Ouch - nearly $900 to repair my 26 month old iMac g5

[NewJeffCT]

I've posted on here several times over the last 4-5 months about the problems with my iMac g5. First was the issue with the graphics not working, then lately it was the screen just going black.

So, finally brought it into the local Apple Store and they said it would be like $821 to fix, plus tax. The guy thinks it was the logic board.

Any other options for me?

I can buy two PCs for the price of just repairing the iMac.

[KG]

1. you should've bought a M---

wait, what?

[NewJeffCT]

2. M---

microsoft-using computer?

:P

[quip]

3. You should have bought

Apple Care. I don't leave the Apple Store without it. Bummer for you. :(

[NewJeffCT]

4. Most extended warranties are worthless

and, since apple supposedly had such a good reputation for quality, I figured it was also just another way to make money.

[quip]

5. Problem is that the regular warranties are so short as to be virtually meaningless

Bad stuff, if it is going to happen and if it doesn't happen right away, won't happen until after a year or two.

Now, my G5 tower is on its 4th year and no problems. Go figure. :shrug:

[huskerlaw]

8. Mac warranties aren't worthless

they're gold. Walk into an Apple store with a warranty in hand and they'll fix anything, practically no questions asked.

PC warranties, on the other hand, I'd be inclined to agree with you.

[NewJeffCT]

10. not just PC vs Mac warranty

any sort of electronic product - TVs, DVD players, home theater systems, etc. The normal return on them is in the range of 10-12 cents on the dollar.

And, when I had mentioned the extended warranty in the store, the guy mentioned all sorts of exceptions.

[huskerlaw]

47. Well, all I can tell you is what I've experienced

and I've had very few problems with my 4-year-old Mac, but the few that I've had have been dealt with easily and for free by the Apple store people because I had a warranty. And that includes issues I've had with it that were clearly my fault. For example, I ran over the end of the power cord with a rolling desk chair and smashed the part that goes into the computer. Then I tried to make it fit anyway and screwed up the interior electrical connection.

Took it in uttering mea culpas...they fixed it for free.

The thing is, computers break. Regardless of who made them. I just can't imagine NOT getting the warranty. I don't know if you posted here about it or not, but if I had seen a "should I get the warranty" post, I would have said emphatically YES.

[jgraz]

32. Plus, I've never had an Apple machine last three years

I don't know if I'm unlucky or their quality control sucks, but I've always used my extended warranty. Every time.

I'm about to take this laptop in for a new power supply and maybe another logic board.

[Deja Q]

15. Not necessarily.

It's a matter of knowing when to get the extended warranty. Usually, solid state electronics don't go out... so they wouldn't qualify on my list.

Anything with mechanics, or is a LCD screen or has a CCD sensor, you bet I'd get the warranty.

And I've had to make use of them too.

And Best Buy has honored theirs, I feel proud in saying. :)

I know people had problems with Apple's pricey extended warranty for their monitors as well. (Which use the top of the line panels, yes, but so does Dell for their higher end monitors...)

I wonder if Apple still sells their 30" monitor for $3k. A Samsung 42" LCD TV, 1080p, these days would cost half as much and uses the high end flat panel too...

Apple's just a name these days. :(

[colinmom71]

6. Hmm... I had an iMac almost the exact same age as yours....

In fact, I think I mentioned this to you before on one of your earlier threads. Anyway, we'd had it (non-duo core model) about 20 months with no issues when the logic board suddenly died one weekend. And yes, we were quoted a quite similar price for the repair. We just decided to buy a refurbished black Duo-Core MacBook through Apple's refurb program for about $1050. It's worked beautifully ever since, but then the old iMac was great till the day it died too... We've since also acquired a new aluminum iMac and it's performance is a good bit better than the old iMac.

My husband is a Mac-tech for a large corporation and had to place a huge order for his company right at the time we were having trouble with the iMac. He asked the Apple rep if there were any known internal issues with logic boards in the pre-duo core iMacs and the duo-core MacBooks. The rep said there weren't, in that they hadn't received significantly noticeable waves of logic board repairs centered around those two computer models. But then it's been about 8 months since then so I don't know if that may have changed... If I find out differently, I'll let you know...

