IMac Video Card Replacement

Is there anyway to get the video card replaced in my iMac? Apple Care has expired and they replaced it just last year before it was over but it appears to have gone out again. I have a 24" Intel iMac which I purchased in Feb of 2010. I read online that it is not possible to replace myself because its sealed in but I recall when Apple replaced it last year the Genius telling me they just pop it out and replace but maybe I misunderstood.
I'm not sure why it has gone out again we barely use it as I mostly use my MacBook. However, the MacBook also seems to be having issues with its video card.

You will need to take it in for repair. You don't even know that the GPU has gone bad. It could be something else. If you attempt to repair it yourself, then Apple will no longer provide any future support whatsoever. Let them do the repair for you.

Similar Messages

IMac video card is busted again. Options?

I have a 27" iMac purchased in 2011. Since this January I've had to take it to Apple Retail Store for video card replacement twice, and now it's busted again. I don't want them to put in another refurbished card and likely break down on me in a short time. So far it's costed me 6 days without my computer which I use for work.
My question is what options do I have to prevent having this problem again and again?
I do get free repairs via Apple Care but I shouldn't have to deal with so much down time. I feel that I should be compensated somehow, or at least be guaranteed a new, not refurbished, video card.

first, call AppleCare and complain in a polite manner so they can document the situation, also have them make an appointment for you in the genius bar and have them give you the case #. Then go to the appointment and ask for a new one after you plead your case about how much you have been inconvenienced. I think you have a pretty strong case.

IMac 21.5 Video Card Replacement?

Hi all,
I have been searching everywhere to find out if i can replace the graphics card on my iMac. its a late 2009 21.5 iMac and I've tried everything i can to try and get a work around. i currently don't have a keyboard/mouse, and have stripped the screen out of the tower to find more information.
my problem was that the mac booted fine, id hear the chime, fans, HDD, but no screen. used a flashlight to see if it was the backlight, nothing. searching for the serial says theres 2 possible configurations, and i fear that mine is not a replaceable card. serial is W89410H75PC and the model is EMC-2308. i'll try and attach a photo of the 'foot' of the machine so everyone can see all the info i can. i also tried to attach a second monitor, a samsung tv which i use with my macbook pro, but had no luck. whilst stripping it out, i had a go at looking at the diagnostic LED's, and i think i saw 1 ON, 2 ON, gap, 4 ON. but they are hidden by the bezel/faceplate at the bottom and its hard to work out which is which.
thanks for any help, this mac was a discarded item, so ideally id like to try anything to get it working and even soldering a new board on if i can source a replacement is a realistic option,
regards,
Alex

MichelPM wrote:
There is a new GPU replacement program for mid 2011, 27 inch iMac models.
If your iMac serial numbers end with certain letters, your iMac maybe eligible for a no cost replacement GPU.
Contact either Apple directly at 1-800-MYAPPLE or contact your nearest Apple store and ask about this and make an apappointment at the Genius Bar to bring in your iMac if your iMac is eligible for the free GPU replacement.
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/16/apple-initiates-graphic-card-replacement-pro gram-for-mid-2011-27-inch-imac/
Good Luck
That's right, I totally forgot about this program.

So which 27" iMac Video card to go with???

Hey gang-
Lucky me- my wife said that I've been good enough to ask for a new iMac this Christmas! I'll be replacing my trusty old Mid-2007 24" with one of the new Late-2013 27" models. To my surprise, it seems my go-to source for reviews- MacWorld magazine- has yet to publish any print review of the Late-2013 models- so I'm guessing they aren't going to.
I know I'll be going with a Fusion Drive upgrade, but where I'm stuck is on the Video card. Thoughts on the NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M/1GB, or the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 775M/2GB, or the mac-daddy NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M/4GB?
I've seen a few threads with new owners of Late-2013 iMacs already enquiring about upgrading their video cards, so don't want to underbuy.
Any thoughts or maybe anyone found a good review since MacWorld hasn't?
Thanks!
Dave

What are you going to use your new iMac for?
That will determine what CPU and video card you need.

