Early 2008 24" iMac With Possible Graphics Issue?

[Rellet1]

iStat has an iOS app (not iPad optimised) that allows you the view the stats remotely however you need to been on the same network (wifi only does not work over 3G as far as I know)

Perfect. Thanks for the information

 

[BlackMax]

Update:

I got my iMac back last night and my son played StarCraft II on it for about an hour last night and no issues. Then he played again this morning for about another 45 minutes and graphical artifacts started appearing on the screen. I reproduced the issue this afternoon.

When I was at the Apple store the first time the Genius pulled up the console and checked my logs. He pointed out the following entries to me that I see again today:

1/29/11 8:04:51 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:07:00 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:10:00 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:12:08 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:14:20 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:14:37 AM kernel NVDA::powerStateWillChangeTo(0x46a1c00, NVDA, 2 -> 1) timed out after 45120 ms 
1/29/11 8:16:17 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:18:13 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:20:17 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:22:13 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:24:09 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:26:17 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:28:13 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:30:09 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:32:05 AM kernel NVChannel(Display): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:32:17 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:34:13 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:36:33 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:38:38 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:41:11 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:43:07 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:45:03 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:46:40 AM kernel NVDA::powerStateWillChangeTo(0x46a1c00, NVDA, 2 -> 1) timed out after 45124 ms 
1/29/11 8:46:59 AM kernel NVChannel(OpenGL): Graphics channel timeout! 
1/29/11 8:48:02 AM kernel NVDA::setPowerState(0x46a1c00, 1 -> 2) timed out after 45126 m

Now when I try to start my iMac is just get the startup tone repeating itself about once every 10 seconds. So it appears I still have issues. I've been busy most of the day and haven't had a chance to call AppleCare yet. I'm wondering if they will want to try and fix it again or replace it?

If they offer to replace it, what model iMac should it be replaced with? I need something my kids can play their 3D games on.

 

[Hellhammer]

If they offer to replace it, what model iMac should it be replaced with? I need something my kids can play their 3D games on.

Well, it was the high-end model so I would expect the 27" i5, or at least base 27".

 

[ReanimationLP]

There's a good reason btw this is happening.

You remember all the issues with the 8600M GTs?

The 8800GS inside of the iMac is based off of the 8800M GTS, which was based off of the same foundation as the 8600M GT.

Hence, all the issues.

 

[Hellhammer]

There's a good reason btw this is happening.

You remember all the issues with the 8600M GTs?

The 8800GS inside of the iMac is based off of the 8800M GTS, which was based off of the same foundation as the 8600M GT.

Hence, all the issues.

Actually, 8600M GT is based on G84 (80nm) core while 8800M GTS is based on G92 (65nm) core.

 

[ReanimationLP]

Actually, 8600M GT is based on G84 (80nm) core while 8800M GTS is based on G92 (65nm) core.

Sorry, shoulda been clearer, but I just woke up.

I meant as in the same screwups on the packaging they made on the G84M they made on the G92M, as the Quadro FX 3600M/8800MGTS/8800MGTX all have the same problem as the 8600M GTs.

 

[Rellet1]

Some oddities with mine

Like BlackMax I have my iMac home and running it and so far no problems to report except a few instances where the screen goes black for no reason. I don't know if this is a symptom of something but I can't replicate it. Has anyone heard of this happening before?

 

[panzer06]

Like BlackMax I have my iMac home and running it and so far no problems to report except a few instances where the screen goes black for no reason. I don't know if this is a symptom of something but I can't replicate it. Has anyone heard of this happening before?

Look at all these folks with 8800GS issues. Some are able to run the hardware test and get it to show a failure.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/934814/

Cheers,

 

[Rellet1]

Look at all these folks with 8800GS issues. Some are able to run the hardware test and get it to show a failure.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/934814/

Cheers,

Thanks, this is helpful. I will run a hardware test tonight and see if anything turns up.

 

[BlackMax]

Update:

Found some time yesterday to call AppleCare and setup another appointment at my local Apple store. Took my iMac into the Apple store and demonstrated the new issue with my iMac stuck in some kind of reboot loop where the startup tone was repeating itself about once every 7 seconds.

The Genius looked at the repair notes/history for my iMac and then observed the new issue, tried reseting the SMC and PRAM and then checked out the RAM to determine if my iMac possibly had a bad RAM module. Nothing helped. She then went to the back to discuss my iMac's ongoing issues with (I believe) the store manager and when she came back she said they could either continue to try and fix my current iMac or they could offer me a replacement. I decided to take the replacement iMac.

Although I wish my old iMac had never had all these issues, I am happy with the final resolution and want to say that Apple (AppleCare and all the Geniuses I worked with) were professional and courteous throughout the entire process. I can't say enough about Apple as a business and I highly recommend purchasing AppleCare on any Mac product you purchase. You never know when you might need it.

