Issue with Graphics card...suggestions?

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Issue with Graphics card...suggestions?

So I currently have a 17" iMac 1.83 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo (Late 2006) that we were using as a secondary desktop for our daughter to use. Last summer, after loading Lion onto our current iMac, I tried loading Lion onto older iMac after upgrading the RAM to make it compatible. The RAM install went fine and was tested and all was good. After the Lion install, the screen went squiggly indicating some kind of graphics issue.

I had my friend inspect the issue (who is a Mac Genius) and he confirmed after various tests the graphics card went bad. He further informed me that the card can only be replaced by replacing the motherboard since the graphics card is integrated into the board. Sounds like a costly fix, according to him, for a secondary computer.

My issue is, is it common for graphics cards to go bad like that? Did the Lion install have something to do with graphics failure? It all just seemed weird to me since the machine never gave us any issues in the past? Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcomed!!

Finally, what would be a fair price if I tried selling it for parts on CL or eBay?

Thanks in advance!!

Matt

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jan 21, 2012 10:59 PM

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Answer 1

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shldr2thewheel

Level 7

26,003 points

Jan 21, 2012 11:10 PM in response to mg8r1016

mg8r1016 wrote:

Sounds like a costly fix, according to him

Sure is it is in the upper hundreds of dollars. My friend just had one replace under warranty and it would have cost $800 out of pocket.

My issue is, is it common for graphics cards to go bad like that?

No, it is not common, although Apple did have a GPU supplier that provided some faulty ones in a few instances: http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377

Did the Lion install have something to do with graphics failure?

No. Installing an operating system should not cause a graphics card to fail. Just a coincidence.

Finally, what would be a fair price if I tried selling it for parts on CL or eBay?

Whatever you can get for it really. I'm not sure how one can accurately assess a value correctly on a Mac with such a crucial hardware component gone bad.

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Answer 2

mg8r1016 Author

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Jan 21, 2012 11:36 PM in response to shldr2thewheel

Thanks for the info! The link you gave for the graphics card issues seemed only to deal with MacBooks. I didnt see any mention on iMacs. I guess it is chalked up to coincidence, but deep down I'm the type of person who likes to have an exact reason for why something went wrong.

Thanks anyways!

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 9

77,326 points

Jan 22, 2012 12:02 AM in response to mg8r1016

Could be "just a coincidence" as shldr2thewheel implies? However I would also seriously suspect that the RAM you used could be at fault. Reason is, that model has an Intel GMA 950 graphics processor that uses main memory and it is really sensitive to unmatched or unpaired RAM.

Before I sold or parted it out, I would see if I couldn't get my hands on another 2 or 4GB matching set of modules and try them.

iMac (Late 2006): Memory Specifications

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Answer 4

mg8r1016 Author

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Jan 22, 2012 12:28 AM in response to den.thed

So you would re-order from Crucial another set and try them first? Would it matter that i was able to boot up the machine in Snow Leopard with out issues before trying to install Lion? In Snow Leopard, the RAM registered under about this Mac and the computer seemed to be functioning ok.

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