Heli A
Level 1 (12 points)
Desktops

Q: Experience with an Imac 27 mid 2010

I'm the only and one owner of an imac desktop aluminium 27" i3 mid 2010.
i bought it brand new April 2011. The reason i wanted was because i heard that imac they are good for video editing.....even if i never use it as i wanted and expected from a machine that its cost is 1800e....
Well here is my story:
At the very start i was happy with this even if seagate 1tb barracuda did strange noises at reading and write,( thing that i noticed only at mac because my other pc is windows with same disc..and is working very good many years.. and the insulation between LCD and screen was poor allow dust and smoke between...from poor adjusted fans...( i will refer to this after)
So...after 6 months i start having problems with this MEGA SUPERDRIVE!!! CALLED NOT READING ANYTHING and discs stuck inside or ejected...and power start up problems.
When i unplug the cord from wall outlet and put it again the pc never start up pushing start button with any combinations i thought and found at google search ..trying do everything i found from Apple's community or their ..support...
the result to this was to leave the cord at outlet and after 5 or 6 hours the problem gone like magic..
I made a contact with my local authorised Apple dealer and with Apple and they told me to take it for repair...as it was inside warranty..i took this huge machine about 2 hours from my home for repairing...WE TALKING NOW FOR A BRAND NEW PC ....YES???
Anyway... they told me that PSU had problem(310W) also ..SUUUUPERDRIVE..(HITACHI)
tHEY TOLD ME THAT THEY CHANGE THEM AND WITHOUT COST(WARRANTY)
THE COST FOR THIS REPAIR IF I PAid it a tecnician told me about 500e if i remember well..
I took it at home with happiness telling to my self ok..END...
After warranty gone exactly some days after Seagate started making bigger noises...and one day pc became very slow at the point that every editing software i tried to run do chrashes all the time...
i called the store to tell it and they told me that it was outside warranty but if i wanted i could pay Apple care as it was very little time after warranty..
i didnt.
i decided to change hd by my self as i have some knoweldge about pc and electronic.
i put a WD 1TB BLUE 64MB CACHE.
I made a install of snow leopard and all was going good..
tiil after one month PSU STARTED DOING SAME THINGS..
I was ready to to took it and throw it outside the window to the road and leave it passed trucks over it.
i said ok maybe is something not serious and will be fixed alone..
NO...EVERYTIME Electric company did power cuts off pc needed maybe 5 or 6 hours again to start...
NOW I HAVE A PC THAT I PAID FOR IT 1800e ...Superdrive again is total out of order..
PSU  NOT WORK GOOD...
Overall performance of the pc is like crap..and the temperature inside is very hot .(PSU worked at 60c most of the time also superdrive most at 50c)...

i Have a windows pc too since 2006 built it my own ,without not even one problem apart from modifications and upgrades i did not have even one problem and is working almost 24 hours with thunders...rain...without overheating.. and i can say that at some points Intel pentium d is better from I3 at imac...
i desided to fix it by my self..as Apple repair *****..
I'm very dissapointed and i feel cheated dear Apple and i will think very very carefully to buy again a pc from Apple..Sorry..Pitty for my 1800e and now 500 more to fix it by my self..
With these cost i could had a windows pc top performance.

I Hope someone from Apple see it and consider it for the new products.

Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on May 21, 2013 9:30 AM

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Heli A

Q: Experience with an Imac 27 mid 2010

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Allan Jones,

    Allan Jones Allan Jones May 21, 2013 9:38 AM in response to Heli A
    Level 8 (35,176 points)
    iPad
    May 21, 2013 9:38 AM in response to Heli A

    Hope someone from Apple see it and consider it for the new products.

     

    Apple doesn't read these forums. They are a user-to-user platform. To get feedback directly to Apple people who develop new products, use this link:

     

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

     

    There is a Repair Extension Program for iMacs made between 2009 and 2011 with defective Seagate drives. Use this link to see if your model is among those covered:

     

    http://www.apple.com/support/imac-harddrive/

     

    Where are you located? It seems some service providers outside the US who contract to provide repair service are not all of equal usefulness.

