Got a Loud PowerMac? Exchange the power supply!!

[nickgold]

Originally posted by finleymac
Now if Apple could only fix the problem with 10.2.4 and the date and time resetting to 1969 that would be even better. And no, I don't have a dead battery

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, man, but that's a problem with YOUR computer -- not 10.2.4. Maybe you need to --

- Zap PRAM

- try a different user account, see if the issue is present

- reinstall OS X (worst case scenario)

If none of that stuff works, it likely _is_ a physical problem with your computer.

 

[Chisholm]

Originally posted by nickgold
I know if I was making a tech purchase of over 100 top of the line computers for a school, I would sure as heck wait a couple of weeks until after they were out to make sure there were no issues that might cause a problem in the environment they would be used in. I might even -- gasp -- look at one in person first! And that has nothing to do with whether we are talking Macs, PCs, etc.

But gosh, that would, like, be all professional and stuff... Go figure...

Thanks Nick for your insight. Sometimes we get caught up with expecting consistancy here in the world of academia. These wind tunnels are the loudest machines produced since the clones were unleashed in the late 1990's.

And when you get a job where you actually purchase computers en masse, perhaps you'll learn about all that crazy stuff, like, having a budget that must be used by a specific date (despite *credible* rumors), client NEEDS, realistic time frames for completion of tasks, etc.

Again, I'm not trying to be an ass about it, rather, sharing some frustrations and perhaps shedding a little light from the other side. If it were my personal G4 for home use, I wouldn't question shelling out the $20. I'd consider it an upgrade. But in a business world, nope, sorry. I'd bend Michael Dell over my desk to fix a noisy fan, just 'cuz I payed for a 3 year next day service agreement.

'nuff said, time for a fresh drink.
cheers y'all
-me again

 

[GetSome681]

Originally posted by Chisholm
Sorry dude, forgot to tell you something, not all professors like to yell above the noise generated by a classroom of machines. The students are noisy enough as it is.

1. I wasn't talking about redoing 1 machine, rather over 100 of them.
2. A 30 minute timeframe per machine is not unreasonable, I'll be training work study students to do this most likely and they NEED to take the time to do it right the first time. Perhaps you think its acceptable to close the case up with a few "extra screws" left over. have you even read the instructions for this procedure?
3. When you purchase 120 or so Quicksilvers and they perform at a certain level, then turn around and order 40 more and end up with noise tunnels, oh I mean Mirrored Macs, well....^$@& not sure what YOUR job is, but I ultimately work for professors that are always right. They are my customers, if you will.
4. Sorry you went to a college with such noisy computer labs. Come to the University of Alabama, College of Communications and Information Technology and we'll try to help you with your trauma. Maybe even learn you a thing or two.

I wasn't TRYING to be an ass, I just was. Sorry.

I know how many machines you were talking, and yes I think 30 minutes is ridiculous. I've built probably 50 PCs so far, and that's a little more than removing a few screws, and replacing a few fans. Please don't give yourself too much credit thinking this install procedure will be quite difficult.

It's sad that people were spoiled by all the previous apple machines, where almost every mac line was close to silent. That's changing now though, especially since we're finally getting some "decent" chips out, and as chips get faster and faster it's inevitable they will require more cooling.

And don't worry...no school trauma...went to Georgia Tech.

I'm not trying to be an ass either, it's just sorta disappointing that so many people are complaining, stating that apple has really screwed them over. Sounds is something that is common to computers, and has just been something apple has never really had much of before, but that doesn't mean they are required to stay that way forever. Increasing computer performance mandated increased cooling no matter what chip technologies are incorporated. It's just that simple, or spend extra $$ for fans that produce less noise while moving the the same or more volume of air..aka apple's $20 charge!

 

[Chisholm]

)

Originally posted by GetSome681
I know how many machines you were talking, and yes I think 30 minutes is ridiculous. I've built probably 50 PCs so far, and that's a little more than removing a few screws, and replacing a few fans. Please don't give yourself too much credit thinking this install procedure will be quite difficult.

It's sad that people were spoiled by all the previous apple machines, where almost every mac line was close to silent. That's changing now though, especially since we're finally getting some "decent" chips out, and as chips get faster and faster it's inevitable they will require more cooling.

And don't worry...no school trauma...went to Georgia Tech.