As for more options for you.... Well the truth is, Macs are definitely more expensive at initial purchase, but then they also come with just about everything the average home user will need. Whereas with a PC, you have to pretty much separately purchase the components and software so that an initially inexpensive PC can rack up a significantly higher total bill. My SIL had her PC laptop die on her last year too, and she priced out a replacement. Just to match her old laptop's memory, performance, and OS to the level she needed for playing games like WOW, the total purchase was about within $100 to the price we paid for my black MacBook. Just a factor to consider while you're comparing prices and features...

But I'm terribly biased towards Macs. I've never been a very secure computer user and PC's with Microsoft OS's always made me uncomfortable when I've had to use them. Macs just work better for me, so I'm not really one who can offer advice on other PCs... Either way, I hope you find a new computer that you're happy with and that doesn't "break the bank"... Best of luck!

[NewJeffCT]

19. we bought a new PC back in November

it was a top-of-the-line HP with a 21" LCD monitor. The total price was less than $900. Price for MS Office was $0. The only software we've bought for it was one $35 game that is still not available for the Mac.

We spent $1,300 for the iMac G5 two years earlier, and then we had to pay another $200 or $300 for MS Office, and it won't run a lot of games.

We still have a 7 year old Dell at home as well that still works, (not well, but it does work) and that was middle of the road when we bought it.

[huskerlaw]

7. You didn't get the 3-year warranty??

Computing rule #1: always buy the warranty.

Also, don't know what to tell you about the Mac, I've had mine for 4 years and the very few things I've had wrong with it have been fixed free of charge by the great people at the Apple store.

[CatholicEdHead]

9. That is true for all laptops and Macs

but not PC desktops as you can fix most problems yourself. Getting in a desktop is so much easier than getting in a laptop. Only Lenovo/IBM machines have easy access to the instructions and part numbers you need to fix most machines that cannot use generic parts to replace them (e.g. laptops/Thinkpads).

[NewJeffCT]

12. never heard that rule before

As I said above, extended warranties for any sort of electronic product are generally known rip-offs. Same with automobiles.

How was I to know that Apple is the one exception to the rule? The only thing I had heard was people scoffing at the very idea of a mac even having problems.

[Xipe Totec]

11. You can buy a real computer for that much money

:hide:

[NewJeffCT]

14. I can buy two PCs for that much

and, we bought a PC in November because we were both so frustrated with the Mac and all of its problems.

[Deja Q]

18. Apple, known for quality, and people complain... Replace "Apple" with "You name it"...

People are complaining over the new Canon G9 camera too (poor LCD construction, stuck pixels on the CCD sensor)...

Run for the money? More cutting costs? More "Getting rid of overpaid American workers because everyone else does it just as good or better for less money?"

What excuse will people get next week...

[Xipe Totec]

24. I dislike closed systems

Where there is only one vendor.

Apple used to be an open system provider, where 3rd parties could sell plug compatible components.

But they went chickenshit.

[Kutjara]

35. You mean like PCs...

...where there is only one OS vendor? Sure, you can buy a despecced Dell or a midrange Lenovo with Linux on it but, by and large, you're stuck with paying the Microsoft tax whatever you do.

Regarding hardware openness, that's more true for desktop machines (including the Mac Pro), but laptops and "all in one" media PCs are no more "open" than Macs. You might be able to swap out the hard drive or add more RAM, but that's about it (and you can do that with Macs, as well). Everything else is proprietary and closed.

The dream of open systems is just that: a dream. If anything modern PCs are more closed than they've ever been.

[Xipe Totec]

38. I have Linux running on what used to be a Windows XP PC

So much for that argument.

[Kutjara]

40. And you bought the PC without Windows preinstalled?

No, because it's almost impossible to find a machine it isn't preinstalled on. Did you try getting the refund from M$ on the grounds you don't use Windows? I recommend you give it a try if you're into masochism. If not, you still paid the Microsoft tax. How open is that?


I've got Windows and Linux running on my Macs in addition to OS X. What does that prove?

