[tek_uk]

What's the significance of the 4 years?

I believe they mentioned that when i spoke to them.

I checked and my order is dated 21/01/05 so 4 years today! (i actually reported the issue 3 days ago! )



Thanks

[csborgman]

They, Apple and most computer manufacturers, try to tell you the average life of a computer is around 3-5 years. But they are talking about technology advances that make a 4 year computer "old", I think that's BS. But what is the actual life span of the non-moving hardware parts? Should be much longer than 3-5 years for a $3000 USD + price tag.

If you ask Apple how long you can expect an average Apple computer to last they will never give you a straight answer, cause they can't. They can't tell you it will only last till Apple Care expires and they can't tell you it will last 5-6 years, cause then you will have a leg to stand on for your argument.

Apple knows there is a problem and will someday admit it. The idea is it get Apple to fix your computer now so you don't have to wait for the national/global recall. It's ridiculous to think such an expensive machine will only last 4 years.

Squeaky wheel gets the oil. Be relentless.

Chris

[ojsosa]

Hi All -

I am another VERY FRUSTRATED Power MAC G5 (Early 2005) owner. Serial # is G8533*.

I can report exactly the same problem where about in October of 2008 (almost EXACTLY 4 years after the Date of Purchase) my MAC started locking up. At first, it was simply sitting there in the background running iTunes... then BAM!, the computer stopped responding to keyboard or mouse entries. After a hard reset, it wouldn't come back up.

I'm not a computer genius, so I read a little of the owner's manual... tried all the power-up "safe-mode" variations if you will. Nothing worked. Took it to the Genius Bar at my local MAC store and they couldn't get it to power up either, EVEN FROM AN EXTERNAL DRIVE of their own.

After leaving it there for about 2 weeks, they called me back and said it was a poorly seated RAM... mind you that the computer has NOT moved from it's original position in my office in all of it's 4 years with me. It's kept very clean and clear from dust and is running off-of some very expensive APC back-up / UPS's.

Nonetheless, I picked it up b/c it was working when I got there, took it home and it worked for about 2 weeks. Then, BAM! again... same thing.

This time I THOUGHT I figured out that if I hold the OPTION KEY on power-up with the original Installation disk inside and ran the Apple HW Test (which always finds NO problems), I again THOUGHT I could get it to power up again.

Today, 4 months after my Genius Bar visit, I am sadly proven that even that "Apple HW Test" theory is FALSE!!

I'm quoted anywhere from $578.13 - $746.06 for a replacement Logic "L" or "H' Board (item # 661-3543 or # 662-3585). This sucks! What sucks more is I don't think the MAC mini can run my 30" Cinema Display or else I would just buy a new one of those.

Anyway, not sure how I'm going to proceed. Thanks for listening :-|

Anyone know how to determine which is the CORRECT Logic Board for my G5?

Thanks,
-A Frustrated MAC owner

[experiment1776]

I had the exact same problem. I sent it to DT&T in California and they fixed it for $450 with a new logic board and its been up and running since. Seems that this is the best, cheapest way to go. I don't think the mini will do the trick for the monitor but next time round i'm getting a mac-pro as they can now easily handle the 30 inch monitor.

good luck

[charlesc]

There are many folks on this board that have had luck with DT&T. I got mine back from them with a refurbished logic board a month ago and it works well. I did have to reload software and actually took a day or so and reloaded everything from scratch anyway because some software didn't like seeing the new board. But the computer work well - good repair at a reasonable price.

A word on mac vs. pc reliability: since my last post, my PC, which I bought at the same time as I bought my g5 , also crashed with a fried motherboard. The Mac was worth saving, but the PC....nah. I can buy a much faster one for a couple hundred bucks higher than the repair price even if I could find the correct board.

I am disappointed in general with the way things seem to break these days. Guess I am turning into an old crank.

I wonder: does the failure of computers these days have anything to do with how hard we push them? For me, I ran mine daily with hi-powered apps that required lots of power.

[Droid]

ojsosa said:

Anyone know how to determine which is the CORRECT Logic Board for my G5?

Go get this - for a limited time. Check the exploded views out for the appropriate model.

Drew

[davejad]

My G5 also crashed last year after loading Leopard. It took about two weeks before the fans were racing like a jet engine and then it finally went haywire.

To make a long story short, I took it to a MAC repair company and they determined the logic board fried. I spoke with a technician and he indicated that loading Leopard was a bad thing to do on my 2005 G5 because he said Leopard was designed to run only on the newer G5, Intel processor machines.

The G5 that I worked on was a Power PC and he said Leopard would run very hot on this system. My agency decided to buy the newer MAC Pro G5 instead of throwing money towards fixing the older model for which it would have cost around a grand. It seems that the technician was right because my new G5 runs very quiet and doesn't heat up at all to where the fans would start to run.

After seeing how many people are having fried logic boards on their older G5s that probably have updated to Leopard, I'm wondering why Apple didn't warn everybody before purchasing the upgrade. In my opinion there should be a class action lawsuit against Apple. This is too much of a coincidence to have so many people fix or buy new computers because the logic boards fried.

