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Late 2006 Graphics Card Upgrade?

Hi,

I have one of the many many late 2006 24 inch iMacs with the faulty nVidia geForce 7600GT graphics / video cards. I know there are tons of threads on this but I still have not found a reasonable solution that doesn't include junking the computer.

The computer is basically unusable. I have horizontal lines and constant freezing gray screens on it within 10 minutes of use. I'm fairly computer savvy and willing to do the work myself if I have the option to replace the card, but I'm not sure if I do. If I purchase another 7600GT, am I going to experience the same issues anyway? Is there another PCIe card that works in this system?

I cannot and will not give Apple another $1600-$2000 right now since this computer is only 3 years old, so any recommendations will do!

Thanks for any help in advance.

Oh and p.s. - I have already implemented the smcFancontrol fix. It helps but is not a solution.

iMac 24", MacBook 13", Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Dec 17, 2009 3:39 PM

Reply
7 replies

Dec 17, 2009 8:16 PM in response to Kane507

You cannot replace the video card. It is welded to the motherboard (logic card).
You have a machine that is only worth what the parts are worth. Not much.
Enjoy your new iMac.

Dec 18, 2009 6:58 AM in response to rkaufmann87

From my understanding the Late 2006 *24 inch* iMacs graphic cards are not soldered in. That's what I had read in my research. Many topics state that it is only soldered in on the smaller size iMacs, no?

Oh, and no I don't have Apple Care. I've Been an Apple consumer since the 90's and never had an issue this bad. If I was the only one experiencing this issue I would tell myself I was dumb for not getting it. Since it's a heavily widespread issue for this specific model, I feel that I shouldn't have to purchase Apple Care to have a functional computer.

Dec 18, 2009 8:33 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Well if the card is not soldered in and is upgradeable by someone who knows what they're doing, then I don't need to waste hundreds of dollars having someone else do it. That's why I was asking about the upgrade-ability.

Because this is such a widespread issue, I'm hoping someone can chime in that knows specifically about this model and this issue. I know where to get my computer fixed if I want to overpay, but quite frankly I don't think it's worth it if the repair will cost nearly as much as a new computer would.

Late 2006 Graphics Card Upgrade?

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