Many years ago I gave my daughter a iMac 27". Since that time it has had the HD replaced by Apple service. Yesterday when I was visiting I noticed her IMac had a progress screen going with nothing moving. When I forced a restart the apple symbol came up but the it stalled again. Then I restarted in recovery mode and used my Disk Warrior USB to check DW reported disk errors and high heat and could not rebuild the directory. When the screen is on it has the apple logo and large vertical bars on both sides. Question is this just a hard drive failure or did leaving the mac on for days trying to load kill the graphics card/display? Is this worth fixing?
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Imac 2010 27-inch hard drive failed?
- Thread starter rjtiedeman
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It is typical for the GPUs to fail on the Late 2009 to Mid 2011 iMacs. Symptoms usually include stalls on boot up when the bar is about 2/3 the way filled, and of course graphical artifacts and lines.
The cause is debated, but many believe that there is not adaqaute cooling for the HDD and the HDD just gets so hot. I suspect as the HDD ages, the heat would become more intense.
I once pulled a failing HDD from a Mid 2011 iMac, and attempted to operate it externally using adapters, and that drive got so hot that I think it would have left burns on my skin if I would have held it for more than a few seconds.
Many people replace the HDD with a SSD, as it is relatively easy with that model, but if your GPU is already showing artifacts, it might be too late for a intervention with a SSD.
Totally up to you. Only you know your budget for a new computer, skills of repairing your own, and what you plan on using the iMac for if you fix it. The Mid 2010 27" iMac is one of only a few years that can do Target Disk Mode, some people might think that this fact alone might make it worth it to fix.
They can be fixed, and unlike many other Macs, your iMac's GPU is not soldered on the logic board, meaning can easily be replaced or fixed (relative to soldered GPU).
Many people bake the GPUs in the oven temporarily fixing or reballing the GPU. I have personally done this with the failed GPU in a Mid 2011 iMac, and the GPU is still working after 2 years. Sometimes they stop working after 2 weeks for people. So, it is not a sure fix, and most would consider the fix temporary.
You can get a replacement, there is a thread on the forum with a list of GPUs that are compatible with your iMac. Some are plug and play, some require a little more to get working.
Keep in mind that to fix with an oven back, or replace a GPU on the Mid 2010 iMac, you must totally remove the logic board. If this is something you or anyone you know wouldn't want to try, then maybe it is time for a new Mac.
So your opinion is the GPU is dead along with the hard drive? The hard drive is a difficult but doable fix for me but I am not sure about the GPU.
If you are seeing artifacts on the screen, then the GPU is most likely failing.
HDDs are weird. I have had HDDs that were in the process of failing for literal years. Sometimes I start to see symptoms and the HDD would fail in weeks.
So, even if you HDD is starting to go, it doesn't mean that it is bad and may go one working for a long time afterwards.
Could you take a picture of what the screen looks like with the artifacts?
If by any chance the GPU is still hanging on, you can test to see if the HDD is the culprit by booting from an external drive.
There is also Apple's HW Diagnostic Tool, you hold the "D" button right after the chime during boot up to start the tool. The bad news is that I often get false negatives using the tool.
For example, the tools says the HW, including the GPU, passed the test, but I see artifacts on the screen while the test is going.
I never had a false positive though.
If you do the test, let us know the results.
The GPU requires the removal of the logic board which most would probably agree that it isn't a novice level of work.
That said, with the many guides, YouTube videos, how-tos, and forums to help you, I think even a novice could do it fine.
In addition to a new (or working) GPU, the job also requires adding new thermal paste and pads, but this really isn't that big of a deal.
If you don't think this is something you can do, I suggest giving it away to someone you think would be interested getting it working, or just trashing it. The last part always makes me a little sad to say.
I just watched a video and looks like a project I can do. However buying the GPU replacement for a 2010 Imac is a little risky. Looks rare and hard to get. Next year it will be impossible. May be something a repair shop can do better since they buy parts all the time and can get service from vendors. I left the Imac in Rockaway Beach 50 miles away. Are all 2010 Imac GPUs the same?
