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I believe the video card on my Imac G5 has gone as it reveals many images all cross the screen which freezes the machine.
Now when I try to start up all I get is the grey apple logo and spinning gear - nothing more.
Is there a diagram showing where on the motherboard this video card is and can it be replaced.
Also how can the complete board be replaced and how much will it cost? please
Alan
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as I recommended to Jharlow, open the back of the iMac and look for bulging or leaking capacitors, which may be the source of your problem.
If its the caps, there are shops that can replace these for a fraction of what a new board would cost.
The Average Cost of a replacement for this machine is about
$400-$500 USD
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I agree!
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I had same problem with Imac 20". The video card is the problem. Found this solution on a another site. Remove this extension: ATIRadeonX1000.kext. It is located at: system/library/extensions. You can start up in safe mode, then go to the extensions remove it (I saved a back up of it on an external drive just in case). You're Imac will work but the only thing I've heard is that graphics that use quartz will not display. I haven't found many things that don't work and since I use it for internet and some work it is all good.
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Good answer, but the question is 2.5 years old and the issue probably resolved by now. Your expertise might be better utilized on more recent questions ;-) Thanks for contributing.
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Not an answer, but this sounds very similar to what I am experiencing with my 20" G5 iMac. Try booting in Safe Mode (hold down shift key while booting) and see what happens. It works for me. Apparently it disables the Quartz engine, and that is probably where the problem lies. I'm looking for an expert to help with this too...
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Same for me. Somehow it works in Safe Mode but not the fully booted mode. It's probably because Quartz is disabled, but is Quartz using another part of the card which is damaged? Must be, I suppose.
The thing is, if you are in Safe Mode then try restarting, sometimes I can't boot back into Safe Mode again because it doesn't even get that far. Makes me think that there is a temperature issue too.
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Most Imacs suffer from faulty capacitors on the main board.
It's quite an involved job replacing them but not beyond anyone who is competent with tools and a soldering iron.
Replacing the capacitors will sole all the problems of break up of the display and freezes and locking up.
The capacitor kits can be obtained on ebay.
I have fully refurbished my own G5 imac and look forward to many extra years of use.
These computers also suffer from power supply failure which also involves replacement of capacitors.
Unfortunately for the world a company in Korea supplied the worlds electronics industry with duff capacitors.
Apple, Dell, Sony and many other well known manufacturers fell victim to the duff capacitors.
Good luck with repairing your G5 the component cost for a full set of Japanese Rubicon capacitors is approximately £20.
I would not choose the cheaper suppliers of capacitors because the are often the wrong size and you might be putting potentially duff capacitors back in your computer and it will fail again.
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