I was reading that some iMacs break easy. Do the logic boards or the mother boards burn out on the iMacs easy because thats what people say cause system failure by the logicboard burning out in about 3-4 years and then you have to replace it. Is this true because I plan on getting an when the 2012 versions come out and I am going to be using my Christmas money to get it and I don't want to waste 1,200 dollars.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Do iMacs Break Easy? (Logic Board)
- Thread starter DancesWithSmurf
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'm typing this on my late 2007 iMac that is now 4.5 years old. This machine has by far been the most reliable computer I've ever had. If you look hard enough you will always find tales of people having problems, looking on a help forum though is like going to a hospital to gauge the overall health of a community. Kind of stupid but there are people that do it. Apple isn't continually rated #1 in customer service by building shoddy products. However if you do buy a new iMac it's always wise to protect your investment by getting AppleCare which will extend the warranty to 3 years and also provide 3 years of phone support. Finally if your machine does have the misfortune of being repaired 3x while covered by AppleCare Apple will replace the machine with a new model and even credit you the amount of unused AppleCare.
Apple PCs don't break down any quicker than the other computers. We still have powerbooks and iMacs in our departments which are over 6 years old and the network of the dorm I live in is powered by the iMac G3 which is at least 10 years old. The weak point is always the hard drive though...
That said, I would never recommend owning a computer past its warranty date. Computer can break down any moment and they will ultimately break down and while its very unlikely, its not nice to have a dead machine which is very expensive to fix. My advice: get Apple Care and sell the machine short before the 3 year warranty expires. You can still get very good money on a used iMac (60-70% of the original price) so you end with a very good per-month usage price. Use that money to get a new computer, rinse and repeat. I have been doing this for years now and it always worked out very neatly.
That said, I would never recommend owning a computer past its warranty date. Computer can break down any moment and they will ultimately break down and while its very unlikely, its not nice to have a dead machine which is very expensive to fix. My advice: get Apple Care and sell the machine short before the 3 year warranty expires. You can still get very good money on a used iMac (60-70% of the original price) so you end with a very good per-month usage price. Use that money to get a new computer, rinse and repeat. I have been doing this for years now and it always worked out very neatly.
The Logic Boards are dependable.
I wouldn't worry about keeping a computer past the warranty expiration date as long as it's still good enough for what I use it for. As long as you keep good backups, including a clone backup, there's no reason not to keep a perfectly good computer.
Just last fall I finally got my wife to let go of her old white box PC that was purchased in 2000 and ran Windows 2000 Professional. It was on 24/7 since purchase and never had a hiccup or hardware issue.
My wife is using a PPC iBook bought in 2005 and it is fine for surfing the web, e-mail, and writing newsletters. I offered her a new 13" MBP this year but she prefers the old iBook. It works. It doesn't crash. If it gets dropped or something spilled on it it's no big deal.
I wouldn't worry about keeping a computer past the warranty expiration date as long as it's still good enough for what I use it for. As long as you keep good backups, including a clone backup, there's no reason not to keep a perfectly good computer.
Just last fall I finally got my wife to let go of her old white box PC that was purchased in 2000 and ran Windows 2000 Professional. It was on 24/7 since purchase and never had a hiccup or hardware issue.
My wife is using a PPC iBook bought in 2005 and it is fine for surfing the web, e-mail, and writing newsletters. I offered her a new 13" MBP this year but she prefers the old iBook. It works. It doesn't crash. If it gets dropped or something spilled on it it's no big deal.
where did you read that? What people say these things? I think you are alarming yourself unnecessarily, however i don't think even americans can get an iMac for 1200 dollars?
The Mac's I have owned have been far, far more reliable than comparably priced PC's (yes, one can find high-priced PC's for computation-intensive work). I have a PowerBook 180 that not only boots, but works fine (it does have 1 dead pixel).
If you want to protect your investment, make sure you protect your computer's environment. Use a surge suppressor, make sure that you do not allow dust to build up on vents, and consider getting smcFanControl or iStat to monitor the internal conditions of your machine.
If you want to protect your investment, make sure you protect your computer's environment. Use a surge suppressor, make sure that you do not allow dust to build up on vents, and consider getting smcFanControl or iStat to monitor the internal conditions of your machine.