  • by Heli A,

    Heli A Heli A May 21, 2013 9:43 AM in response to Allan Jones
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Desktops
    May 21, 2013 9:43 AM in response to Allan Jones

    Hello my friend .Thank you for reply.Apple suggest this...Sorry i dont want to post the name of the store in public..

    I'm from Greece. it is not i checked months before (:

    i'm very very upset and i decided to fix it by my self .

    I hope it will be ok..soon.

    Thank you for your concern

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM May 21, 2013 11:18 AM in response to Heli A
    Level 6 (13,912 points)
    iPad
    May 21, 2013 11:18 AM in response to Heli A

    Apple uses special Hard drives as these drives have a connection for an Apple heat sensor that works to regulate the fans. Off the shelf hard drives do not have this heat sensor connection.Without this, the fans in your iMac run at full speed. This isn't good as the fans running at full speed will suck in large amounts of dust, lint and dirt. AND cause even more excessive heat!

    You might want to run a software internal fans control called SMC fan control.

    I would, also, advise installing a temperature app like iStat Pro or iStat menus.

    If you were having all of these issues from the beginning, why didn't you budget for extended 3-year AppleCare and purchase and register for this within the first free AppleCare warranty year?

    You would've had all of these issues resolve/repaired at no costs to you for three years?

    Since you broke into your iMac, yourself, now, just so you know, you can still bring this for repair at an Apple Authorized service center, but you can no longer take your iMac directly to an Apple Store any longer.

    Apple, directly, will no longer service your iMac.

  • by Heli A,

    Heli A Heli A May 21, 2013 12:32 PM in response to MichelPM
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Desktops
    May 21, 2013 12:32 PM in response to MichelPM

    Hello MichelPM.Yes i know all these very well and i use a software like that. But this is not the point.

    It is not good for a company  to act like that to the customers.

    Noone else doing that .If you have windows pc maybe you know that you can find anywhere drivers ,updates and firmware for your hardware and update or downgrade as well.

    I dont tell Apple do that..but at least it should see that when you run the software update or this hardware test and update the firmware as it need and dont force the customer to have special plans or anything like Apple care.

    i bought a pc from a company called what ever (Apple.microsoft,intel...) but the pc is mine. And i want to change anything i want to make it better without problems ..or take it whenever i want for fixing,or maybe i can by my self as i think many others users at world and not forced having a repair service.

    Maybe i didnt write it well. i said the apple repair service  that fix it inside warranty should fix it well and pc dont have problems again.

    T

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM May 21, 2013 1:00 PM in response to Heli A
    Level 6 (13,912 points)
    iPad
    May 21, 2013 1:00 PM in response to Heli A

    Hello,

    Well, computers, like any elctronics device, can break down at any time and can break down more than once.

    Just like cars and trucks can breakdown more than once. Just because you had one incident of warranty repair doesn't mean that your iMac won't ever break down, again.

    You are being totally unrealistic in thinking that a computer won't ever break down or it breaks down once, gets fixed and that is that. Not very realistic, at all.

    While most iMac users have had no issues with their iMacs, some users do.

    While I believe iMacs are more hardware failure prone than other Macs or PCs, that doesn't mean that other Macs or PCs don't have flaws or are more or less prone to hardware failures, either.

    iMacs are, by their very design, NOT user upgradeable in any way other than to replace and upgrade RAM.

    There are no easily user upgradeable parts in an iMac.

    iMacs have been this way from their very start in 1998.

    If you wanted a Mac you could tinker with, you should've purchased a MacPro Tower.

    The MacPro is completely serviceable and upgradeable by the user. iMac are NOT designed for user tinkering, at all!

