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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Intel Mac
Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 2:38 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> bought a new Intel Mac in January. A month later, the harddrive crashed.
Last week, it started acted funny and we bought it back-they replaced the logic board. (I brought it in because the fan was very loud and the computer was running hot and was then told it was the logic board)
In 9 years of using Macs, I have never had anything ever go wrong. So, I am assuming our Mac is as good as new.
Just wondering if anyone else has had similar issues. The computer is quieter now than it was when we first got it
DLR |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 3:30 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> Debra,
You answer your own question, pretty much, when you say you've had nothing go wrong in 9 years of Macs.
Like any product, you get a bad one every now and then.
I just had the logic board go out in my 2-year-old Macbook Pro and that is the first major thing I've had happen since a hard drive started to go (recovered all data before the died) five years ago.
With any product you'll hear some people praise the reliability and some say they are the worst thing they have ever owned. Sometimes it really is a bad product (a few cars over the course of history can fall into this category) but generally Apple and most big-name electronics makers have pretty good quality control.
So if the computer is running fine now don't worry about it. You still have warranty left on the Mac and can still buy Apple Care to extend the service warranty if you are worried about costs creeping up in the future.
Keep a backup of your data like you should with any computer. |
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Max Lashin, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Fort Lauderdale | FL | United States | Posted: 3:36 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> I had a logic board blow also. Sent it to Mac and they replaced the board, I havent had a problem since.
I believe the problem was with the cooling glue or something like that and how it wasnt cooling correctly. |
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Jamey Price, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Charlotte | NC | USA | Posted: 3:45 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> Hey Debra,
I too have had a logic board go. Mine went on a 2006 Macbook Pro. The computer was running hotter then a toaster oven. I installed a freeware temp reader that displayed on the dashboard and the thing was hot enough you could boiled an egg on it. You're not alone. Apple's fix helped and knock on wood, I have not had an issue since.
Macs generally are reliable and like you, I was upset and dissapointed. I lost quite a bit of data, term papers and other important academic work so the moral of the story for everyone is BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP. Then back up again. |
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Marc F. Henning, Photographer
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Bentonville | AR | USA | Posted: 4:14 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> the hard drive went out on my iMac, 20 inch, about two months after i got it back in 2007. had it replaced, no problem since. the Mac repair guy who replaced the drive said it's pretty much luck of the draw as to the quality of the hard drive you get in your Mac's these day. it just depends on where it was assembled and the parts they had in stock at the time. he said the stock drive in my was like a 2 on a scale out of 10. he replaced it with a hitachi drive and it's been fine ever since.
marc |
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Baron Sekiya, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Keaau | HI | USA | Posted: 4:24 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> I've sent my MacBook Pro in twice to have the logic board replaced due to the graphics chip issue that Apple extended everyone's warranty for.
I think my MacBook Pro is like owning a Canon 1DMkIII. It's the best laptop I've ever owned, I can't stop using it, but there are inherent design flaws that drive me crazy when they happen. |
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Thomas E. Witte, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Cincinnati | OH | USA | Posted: 5:11 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> You do get a lemon every now and then and sometimes Apple makes it an easy process to replace, and sometimes they don't. My dual 2.0 G5 had kernel panics right out of the box (mid 2004) that they spent several weeks trying to replicate the problem to no avail, leaving me without a computer for days on end on top of all the time spent driving it back and forth. After 2 months and finally getting in touch with the vice president of consumer affairs, they took it back and traded me.
Most recently I had a dual 2.2 MBP that was just an absolute turd in every way shape and form. HD ceased up. Optical drive broke. I/0 board had multiple problems. Release latch broke on multiple occasions. It ran incredibly slow compared to like models and would often choke up and crash when looking at a folder of 1500 or more photos in photomechanic. I had to run disk utility on it about once a week like the old days just to keep it running smoothly... I absolutely hated this computer with a deep seeded passion.
However, aside from those two, I have/have had 18 other Mac's since 2000 that ran like a dream. Just like your chances of getting in an accident are higher if you drive 50,000 miles a year instead of 10,000, you're chances of getting a lemon are higher when you buy two computers a year. |
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Tim Vizer, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Belleville | IL | USA | Posted: 5:11 PM on 07.08.09 |
| ->> Hope you had the extended warranty they offer, Apple Care. |
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Rich Cruse, Photographer
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Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 5:11 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> To me, Apple products are like Sony. They are very well designed and the quality level is high. They sometimes have problems but tend to run forever once the bugs (if any) are worked out. My PowerMac 7500 still works and I have a Sony turntable and cassette deck from 1984 that work perfectly!
Always purchase cameras and computer gear with a credit card. You have extra rights as a consumer and many cards will extend the factory warranty by a year. AppleCare extends tech support and warranty to 3 years and is transferable should you sell the computer.
Do not use PhotoShop CS 2 or earlier on Intel Macs. They run in Rosetta emulation and take extra processor and system resources. Upgrade all apps to Universal/Intel versions to take advantage of the chips and OS. Maximize your RAM and try to keep at least 10% of your hard drive free.
Rich |
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Alan Herzberg, Photographer
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Elm Grove | WI | USA | Posted: 5:19 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> The logic board on my Macbook Pro was replaced (no charge) a week ago. The computer would boot but there was no display on the screen. The computer could be connected to another Mac with a firewire and booted as a target drive, so the hard drive could be accessed that way.
I bought the computer in Fall of 2007. It appears there was a problem with Macbook Pros built/sold around that time. My understanding is that there was a problem with the nvidia graphics card (8600M GT) that was installed in those computers.