 

[panzer06]

Update:

Found some time yesterday to call AppleCare and setup another appointment at my local Apple store. Took my iMac into the Apple store and demonstrated the new issue with my iMac stuck in some kind of reboot loop where the startup tone was repeating itself about once every 7 seconds.

The Genius looked at the repair notes/history for my iMac and then observed the new issue, tried reseting the SMC and PRAM and then checked out the RAM to determine if my iMac possibly had a bad RAM module. Nothing helped. She then went to the back to discuss my iMac's ongoing issues with (I believe) the store manager and when she came back she said they could either continue to try and fix my current iMac or they could offer me a replacement. I decided to take the replacement iMac.

Although I wish my old iMac had never had all these issues, I am happy with the final resolution and want to say that Apple (AppleCare and all the Geniuses I worked with) were professional and courteous throughout the entire process. I can't say enough about Apple as a business and I highly recommend purchasing AppleCare on any Mac product you purchase. You never know when you might need it.

Outstanding, I want to see Apple do this for everyone with multiple 8800GS failures covered by Applecare or not.

Cheers,

 

[Hellhammer]

I decided to take the replacement iMac.

What iMac did they replace it with? And congrats, it's good to see things ending up well

 

[BlackMax]

They offered the base model 27" iMac. Their reasoning was that the base model 27" iMac exceeded the performance (CPU/GPU/memory) of my 24" iMac.

In the end I took the offer, but paid the difference to upgrade to the 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 (quad core) with ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. I'm happy with the deal and the replacement and we should be set from a performance standpoint for a few years to come.

 

[panzer06]

They offered the base model 27" iMac. Their reasoning was that the base model 27" iMac exceeded the performance (CPU/GPU/memory) of my 24" iMac.

In the end I took the offer, but paid the difference to upgrade to the 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 (quad core) with ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. I'm happy with the deal and the replacement and we should be set from a performance standpoint for a few years to come.

Wise move (upgrade) and great outcome.

Cheers,

 

[Rellet1]

That's great! Very happy for you.

 

[BlackMax]

Thanks everyone.

I'm happy it all got resolved satisfactorily and as panzer06 mentioned I hope everyone experiencing issues with the 8800GS has them resolved satisfactorily too.

If you're experiencing issues, just keep taking your iMac back to Apple and Apple will take care of you.

 

[eliteimac]

Video problems Fix

Like BlackMax I have my iMac home and running it and so far no problems to report except a few instances where the screen goes black for no reason. I don't know if this is a symptom of something but I can't replicate it. Has anyone heard of this happening before?

I have a 24" iMac8,1 (early 2008).
There are video problems with iMacs7,1 and iMac8,1.
First, is the heat problem. Use smcFanControl to increase the fan speeds in your iMac in order to lower the internal heat so that the GPU doesn't prematurely die.
Second, and most importantly, Apple made some significant changes to the graphics software after Mac OS X 10.6.2 Update. Any OSX Update after 10.6.2 may cause your screen to blackout, go into vertical stripes or freeze.

Apple has no solution to this problem, yet.

However, you can reinstall your iMac to 10.6.0 and update to 10.6.2; and see if your iMac is stable and does not freeze, blackout, or go into stripes.
If so, then there is another fix. The fix will allow you to update to 10.6.6 and then replace the new graphic software with the old appropiate 10.6.2 versions.

For details on the video problems with fix go to this Apple forum:
Topic : 24" iMac Screen Freezes since 10.6.3 update - pls help!
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2384136&start=375&tstart=0

Hope this solves your problem. It did for me and many others.

P.S. Krzysiu Turek from Poland was the brilliant person who discovered the fix, which was plaguing us all.

 

[chris98vf]

does the replacement iMac come with a new warranty or is it only covered under your current applecare agreement?

 

[BlackMax]

does the replacement iMac come with a new warranty or is it only covered under your current applecare agreement?

I was told that when I purchase AppleCare for the new iMac to let them know about the current AppleCare plan and they would pro-rate the cost of the new plan with the remainder of the old plan.

 

[decane]

They offered the base model 27" iMac. Their reasoning was that the base model 27" iMac exceeded the performance (CPU/GPU/memory) of my 24" iMac.

In the end I took the offer, but paid the difference to upgrade to the 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 (quad core) with ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. I'm happy with the deal and the replacement and we should be set from a performance standpoint for a few years to come.

I paid for the i7 as my replacement about $580 + applecare cost for the 2.5 years i had my imac. Plus, they gave me a apple trackpad for free to compensate the 3 weeks that i need to wait for a replacement.

 

[hectrobeing]

I paid for the i7 as my replacement about $580 + applecare cost for the 2.5 years i had my imac. Plus, they gave me a apple trackpad for free to compensate the 3 weeks that i need to wait for a replacement.

