Q: Logic Board Fix Needed
I have an early 2009 24" Intel iMAC that has developed a Logic Board fault.
The replacement Loard Board is expensive, so I need to know if there is a economical fix for Logic Boards that fail?
Has the Apple engineering investigated the problem, and have identified what is at fault and can offer advise on how to do a fix?
The replacement Logic Board cost is well on the way to buying a new iMAC, and this is what worries me, if I buy another will I be facing the same problem in a few years time?
From a now very worried iMAC owner.
iMac (24-inch Early 2009), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)
Posted on Apr 26, 2013 3:44 AM
I'm going to try and explain this simply, becasue we are now entering the world of the Apple technitian. This pretty above the port and call of the average advanced Apple user as it is in the realm of hardware.
Your logic board is pretty much the only board in the computer and is a 'iWord' really. (An 'iWord' is a word that really means something else but is used by Apple to differentiate thier own products from everyone elses. e.g 'PC' as a Mac is a PC too, Time Machine is a NAS, etc etc also all 'iTems' aka Apple products starting with i are 'iWords').
What you're looking at is a motherboard. Specifically a laptop/AIO motherboard, due to the fact that the Graphics and Processor are non-removable from the drive.It may be worth getting the hardware looked at and repaired rather than replaced as your Logic board is essentially the entire iMac minus the screen, hard drive and power conversion.
The problem here is that Apple loves it's price premium, and part of that is making sure that the parts and repair cost a price premium too. To do that, it makes all it's stuff in as few parts as possible and basically glues a lot together too (see iDevice batteries and cases). It then makes repair insanely easy for it's own staff by instructing them to just replace one of these large parts rather than diagnose and repair. Your iMac is essentially a Intel laptop, maybe it's time you took it to go and see a doctor instead of leaving it in the trash and getting a new one.
http://www.macfixcentre.com/shop/desktops/imac/logic-boards
If the worst comes to worst, you can also trade it in on that website, or buy a working 2009 iMac from eBay or some such and have the Hard Drive swapped.
Finally, you can buy one from here for example:
http://www.galaxyhp.com/b24-inch-Intel-iMacb--Logic-Board--REPAIR_p_254.html
Then have it installed by the guys above.
Posted on May 6, 2013 9:49 AM