Here's a thread that discusses the problem (it's a continuation of an earlier, 50 page thread.)
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1727530 |
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Rich Cruse, Photographer
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Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 5:25 PM on 07.08.09 |
| ->> Deb- are you talking about an iMac or a MacBook Pro? |
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Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 5:37 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> Rich,
this is a desktop Intel Mac
we bought the extended Apple Care for 3 years so both times it went in for repairs, it hasn't cost anything
I am just hoping this is it. This thing is heavy and a pain to put back into the box :) |
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Rich Cruse, Photographer
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Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 7:39 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> Hi Deb:
This is from Apple's site:
http://www.apple.com/support/products/proplan.html
Convenient repair options
"The AppleCare Protection Plan ensures that Apple-authorized technicians will perform repairs using genuine Apple parts2. With this plan, parts and labor will be covered for three years from your computer’s purchase date. The plan includes onsite service for desktop computers and global repair coverage, which can be very important if you travel abroad."
I believe your iMac is a desktop computer right? This means you are qualified for onsite repairs! Should you ever require service again, be sure to ask them to come to you. Be sure to have the agreement handy. |
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Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | US | Posted: 8:51 PM on 07.08.09 |
| ->> Rich...to have them come to your location you must be more than 50 miles from the closest authorized Apple service center or be disabled. |
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Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | US | Posted: 9:08 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> Hold on...
The document reads as such:
"(ii) Onsite service is available for many desktop computers if the location of the Covered Equipment is within 50 miles/80 kilometers radius of an Apple authorized onsite service provider located in the United States or Canada.
Apple will dispatch a service technician to the location of the Covered
Equipment. Service will be performed at the location, or the service technician will transport the Covered Equipment to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple repair service location for repair. If the Covered Equipment is repaired at an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple repair service location, Apple will arrange for transportation of the Covered Equipment to your location following service."
So you need to be WITHIN 50 miles (not greater than 50 miles, as I communicated above) of a service center. The troubleshooting is done on the phone and technician DOES NOT TROUBLESHOOT, they repair and/or replace parts. I jsut got off the phone with AppleCare and the example they gave me was if we can diagnose the problem AND narrow it down to a part, they will dispatch a technician to replace that part. If they can not narrow it down then you would have to bring it to a service provider or mail it in (depending on which machine/device it is). |
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Rich Cruse, Photographer
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Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 11:21 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> Delane- that is VERY interesting because that is not what is implied- but alas there is always the fine print. From the Terms and Conditions.
"(ii) Onsite service is available for many desktop computers if the location of the Covered Equipment
is within 50 miles/80 kilometers radius of an Apple authorized onsite service provider located in the
United States or Canada. Apple will dispatch a service technician to the location of the Covered
Equipment. Service will be performed at the location, or the service technician will transport the
Covered Equipment to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple repair service location for
repair. If the Covered Equipment is repaired at an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple repair
service location, Apple will arrange for transportation of the Covered Equipment to your location
following service. If the service technician is not granted access to the Covered Equipment at the
appointed time, any further onsite visits may be subject to an additional charge.
(iii) Direct mail-in service is available for most Covered Equipment. If Apple determines that your
Covered Equipment is eligible for mail-in service, Apple will send you prepaid way bills (and if you
no longer have the original packaging, Apple may send you packaging material) and you will ship
the Covered Equipment to Appleʼs repair service location in accordance with its instructions. Once
service is complete, the Apple repair service location will return the Covered Equipment to you.
Apple will pay for shipping to and from your location if all instructions are followed."
If you do not live within the 50 mile radius, Apple "May" provide shipping for Direct mail-in service. In other words, if you live in the middle of Oklahoma, you should be able to ship the Mac to Apple for repair. They would prefer you bring it in to the nearest Apple Store but it seems as though you can ask them to provide either on-site or direct mail-in service. I can't imagine someone dragging their 24" iMac or MacPro to the Apple Store on the subway in NYC, nor should they have to. I suppose if you are able to bring the machine in to the Apple Store, you might get faster service.
In any case, if you have a business that runs on your Mac or PC, you need to have back-ups and an alternate computer should there be a failure. |
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Steve Ueckert, Photographer
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Houston | TX | | Posted: 11:40 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> Within the Utility folder inside the Applications folder is "Activity Monitor" which shows the load on the processor by a given application.
I had an old version of flash which didn't integrate well with my version of Safari and thus Safari was pushing the processor to 100% capacity. The battery on my 8 month old MBP was lasting about 40 minutes and it was too hot to set on my lap.
A Genius at the Apple Store trouble shot the problem and updated and replaced the version of flash running in my MBP in about 15 minutes. Yes, I was impressed and grateful.
If your Mac is running hot it might be something is pushing the processor to its limit. Activity Monitor can pinpoint the issue.
Then again, it could be something else entirely different.... |
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Rich Cruse, Photographer
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Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 11:50 PM on 07.08.09 |
->> Good call Steve!
I always keep my Flash up to date. There are also add-ons that you can use to block Flash ads in Safari. I have used this one with success.
Safari Ad Block
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/26171/safari-adblock
Free! |
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Baron Sekiya, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Keaau | HI | USA | Posted: 3:35 AM on 07.09.09 |
| ->> I've used activity monitor to track down why my MBP wasn't running as fast as it should. Turns out it was running some kind of process for iWork or Microsoft Office. And I don't own any of those applications, apparently the process got activated via the trial version that I had wiped-off my hard drive long ago. I had to go in there to show invisible files to delete the offending package on the hard drive. Was a tricky one to track down but it really helped once I did it. |
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