# imac g5 video problem



## wnowak1 (Feb 21, 2008)

We have a imac g5 w/ 1.9 ghz cpu.  Recently its been experiencing banding in the display.  Video playback is off too.  Checked the resolution and colors -> that is correct.  Connected an external monitor to it using mini vga cable, same problem.  Formatted and installed OS 10.5, same problem. 

Came across this page: 

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302181

The problem is that my serial number is not in this range. 

Has anyone experienced a similar problem?


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## nixgeek (Feb 21, 2008)

wnowak1 said:


> We have a imac g5 w/ 1.9 ghz cpu.  Recently its been experiencing banding in the display.  Video playback is off too.  Checked the resolution and colors -> that is correct.  Connected an external monitor to it using mini vga cable, same problem.  Formatted and installed OS 10.5, same problem.
> 
> Came across this page:
> 
> ...



Take it in anyways.  There were incidents where not only 1st-gen iMac G5s were affected, but 2nd-gen (like mine) and 3rd-gen (iSight) iMac G5s as well.  I took mine in after owning it for only a little over 2 years before it started experiencing problems.  The 1st and 2nd generation iMac G5s can remove the back cover so I was able to see the bulging capacitors, some of which had also leaked.  If you're having video problems, it's most likely related to the same problem.  Do a search in the MacinTouch website for the iMac G5 failures and you'll see some people with the iSight models with the same problems.  Take it in, print out whatever you can find online regarding the capacitors and the iMac G5s, and then take it with you to the Apple Store.  Let them know what you've done to troubleshoot the problem and that you've done your homework on the issue.  Even if it's out of warranty, iMac G5s affected are covered for three years after the date of purchase.

I hope it turns out well for you.


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## nixgeek (Feb 21, 2008)

Also check out this Popular Mechanics article about the problem.  I printed this out as well and took it with me to the Apple Store along with printouts of the Repair Extension Program.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/upgrade/1707756.html


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## wnowak1 (Feb 21, 2008)

Thanks for the replies.  I'll do just that.


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## Deathyak (Mar 28, 2009)

...Bump

So i got lazy when i tried fixing my g5.  I didn't put on the cover.  I was having video problems-->jamming-->freezing-->shutting down.

Apple store said it needed a new logic board.  I opened it up to investigate.

I was too lazy to put the cover back on, and as it turns out, it works JUST FINE without the cover.  Goodbye video problems lol.  So now I have a perfectly good g5, which may or may not be faster than my macbook lol.

Try it without the cover, you have nothing to lose.  I think my vents are clogged... will pull out the torx set tomorrow.


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## nixgeek (Mar 28, 2009)

Well, it makes sense since the internals now have more access to cooler air, but that doesn't necessarily fix the problem.  The problem lies in the capacitors that are faulty.  Combine that with the heat buildup from the iMac G5 and you have FAIL.  The replacement logic boards (for the most part) use different capacitors that function properly.  Eventually, the capacitors you have on your logic board will probably fail at some point, just much later on than normal.  Of course, at that point I would imagine that you would have moved on to a much newer system.


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## TPhilli (May 8, 2009)

I just spent $60 to find out they wanted to replace my iMac G5 20" 2.0ghz logic board, because they couldn't find anything else wrong.  I declined and brought it home.  I decided to stress the video with an HD Podcast.  It looked terrible for almost the entire thing.  Then all the sudden, crystal clear.  Shutdown iTunes, and still crystal clear.  Power cycled the system, same.

I had recently made 2 changes to my system:  a memory upgrade and an iTunes 8.1.1 upgrade (which apparently has new HD capabilities).  Not sure why it is fixed, but it is.  Hope the same works for you!


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## nixgeek (May 9, 2009)

TPhilli said:


> I just spent $60 to find out they wanted to replace my iMac G5 20" 2.0ghz logic board, because they couldn't find anything else wrong.  I declined and brought it home.  I decided to stress the video with an HD Podcast.  It looked terrible for almost the entire thing.  Then all the sudden, crystal clear.  Shutdown iTunes, and still crystal clear.  Power cycled the system, same.
> 
> I had recently made 2 changes to my system:  a memory upgrade and an iTunes 8.1.1 upgrade (which apparently has new HD capabilities).  Not sure why it is fixed, but it is.  Hope the same works for you!



Mine went through a moment where it seemed as though things were back to normal.  Shortly thereafter, it started exhibiting the problems again.  Were they going to charge you for the parts as well?  Was this at an Apple Store?  Usually the Apple Store doesn't charge to look at something.  I had taken my father's Power Mac G5 1.6 way back and I just made an appointment with the Genius Bar to have them look at it.  They were only ready to charge me for the parts, but not to look at it.


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## mikegill (Dec 23, 2009)

I had (have) a flaky iMac (1.9GHz from 2004) with the blue screen problem too.  It was always trying to change display resolutions without me doing it.  It would freeze many activities, so made the system frustrating at best.  I reloaded the OS and it made no difference.  Then I came across your website and thought I had a solution with the capacitors being the issue.  My particular iMac was one whose motherboard was not accessible by "mere mortals" (read that to mean "only official Apple repair folks"), so I couldn't even see if the caps were kaput.  Well, it was so frustrating that I was willing to go for it and replace them anyway.  The option was to buy a new motherboard at almost the price of a new computer or throw away an otherwise great machine.  I brought it to a local repair place (Create More, Inc. in San Francisco).  They saw no bad capacitors, but did discover that for some reason, when a second monitor was plugged in, the wacky display resolution changes stopped happening (thanks, guys!).  No one was sure why, but I was suddenly seeing a cheap fix here.

Bottom line was that I bought a used monitor for $20, plugged it in and things seem good again.  It's been about a month and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  I'm not saying that the caps repair problem won't work for some folks, but if all we had to do was buy a used monitor, wouldn't life be easier?  Good luck!

Mike


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