Replacing the GPU on the Mid 2010 shouldn't break the bank, if it does, then it most likely wouldn't be worth the trouble nor cost.
That said, I think you should rethink your search for GPUs. Ebay would probably be the best place for your for cost.
You can get some places like Amazon, iFixit, and other places, but they will most likely be a few hundred dollars.
Also, if you are serious about doing it yourself, rethink the GPU you would want to use. Check out this thread with many GPU options, with pros and cons to each:
forums.macrumors.com
Just check out the thread above, it is very in-depth and will probably answer any questions you have if you are serious about swapping out that GPU.
Also, you can always do the GPU bake, that requires nothing but your failing GPU, some aluminum foil, and a oven.
That said, I think you should rethink your search for GPUs. Ebay would probably be the best place for your for cost.
You can get some places like Amazon, iFixit, and other places, but they will most likely be a few hundred dollars.
Also, if you are serious about doing it yourself, rethink the GPU you would want to use. Check out this thread with many GPU options, with pros and cons to each:
2011 iMac Graphics Card Upgrade
iMac 2009 to 2011 MXM3 graphics card upgrade (Lastest update 10/13/2023 - this is the official documentation page - you found it finally!) This is the single and only documentation post. During the last years we constantly updated this post to reflect the lastet development of vBIOS and OCLP...
forums.macrumors.com
Not really. There are plenty of these models still out there that people will be parting. Also, this iMac can actually support non-oem GPUs, although, not officially of course.
You are probably correct, but the cost that they will charge for the part and install, it most likely will outweigh the usefulness of the Mac. You might as well get a newer, used Mac for the cost that a shop will charge.
IIRC, all GPUs available for any of the Mid 2010 27" iMac will be seamless plug-and-play. But, you are not limited to just those.
Just check out the thread above, it is very in-depth and will probably answer any questions you have if you are serious about swapping out that GPU.
Also, you can always do the GPU bake, that requires nothing but your failing GPU, some aluminum foil, and a oven.
Thanks for the information. I got half way thru the first page and realized... Dad can’t handle tech support for a non standard GPU. I own 2 macs a Imac Pro and a Mac Pro 5,1 with a Nvidia GPU and I don’t mind the issues or puzzel. However my daughter will not enjoy the searching for updates and fiddling with workarounds I will get an estimate for repair first locally. Thank you.
It was a great machine she never called me with mac problems. (10 years running 24/7)
It was a great machine she never called me with mac problems. (10 years running 24/7)
I suggest you bake the GPU. Cost nothing except 1 hour work in total. Can be repeated if needed. Sometimes lasts years, sometimes weeks. So with a bit of luck you can stretch the time until you are ready to buy something new.
I was in the same position as you. But then I realised it is possible to set up an iMac with a new non-standard GPU so it requires zero maintenance. I did just this for my in-laws, who are very much not tech-savvy or fiddlers in any way!
I bought a cheap 21" 2011 iMac locally with a dead GPU. I purchased a Quadro K610M card - the lowest performing of the cards on that list, but it is the cheapest and one of the lowest maintenance, cost me 30 bucks or so on Aliexpress. Many of the issues that people have on that thread relate to using unsupported OS like Mojave or Catalina - if you stick to High Sierra, which is fully supported, there will be no issues of compatibility. The only thing you will then need is to get back brightness control, using the 'OpenCore on an SD card' method - this is extremely easy to set up and there is a full tutorial on this in the thread.
Once this is set up, that is it. As long as the SD card stays in place, there is no fiddling no messing. Trust me, my in-laws in the 70s have been running this for months and no issues!
You are lucky you have a 27" 2010 model - this one is easier to repair as the logic board does not have to take apart all the way.
A repair will likely cost you significantly more than the value of the machine. For 30 bucks, not much to lose!