Graphics/Video Card [REPLACEMENT / UPGRADE] on HP Pavilion Desktop - Help

I have the following:
HP Pavilion Elite m9152p Desktop
Upgraded to Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (upgraded 11-2009)
The video card seems to have gone out and I have tried the following:
Reinstalling Operating system
Uninstalled & Reinstalled & Rollback drivers
Prior to the above attempts, no changes had been made to software or hardware only leading to the same result: The video seems to be fine and then it freezes and crashes and ultimately has to have a hard-restart at which point, the computer loads the onboard video/graphics.
I need to purchase a replacement video/graphics card, but I am unsure what specs I need to be aware of or what my computer can handle as far as a replacement and maybe a possible upgrade (not necessary) - any help in this regard would be most appreciated.
Thanks!
This question was solved.
View Solution.

I think it is a good choice.
The reviews seem positive for the most part including that the fan appears to be quiet.
I don't know if your previous card had HDMI.
When you install your new video card, it may disable your onboard audio due to the HDMI audio chip on the video card.
If you do lose your onboard audio, after you install the video drivers, reboot the machine, go into the BIOS, find the onboard audio setting. It may be set to Auto or Disabled. Change the setting to Enabled. Save the setting where you made the change and again when you exit the BIOS.
Upon reboot you will have your onboard audio back.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Paul

Early 2008 Video Card Replacement Question

BACKGROUND
Hardware Overview:
Model Name:                       Mac Pro
Model Identifier:                  MacPro3,1
Processor Name:                  Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed:                  2.8 GHz
Number of Processors:         2
Total Number of Cores:        8
L2 Cache (per Processor):     12 MB
Memory:                               10 GB
Bus Speed:                            1.6 GHz
Boot ROM Version:                MP31.006C.B05
SMC Version (system):          1.25f4
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT:part number 630-9898
Chipset Model:        NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Type:                       GPU
Bus:                         PCIe
Slot:                         Slot-1
PCIe Lane Width:      x16
VRAM (Total):           512 MB
Vendor:                    NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID:                 0x0611
Revision ID:              0x00a2
ROM Revision:          3233
Displays:
SyncMaster:
Resolution:                       1920x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth:                      32-BitColor (ARGB8888)
SyncMaster:
Resolution:                       1920x 1080 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth:                      32-BitColor (ARGB8888)
I run one XP drive for games (primarily Flight Simulators) and music/video (CD/DVD) conversion (Danisoft/SlyFox). Mostly stuff that I have yet to find an equivalent that will run on Mac OS. I run one drive with Lion: MSOffice for Mac, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, etc (main use drive). I run one drive with Snow Leopard: still have some stuff that requires Rosetta but is little used. (Thinking about creating a Snow Leopard partition on my Lion drive and using my current Snow Leopard drive for additional storage.) I run one drive thatis purely storage. Everything is backedup to a 2TB Time Capsule using Time Machine. Op systems also backed up to Hitachi 2TB G-Drive using Carbon CopyCloner as well as all important files backed up there as well.
Video card failed. Ifixed it using the ‘bake it in the oven’ trick. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7um_hZYom4) However, still thinking about replacing the card. There are three Apple part numbers foravailable/comparable video cards.
630-9898 – This is the part number ofthe card currently installed. Best pricefound is $586.37
661-4642 – This card is listed as newwith no choke. Best price found is$242.00.
661-4854 – This card is listed as new‘with Choke’. Best price found is$246.00.
Then, I see where some are replacingthe NVIDIA cards with ATI’s.
5770 – $249.00 from Apple.
5870 – $449.00 from Apple.
QUESTION
Based on my current gaming on the XPdrive and the primary use of the Mac OS drives being general purpose (with moreand more getting into iPhoto and iMovie), what are the feelings of the community on which replacement vid card to purchase? (Note: To date I have not had any issues with noise or smoothness using the 8800. But who knows what I might want to do in the future and I want to be prepared as best Ican without spending the $1500 on that really high end card.)
TIA

You should look at those Apple version of the ATI Radeon 5770 and 5780 video cards. They are the current mac pro cards but will work in 2008's.
The 5770 requires one aux power cable and the 5870 requires two. Both have two mini-displayports and a dual link DVI port.

