almost-certainly good RAM modules in one slot then the other just in case it's the slot itself, but then I'm back to the logic board.
EDIT: RAM , or slots, totally ruled out.

 

[Heynonny]

For anyone in the future who finds this in a search for the same info I was looking for: Apple's charge for the logic board is $339.

 

[RyanXM]

MLB, 2.6GHz QC (Part Number 661-7019) - $260.23
Hardware Repair Labor (Part Number S1490LL/A) - $79
Total - $339.23
Total with TX State Tax - $367.22

This is the common breakdown for most Mac mini MLB repairs. This is the same cost for any year model (although everything before the Late 2012 are now considered vintage by Apple). I've had a few of the 2014 repaired and the same cost applies. This isn't really all that bad for the 2012 models, considering what they are going for on eBay.

Mac mini Logic Board Part Numbers
Late 2014, 3.0GHz DC i7, 16GB - 661-01026

Late 2012, 2.6GHz QC - 661-7019
Late 2012, 2.3GHz QC - 661-7018

Mid 2011, 2.0GHz QC - 661-6034

 

[Boyd01]

I'd go for it at that price today. A year from now, maybe not though.

 

[sublunar]

The Mac Mini 2011 was announced obsolete last month. At the end of next year the Mac Mini 2012 will be announced obsolete, and you get no repairs and replacement parts: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624

I would do a repair.

The 2012 won't be 'obsolete' until 5 years after the 2014 model became available, so 2019 I think. This machines still have a life in them yet.

 

[kohlson]

It is worth it to get a repair quote from Apple. They seem to have "tiers" in their repairs, which can fix more than you might expect. My 2013 15-MBP failed last summer. It fell into the maximum charge tier (which if I understand correctly is the most they would charge to fix it, no matter what), which was about $600. While I wasn't happy about a 3+ year old failing, the logic board, 1TB SSD, and top case were replaced.

[edit - MBA corrected to MBP]

 

[Boyd01]

the logic board, 1TB SSD, and top case were replaced.

Just curious, how did you get them to "replace" a 1TB SSD when the largest disk you can get from Apple for a MBA is 512gb?