My G5 refurb woes...

GWR


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I bought a refurb'd 17" G5 iMac (iSight) and have had it for just over a week now. Two days ago the Superdrive started acting up. It will pull a CD/DVD in, contemplate life for about 10 seconds, and then spit it back out.

I've tried pretty much everything I (and all of the folks on the forums) could think of. I've reset the PRAM three times, left it unplugged for a while, tried to boot to the Apple Hardware test (but it won't keep it down) and several other ideas.
So today I call AppleCare and ask them what to do. They say all of the things I tried pretty much prove the hardware has failed. He marked my iMac as DOA in the record and setup for the sales department to call me Monday to arrange a replacement.
Anyone here know how that process works?
I don't want to send this one back until I get a replacement so I can transfer my data.
I arbitrarily picked the G5 because I've always preferred the PowerPC processors (I have 4 G3 iMacs and a G4 iBook).
Is my thinking flawed?
Should I upgrade to an Intel iMac? CD or C2D?
I'm going to try and get them to upgrade me to a 20" for my hassles (shipping was a nightmare here in the remotes of Alaska) but should I try for an Intel while I'm at it?
I haven't really had a chance to play with the Intel Macs yet so I'm looking for some opinions.
Do I really have any bargining power with Apple?

Also, is there a way to test the ambient light sensor?
My flashlight and then the dark room test isn't showing any change in the screen's brightness. Maybe another issue.

Thanks in advance,
Glenn
 
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I would agree that this sounds like a hardware error. The question re staying G5 or going Intel may well be one of money. The Intels will be faster I would guess, but I am sure they will cost more than your refurbed G5, so you may not have a choice unless you are willing to put more money in. I think all you can expect from Apple is like-for-like replacement. However, it NEVER hurts to ask!
 
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I've always had PPC Macs until recently too (from a 68030 IIci -> 604 Powermac 7200 -> G4 Mini, and now a CD MacBook Pro); I'm really glad I held off for the Intel machine. The G5 is great if you want to run legacy apps (such as MS Office and PhotoShop), but with Universal versions of these coming out shortly, the C2D Intel chip in the new iMac is going to make the G5 (somewhat) obsolete fairly quickly. Certainly Apple will keep supporting them for some time to come, but I'm guessing that in a year or two, you'll wish you'd gone Intel.

Don't fret though if Apple doesn't allow you to upgrade to a new model. Your G5 is still a sweet machine! I'm still using my G4 mini at the office, and it suits me fine for the majority of what I do. If it had a dual-core G5, then I'd be even happier.
 
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Anyone here know how that process works?
I don't want to send this one back until I get a replacement so I can transfer my data....
I'm going to try and get them to upgrade me to a 20" for my hassles (shipping was a nightmare here in the remotes of Alaska) but should I try for an Intel while I'm at it?
I haven't really had a chance to play with the Intel Macs yet so I'm looking for some opinions.
Do I really have any bargining power with Apple?
You will have to send yours in for a repair/replacement. You should back up all of your data before you send it in, and Apple strongly recommends that you do as well.
You are going to get the same machine back (repaired, of course), or an exact working model of what you sent in. They are not going to upgrade your system. There is no negotiating on this. You are simply going to get what you paid for. If you want to return it, you may do so by following the Return Policy Guidelines. Then, you would be able to use that money to get a newer Mac, if you so desire.
 

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