[Xipe Totec]

42. Didn't buy it

Neglected to mention, I used to develop hardware drivers for windows PCs. Manufacturers sent in pre-production prototypes for us to test the drivers on. Once the drivers were developed, the hardware was no longer needed and was too expensive to ship back. Hence, it was trashed.

I have a dozen or so systems from various manufacturers which run various flavors of operating systems, free of charge.

The only point I'm making is that the same hardware can run various operating systems.

And you can buy the same system and select which OS to install, so you don't have to pay evil Microsoft a cent.

Better yet, you can buy the components, assemble your system, and install whichever OS you prefer.

:hi:

[Kutjara]

43. Yes, technically savvy people can do all of those things.

But 95% of the market can't, or won't. And most vendors don't allow buyers to specify what OS they want (unless it's either XP or Vista). Dell sells a single model of laptop with Linux preinstalled, and it's a despecced model with fewer options than the same model with Windows installed. Lenovo sells a T61 with Linux, but that's pretty much it for them. Or you can buy from specialty companies like Emperor Linux, who basically buy Dells or Lenovos and install a (mostly) working version of Linux and then resell them.

As for building your own, no you can't build your own Mac, but this is only really a consideration for the Mac Pro. Even there, most of the components are standard, so you could pretty much build one if you wanted to. The only problem would be the hand-built machine would use EFI rather than BIOS, but there are plenty of hacks around that the savvy geek can use to run OS X on non Apple equipment. I put one together a few months ago, as a proof of concept, and it runs Leopard quite happily.

The rest of the Mac range is comprised of "all in ones" like the iMac and laptops. Those are, by their very nature, proprietary, as are similar products from other vendors. I couldn't build an iMac from components, just as I can't build a Dell XPS All-In-One. Many of the components have been repackaged to fit the form-factor, so they're not available to the likes of you and me at Frys.

Given that laptops and all-in-ones are the largest part of the market now, and are predicted to reduce PC towers to a tiny niche within a few years, this lack of openness is significant. The days of "build your own" are coming to an end, and I for one think that's a great loss.

But I digress. My point here was that, while Apple is closed in many ways, it's really no more closed than other PC vendors. Actually, the only way in which it is significantly closed is in not allowing OS X to run on non-Apple hardware. That's a big thing, but I think they're wise to do so. Without OS X, Apple's computers wouldn't really have a USP, besides some pretty designs. With it, they blow other PCs out of the water. If Mac OS X ran on anything, Apple would be dead in a year.

[Xipe Totec]

44. ...

:boring:

I don't want to belabor this point any further, so here is at least one vendor that will sell you a PC with Linux pre-installed:

http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/321152-0-0-0-121.html

[Kutjara]

45. Yes, some vendors have one or two models with Linux on them.

But the vast majority of their range is still Windows. And Windows still commands 95% of the market. And the average buyer at Best Buy, Circuit City, or CrappyElectronicsWorld won't have any way of knowing there's any alternative. Whichever way you slice it, the PC market is not "open."

[Deja Q]

13. For the money, I would have expected a lot higher quality.

Especially as it's a G5, back when Macs were more respectable!

Also consider, my DIY quad core PC cost me $1000. A quad core "Mac"? $2800. (Yes, they have dual quad cores, but only CGI movie makers would have a use - AND they get their own gear custom made; often with Linux...)

[Jamastiene]

16. You could get one kickass PC and run whatever OS you want on it.

You would be better off buying a new computer (whether it is another Mac or a PC, your choice) than paying that much.

Inside a computer, when something goes wrong with one part of it, it can possibly damage other parts. That may not be evident right away either. You could pay the $900 to fix what is wrong now, and a month down the road, something else might crap out on you. Unless you are really really attached to that specific computer, it's like throwing good money after bad.

Now, if you are attached to it and decide to pay all that to have it fixed, give it a name. It just became your new BFF costing you that much. Maybe even give it a girl's name and pretend it's a diamond ring and add some zeros behind the $900 in your mind just to make it easier to take.

