14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has officially debuted its AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card Replacement Program for iMac (27-inch) models shipped between 2011 and 2012.
Acknowledging an issue with the graphics cards inside the high-end iMacs shipped between 2011 and 2012, Apple last week informed Support staffers that a replacement program was being initiated.
In a tech note posted this past weekend – but without any warning from the mother ship – Apple reveals that it has discovered flaws with said graphics solutions and that it is waiting for “affected” customers with its arms wide open for replacements.
“Apple has determined that some AMD Radeon HD 6970M video cards used in 27-inch iMac computers with 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processors may fail,” according to tech note TS5167.
As a result of the faulty cards, the computer’s display may “appear distorted, white or blue with vertical lines, or to turn black.”
“iMac computers with affected video cards were sold between May 2011 and October 2012,” Apple confirms.
If your iMac has this video card inside and is exhibiting the issues described above, you can choose one of three options to have your iMac evaluated by a specialist, including the Apple Retail Store, Apple Authorized Service Providers and, of course, Apple Technical Support.
As usual, the Cupertino giant cautions that customers will need to back up their data before they waltz in with their Mac.
“If the iMac (27-inch) meets these requirements, Apple will replace the video card free of charge for three years after the first retail sale of the computer,” the document states.
The number of customers affected by this issue doesn’t appear to be very big. Then again, not everyone buys a 27-inch iMac.
Apple also reportedly instructed Support staff to consider making customers eligible for a refund, should they have replaced the graphics card on their own money, prior to the launch of this program.