Graphics Issue - iMac 2010

[caspian]

Dear Forum Members,

I have got an iMac 2010 with dedicated MXM graphics card. But I do not have experience in iMac. So I have got a few questions:
- Can iMac boot normally and display anything if the graphics card fail?
- If I disconnect the MXM graphics card, can iMac work fine?
- If I disconnect the MXM graphics card, how well does iMac work with Intel Graphics? Is Intel Graphics enough in iMac for ordinary computer works?

Thanks

[KvnTM]

Re: Graphics Issue - iMac 2010

2010 and 2011 iMac's are notorious for AMD GPU failures.

- Can iMac boot normally and display anything if the graphics card fail?

No. The Display will turn white while loading the OS at some point. Usually they even start with lines or distortions on the apple logo.

- If I disconnect the MXM graphics card, can iMac work fine?

No.

- If I disconnect the MXM graphics card, how well does iMac work with Intel Graphics? Is Intel Graphics enough in iMac for ordinary computer works?

It won't even turn on.


The only solution is to replace the MXM card with a revised one. Usually they cost more than a whole iMac with dead GPU since they are quite rare and desirable.
The issue is the same as with the nvidia 8xxx/9xxx M Series.

[caspian]

Re: Graphics Issue - iMac 2010

thank you very much.
is there a way to convert iMac 2010 from DIS to UMA?

[piernov]

Re: Graphics Issue - iMac 2010

GPU failure can cause all sort of different issue, ranging from no power at all to instability or artifacts only under high load. Sometimes it causes no POST, chime loop, no image, artifacts, freeze at boot, etc…
iMac will turn on and chime without a graphics card, it'll work properly but obviously there will be no image.
Intel iGPU cannot be used, it's not routed at all on the board. LVDS and Thunderbolt are connected directly to the MXM slot.

All the graphics card compatible with these iMac are garbage, there are *no* reliable graphics card, no fixed revision. Everything you can find on eBay is garbage, already been rehotted or will fail soon.
There is basically no solution for those.

Only thing you can do is put an NVidia graphics card (they don't have the reliability issue of the AMD ones) like a GTX 765M, but you lose bootscreen, external display support and brightness adjustment. Customers usually don't want that.


Avoid these machines at all cost.

[KvnTM]

Re: Graphics Issue - iMac 2010

GPU failure can cause all sort of different issue, ranging from no power at all to instability or artifacts only under high load. Sometimes it causes no POST, chime loop, no image, artifacts, freeze at boot, etc…
iMac will turn on and chime without a graphics card, it'll work properly but obviously there will be no image.
Intel iGPU cannot be used, it's not routed at all on the board. LVDS and Thunderbolt are connected directly to the MXM slot.

All the graphics card compatible with these iMac are garbage, there are *no* reliable graphics card, no fixed revision. Everything you can find on eBay is garbage, already been rehotted or will fail soon.
There is basically no solution for those.

Only thing you can do is put an NVidia graphics card (they don't have the reliability issue of the AMD ones) like a GTX 765M, but you lose bootscreen, external display support and brightness adjustment. Customers usually don't want that.


Avoid these machines at all cost.

People were saying that there is a revised revision of those chips (like Nvidia did back then) but good to know that this is not the case. I had one 2011 iMac for repair and I didn't bother looking deeply into it because I knew the GPU is dead anyways and they are worth next to nothing. Thanks for the correction piernov!