    They are not designed to be easily serviced by the end user, but by skilled, qualified Apple technicians or by someone with extensive knowlwdge in upgrading any type of computer.

    iMacs are dsigned and built for the masses of computer users who actaully what to just USE their computer and NOT tinker with them or go "under the hood or bonnet" to do thier own repairs or upgrades.. Hence, nothing user serviceable inside. Most Mac users do not want to tinker with their computers, they want to just be able to fully USE them without issues.

    The reason for having three year AppleCare (in regards to the iMac, specifically) is that the user can't do any servicing inside, so Apple needs to do all of the servicing, themselves. So, by purchasing a three-year warranty plan, for an iMac that the user can't service, allows qualified Apple technicians to do diagnostic and repair replacement work on iMac with no additonal charges to the end user if that user purchased extended warranty plan to cover the work costs

  • by Heli A,

    Heli A Heli A May 21, 2013 1:25 PM in response to MichelPM
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Desktops
    May 21, 2013 1:25 PM in response to MichelPM

    Yes i agree...I didnt know all these from start..If i knew these i would never buy an i mac. I know for Mac pro but now is late.

    But the design and reliability at i mac is not good generally.

    i open it first time before 1 year to change the hard drive and i was very suprised about its design....Anyway Inside was like a  10 years pc in use when my other pc is 7 years old and it seems newer...and they are at same position...one next to other..

    Why to put special firmware inside hardware parts and not be able to change them in case of failures?etc hd...

    They could put a temp sensor near hd or outside...like old models..

    I believe is unforgivable for a pc having such issues from so early..They say that every pc pass test before they give it to customers...i dont believe that anymore..

    As for temps i know that electronic parts last longer in low temps...and if you have original hardware the pc is running like you cooking...especially when you making renders..

    i saw at PSU almost 70c about 15 min or half an hour...so at superdrive too...did you put a disc inside when is opens for a long time??? did you eject it and hold it?is like you had it at stove...

    As for seagate failure i use this company at my other pc (windows and never had such failures) or even with Hitachi..( I'm talking about superdrive..2 of them inside 2 years??) and now going for 3rd? No my friend...

    Hitachi is good company.So something else is happening...

    At the moment it cant even read Its own installation disc and the disc does not have problems..

    And now that we are talking...the pc is not working...i unplug it the morning from wall outlet , i put it again about afternoon 6 oclock and since then i push button and nothing...

    This is apple quality...i 'm deeply sorry Apple..

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM May 21, 2013 7:01 PM in response to Heli A
    Level 6 (13,912 points)
    iPad
    May 21, 2013 7:01 PM in response to Heli A

    The problems with the slot loading optical SuperDrives in iMacs is that they are mounted in a less than ideal vertical position in the iMac's thin case enclosure. Unlike hard drives that have fixed platters and read/write arms, the optical media when mounted and spinning in this position is not held as rigidly in place and can wobble significantly enough at high RPMs to uneven spin in a manner similar to helicopter blades. The disc can spin in enough of a asymmetrical manner that can do damage to the optical drives laser lenses or other working parts inside the drive. Also, the excessive internal heat inside the iMac can cause additonal issues with the normal working operation of the drive. All of this adds up to premature failure of the iMac's optical drive. In fact, this has tended to be the first and most common failure in iMacs. Optical drive failures within the first five years of an iMac's operational life. Sometimes multiple optical drive failures within the first five or so.

    I use a LaCie optical drive that is a tray loading drive that sits horizontal on my desk with my iMac sitting atop of it.

    I have had that particular drive for almost 6 years and it has never given me any issues.

    The drive works flawlessly and hasn't failed, yet.

  • by Heli A,

    Heli A Heli A May 22, 2013 4:58 PM in response to MichelPM
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Desktops
    May 22, 2013 4:58 PM in response to MichelPM

    Hello dear Michel Sorry for my late response ..i have good and bad news about my issues. First i must tell that is nice that you tell about this Lacie drive .I know about this drive and is good.:) And you are right about the position of the drive but Apple did that because wanted to make a compact pc all in one and give everything to us it could.

    i believe that the bigger problem is the temps..Ok anyway listen my friend what happened.