I'm not trying to be an ass either, it's just sorta disappointing that so many people are complaining, stating that apple has really screwed them over. Sounds is something that is common to computers, and has just been something apple has never really had much of before, but that doesn't mean they are required to stay that way forever. Increasing computer performance mandated increased cooling no matter what chip technologies are incorporated. It's just that simple, or spend extra $$ for fans that produce less noise while moving the the same or more volume of air..aka apple's $20 charge!

I am wondering if Apple jumped into something with a supplier for their power supplies that didn't, in the long run (less than 6 months) turn out to be a good decision.

Yeah, I've built a bunch of PC's, big deal. I can make one louder than a 1984 Trans Am if I want. But why?

And I hate to double quote, but

"It's sad that people were spoiled by all the previous apple machines, where almost every mac line was close to silent. That's changing now though, especially since we're finally getting some "decent" chips out, and as chips get faster and faster it's inevitable they will require more cooling."

Why are the newer Mirrored Macs more quiet (from what I've heard, pun intended ) The new one's are faster right? Inevitable they will require more cooling? Nope. Traditionally chips end up running cooler as the manufacturing process is perfected.

Maybe I should start a petition for "alternative cooling sources" on the 'net. Damn, you'd think I live in Cali or something.

As always, glad to converse with a fellow southerner GetSome.

Really y'all, I'm just a little tipsy.

-me, yet again

 

[jacka55]

As long as I can remember, Apple has charged 20 bucks for almost every special program. Since the dawn of time (At least since OS 7.5) they've charged 20 bucks for all Mac OS Up-to-Date program installments. And, which I considered kind of like the Up-to-Date program, they charged 20 bucks for shipping the free 10.1 update. Yet each time Apple anounces that something is 20 bucks, it seems that the same group of people is surprised.

As for the not-so-flamy-flame-war, the department that I work for at my university had to pay 20 dollars a copy for OS 10.2 when our eMacs came with OS 10.1. We were happy that we didn't have to pay 70 dollars a copy.

Considering the fact that the instructions have 29 individual figures describing how to remove the power supply, a 30 minute time frame is reasonable. For me, that's quick. I like to explore while I'm in there (well, at least on the first machine).

Additionally, It might be worth a shot to contact Apple about getting 100 power supplies. I'm sure that they would consider working out a batch order instead of requiring you to individually enter every serial number in the form and subsequently ordering every power supply one by one, and then getting 100 packages with 100 allen wrenches and 100 sets of instructions...

In summary, if Dell, or any other computer company in the universe, would admit that my much hated laptop is obnoxiosly loud and sent me a kit wholly at their expense, and came and installed it for me, then I might complain about Apple charging 20 bucks. But as far as I know, few computer companies have ever offered to replace an aesthetic problem for such a low total cost.

 

[yamadataro]

Just been to the Apple Japan site and they still have no info on the exchange.
I'm hoping to get my unit replaced soon.

As to the $20 price tag, I think it's totally reasonable considering the fact that Apple didn't ship any defective hardware. They are trying to improve it and to replace the unit for us practically for free. Doing anything like this will cost Apple soooo much more than $20 for each unit, including cost of hiring management and shipping people and the cost of actual unit and the shipping.

Think business guys!

I personally don't think the sound is that bad. I keep the PM under the desk anyway. I've become used to the sound already.

It would be nice to get it quieter that's all.

 

[Hemingray]

Whatever you guys do, don't dare to disagree with Richard over at G4noise.com! Apparently, everyone that doesn't believe that Apple owes this to original MDD owners is "clued out". I dared to suggest that Apple was not obligated to do this, and here's the reply I got:

Reader, I am very sorry that you still don't get it. This is about servicing a customer constituency. While you can make what you believe to be your airtight case that "there are no performance problems, thus this ws titally unnecessary and out of the goodness of their hearts", you seem more intent on trying to slap down a class of people than to recognize that multiple reasons why Apple acted. You don't have the evidence and, frankly, you won't get it, so you have no ability to comment on what the evidence shows.

I'm sorry that you are not as smart as you think you are, but Apple, on the other hand, IS smart to have finally listened to its PRO-MEDIA constituents. I doubt very seriously you are a creative person. You may think that's a slight, but it's not. You just probably aren't a creative person and thus you are not as sensitive to a persistent oscillating high frequency whine.

I know many engineers who could work with jackhammers in the same room, and as long as the processor compiled the data without error, no biggie. Likewise, "loud computer? who says? It meets the spec. Look right here." That kind of narrow thinking is what makes you who you are. That's fine.

