Not exactly an apple fan at the moment

I drove to Oklahoma City to visit the Apple Store. The trip there was long and hot about 3 hours from the Fort Smith area. I wanted to see one of the new Mac Pros and they had some. No 3.0's, just the 2.66's.

It looked quite nice sitting there hooked to a 30" monitor so i told the guy i want one with 2 gig of ram as the 1 gig it comes with is not enough. You need ram in the first 4 slots for best operation... first thing he tells me is they do not stock ram for the Mac Pros, it has to be ordered. After 15 minutes of stumbling around they finally figure out they can indeed order it for me to be shipped to my house...In about 2 to 3 weeks!!!

By that time i was ticked off enough i just let the 2nd optical superdrive i wanted slide figuring i would also order that online when i got home...no way Jose, it is not user installable!! so now i don't have the second drive!! and to top it off i got caught in a pouring rain, lightning, high wind, hail storm on the way home...Oh, did i mention i was on a motorcycle??...(G)

But here i sit with a spankin new Mac Pro, short on ram that will take 3 weeks to get and short on superdrive....so i am not exactly an Apple Store fan at the moment, but i do love my new Mac Pro!!

i got my Ram from newegg.com


apple just charges SO much more .. but i'm not familiar with the Pro. i have a 2 ghz macbook.

with all the trouble at the store, you should have just ordered it online and saved yourself the gas and the hassle.

sorry to hear about your situation, i hope you can straighten it out.

remember if its not what you want and you would like to wait you have 14 days to return it to apple.

Are you sure the second drive isn't user installable? The CNet video clearly shows the woman pulling the drives out which makes me think you would be able to do it yourself.

if you were on a motorcylce how did you plan on getting it home?

Benjamindaines said:

Are you sure the second drive isn't user installable? The CNet video clearly shows the woman pulling the drives out which makes me think you would be able to do it yourself.

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Ben, you are correct. ARS says CLEARLY that it's in the Manual how to add the 2nd Optical drive and they show how to do it.

Thanks for the Back up.


menace3054

He has a large Gull Wing. He picks up stuff that large all the time with it.

I am now confused about the case. If you don't get the second super drive.. what does it look like?

probably just a slot with a metal cover similar to pcs that have open bays..

sorry to hear that! you have to becareful on a motorcycle in bad weather, i heard on the news about someone who got struck by lightning a few weeks ago...

You were brave taking the motorcycle on that long of a trip... i would have gotten bored and wished i could sit back.

James said:

By that time i was ticked off enough i just let the 2nd optical superdrive i wanted slide figuring i would also order that online when i got home...no way Jose, it is not user installable!! so now i don't have the second drive!! and to top it off i got caught in a pouring rain, lightning, high wind, hail storm on the way home...Oh, did i mention i was on a motorcycle??...(G)

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According to Apple's DIY FAQs it is possible to add a 2nd optical drive. In the guide for replacing an optical drive they mention:

"Note: If you are adding a second drive to the carrier, use the four screws stored on the back of the drive carrier to secure the drive to the carrier."

So, from the looks of things, you simply pull the optical drive carrier out, screw the new drive in, and plug in the cord.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacPro_OpticalDrive_DIY.pdf

edit: And I just realized that this was confirmed earlier in the thread. Oh well. :black:

dohidied, Thanks so much for that URL. Somehow I missed that one in my searching around. That proves for sure he can put in a drive.

Thanks so much.

Yeah, no problem. Those DIY guides are pretty handy. I've gone there twice today. :black:

Benjamindaines said:

Are you sure the second drive isn't user installable? The CNet video clearly shows the woman pulling the drives out which makes me think you would be able to do it yourself.

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That is what i was told by the guy at the online Apple Store. I called their 800 number and he said plain as day "Not user installable", but what i have been told and read since it is user installable. I see the Superdrives for as little as $42 on some sites whereas Apple wanted $100...

menace3054 said:

if you were on a motorcylce how did you plan on getting it home?

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No problem, i drive a Honda Goldwing and a new Mac Pro sits just nicely on the back seat. One strap with a ratchet chinches it down just fine and a couple of rubber snubbers holds it fine. I go down the road using it as a back rest. The box they come is is nice and thick and slick on the outside, no water got through to the computer.

PowerBookG4 said:

I am now confused about the case. If you don't get the second super drive.. what does it look like?

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Looks exactly the same, there are two doors at the front, just one doesn't work i guess without the drive. Won't really know until i get it set up...

menace3054 said:

probably just a slot with a metal cover similar to pcs that have open bays..

sorry to hear that! you have to becareful on a motorcycle in bad weather, i heard on the news about someone who got struck by lightning a few weeks ago...

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Ya, about the last mile on hwy 40 before i turned off at Salisaw the lighting was really bad, just one blast after another right over the top of me. Really had me starting to worry. On the off ramp the wind came up so bad from the side it blew me clear off the payment into the grass. Lucky i was only going a couple of miles an hour when it did as it was raining so hard i could only see about 5 feet ahead. Just made it to a gas station and got under cover, but it started hailing and i had to get 10 feet under to get out of it...Fun...NOT!

PowerBookG4 said:

You were brave taking the motorcycle on that long of a trip... i would have gotten bored and wished i could sit back.

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Nah... A Goldwing is a great road bike, 400 to 500 miles a day is a piece of cake on a Wing...besides i had my iPod hooked into the bikes stereo system so i had great music the whole trip...(G) The first 4 years i had it i took a trip of 30 days each year running from 9,000 to 11,000 miles per trip. I had 56,000 miles in the first 4 years...

I will start setting up the Pro today and will get back as to how i like it after i have some time to play with it.

I did a quick Google search on Honda Goldwing

now I'm jealous

macdillon said:

I did a quick Google search on Honda Goldwing

now I'm jealous

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Well, you know how it is, if you want the best road/touring bike you buy a GoldWing...if you want the best computer you buy Apple....(G)