[MikeMarco14]

Very recently, my iMac DV SE (full specs and history below) crashed. The screen flickered a few times, then the entire display blanked. After that, the machine failed to power on. I tried unplugging it and plugging it in elsewhere, but to no avail. (Note that other devices plugged into the same surge protector as the iMac are still in good working order.)

Some background on the machine: it is an iMac DV SE/400, purchased new in December of 1999. Out of the box, it came with 128 MB of RAM, a 13 GB hard drive, slot-loading DVD-ROM, 2 USB ports, 2 FireWire ports, 56k modem, 10/100 Ethernet, Apple keyboard and mouse (the old kind, not the Pro varieties now bundled with newer Macs), and Mac OS 9 (plus Apple's usual software bundle).

Here are some of the problems that have plagued this machine in the past, as well as the steps I took to resolve these problems:

- The screen flickered intermittently. I originally attributed this to possible interference from other electronics and tried to ignore it. Towards the end of the computer's life, the flickering became more frequent.

- During some drag operations, my computer would freeze. Replacing the keyboard and mouse in early 2000 solved this problem. (I was still in warranty at this point, but I chose to buy my own replacements since I wanted more comfortable devices than the ones Apple would have supplied. The Pro keyboard and mouse only became available in Summer of 2000, a little later in the year.)

- In early 2001, the hard drive began to emit a grinding noise. In addition, some files on my hard drive became corrupted. Because my warranty had expired at this point, I chose to purchase a new 40 GB hard drive and install it myself. The install was successful and the grinding/corruption problem was solved. (And on top of that, I had much more drive space!)

- The display began to show distortion around the edges as early as three months ago.

- Throughout the computer's history, I have experienced a handful of bus errors on startup (maybe ten total in two-and-a-half years). I have treated these as isolated incidents, since I can find nothing specific that could have triggered them. I have also experienced one kernel panic on startup (I installed OS X 10.1 when it came out; it was fully upgraded to 10.1.3 with all incremental patches "pre-mortem"). Again, I treated this as an isolated incident.

The machine's current specs are as follows: 400 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 256 MB RAM (up from 128), 40 GB 7200 RPM hard drive (up from 13 GB/5400 RPM), 56k modem, 10/100 Ethernet, Macally iKey full-size keyboard, Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical, Iomega Zip 250 USB, Yamaha 16x10x40 FireWire CD-RW writer, Mac OS 9.2.2 and 10.1.3, and more software than I could possibly list here.

All these things considered, my question: should I have this machine repaired or replaced?

[vmarks]

I answered one of your other posts about this machine in a different thread.

It will probably cost you about $300 +/- to have it repaired. Is it worth that money to you? Have you been budgeting for another machine?

And if you repaired this one, how much longer would you forsee using it for?

I'm working on a method to get around this problem and save the repair bill, but I haven't got it finished yet.

[MikeMarco14]

Originally posted by vmarks:
<STRONG>I answered one of your other posts about this machine in a different thread.

It will probably cost you about $300 +/- to have it repaired. Is it worth that money to you? Have you been budgeting for another machine?

And if you repaired this one, how much longer would you forsee using it for?

I'm working on a method to get around this problem and save the repair bill, but I haven't got it finished yet.</STRONG>

I'm contemplating getting another machine. I could pay that money, but considering this machine's past history, I might be plagued by even more problems down the road. I'd almost rather pay more money for a newer, more solid machine now than have to deal with repair bills for years to come.

Ideally, I like my machines to last. I got this iMac because I knew that performance-wise, it would serve my needs well. And it did. Problem is, I didn't foresee reliability issues. If I had only been wiser...

If I were to replace this machine, what should I replace it with? I'm thinking a Pismo PowerBook...

[GORDYmac]

Mine died to: hard drive failure. Luckily, I had started using my iBook as my main machine. I took it off the desk yesterday and removed all graphite from my workstation, a sorrowful occasion indeed.

My plan is to go in and see why the HD failed, replace it, and give it to my nephew for Xmas.

[MikeMarco14]

Originally posted by GORDYmac:
<STRONG>Mine died to: hard drive failure. Luckily, I had started using my iBook as my main machine. I took it off the desk yesterday and removed all graphite from my workstation, a sorrowful occasion indeed.

My plan is to go in and see why the HD failed, replace it, and give it to my nephew for Xmas.</STRONG>

If you replace the hard drive, I recommend sticking to 5400 RPM motors. (Technically size doesn't matter, but bigger is definitely better.) When I replaced mine, I used one with a 7200 RPM motor. It gave me quite a performance boost, granted, but it might have contributed to my iMac's premature death. I heard somewhere that some hard drives may overload the power supply, and I think that a 7200 RPM drive might draw more power than a slower one. Can't confirm this, though, so don't take my word for it.

[GORDYmac]

Originally posted by MikeMarco14:
<STRONG>If I were to replace this machine, what should I replace it with? I'm thinking a Pismo PowerBook...</STRONG>

After seeting up my iBook where the iMac used to sit, I noticed that the iBook was MUCH faster when using the Apple Pro Keyboard and Kensington Optical mouse I used with the iMac. This is my temorary desktop solution. I'll be buying a G4 soon.

I recommend an iBook. Even the 500MHz model (the one I have) will be faster than the iMac. You can snag one for less than $900 now.

[rrfrey]

Go with the iBook.

My wife picked up a 500 CD-Rom one at CompUSA for $899 last week. Its faster & feels like has more usable screen w/OSX.

We also hedged our bets and spent $249 on the Applecare.

I love the CRT imacs, but mine has been a terribly unreliable machine. Maybe its the internal heat or something, but they don't seem like they last very long.

Of course, I just wasted $400 on one, which sort of explains my rant over at macfixit.

Rodney Frey