Tipmart87

Q: 2009 27" has horizontal lines throughout the screen

We bought a 27" in 2011 (turned out to be a 2009 model)  We have already had to replace the hard drive on this model and just last week, the screen froze and after using the power button to turn it off and on again we then got 3 yellow vertical lines shortly followed by about 10 grey and blue horizontal lines and then it just freezes again.  Has anyone else experienced the same problem?  A friend said it could be either the LCD or the graphics card.  I have also read about similar problems with computers made at the W8 factory in Shanghai.  Having spent over $2K on this computer, I really do not want to spend too much more

iMac (27-inch Late 2009)

Posted on Mar 12, 2015 8:08 PM

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Q: 2009 27" has horizontal lines throughout the screen

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  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Mar 12, 2015 8:24 PM in response to Tipmart87
    Level 9 (58,746 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Mar 12, 2015 8:24 PM in response to Tipmart87

    It's likely a GPU failure, apparently you did not buy the machine directly from Apple as Apple would not sell a machine 2 years old as new. The machine is not 6 years old and well past it's warranty. A GPU replacement would be expensive, to see h ow much  you will need to take it in to be serviced.

  • by mickeyjm11011,

    mickeyjm11011 mickeyjm11011 Apr 20, 2015 1:12 AM in response to Tipmart87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 20, 2015 1:12 AM in response to Tipmart87

    I have exactly the same issue . Going to take the Mac to the store this Sunday . Iam not happy.

  • by poluris82,

    poluris82 poluris82 Apr 21, 2015 4:49 PM in response to mickeyjm11011
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Apr 21, 2015 4:49 PM in response to mickeyjm11011

    I agree with rkaufmann87 that this looks like a GPU failure. However, if your machine is a Mid 2011 27" iMac and has an AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card, it could be eligible for a free replacement, even if you're out of warranty. Here's the Apple support page for the replacement program - iMac (27-inch): AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card Replacement Program - Apple Support. I have had a similar issue (boots and hangs on a gray screen with green vertical bars) this weekend. I took it to the local Apple Store today. They confirmed that this was due to the GPU failure and that they will fix it under the replacement program for free (I've been out of warranty for 2 years now). Hope this helps.