Wow, that's expensive. :wow:

[Deja Q]

20. As the logic board would contain the CPU, Motorolas were never cheap...

And, according to Apple the day before they moved to Intel, were far faster than Intel despite the lower GHz claim...

http://www.barefeats.com/macvpc.html

Funny how Apple did a 180 and said how much faster Intels were the day they migrated... It's clear the G5 was fast.

But I digress. They were very powerful machines, and had cost a pretty penny too.

By now, Intel's are faster anyway (didn't Motorola drop the Gx series altogether?)

:shrug:

[Jamastiene]

23. Intel finally got their butts in gear.

They will probably be the first ones to use a double quad core chip. Well, either them or AMD. Who knows at this point?

[NewJeffCT]

22. We're not going to spend $900 to fix it

we might have to pay somebody to remove the hard drive & transfer the files to our PC at least.

[Jamastiene]

25. Good.

That's a bit steep when you can just save your files and save some money. Moving the hard drive and transfering the files shouldn't be too hard and most likely will be way less expensive.

[MilesColtrane]

17. Since it's out of warranty anyway...

...I'd look into getting somebody besides the Apple Store to fix it.
Unless, you want to pay for the (maybe) one year warantee you'll get on the repair there.

Luckily, I've never had a prob with my 7 year old G4.

[Ellipsis]

21. They "think" it's the logic board.

Bottomline, they don't know.

It may be the logic board... I'm inclined to doubt that, could be many things.

This is what you should do. Go to the Apple site find a "reseller" (independent from Apple) who is a service provider. I looked there are some in CT. Check them out first. Try to find one that's been around for a while. While Apple does not hand out service medallions willy nilly, old dog service techs are worth their weight in Gold.

Get as much detail about your computer as possible before your call, exact model the OS that your running and they symptoms you have been having ...as concisely as possible.

They may know some personality issues of the particular imac Apple does not admit to or share with the public or their retail staff.

Have them crack it open and take a peak and find out what's actually wrong with it. IT may cost you 150.00 just to find out but they'll apply it to the repair if you move forward.

It's out of warranty, in this instance you're better off going to a dealer. They'll typically treat you better as well.

Apple care is well worth the value in the future, especially if your buying a first or second generation of a new design.

Good luck

[Redstone]

26. And Macs used to be so durable! I'm typing this on a 1998 PowerBook G3 that I still use

every day. (Though I've replaced the keyboard five or six times, but that's because I type hard.)

Apple's quality has indeed gone WAY downhill.

Redstone

[Kutjara]

29. Not sure that's true.

I've owned Macs since that woman threw the hammer at the Blue Man guy. During the 80s, the machines were usually rock solid, and I can't remember ever needing to have them repaired. Then, during the bad days of the 90s, I owned two PowerMacs and three PowerBooks. All of them had at least on major problem, usually two or three. Things were so bad that I switched to PCs in about 1997, vowing never to allow a Mac to darken my door again.

With the introduction of Intel Macs in early 2006, I was lured back to the platform and I'm glad I was. My Mac Pro, two MacBook Pros, and "fun" MacBook all run flawlessly. OK, I did have to swap the battery of one of the first generation MBPs due to the risk of overheating, but they had a new one to me in two days, complete with the packaging to send the old one back. Other than that, I have no complaints.

Thats the problem with anecdotal evidence: for every one person who's had a disastrous time with a product and wants to let everyone know, there are twenty silent satisfied customers.

Now I've just got to find a way to convince my wife that getting a MacBook Air is a sound financial decision.

[Redstone]

48. Been true for me: PowerBook G4 (2004) two displays and three KBs replaced in 1 year;

MacBook Pro (2007) one KB, one trackpad button, one power switch failed in the first three months.

Redstone

[colinmom71]

50. You're not the first person I've heard utter that sentiment...

And I somewhat have to agree. We've owned Macs (Powerbooks, Powermac desktops, G3 tower, G4 tower, my H's various Powerbooks, Ti-books, etc. for work, several iMacs, etc.) since 1995. H has headed two Mac user groups, worked in Apple sales, and is now a Mac-tech and he's had some complaints in the last year or so that didn't used to be an issue. But those whose machines users he supports still rave about their Mac laptops stability for their work purposes.