IMac Video Card in 20" and 24"

Hello,
I want to thank everyone in advance for posting here.
I am deciding between the 24" and 20" iMac but will be doing the video card upgrade regardless of which system I buy.
Can anyone tell me the difference between the upgrade options (nvidia geforce 1600 gt in the 24" and the ATI Radeon X1600?
My primary applications of use are Final Cut Pro 5, DVD Studio Pro 4, and Adobe Photoshop CS2. I don't care about render time, except for in Photoshop.
If anyone can help...please do. I recognize they both have the same VRAM, but if there wasn't a difference, they wouldn't be different upgrade options.
Thanks

Hello,
I want to thank everyone in advance for posting
here.
I am deciding between the 24" and 20" iMac but will
be doing the video card upgrade regardless of which
system I buy.
Can anyone tell me the difference between the upgrade
options (nvidia geforce 1600 gt in the 24" and the
ATI Radeon X1600?
Actually, if you look at the specs at the online Apple store, you will see that the 20" offers the x1600 with a choice of 128 or 256MB of video ram. The 24" offers the Nividea 7300 w/128MB or the 7600 with 256. IF you are going to be doing video editing and photography, I would get the upgraded model no matter what system you get. Though it may be theoretically possible, it will be very impractible to upgrade the card later. You will need the ram,especially if you want to play any games,or get into Aperature for photo management and processing as well as CS2 also, I think it would also impact video editing as well.
BTW, the 24" screen is great.

2007 Aluminum Imac Video Card upgrade

I asked this before but I think i didnt ask the question correct. I have a 2007 Aluminuim imac.
I was curious if you could upgrade to the 8800 video card in the latest imac.
Sorry I was confused.
Tom

Actually the answer is YES, GPU is not integrated on the motherboard, it is a removable standard MXM format GPU.
Please check out this blog (scroll all the way to the bottom)
http://www.amfiteatar.org/content/view/155/57/lang,en/
A whole other issue is where to purchase an Apple compatible MXM GPU.

Mid 2007 iMac video card does not meet minimum requirements for latest iMovie update

Tried updating to the latest version of iMovie and I get the following message. "Your computer's video card does not meet the minimum system requirements." I haven't had any luck finding what those requirements are. What are the minimum requirements?
Thanks.

I'm having the same issue here too. I'm using a mid 2007 iMac 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB of SDRAM and ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB.
What bugs me is that the update shows up but you are not allowed to install it. Either one of two things needs to happen.
#1 apple allows users to hide the update but still let you know that there is a hardware incompatibality
#2 don't let the update show up at all

PCI video card replacement for PowerMac G3 (Blue and White)

Hi, I am new to this forum. I apologize if this issue has been addressed before, but I have been reading over the forum for the last 2 days and tried all the steps I could find. I have an old PowerMac G3 (Blue and White).
It used to run fine. I had a friend with a similar computer and he
needed a video card, so I gave him the one in my Mac G3, because I was not using it at the time.
Now, I have decided I want to use it. I am running into an issue with the video (It takes PCI), I get no display, but I can hear the hard drive spin, it lights up, I hear the Apple "ding".
I have about 6 PCI video cards laying around, and I have tried all of them, resetting the CUDA each time. Still cannot get a display.
I have tried different slots on the motherboard, checked the PRAM battery, (it was good). Tried booting off a live Linux CD for power PCs, tried the commandoption+pr until I hear the apple "ding" go off 2x, I have tried a different monitor and monitor cable.
Nothing seems to work, I need to know what I should try next.
Thank you for your help in this matter.

"I have about 6 PCI video cards laying around, and I have tried all of them, resetting the CUDA each time. Still cannot get a display."
If these graphics cards are designed for use in PCs, they won't work in your Mac. Compatible graphics cards must be programmed with a Mac ROM. Some "PC" cards can have their EEPROM chip flashed with a Mac ROM, provided that someone has extracted the particular Mac ROM code for the card in question. A web search will provide leads for that. If you just want a decent graphics card, go for a Radeon 7000 Mac Edition (2002 vintage card). If you check eBay, you should be able to find a flashed "PC" Radeon 7000 card. I'd try to get the one with 64 MBs of DDR memory, as opposed to the 32 MB model. If you don't mind spending more $$, you can find a more current PCI graphics card for your G3, like the Radeon 9200 at Other World Computing.

