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Jamus · Sep 17, 2007, 04:25 PM

A friend was given a 3yr old 1.8Ghz (single processor) 20" iMac. It has no hard drive ($60) and a failed motherboard ($530).

By the time those parts are replaced (not to mention labor), it will be close to the cost of a new (and faster!) Mac mini. I hate to see it thrown away and hoped to find a project to make out of it, but with a dead motherboard I think it is DOA.

Any ideas?

iREZ · Sep 17, 2007, 05:24 PM

try to see if it could be used as a display if theres nothing wrong with the lcd. it'd be a white cinema display with a chin.

rjenkinson · Sep 17, 2007, 06:06 PM

Sell it for the screen, case and optical drive.

adamfishercox · Sep 17, 2007, 06:37 PM

Give it to me

Jamus · Sep 17, 2007, 09:16 PM

It looks like I am looking at making a reeeeeeaaaal thin aquarium.

applemacbook · Sep 17, 2007, 09:31 PM

take out the processor and the RAM and sell it on ebay
I did that with broken laptops for a few years and made a few thousand dollars that way

ghporter · Sep 18, 2007, 07:09 AM

Part it out, as several people have mentioned. There are probably fewer people in need of iMac enclosures than laptop enclosures, but there are bound to be a few. The display should be an easy sell too, as should the optical drive... See the way it goes? Apple parts in good condition should be pretty easy to find new homes for.

Xyphoid Process · Sep 18, 2007, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by Jamus

It looks like I am looking at making a reeeeeeaaaal thin aquarium.

Turn it into a MacAntfarm

adamfishercox · Sep 18, 2007, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by Xyphoid Process

Turn it into a MacAntfarm

Waragainstsleep · Sep 19, 2007, 04:02 PM

What is wrong with the motherboard exactly? Try and power it up. A healthy board with no HD will give a grey screen with a flashing folder with a ? and Mac face icon. If you get screwy graphics, that might be good news. Whip the back off it and examine the capacitors. You should see seams on the tops of them. They might be a K shape with a seam across the middle and then two shorter ones coming off to one side, but if they are a 90 degree cross shape you might be in luck.

Alternatively, just check your serial and or EMC number against the information on this page:

iMac G5 Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues: Frequently Asked Questions

You can find both numbers printed on the underside of the foot, on a grey plastic insert. If yours has lost the insert, you can also find this info on a grey sticker on the back of the LCD at the top. Remove the back and you'll see it up by the fans.

If yours is not covered and has video issues, check the caps anyway. If they are the cross type (or any of them are) you might be able to blag coverage anyway. Especially if they are bulging or leaking (at the seams on top). DON'T touch leaking ones. They are probably toxic. Though thats just a guess.

Waragainstsleep · Sep 19, 2007, 04:04 PM

I should add that a SATA HD is cheapthese days. (you don't need apple branded ones) if you can get the board fixed by Apple. You probably know that.
The drive is a piece of cake to install too.