One more item that the technician told me that I should have done in updating my system to Leopard was to do a clean install. Another lesson learned for updating to newer system software. I've heard of this but ignored it. For now on, back up the whole drive, erase it using disk utility on the install disk and then install the new system software. This should eliminate and future hassles.

[macbabe]

I spent an hour on the phone today with a tier 2 guy. just like some of you suggested I asked him to tell me what the average life span of these machines is. And just like you said, he wouldn't give an answer. i asked several times and he wouldn't give a direct answer to that direct question. He said they don't know that, to which I replied 'I can't believe Apple builds these machines and doesn't have an idea what that is.' Which we all know they do; I make candles as a hobby and I can tell you the average burn time of my candles. If I can do that with a small, cheap chunk of wax you know they have figured that out after bazillion$ of research and years building these machines.

He was as nice as he could be the entire time, as I'm sure they're told to never hang up on a customer or anything like that. And I queried him hard. I brought up how threads are repeatedly getting deleted from the Apple forum (his reply: they delete if it's not posted in a business like or professional way), this thread here, that 31% failure rate from the MacInTouch survey, the 40% failure rate that Popular Mechanics experienced, but we were basically just going in circles. I got his name and let him go, but I still have a $2500 door stop.

Someone early in the thread mentioned emailing [techandyou@businessweek.com]. Any of you do that and get a response?

[glaston]

My G5 which will run now with only 1 CPU, and only without the PROM battery, I plan to use it to make youtube videos demonstrating the problem.

I'll call apple support more, and record the conversations on my laptop to play over top of the videos.

This is unforgiveable.

If they chose to fix the problem, that would be 1 thing.

But after telling me that I'm lying about how many people are having this problem, hanging up on me several times, then deleting my threads/posts and finally banning me from the apple support boards for being vocal about the problem, there's no going back.

I'm writing an article to submit to slashdot, and I'll never give up on calling apple.

This is insanity!

Even MS recalled the Xbox 360 and fixed it for free.

I realize that there's a difference in scope here than with the 360, but that's the responsibility a company assumes when they sell $3000 machines.

Saying that it's easier to fix the 360 because it doesn't cost as much is not a valid reason for what Apple is doing.

What apple is doing to us, in my mind, is nothing short of criminal.

[davejad]

In your response on how to determine which is the correct Logic Board for your G5 you can go to this link, http://support.apple...pecs/#powermac.

You'll need to know your exact model number and clik on one of the G5 spec pages and you'll see all the information concerning your exact G5. It took me a few pages to find mine. If you still have your receipt from where you purchased your G5, you might find the model number on it. My model number was on my MacMall receipt.

You're gonna find that a new logic board can run you any where from $500 to $800 and that's not including a technician to put it in.

Good luck!

[csborgman]

Did you ask to speak with a Customer Service supervisor? I'm not sure, maybe the tech guys are not authorized to give out "exception codes." If you get a nice tech guy then plead with him to let you air your complaint to Customer Service. It seems to me the CS dept is where you go for this type of situation. Talking to a tech guy about an out of warranty computer is gonna get you no where. Try calling CS dept directly, skip tech.

Mine was fixed because I asked to speak with someone who has the authority to help get my computer fixed. I was transferred to a CS supervisor and after I explained the problem she issued me what she called an "exception code."

Do whatever it takes to get a CS supervisior on the phone and ask for an "exception code" because your computer is only 4 years old and Apple should stand behind this product past Apple Care. No, I never had AppleCare.

BE RELENTLESS!

[csborgman]

glaston said:

Quote

I'll call apple support more, and record the conversations on my laptop to play over top of the videos.

Be careful about recording conversations. Make sure it is legal to record with only one party knowing. In Texas only one party needs to be aware of the recording, in NY all parties need to be aware of the recording. It's a good idea just make sure it's legal in your state.

[glaston]

You never even had an applecare protection plan!?

And they fixed it for free!?

Damn.

That pisses me off more.

Not at you, at THEM!

[csborgman]

Nope, but I did receive 2 brand new defective computers straight from Apple. About 3.5 years ago I ordered the G5 dual 2.3 computer from Apple. I received a defective unit, it would not stay on. I took it to the local Apple shop and after a week or so got it home and it still didn't work. I called Apple, they said they would send a new one on their exchange program. So I get the exchange unit and it didn't work either. It was the graphics card. So, I had 2 brand new Apple computers and neither one worked. Apple sent me a new, slightly upgraded graphics card for the second unit and it worked for 3.5 years... till the logic board went out. But because of this I missed a job deadline and $2500 plus any future jobs that may have come out it. So my $2500 computer ended up costing me $5000 to possibly $20000!

I think because of this initial bad run they didn't argue too much about fixing it.

For the photographers out there, I'm interviewed in the current issue of Digital Photo Pro magazine:
http://www.digitalph...ngly-vivid.html