So, some of you will know that my X1900XT was replaced by Apple after the well-known WoW overheating issues.
Some of you may also know that the X1900XT failed in my colleagues workstation also - failed when displaying the screen saver, no less, or anything graphics-'intensive' for that matter.
Unfortunately Apple were out of stock of X1900XT's (V2) in this later instance, and a bit of a nightmare ensued. After a week of waiting, a card turned up that was the nVidia basic card. Now that was fine, but it wasn't what had been paid for.
During the week I'd frantically phoned around all the Apple authorised resellers I could find in the UK, asking if they stocked any graphics cards for the Mac Pro. This included Apple stores. None did. Your card breaks in your Mac Pro? You're without a machine for at least a week. Tough bananas!
When the ATI card finally showed up, the Applecare representative allowed for the nVidia card, incorrectly dispatched, to be kept. Given that two X1900XT cards had already failed, and next day part replacement was no longer a given, that seemed more than reasonable.
Then, of course, a charge appeared for the nVidia card and the agent became unreachable.
Several phonecalls and promises to call back later, I finally spoke to somebody today who apologised profusely and was very happy to inform me that a credit for the nVidia card had been raised. Hallelujah!
So, Applecare came through. We now have a spare card, which is great because it means I can push WoW in the rare instances I get time to play without worrying about destroying my work machine, and everything was resolved satisfactorily.
Unfortunately this doesn't excuse Apple from its dire need of a business-class warranty. But there you go!
Some of you may also know that the X1900XT failed in my colleagues workstation also - failed when displaying the screen saver, no less, or anything graphics-'intensive' for that matter.
Unfortunately Apple were out of stock of X1900XT's (V2) in this later instance, and a bit of a nightmare ensued. After a week of waiting, a card turned up that was the nVidia basic card. Now that was fine, but it wasn't what had been paid for.
During the week I'd frantically phoned around all the Apple authorised resellers I could find in the UK, asking if they stocked any graphics cards for the Mac Pro. This included Apple stores. None did. Your card breaks in your Mac Pro? You're without a machine for at least a week. Tough bananas!
When the ATI card finally showed up, the Applecare representative allowed for the nVidia card, incorrectly dispatched, to be kept. Given that two X1900XT cards had already failed, and next day part replacement was no longer a given, that seemed more than reasonable.
Then, of course, a charge appeared for the nVidia card and the agent became unreachable.
Several phonecalls and promises to call back later, I finally spoke to somebody today who apologised profusely and was very happy to inform me that a credit for the nVidia card had been raised. Hallelujah!
So, Applecare came through. We now have a spare card, which is great because it means I can push WoW in the rare instances I get time to play without worrying about destroying my work machine, and everything was resolved satisfactorily.
Unfortunately this doesn't excuse Apple from its dire need of a business-class warranty. But there you go!