I have an early 2008 24-inch iMac (3.06 GHz) and after about 3 and a quarter years, it seems to have an issue. The screen started flickering, which led to freezing, which led to the computer being unusable after 10 minutes or less.
I took it to the Genius Bar and they're going to take a look at it. Right now, they suspect the video card, but they said it is possible that it could be the LCD or even the entire logic board. The LCD costs about $500 or so (can't really remember the actual price) to repair, and if it comes to the logic board, that would cost $750. I'm hoping it's just the video card, since it's only about $170 with labor, but just in case, I'm looking at other options. I can't really afford to make the repairs on a computer that is this old, especially since I'll probably be buying a new computer this time next year when I go to college.
If it turns out that the video card is not the issue, that it's either the LCD or the logic board, is it worth it to sell the iMac for parts and get a new computer early, or should I try to go for the repair? If I choose to sell it for parts, how much would it be worth? Because another option for me is to sell the iMac for parts and just buy an iPad 3 to hold me over for the next year.
I took it to the Genius Bar and they're going to take a look at it. Right now, they suspect the video card, but they said it is possible that it could be the LCD or even the entire logic board. The LCD costs about $500 or so (can't really remember the actual price) to repair, and if it comes to the logic board, that would cost $750. I'm hoping it's just the video card, since it's only about $170 with labor, but just in case, I'm looking at other options. I can't really afford to make the repairs on a computer that is this old, especially since I'll probably be buying a new computer this time next year when I go to college.
If it turns out that the video card is not the issue, that it's either the LCD or the logic board, is it worth it to sell the iMac for parts and get a new computer early, or should I try to go for the repair? If I choose to sell it for parts, how much would it be worth? Because another option for me is to sell the iMac for parts and just buy an iPad 3 to hold me over for the next year.