    First of all again i want to say that i'm not dissapointed with Apple by the meaning of the company but with the services from Apple and where they giving the authority to repair their machines..Apple at the moment have the best operating system at the world and everyone knows that that have experience with the 2 bigger companies..

    And about IMac's trying to give us something all in one and i believe that is the one of the most beautiful machines in the world. The problem is one something goes wrong and you must take it to a repair service ....And here i start.

    Today i receive the new superdrive and it is exactly as it this it was installed from Apple. (hitachi g32n)

    When i compare them together side by side new and old i noticed a seal at one of the screws of the cover of the superdrive..This means that if you want to open the superdrive you must spoil this Hitachi seal. ok?

    MY OLD SUPERDRIVE DIDNT HAD THAT!!! I Suspect that when i took my machine inside warranty to this authorised dealer for the problems i had (and still having  till now  but not anymore with superdrive   ) they open it and only clean it!!! And they couldn't put again this seal....supposing that i never be able to open the machine by my self...

    That's why it worked again for a very short time and then started again having problems....

    Now i changed it with the new by my self and the superdrive is working like i never seen it like that..!!

    Just to inform all of you guys here that there is no firmware issues ..i check the old with the new and the firmware is exactly the same...it tooks me about an hour to unscrew the black plastic case from the old one and unglue the temp sensor and put it to the new one with the same glue. I open the pc after some hours ( it tooks so much because i have and another isue with PSU..but ok i waiting a new one to change it..) and it see it directly.. IT working like charm. And i noticed and an overall better performance from the machine and a difference at overall ambient  temperature...( maybe 4 c less !!!) i cant explain that!!

    Also i made some repairs to the back of the lcd screen..some tapes where ready to unglue and at some points the aluminium tape was gone...!!! i replace all  with new ones...

    MY CONCLUSION...WATCH VERY CAREFULLY WHERE YOU TRUST YOUR MACHINE FOR REPAIR...

    And dont blame (including me the Apple)...

    If APPLE Read that i have all clues ..and i can happily report this repair store.

    Sorry for my long post.

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM May 22, 2013 5:17 PM in response to Heli A
    Level 6 (13,912 points)
    iPad
    May 22, 2013 5:17 PM in response to Heli A

    I am glad it is all working out for you!

    Good Luck on finishing up updates and repairs.

     

  • by Heli A,

    Heli A Heli A May 22, 2013 5:39 PM in response to MichelPM
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Desktops
    May 22, 2013 5:39 PM in response to MichelPM

    Thank you.  

    I have  a lot of work with it to make it like it should be...Anyway i'm very happy now because i couldn't find for a long time what was the problem supposing that this repair service repace it...others said that was from hd ...from EFI partition...no..i tested ssd( sundisc 256gb) and then i bought seagate 750gb momentus XT  hubrid solid state...and i thought that was issues from the disc...Nothing, the problem was from the superdrive...because now i'm putting all these hd's i have and no problem..and i'm suspecting now also that they didnt replace and PSU too...anyway..

    In case that someone want to know about different hd's performances just for the history..

    i have test :

    WD Blue Chaviar 64MB 1 tb

    Sundisc SSD 256gb

    and this i having now

    Seagate xt momentus 750gb hubrid

    Only the ssd had big difference but very low at capacity

    Second the xt...not so much difference from ssd

    WD was exactly as original Seagate..

  • by Heli A,

    Heli A Heli A Apr 5, 2016 7:29 AM in response to Heli A
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 5, 2016 7:29 AM in response to Heli A

    After 3 years usage of this amazing imac mid 2010 maybe is better to update this post....The seagate 750gb momentus XT was very good hard drive but could not stand hard usage (formats and high temps) .WD blue failed also and Sundisc SSD was very low at capacity.

    For 2 years now i have WD black and i think is the best hard drive ever.

    I not using anymore so much this iMac because of outdated Snow Leopard....  In my opinion was the operating system ever...(:

    Recently bought a new 14.2 iMac and trying to fix it as it have issues with temperatures again...