Q: iMac Video Card Failure

You might want to check with a different repair shop; Apple usually replaces the entire logic board, which is why the price is so high. I participated in a thread a while back regarding the same type of problem (cannot find it right now unfortunately). The poster - also out of warranty - went elsewhere and the repair shop was able to replace only the video card (even though everyone is led to believe that the graphics card is soldered onto the logic board) for about 1/3rd the price (I do not remember the exact price).

If you ever buy another Mac, I would also highly recommend that you buy the Applecare - a total of 3 years of full protection including at-home repairs - in my opinion, that is well worth the money and costs a fraction of the repair costs involved.

I get the impression that the iMacs are not that reliable. I've had 3 issues with my early 2008 imac in which one was attempted to be fixed by the Apple store. I replaced the HDD myself and my 8800gs I will also replace myself.

Which video chipset do you have? I would imagine it was offered in 2009 sometime.

I'm not sure what my graphics card has to do with anything, but the specs for my 2010 are here:

http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html

Just curious because you can purchase the part and install it yourself if it plugs in to the MXM port or whatever. My 8,1 (early 2008) iMac has a bad 8800gs and I had considered that option. There are plenty of instructions on taking the thing apart.

The "special tool" the geniuses refer to is a Torx driver (T8) and a suction cup. It actually did take me 4 stores to find a good enough suction cup to do the job.

I don't feel I should pay 10%+ the value of my purchase to guarantee the product will last for two years past the included warranty.

Damage control on reputation is much more expensive then standing behind your product. It seems the aluminum iMacs are notorious for overheating and these failures are considered normal wear and tear to Apple it seems.

I plan to replace my 8800 GS which failed 3 times with the Radeon 2600 HD so I can use the machine as a spare. Any tips or resources on disassembly and getting at the card?

I just baked my 8800gs in the oven today and how have a fully working, non crashing, iMac 8,1 running 10.6.5... I'm so stoked..

Anyhow, I followed various videos online for swapping the HDD and taking the screen out, but from then on, I had to wing it.

Here are my tips:

You need Torx 6, Torx 8 drivers or bits and a suction cup. (If you bake you need aluminum foil and some good thermal paste like Shin Etsu I used)

Once you have the screen off and see the Mobo, make note of all the wire connections. I took pictures. Careful with each of these as the logic board is way more expensive than an MXM GPU, even the 8800..

Use a thin flat edge screwdriver to remove the power cable from the logic board. The rest come out easy with a little wiggling.

The GPU and CPU are behing the logic board. The GPU has a spring mounted X Clamp on it, which allows the board to flex and the cheap solder to crack with the temp changes, which is why baking and reflowing the solder fixes it. It fills in these cracks. (Does not fix blown GPUs)

You have to take the left speaker off before you pull out the logic board. Also, 2 screws on the outside of the ram slots, be careful not to overtighten these as I cracked one but it is still solid.

There are about 5 long and 7 or so shorter screws holding the logic board down, they ALL have yellow circles around them and are easy to spot. I would put a finger on the edge and pull slightly to see if it would move to tell if I missed a screw. Don't break a trace or it's toast.

Anyhow, good luck. If you have further questions let me know.