iMac Repair Cost: Our Sydney Price List and What Drives It

iMac repairs at our workshop start from $89 to fit memory you supply, and the most expensive, a 27-inch 5K screen on a 2019 or 2020 model, is from $1,199. For the main jobs, an SSD upgrade is from $599, a board-level logic board repair from $449, and a screen from $379, depending on the model. Every figure below is in Australian dollars including GST and is a from-price, except the hands-on bench diagnostic: that is always a fixed $150, waived if you go ahead with the repair. The phone quote is free.

Our iMac price list

These are from-prices for the job described, other than the fixed diagnostic fee, and every repair carries our 12-month warranty on parts and labour. We confirm the exact figure for your model when we quote.

Quotes and diagnosis

SSD and RAM upgrade costs

SSD prices include data transfer and macOS setup. Two jobs cannot be done at all: the RAM on the 21.5-inch Mid 2014 and Late 2015 is soldered, and the 2020 27-inch has its SSD soldered to the board under the T2 chip's control, so for that model we suggest an external Thunderbolt SSD instead. Full details are on our iMac SSD upgrade and iMac RAM upgrade pages.

Screen replacement costs

See iMac screen and glass replacement for what each screen job involves.

Logic board, power supply and graphics costs

More on these jobs: iMac logic board, graphics and power supply repair.

Software, data and maintenance

What drives the cost of an iMac repair

The part

On screens, the panel is most of the price. A new 27-inch 5K LCD assembly costs about $745 retail on its own, and a 21.5-inch 2K or 4K assembly about $585, before anyone opens the iMac. That is why a 5K screen starts from $1,099: the panel is about two thirds of that, and the rest covers removing and refitting the display, new adhesive and the 12-month warranty. Other parts cost less: a new 27-inch power supply is about $165 retail, a used 21.5-inch one $69 to $125, and a used 21.5-inch 2012–2017 logic board about $305.

Getting inside

A 2009–2011 iMac has a separate front glass over the LCD, which is why glass alone can be replaced from $199 and why a thermal service on these models costs less. From Late 2012 the glass is laminated to the LCD and the whole display is held on with adhesive strips. Every job inside means cutting that adhesive and fitting new strips, and cracked glass means a whole new display, because the two cannot be separated. On 21.5-inch models from Late 2012, the RAM sits behind the logic board, so adding memory is close to a full strip-down.

Model details that change the job

• On the 2011 iMacs and 27-inch models from Late 2012 to 2019, the system expects temperature data from the factory hard drive. Fit an ordinary replacement drive without dealing with that and the fans run at full speed. On Late 2009 and Mid 2010 models, the sensor cable is matched to the drive brand.
• The Late 2012 blade SSD slot takes only SATA blades. NVMe blades and adapters will not work in it.
• 21.5-inch iMacs from Late 2012 onwards that were bought with only a hard drive, apart from the Late 2013, have no blade connector at all, so the SSD goes in the 2.5-inch drive bay.
• If either half of a Fusion Drive is replaced, macOS sees two separate drives, and Apple's fix erases everything, so the data transfer has to be planned first.
• Apple's repair programs for the Mid 2011 27-inch graphics card, 1TB Seagate drives, Late 2012 3TB drives and Late 2012–2013 27-inch hinges have all expired, so Apple no longer covers those faults.

What other Australian shops charge

For context, these are the ranges other Australian repairers published when we checked in September 2026. Many Sydney shops publish no iMac prices at all and quote by phone, so a good share of this comes from interstate and national businesses. Some published prices do not state the SSD capacity, and on-site services cost more than workshop ones.

Taken together, our from-prices sit near the upper end of what Australian shops publish, and below the Sydney CBD and on-site figures we found. A Sydney CBD chain lists $1,250 for a 27-inch 5K screen, against ours from $1,099, and $890 for a 21.5-inch 2014–2017 screen, against ours from $499 for a 2014 model or from $749 for a 4K. An on-site service in Sydney starts its SSD upgrades at $742 with a 250GB drive, where ours is from $599 with 500GB, data transfer and macOS setup. Our prices also include new adhesive whenever the display comes off, board-level diagnosis on logic board faults, and 12 months' warranty on parts and labour. The phone quote is free and carries no obligation, so you can compare before you decide.

When the repair costs more than the iMac is worth

A repair can be done well and still be poor value. Working 27-inch 5K iMacs from Late 2015 are advertised on Gumtree for about $400 and 2017 models for about $475, so a screen on either, from $1,099, costs more than twice what the machine would fetch. A 27-inch 2011 is advertised for $60 to $150, which rules out almost everything except the cheapest jobs. At the other end, a 2020 5K is advertised for about $999 and runs Tahoe, which Apple still updates. A screen from $1,199 costs more than that, though well under the roughly $1,600 asked for a refurbished 2019 or 2020 or the $2,399 of a new M4 iMac, so it is borderline: worth doing only if the rest of the machine is sound. When a job is not worth doing, we say so with the quote. Our guide on whether to repair or replace an old iMac goes through every model, including when the software cut-off matters more than the price.

