Dead-da-dead-dead...

[Chef_eam]

I'm glad to hear they are going to step up and do this for you. I can't really recommend which route you should go, as I have only ever owned one Mac, and it is an iMac and I absolutely love it. And as others have said, the 27" display is to die for.

 

[6string]

Well done Jamie,
Glad you didn't have to resort to long phone callss and letter writing for the next weak or two.

The refurbished Mac Pro identical to yours sounds fair.... they are good as new, and still come with full warranty, and the option for AppleCare, which you have until just before the end of the 12month warranty to purchase.

 

[Jamie-Jamie]

Okay... it's a Core i5 iMac that they're offering me. I'm a writer, and honestly the only reason I got a Mac Pro is that I've always bought Power Macs since I was picking out my own computers. I got an iMac back in the indigo slot-load days.

I've always shied away from the integrated models, though, the way I shy away from notebooks. I don't like 'em because I'm always worried about some part going out and thus ruining the whole thing.

Looks like I just proved myself wrong

PS I've been using a Core i3 box of my husband's. I made him very mad by putting Windows Vista on it because he hates it. This'll brand me a heretic but... you know, it's not half bad when someone who knows howto use a computer is running it!

 

[cwa107]

I've always shied away from the integrated models, though, the way I shy away from notebooks. I don't like 'em because I'm always worried about some part going out and thus ruining the whole thing.

Well, I will tell you that Apple does iMac owners no favors as it relates to serviceability. The machine is really designed to be disposable, which is a pity when you consider the prices of those machines.

The two most common hardware failures in computers in general are hard drives and fans. Both are very straightforward to replace in a Mac Pro. The iMac is a different story. I'm not sure if the Aluminum iMacs are any better than the plastic models that preceded them, but it was a bear to do and included having to cut aluminum foil EMI shields and do some creative mounting of heat sensors just to replace a hard drive, which would normally be a ten minute affair.

Had Apple wanted these machines to be serviceable, they could easily make an access door on the back, with a minimum of seams or exposed screws. Instead, they try to make it as difficult as possible. This is very telling to me.

 

[bobtomay]

Apple comes thru yet again. That's tuff call though.

Haven't compared the i5, but it's probably the equal of that xeon chip.
Think it boils down to whether you need the new screen vs the ease of upgrading/adding drives, video cards, etc.

 

[Jamie-Jamie]

Well, I own a 1680x1050 screen already. I really am thinking of staying with the Mac Pro... I truly am.

But as for servicing iMacs, the slot-load G3 models were apparently the easiest. Unscrew the bottom, pop it off, remove the wire shield... and there it is. I've worked on mine and I think I'm probably lucky. Those new ones sound like ****

 

[chas_m]

That's a real shame - just two months out of warranty to have a very clear manufacturer's defect.

Disagreeing publicly with a mod is probably a dumb thing to do, but nothing Jamie-Jamie said points to "a very clear manufacturer's defect."

It *might* be such a defect, yes. But it MIGHT be simple dust, which can spark and blow up capacitors, causing this *exact* same phenomenon.

Those caps should be easily replaceable if they're just popped.

The problem isn't replacing the cap that popped, it's replacing the damage the exploding cap did to the rest of the machine.

Obviously I am pulling for J-J to get a satisfactory resolution too, but I don't see any *legal* obligation on Apple here until an investigation establishes the true cause of the event.

 

[cwa107]

Disagreeing publicly with a mod is probably a dumb thing to do, but nothing Jamie-Jamie said points to "a very clear manufacturer's defect."

It *might* be such a defect, yes. But it MIGHT be simple dust, which can spark and blow up capacitors, causing this *exact* same phenomenon.

I'll agree that I was overzealous with that statement, but in my experience popped caps are usually defective from the factory. Especially given some of the Taiwanese component manufacturers track records in recent years.

And you're welcome to disagree with me. I don't offend easily, provided someone does it in a respectful way.

The problem isn't replacing the cap that popped, it's replacing the damage the exploding cap did to the rest of the machine.

That's true.

Obviously I am pulling for J-J to get a satisfactory resolution too, but I don't see any *legal* obligation on Apple here until an investigation establishes the true cause of the event.

Neither do I, but given the fact that solid state components aren't particularly failure prone, especially on a high quality, high priced machine, I'd be dumbstruck if Apple didn't make good on it when it's just out of warranty (and it seems they have).

 

[chas_m]

I'm glad to hear that J-J is getting a replacement!

Personally I'd suggest the 27" iMac. It's wicked fast, super reliable and HUGE BEAUTIFUL SCREEN that is far better than whatever monitor you've got now unless you bought it VERY recently.

If you're primarily a writer, that big tower is just comic overkill for you. In fact, you know what you should do? Get whichever one you like, then turn around and sell it. Buy yourself a brand new Mac mini and use the rest of the money to take a vacation.

 

[6string]

That 27" i5 is a beauty I must say, but it really lies in what you need out of your Mac.
I would be happy with either really as would most.... as chas_m stated though, you could pretty much sell it, get something a little more practical for your needs, and enjoy a nice vacation with your husband (or without your husband perhaps)

 

[Jamie-Jamie]

Posting from my iPhone here. They're processing my $0 order for a 2.93GHz quad-core Xeon Mac Pro with double as much RAM as I had (Now I've got 8GB, plus they're going to stick the 4GB from my old Mac Pro in there if it still functions for a total of 12... cripes)

I get 10.6 for free, the new iLife and iWork and all those goodies and what the heck, a free bluetooth keyboard and Magic mouse.