While you are inside the machine, I would replace the HDD with an SSD anyway. Another 30 bucks for a 250GB SSD for example (obvs more if you need more storage), plus 5 bucks for the optical drive sensor that you'll need to put on the SSD to stop the fans going crazy.
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Before doing anything surgegy, I suggest you get an external SSD, install/clone High Sierra to it, and try booting from it to the questioned iMac.
If this solves your problems, then you know what to do.
If this repeats your problem, then you have just isolated the GPU issue.
If spending a small amount for an SSD can get it back to life, at least as a nice 27in 2k monitor, or a personal entertainment device, why not?
I agree. People on the forum are quick to tell others to just get a new Mac, but if a relatively easy and cheap fix brings new life in the Mac that was perfectly fine up until that point, then why not give it a shot.
No need to spend $$$$ on a new Mac, if a tiny fraction of the amount can fix an otherwise good Mac. This is especially true with the AS Macs not too far away and this particular Mac having a second life as a decent monitor.
But in this case, it could also be the GPU, which complicates things.
I am definitely not saying everyone should just give up on it, actually the opposite. If someone thinks they could give a GPU bake or replacement a shot, why not if it was going to be trashed anyways?
I don't like the idea of it being trashed though, especially when there are people out there that would take it, fix it, and either sell it or use it.
Since this Imac was left in a crashed state for several days and the drive was really overheating I was wondering if when it cools down the GPU will return to life. I will check it before dumping it. If the GPU wakes up I will buy the OWC SSD kit and fix-it myself.
If it's "just the drive", it might be worth trying to get a few more years out of it.
But... if it looks like the problems "go beyond" the drive... probably not worth spending any money on.
But... if it looks like the problems "go beyond" the drive... probably not worth spending any money on.
I wi
I wish I lived near your place. Just dump it on me....
A nice case + still functioning LCD panel does worth some money where I live now.
I wish I lived near your place. Just dump it on me....
A nice case + still functioning LCD panel does worth some money where I live now.
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For the iMac 2010, which I own and use as my main computer for 10yrs till now, changing the GPU requires removal of only 4 screws and unplugging a small temperature sensor once you remove the front LCD panel (8 screws). There is no need to remove the main logic board. Still it could be daunting to the non-technical but there are many Youtube videos and iFixit guide to teach you how to do it.
Depending how you value the 27" screen and your affordability for a new iMac, I do think it is worthwhile to get a new GPU and SSD to run the latest High Sierra if not Catalina. Choose either the K2100M or WX4130, both ~$75-80 in AliExpress (eBay much more expensive). Consider the 40 bocks to revive it to keep it functioning and extra $35 to upgrade and extend your iMac for at least a year to two running the near latest OSX (i.e. $0.05 - 0.1/day). My opinion may be biased as I had done so, but it fills all needs for work and simple gaming. I hate dumping it to waste ground as there isn't much recycling here. I also start out as newbie on first opening my iMac 2010. You lose little as yours is now non-functional. Over the years with every upgrade I made, it is trailing not too far from the modern one. The investment spreading over time has good ROI since you can work faster every day with time saving. But certainly to each his own.
Depending how you value the 27" screen and your affordability for a new iMac, I do think it is worthwhile to get a new GPU and SSD to run the latest High Sierra if not Catalina. Choose either the K2100M or WX4130, both ~$75-80 in AliExpress (eBay much more expensive). Consider the 40 bocks to revive it to keep it functioning and extra $35 to upgrade and extend your iMac for at least a year to two running the near latest OSX (i.e. $0.05 - 0.1/day). My opinion may be biased as I had done so, but it fills all needs for work and simple gaming. I hate dumping it to waste ground as there isn't much recycling here. I also start out as newbie on first opening my iMac 2010. You lose little as yours is now non-functional. Over the years with every upgrade I made, it is trailing not too far from the modern one. The investment spreading over time has good ROI since you can work faster every day with time saving. But certainly to each his own.