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Mackata

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 23, 2017
38
7
Hi,
can anybody help me? I bought am iMac 27" 2013 and it has got all the specs that should be in the Mac.
When I open "about this Mac" it shows every detail right except the production year.
Can anybody help me to correct that?
 

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Does your iMac have an optical drive? If so you definitely have a 2011 model, looks like with an upgraded GPU and a hacked install of Mojave.
 
The serial number is for a 2011 iMac.
All of your hardware appears to be correctly reported as that for a 2013 iMac.
The model identifier is iMac14.2 - which is also correct for a 2013 iMac.
I will guess that the logic board was replaced at some point. A replacement logic board from Apple has NO serial number -- and, the tech had to set up the serial number. Apple has a special utility that is used only for burning the serial number to the firmware. And, that "skilled" tech used a serial number from the wrong year.

Is there a serial number on the BOTTOM of your iMac stand? It could even be on the back panel, probably below the power cord, with the model number, EMC code, and maybe some other text.
THAT will likely be the original serial number, which should be different from the one reported by the system software.
 
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Hi,
can anybody help me? I bought am iMac 27" 2013 and it has got all the specs that should be in the Mac.
When I open "about this Mac" it shows every detail right except the production year.
Can anybody help me to correct that?

That would require de-soldering the firmware chip, re-program it and solder it back to the logic board.
Only a few repair shop can do this hack, and they charge dearly.
Does it worth for just a minor glitch?
 
Thank you guys,
I can live with it because I just need it as a tool for work.
But it was interesting to find out what happened: There was an i7 2013 firts, then somebody replaced the mainboard (i5) and gave it a wrong serial.
Strange things...
 
The serial number on either the bottom of your iMac stand, or printed on the back cover of your iMac, should show the original serial number, assuming the "tech" did not cover or remove that serial number.
THAT serial number should match up to the original configuration - and should be different from the serial number reported by your software.
 
As I said: The serial under the bottom is from a 2013 i7. But now it has got an i5 mainboard with a wrong serial.
For me in the moment not important but when I want to sell it....
 
Yeah, no one is going to use a stamp that had a printing error.
Collectors bought them for a much higher price than their face price.
That's an entirely different situation. This is a used computer which in itself is not rare and which may not work correctly because of the misidentified serial number.
 
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That's an entirely different situation. This is a used computer which in itself is not rare and which may not work correctly because of the misidentified serial number.

It's also an old computer which is different from others of its kind.
So it's rare and worthy for collection purpose.
A different angle of view give a different standard of evaluation.
If I planned to use it for everyday work, probably I would stay away from it.
But if I were a collector, I would pay attention to its story and uniqueness. Those characters would add value to the collectible item.
 
I do wonder if this could cause problems for OP down the road—for example, if a future OS supports a 2013 iMac but not a 2011 iMac. They could of course use hacks to make it work.
 
It's also an old computer which is different from others of its kind.
So it's rare and worthy for collection purpose.
A different angle of view give a different standard of evaluation.
If I planned to use it for everyday work, probably I would stay away from it.
But if I were a collector, I would pay attention to its story and uniqueness. Those characters would add value to the collectible item.
If there was any value in this situation Apple certified techs all over would be making this mistake and making a killing on eBay already. They aren’t. There is no collection worth here.
 
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Sorry,
had no time to look at this thread. I will try to sell the Mac but here in Germany I don't see any chance to get a "normal" price for it. Besides there is a little ceack in the glass. Does anbody know a hacker who is able to change the false serial?
 
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