I even get one of those neat little black Apple mousepads that they have on the display units.

Joy!

I should see it by Thursday... assuming I'm not screaming for joy too loud over iPhone OS 4.0 to hear the UPS guy

 

[pigoo3]

Congrats on making the decision...you shouldn't have to buy ram anytime soon!

Can you hold out for Thursday?

- Nick

 

[6string]

LOL ..... that's great Jamie
I'll be listening for the screams from here in Oz

 

[Jamie-Jamie]

Congrats on making the decision...you shouldn't have to buy ram anytime soon!

Can you hold out for Thursday?

- Nick

Oh yeah. I'm actually kinda enjoying this other box. The last time I really used Windows, it was XP before the first fix pack came out, but I've also got an old HP lappy that dual-boots Vista and Linux. I just never boot Windows. I've found Windows Vista to be a quite high quality piece of software, really, a far cry from the rocky days of plug-and-pray and constant BSODs.

I had the Explorer go down once right after I started using it, but it's been perfection ever since. At this point I don't dare let my husband Jeff touch it for fear that he'll spew icons all over my nice, clean desktop and install 20 or 30 system monitors that cover ever available UI surface with enough tickers and counters to baffle a stockbroker.

I can see this and understand why people stick by it...

... But I can't look at what he does and find it the least bit attractive.

 

[Dreamcast270mhz]

I'm sorry, Jamie, but Vista is GARBAGE IMHO. I can never get over all the wasted memory usage I see in it. Looking at the leaked code of NT4 years ago, I remember seeing a set of code that made it so programs didn't use all physical RAM, they used a fraction of swap at all times. So, I tested this on an early XP Box, I monitored MS Office '03. The computer had 1GB of RAM, 2.5GB static swap and there was ~400mb of ram free. After starting MS Office, it used only 156mb of physical but hogged a whopping .9GB of swap. just my humble opinion, and vista's visual effects, do remember, have been around in OS X at least since OS X Jaguar way back in the day.


But congrats on the Mac Pro, hope it lasts longer, such an expensive machine I'd hate to see my $2500 go down the drain (Main reason I won't get an Intel Mac, they are of poor quality compared to PPC days.

Cheers

 

[6string]

Main reason I won't get an Intel Mac, they are of poor quality compared to PPC days.

INTEL SUCK IT!!

Intel SUCKS!!! PPC Dominates

Sheez Dreamcast, I really get the feeling here that you don't like intel

 

[dtravis7]

Don't want to make trouble, but do a search here on Mac Forums. A LOT of Power PC machines die. The G5 Towers had issues. Nothing is perfect. Intel is not the cause of Jamie's machine dying.

 

[Jamie-Jamie]

I'm sorry, Jamie, but Vista is GARBAGE IMHO. I can never get over all the wasted memory usage I see in it. Looking at the leaked code of NT4 years ago, I remember seeing a set of code that made it so programs didn't use all physical RAM, they used a fraction of swap at all times. So, I tested this on an early XP Box, I monitored MS Office '03. The computer had 1GB of RAM, 2.5GB static swap and there was ~400mb of ram free. After starting MS Office, it used only 156mb of physical but hogged a whopping .9GB of swap. just my humble opinion, and vista's visual effects, do remember, have been around in OS X at least since OS X Jaguar way back in the day.


But congrats on the Mac Pro, hope it lasts longer, such an expensive machine I'd hate to see my $2500 go down the drain (Main reason I won't get an Intel Mac, they are of poor quality compared to PPC days.

Cheers

Okay, um... I have no idea what you're talking about, but on a Vista lappy with 2GB of RAM... I have Word 2010 Beta, Chrome with about 15 tabs open, iTunes, Yahoo, Calculator, MS Security Essentials, and Thunderbird all open and I'm still staring at only 68% RAM utilization.

Edit: This is on a single-core Athlon 64 that was new in 2005 and there's no slow-down at all. I have Aero enabled with full FX. And just FYI, I know exactly when every graphics feature was added to Mac OS X. I've been here since the System 6 days, honeychild

Please, do not forget that Windows Vista and 7 use highly aggressive disk caching, also used in Mac OS X. The difference is that OS X does not count its caches in Performance Monitor.

As for the quality? Um, hon... you don't own any Intel Apple products, how the devil would you know? So I'm going out on a limb to say that you're wrong in everything you said.

Windows Vista is only bad in the minds of bloggers with no life and Intel Macs are just as well-built as PPC Macs. Why do you hear of so many more problems? Because look a the installed base of Intel Macintoshes vs. PPC ones. I'd guess there are as many Macintoshes with Intel CPUs in operation as there were all New World Macintoshes sold total.

Of course there are more errata, there are just more machines in operation. Cha, please... n'more hate, kiddo! Miss Jamie don't wanna hear it no moar!!

 

[the8thark]

Actually he is right. I find Vista to be garbage. But XP and W7 are in their own rights nice software to a point.

But that is really offtopic. And anyways JJ I think you're lucky you owned a Mac that died and not a PC. Do you think any PC company would give you the level of customer service that Apple gave you? And that is one of the reasons I and most of us here buy Apple.

And if anyone says Apple has lousy customer service I personally give you JJ permission to shove your story right up their nose and twist into their brains.

 

[DaFlake]

Depends on what you want... If you like portable then go with the Mac Pro. Refurbs are like new.