How to avoid overpaying

• Get a diagnosis before anyone orders a panel. Vertical lines or a scrambled picture do not always mean the LCD has failed. The cause can be the graphics or a display cable, and on the Mid 2011 27-inch, Apple's own graphics card program listed vertical lines and a white, blue or black screen as symptoms. A $745 panel will not fix a graphics fault.
• Check whether the Fusion Drive is the real problem. A slow iMac with a 1TB Fusion Drive from Late 2015 onwards may have only 24GB or 32GB of flash, with everything else on the spinning half. An SSD from $599 usually cures that, and a new iMac at $2,399 is not needed for it.
• Know what cannot be done. Do not pay for a RAM upgrade on a 21.5-inch Mid 2014 or Late 2015, or for an internal SSD on a 2020 27-inch.
• Ask what the price includes. Check the SSD capacity, whether data transfer and macOS setup are included, whether new display adhesive is included on 2012 and later models, and how the 27-inch drive temperature sensor will be handled.
• Identify the model yourself first. About This Mac gives the model name and year, which is what we need for a phone quote. The A-number under the stand does not give the year on its own, because A1419 covers every 27-inch from Late 2012 to 2017.

What the diagnostic costs, and when it is waived

Faults with a clear cause, such as a cracked screen or a slow hard drive, can be quoted over the phone for free: tell us the model and what it is doing, and we give you a from-price and a timeframe. Once the iMac is on our bench and we examine it hands-on, the diagnostic is always a fixed $150, whatever the fault. If you go ahead with the repair, the $150 is waived. If you decide not to, the $150 is all you pay. For no-power faults, our guide to an iMac that will not turn on covers what you can check first.

iMac work is drop-off only at our workshop near Castle Hill, open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm, and we see customers from across the Hills District and Western Sydney. SSD and RAM work is usually done within one to two business days when the parts are in stock, and for other jobs we give you a timeframe with the quote.

Call 0400 454 859

Prices by model

Each model page lists what is worth doing on that machine and its quirks. Start at the iMac repair and upgrades hub, or go straight to your model:

• iMac 2009–2011, 21.5-inch and 27-inch
• iMac 27-inch 2012–2013
• iMac 21.5-inch 2012–2014
• iMac 21.5-inch 2015–2019
• iMac 27-inch 5K 2014–2017
• iMac 27-inch 5K 2019–2020

Questions

Is it cheaper to replace just the glass on an iMac?

Only on 2009 to 2011 models, where the glass is a separate panel over the LCD. Glass alone is from $199 on those, including cleaning the dust from behind it. From Late 2012 on, the glass is laminated to the LCD, so a crack in the glass means replacing the whole display, from $499 on a 21.5-inch 2012 to 2014 model and from $1,199 on a 2019 or 2020 5K.

Why does a 27-inch iMac screen replacement cost so much more than a 21.5-inch?

Mostly the part. A new 27-inch 5K LCD assembly costs about $745 at retail before any labour, against about $585 for a 21.5-inch 2K or 4K assembly. On 2012 and later models, both sizes need the glued display cut free and new adhesive fitted. That is why our 5K screens start from $1,099, while a 21.5-inch 2012 to 2014 screen starts from $499.

Is a 1TB SSD worth the extra $100 over 500GB?

It depends how much you store. The 500GB upgrade is from $599 and the 1TB from $699, both including data transfer and macOS setup. If your files already fill most of 500GB, or you keep a large photo library on the iMac, the 1TB is the better buy, because enlarging the drive later means opening the iMac again, and on 2012 and later models that means removing the display.

Can I upgrade the RAM in a 21.5-inch iMac myself?

On 21.5-inch models from Late 2012, Apple says the memory is not removable by users, or on the Late 2015, not upgradeable. Where there are slots, on the 2012 to 2013, 2017 and 2019 models, they sit behind the logic board, so the glued display and the board both have to come out. The Mid 2014 and Late 2015 have soldered RAM that cannot be changed at all. We fit 16GB from $449, or from $249 extra alongside an SSD upgrade.

Is it worth repairing an iMac logic board?

That depends on which model you have and what failed. Board-level repair from $449 finds and replaces the failed component instead of the whole board, which makes sense on 2017 to 2020 models advertised for about $475 to $999 working. On a 2011 or 2012 to 2013 27-inch advertised for $60 to $350, it is usually only worth doing if you need what is on it or want to keep that particular machine.

How long does an iMac repair take?

An SSD or RAM upgrade is usually finished within one to two business days if the parts are in stock. Screens, power supplies and board-level repairs depend on the part and the fault, so we give you a timeframe with the quote. Because iMacs are drop-off only at our workshop near Castle Hill, it is worth calling first so we can check parts for your model before you bring it in.