iMac Power Supply - Advice please

[secret_soulmate]

Hi Guys,

My name is Debi, I'm writing from the UK, and it's my first posting so please be gentle with me.

I have an iMac (Model: A1224) and due to a power surge it appears that I've blown the power supply. Finances are tight at the moment and I can't really afford to take it to an official Apple repair centre.

A local computer shop has offered to help if I buy the part.

Can anybody help me... on eBay the only Power Supply for my iMac is here:

20" iMac Power Supply 614-0421 / HP-N1700XC | eBay

But it's so far away in Australia and I really need my machine working again as soon as possible for my exams.

Anyway, the shop says I could buy one of these as the computer man says they are a different layout but the supply & fixings look the same

661-4670 | eBay

(the 2 part numbers available 661-4670 and 614-0420)

Before I commit to buy, can anybody advise me whether I'm doing the right thing?

Kindest regards,
Debi x

 

[zarathu]

I take it that it is out of warranty.

You DO NOT WANT TO BE PURCHASING powersupply components that are not Apple and then trying to make them fit into an Apple machine. You need genuine apple parts. You can get away with this for batteries, external power supplies, RAM, HD's, but if it needs to internally, you need the Apple Part. Or you may have no Mac at all.

Why would the repair shop make you buy the part? They should have better access to these parts than you. That sounds hokey to me, more like they don't know what they are doing.

And forget about purchasing something from Australia and having it shipped to the UK in any normal time period. And besides, the dude from Australia is likely to ship you a small plastic brick: like what are you going to do about it when you get a piece of plastic instead of a power supply. Never buy ebay out of the country. Inf fact never buy important ebay stuff that you can't physically pick up unless you can afford to lose the money for it.

This is all too too weird. You will need to go to an Apple Dealer or an authorized Apple repair shop and find out what to do.

 

[harryb2448]

Here is a 'how to', but unless you are pretty experienced working inside a computer, pay to have it done as iMacs are the very devil and the best pl;ace for that is your Apple reseller. Expect to pay about three hundred pounds :-

iMac 20" Core 2 Duo (A1224) Repair Guide Service Manual

 

[Head_Unit]

I had the same problem. A new supply is like $150 in the USA. The local shopped changed the capacitors for like $120 labor included.

Go find a shop that is EXPERIENCED doing this repair.

 

[secret_soulmate]

Dear all,

I eventually went to a friend who is experienced in this sort of thing and the power supply has been replaced and my machine is up & running again!

He asked me to let everybody know that power supply 614-0420 is actually compatable with 614-0421... this may help some of you out in the future.

Kindest regards,
Debi x