I hope I get a similar result...My iMac early 2008 just failed on me last friday and was given in for repair on sunday...I have apple care, I called them did the tests but no Luck with the screen....when I spoke to the genius at apple store they said that they will replace the screen, the logic board and the LDS cable...but no graphic card replacement...

They contacted me back today and said it was fixed and I thought that's a bit quick but I guess the genius over quoted me for that old customer service trick we all know about!!!

Unlike the other users, I don't actually really do anything graphic intensive work on the iMac...maybe a couple hours here and there on AUTOCAD for assignment work but no gaming as such besides steam in the holidays when I actually have time...

I am really surprised to find out there are so many issues with graphics card especially since this iMac was my first and I had began to have alot of confidence with this machine....now I'm in doubt that if it actually does work, how long will it last...

I do though have another appointment just in case for Wednesday morning if all goes to pot again!!!

I'll keep you posted...thought I'd post here instead of starting a new thread....

 

[hectrobeing]

I hope I get a similar result...My iMac early 2008 just failed on me last friday and was given in for repair on sunday...I have apple care, I called them did the tests but no Luck with the screen....when I spoke to the genius at apple store they said that they will replace the screen, the logic board and the LDS cable...but no graphic card replacement...

They contacted me back today and said it was fixed and I thought that's a bit quick but I guess the genius over quoted me for that old customer service trick we all know about!!!

Unlike the other users, I don't actually really do anything graphic intensive work on the iMac...maybe a couple hours here and there on AUTOCAD for assignment work but no gaming as such besides steam in the holidays when I actually have time...

I am really surprised to find out there are so many issues with graphics card especially since this iMac was my first and I had began to have alot of confidence with this machine....now I'm in doubt that if it actually does work, how long will it last...

I do though have another appointment just in case for Wednesday morning if all goes to pot again!!!

I'll keep you posted...thought I'd post here instead of starting a new thread....

Update: Picked it up today and now I see they have also changed the graphic card but the real test will come when I get home as the genius would not let me check there...as the iPad 2 is being released here in the UK!!

 

[citikas]

Adding another data point

My 2008 iMac has the same graphics issue. The company I bought it from (certified Apple reseller) has replaced the graphics card three times since October, and it only got better when I upgraded to Snow Leopard in early January.

In February the whole system was slowing down gradually until opening Finder took five minutes or so. I then tried to do a clean install four times, but the combo update failed each time.

Since I forgot to buy the extended Apple Care, I am now left with a beautiful heap of aluminium, glass and electronics that does not boot. If I had bought the extended plan, it would run out in August 2011 and I would have gotten a replacement iMac in November. My own fault, and I won't be making that mistake again.

I'll be attempting the wipe-install-update once more with the latest 10.6.7 combo update and if that fails, I'll be waiting for the imminent refresh of the iMac line and the current iMac will be taken in to the reseller for recycling.

I'm sick and tired of having a broken system that no one can repair, nor will replace. It is ridiculous that this particular graphics card will fail after 2 years of use and Apple does nothing about it.

 

[MacHamster68]

if you ever buy a new iMac really , forget your initial thought
"wow gorgeous i want that iMac now "
iMac's look always good from the outside , so that should not be of interest , but important is the inside , as thats what makes the iMac a computer , and that should concern you , and no dont do the mistake "i get that gorgeous imac with the top of the range internals ", because that was the reason you did buy the iMac with the nvidia geforce 8800 in first place

look for the components used , and then look for potential problems in the pc /laptop market , then you can spot potential problems about a year before the new iMac is even released , if you all had done that, then you would have known that the nvidia geforce 8000 series is failing in most laptops and pc's used since 2007 , of course you would know too that the card is faster then the equivalent ati , not by much but still faster, but that does not really help if the card fails sometimes minutes after it got replaced , and in case of a iMac that is not a cheap repair

so if you have the option to wait , then wait a couple month after new iMac's are released and then you will find here lots of complains about certain parts , dont wish them away with what often gets told , "only a minority have problems ", you are now part of that minority as surprisingly some still have working iMac's with that nvidia card inside

still even if it does not sound like it , i feel sorry for each owner who is now sitting in front of a nice looking paperweight that cost a fortune to get working again

and apple does only care if your Mac dies if you bought applecare , otherwise its of no interest to them if you cant point out that its apples fault in any way , and in case of the nvidia 8800 GPU , apple is not to blame, they dont make that card they only did fit it inside as a option , so the customer is to blame for ordering the iMac 2008 with that card after it was known to the rest of the pc world for about a year already that that card is not reliable

 

[hectrobeing]

Update: Picked it up today and now I see they have also changed the graphic card but the real test will come when I get home as the genius would not let me check there...as the iPad 2 is being released here in the UK!!

Update: it works and did some tests and no issues...My confidence is restored...Well
My AppleCare runs out in August so we'll see...!