Applecare and Sr Advisor Cheers - My New Mac Pro on it's Way
For about 6 months my 2009 8-core Mac Pro has been in for repair about 6 times. The problem was sporadic revving up by the fans for no apparent reason. Sometimes no apps would be running and the machine would wake up and the fans would go crazy. Sometimes just Safari would be running or Mail or Text Edit or whatever. At times the fans would just pulsate, while other times they would kick into very high gear within seconds. Only shutting down for a while would sometimes help, other times they'd just continue to rev where they left off. There were times when the machine wouldn't act up for weeks or even a month or so. This made the problem even more challenging to diagnose.
Numerous parts have been replaced including the PSU and logic board (which broke the camels back in the end). A lot of guessing was going on. The most common was blaming it on the third party RAM (OWC), but after having all 24gb replaced by OWC this argument was hard to prove and highly unlikely. One time they even re-installed the RAM a non-recommended way. The warning came up and wouldn't go away until it was fixed; this is how it was given back to me.
After getting in touch with an Apple Sr. Advisor (two months in) matters seemed to some-what improve, but even then the Apple Store wouldn't completely follow the advisors recommendations. They dropped the ball so many times it was ridiculous.
During this period my biggest fear was the fact that my Applecare would be expiring on 25 March 2012, but since it was documented so much (including my video recording) they were pretty much stuck.
Two days after the warranty expired I got a call from the Advisor saying that too much money was being spent trying to fix the machine and they wanted to offer me a new machine. Yes I know it's still a 2010 either way. The upside, 12-core Westmere 2.66 1333 apposed to an 8-core Nehalem 2.66 1066. They allowed me to up the graphics card to a 5870 for $200, but that was my choice. The machine would not be a refurb, but built to order.
The only downside was that I did have to purchase new memory, but since it's so cheap now I couldn't lose. In the end the I spent just $500 for a new updated machine (for this week anyway). And the kicker is that I can still add Applecare within the 1st year and start all over again.
Although the Apple Store could never get it right, the Advisor always stuck to his guns in finding a solution. He was always available, returned all calls and emails and as polite as could be. He tried everything he could without actually flying out here and doing it himself. I could speak day and night about the awesome service he gave me, but I won't bore you any longer. Just thought I'd give a shout out to those tech's behind the scenes at Apple. They either really give a damn or Apples paying them pretty well or maybe both. Either way I'm ecstatic.
Numerous parts have been replaced including the PSU and logic board (which broke the camels back in the end). A lot of guessing was going on. The most common was blaming it on the third party RAM (OWC), but after having all 24gb replaced by OWC this argument was hard to prove and highly unlikely. One time they even re-installed the RAM a non-recommended way. The warning came up and wouldn't go away until it was fixed; this is how it was given back to me.
After getting in touch with an Apple Sr. Advisor (two months in) matters seemed to some-what improve, but even then the Apple Store wouldn't completely follow the advisors recommendations. They dropped the ball so many times it was ridiculous.
During this period my biggest fear was the fact that my Applecare would be expiring on 25 March 2012, but since it was documented so much (including my video recording) they were pretty much stuck.
Two days after the warranty expired I got a call from the Advisor saying that too much money was being spent trying to fix the machine and they wanted to offer me a new machine. Yes I know it's still a 2010 either way. The upside, 12-core Westmere 2.66 1333 apposed to an 8-core Nehalem 2.66 1066. They allowed me to up the graphics card to a 5870 for $200, but that was my choice. The machine would not be a refurb, but built to order.
The only downside was that I did have to purchase new memory, but since it's so cheap now I couldn't lose. In the end the I spent just $500 for a new updated machine (for this week anyway). And the kicker is that I can still add Applecare within the 1st year and start all over again.
Although the Apple Store could never get it right, the Advisor always stuck to his guns in finding a solution. He was always available, returned all calls and emails and as polite as could be. He tried everything he could without actually flying out here and doing it himself. I could speak day and night about the awesome service he gave me, but I won't bore you any longer. Just thought I'd give a shout out to those tech's behind the scenes at Apple. They either really give a damn or Apples paying them pretty well or maybe both. Either way I'm ecstatic.