My honest opinion? They rushed the transition to the Duo-Core Macs before they had the OS entirely transitioned. They also rushed model and hardware upgrades and changes before doing full endurance testing. I appreciate Mr. Jobs' desire to create the most up to date Mac that can be made, but sometimes I worry that his desire to be groundbreaking has come at the cost of the company's long held reputation for reliability and strength assurance.

If you want an anecdote to show Apple's quality rep as justified, about four years ago my H had to service a Ti-Book that took a bullet into the side of the casing. The bullet pierced about an inch into the casing, centered to where the screen folded over the disc port. The entire computer, screen and all, STILL WORKED even after being shot up! Luckily, the person holding the laptop at the time escaped any injury. Just the laptop was shot. H still has a picture taken of the laptop before it was shipped for repair, and everyone who has seen the pic is shocked that the laptop still worked!

[Haole Girl]

27. The expert opinion of my husband is:

Any old pc would also cost the same to fix. The parts are no longer available for a g5. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. :-(

[LeftyMom]

28. Had the exact same thing with the same model of similar age at work.

$900 repair (well, we have AppleCare) that took forever and the thing's still buggy as shit.

[no name no slogan]

30. A few more $$$ you could get one of the Intel Macs

The Intel processors are pretty good, IMHO, but run a bit (no-- A LOT) warmer than the G5s.

[Kutjara]

31. A dead logic board means RIP.

Just about any hardware geek will tell you that, if the logic board goes, you're better off tossing the machine and getting a new one. The new base spec iMac is only about $1,100 and contains the latest components and software. Spending $900 on a G5 just doesn't make sense.

As for getting two PCs for $900, sure you can (Hell, you could buy three Asus Eee PCs for the money), and they'd be fine for basic word processing and email/surfing. But they'd be horrible for anything that requires a bit of oomph, such as video or audio encoding or running big spreadsheets. And, whatever you do, do get them with Vista. They simply won't have enough power to run it. XP is a much better bet for low-spec machines.

[jgraz]

33. I've had two logic boards replaced on Macs -- no problems since

This may be my third replacement, all done for free (with the extended warranty)

[Kutjara]

36. Sure, if you get the replacements free...

...then it's always worth doing. I meant that it's not worth paying for a new logic board, because they typically cost up to 80% of the value of a new machine. Why pay all that cash just to have your old box back, when for $200 more you can have an up-to-date computer that will outperform the old one in every way?

[jgraz]

37. Yep, that makes sense

On Macs, I always tell people to get the extended warranty. It comes out to about $175 per extra year of coverage, and I've never seen a repair come in at under $800.

[Kutjara]

39. Absolutely, AppleCare is one of the few...

...extended warranties that's worth a damn. That said, I'm such a new gadget geek that I've usually replaced my Mac with a new one before the original warranty's up, so I only have AppleCare on my Mac Pro now.

[jgraz]

49. Now that I don't get my employee discount, I've had to dial it back to one every couple years

I'm overdue for a new Mac Pro, but my laptop is doing just fine (assuming they fix this power supply). I've been waiting for a re-skin -- or at least hoping that they'd round off those flesh-shredding handles -- but no luck.

[jgraz]

34. whoops -- double post

[deucemagnet]

41. This is probably going to be my next computer, fwiw.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3584419&sku=E145-2030%20B&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1551C

2.0 gig dual core, 160 MB hard drive, 2 gig DDR2 for $250! Of course, I'll have to assemble it myself. I figure after I add a DVD burner, video card and OS I'll probably end up spending about $650 - $700 on it.

[Tektonik]

46. I never by an Apple product (ipods to be specific) without getting a warranty

Just by the odd chance something happens, the Apple stores are very good at dealing with warrantied customers. Over the span of two ipods, I've gotten headphones replaced and one ipod itself without any hassle.

[eppur_se_muova]

51. I don't think this is the help you're looking for, but just in case ...

used iMac G5's w/90 day warranty cost about that much.

http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-imac-g5-prices.html

(scroll down to get past the ads on the right side)