A white plastic all-in-one from 2004, still in service
Short answer: An iMac G5 from 2004 arrived with a completely black screen. The owner — a retired music producer in his 70s — had been using it as a dedicated Logic Pro 7 workstation (the last Logic version to support PowerPC processors and a library of classic third-party AU plugins that newer Macs cannot run). The screen had been progressively dimming for six months before going fully dark. On the bench: eleven bulging electrolytic capacitors on the logic board and two on the PSU sub-board. Capacitor replacement restored the screen and full operation. Repair: ₹7,200.
What the bench found
The capacitor plague in context
The iMac G5 was produced during a period when a batch of defective electrolytic capacitors (cylindrical components that store electrical charge and smooth power supply output) from several Taiwanese manufacturers was widely distributed. These capacitors used a poorly formulated electrolyte that caused them to build up internal gas pressure over time, bulge at the top, and eventually leak. Apple issued a repair extension programme in 2005 covering some iMac G5 units. Machines not serviced then continue arriving at specialist benches decades later with the same original failing capacitors. The failure is visible under inspection: a properly functioning capacitor has a flat top; a bulging one has a raised dome or visible cracks at the top vent.
Diagnosis and capacitor map
The iMac G5 logic board showed 11 bulged capacitors across the main power regulation and CPU power delivery rails. Two additional capacitors on the power supply sub-board showed similar bulging. The display inverter board — which drives the backlight behind the LCD panel — was tested separately and was intact. The panel itself showed no physical damage. The black screen was entirely a power-supply-chain failure, not a dead display. This is the most common misdiagnosis on iMac G5: owners assume the screen is gone, when it is almost always the board capacitors. For broader context on capacitor and board failures, see our notes on non-repairable board cases to understand the contrast when capacitor damage is caught too late.
Repair and validation
All 13 failed capacitors were desoldered and replaced with modern equivalents — same capacitance and voltage ratings, but using updated low-ESR (low equivalent series resistance — a measure of how efficiently a capacitor passes current) formulations that will outlast the original design. The PSU was reassembled and bench-tested at startup. The iMac G5 booted to Mac OS X 10.5.8, the screen at full brightness for the first time in over a year by the owner’s account. Logic Pro 7 loaded with the full plugin library intact. The owner walked out with a working instrument from 2004. Total: ₹7,200. For context on how Apple hardware value has evolved, the related brand notes at MacBook battery cycles cover the modern M-series end of the spectrum.
When legacy hardware is worth repairing
The simple frame: if the hardware runs a workflow that cannot be replicated on modern hardware at any cost, the repair cost is easily justified. This iMac G5 runs software that Apple no longer supports on any current platform. The owner cannot migrate his plugin library to a current Mac — the software does not exist in a modern compatible form. A ₹7,200 repair against a multi-lakh-rupee modern Mac studio setup that still could not run the same plugins is straightforward mathematics. Not every vintage repair makes this case. But this one did.
When to call a laptop repair service (and what it costs in India)
Signs to act on
If your iMac G5 shows a black or dim screen, fails to boot, or produces a fan-at-full-speed-on-startup pattern (a known capacitor failure symptom), bring it in. Do not attempt to open the iMac G5 without capacitor discharge training — the CRT-era PSU design stores dangerous charge even when unplugged.
Typical repair cost in India
Logic board capacitor replacement (full kit): ₹3,500–₹6,000. PSU capacitor replacement: ₹2,000–₹4,000 additional. Display inverter board replacement: ₹1,500–₹3,500. Full iMac G5 restoration: ₹6,000–₹12,000.
A note from the LRW Engineer Team
This was one of the more satisfying bench jobs of the year. Legacy hardware repair at the component level — desoldering 20-year-old capacitors and restoring function with ₹200 worth of modern components and a few hours of focused work — is what board-level repair is for. Not every repair story is about the newest hardware. Some of the most meaningful ones are about keeping irreplaceable tools working for the people who depend on them.