Imac 27" 2011 video card replacement program

Hi all,
I purchased a mac in november 2011 (no applecare). Since a few weeks my mac is showing the known issues.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5167
When I boot my mac I the grey startup screen with vertical lines in it. Then the screen goes black and stops. I went to an apple service point and they told me its 100% the graphics card, but if they run the test to detect this specific problem it does not give any error thus unabling me to take part of this program. I discussed this with apple support and even the senior advisor cant help me. I referred to getting a CS number but he does not want to.
He said that it probably is the graphics card, but probably not that specific component that would give errors when they test the graphics card. Ofcourse for me that doesnt matter which component of the graphics card is faulty, because it all relates the Imac having the same symptoms.
Anything else I can do here ?

Lasben wrote:
Did you ever found a soloution?
I just had the exact same experience with apple support. Not THAT specifik problem but still an IMac with problems.
Regards Lasse
It's generally better to start your own Topic, rather than adding onto an existing one. You are asking a question from someone who has not reposted this thread since May 30, 2014.
Please start a new topic about your issue so it can receive more focused attention.

24" iMac Video Card Burned

I have the 24" aluminum iMac and all of the sudden when I tried starting it up, it wouldn't do anything. It is out of warranty because I didn't buy AppleCare for it (Stupid...I know) but when I opened it up, I immediately noticed that the graphics card looked burned. Is there anything I can do besides buying a new logic board because I really can't afford that. I paid a lot for this computer as it is and it's really disappointing that something like this happened to such an expensive computer.

Sorry to hear, but unfortunately, these types of things do not last forever and are not infallible (just like hard drives or any other hardware part). Although Apple states that the graphics cards are soldered onto the logic board, I've read some posts where a user or AASP was able to just replace the graphics card, so you might want to check into that possibility (and, since you've opened it up, you might have seen the configuration). Other than that, you can have the logic board replaced or, worst case scenario, sell the iMac for parts or with the disclaimer that it needs a logic board.

FCP on iMac - video card RAM

What are the benefits from boosting video memory on the 20-in iMac from 128 MB to 256 MB? I'm interested in the effect on performance while using video editing software such as Final Cut Pro. Thanks!

Hi:
I thought you was trying to upgrade an iMac you had, but you are getting a new one !
Motion will be the FCS program to take great advantage from your graphic card processor. Motion is GPU based.
The other componentes of FCS are CPU based. From FCP v5.1 you can use some of the Motion effects what means that your GPU power will help there.
I'm pretty sure you have visited this page:
http://www.apple.com/imac/graphics.html
Here you can find the Motion graphics requirements:
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/motion/specs.html
Your best option is the 24" with the 7600 GT.
Think you'll need a second drive (external) to store your captured video.
WHY DON'T YOU . . . ?
Probably you'll get a better and more flexible FCS station getting an used PowerMac that you can "dress" with better options to use FCS: second internal fast drive, graphic cards, etc.
Alberto

24" iMac Video Card difference

Hello,
Is there a noticeable difference between the NVidia 128mgs and 256mgs cards - specifically while gaming - as to how the graphics show on the screen?
Thanks.
Jen

The 7600GT/256 will give you much better 3D
performace than the 7300GT/128. Especially in the
high-end 3D games when maxing out the screen res.
Would definately go for the 7600 if you're a gamer.
lenn
Thank you Lenn. I already have the 128 (unfortunately) and I notice a difference between my MacBook Pro with the ATI 256 and my iMac with the 128. I play WoW.
So now the question is, is it worth it spending the money to get the 256mgs on the iMac? And what do I do with my current 24" iMac. Such dilemas...lol
thanks for your quick response.
Jen

Question about iMac Video Cards and Video Ram

I'm trying to decide between two 2012 iMacs. I'm buying it to run Adobe Premiere Pro, and After Effects, to edit and render 1080-720p video footage. The cheaper Mac has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. The higher end one has, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX graphics processor with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. Most importantly, is the extra GB of Vram worth it? Secondarily, is the GTX 680MX(vs. 675MX) worth it? I'm trying to keep it cheap, so unless there's a notable difference, I need to go with the first one. Thanks for the help!

mostly video memory is used to hold textures for fast blittering when one run fullscreen 3d games 2d image program and video edit programs does not really take advantage of more video memory then they need to hold the back buffer of the screen which is pretty much just horizontal amount of columns multiplied by vertical lines multiplied by 4 as in the 4 bytes used by the colours

IMac Video Card Replacement

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