However: Apple is a business, and if your theory is correct -- and it's not -- why in the world would a company go through the trouble to create this fix, set up infrastructure in all those territoris, train the AASPs, produce a quicktime video of instructions -- if it didn't impact their bottom line. You think the costs of this fix are going to be written as a PR line item? I doubt it. Try "Customer Retention" line item and "New Customer Acquisition" or "Litigation".

There's already plenty enough noise coming from these MDD's. What the world needs now is surely not more uninformed noise from you.

Apple did the right thing when it was forced to. And guess what? Everyone of us LOVES OSX and the Mac Platform. I'll bet you $100 I've owned Macs longer than you. So shut your hole.

Gee, well let's see... One, I am a graphic designer, so I'd say that definitely qualifies me as a "creative person" (whatever that has to do with the issue anyway...). Two, I troubleshoot Macs for a living as well, so I'm not as "clued out" as he'd like to believe. Three, I've owned Apple products since before the Macintosh was even introduced. Does that mean he owes me $100 instead? What a self-righteous ass.

 

[gotohamish]

Originally posted by Hemingray
Whatever you guys do, don't dare to disagree with Richard over at G4noise.com! Apparently, everyone that doesn't believe that Apple owes this to original MDD owners is "clued out". I dared to suggest that Apple was not obligated to do this, and here's the reply I got:



Gee, well let's see... One, I am a graphic designer, so I'd say that definitely qualifies me as a "creative person" (whatever that has to do with the issue anyway...). Two, I troubleshoot Macs for a living as well, so I'm not as "clued out" as he'd like to believe. Three, I've owned Apple products since before the Macintosh was even introduced. Does that mean he owes me $100 instead? What a self-righteous ass.

Yeah, he spelling leaves a little to be desired too - "territoris" - maybe that's a condition he has and we should go easy on him.

As for g4noise.com - I'm SICK of people talking about this site - get a life, Apple never promised quiet machines (except the Cube ).

As for $20 - that's to cover employees dealing with requests, packing the item, shipping it, and covering return shipping. I wouldn't do that work for $20 - Apple are doing a great thing - we should be pleased! Well done Hemingray for posting that too!

 

[NicoMan]

Originally posted by finleymac
If this update makes in fans sound anything like the new MDD Powermacs (dual 1.4, ext.), I'm going to be pleased. I used one of the new PowerMacs (dual 1.2) at an Apple Store, and the noise really was quite pleasant. Just a low hum, that you could only hear if you listen really carefully.


Now if Apple could only fix the problem with 10.2.4 and the date and time resetting to 1969 that would be even better. And no, I don't have a dead battery

Have you tried repairing your file system permissions (Apps/Utilities/Disk Utility)? First thing to do after you install any update, whether it is OS or iApp update... It doesn't take too long and it solves A LOT of (potential) problems...

Hope that helps.

NicoMan (sorry for that off-topic intervention)

 

[weev]

Originally posted by gotohamish
YAs for $20 - that's to cover employees dealing with requests, packing the item, shipping it, and covering return shipping.

That's right, its also IMHO to cull out the customers who are happy with their machine who would only be sending away with the simple but frail human logic of "getting something for nothing"; not to mention those who may not even own a MDD PM who just want free computer parts, etc, etc...

 

[kansaigaijin]

does it mean anything to be a college professor anymore?

"I'd bend Michael Dell over my desk to fix a noisy fan, just 'cuz I payed for a 3 year next day service agreement. "

payed? really too sad.

 

[ewinemiller]

Originally posted by nickgold
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, man, but that's a problem with YOUR computer -- not 10.2.4. Maybe you need to --

- Zap PRAM

- try a different user account, see if the issue is present

- reinstall OS X (worst case scenario)

If none of that stuff works, it likely _is_ a physical problem with your computer.

Actually this does seem to be a problem 10.2.4. It doesn't happen to everyone, worked fine for me, but this is the second person I've heard say that 10.2.4 reset the system clock to 1969.

 

[TZADOMI]

un f'in believable

attitude What I am going to say may get my newbie ass thrown off this forum, and that is fine. I have been saving since the PB15 came out so that I can AFFORD a f'in Mac. And to deal with the issue of salary, high 30's. I have been, and just this morning my g/f laughed seeing me looking at the rumor mills and apple website, extremely excited because I finally have enough to get the next 15 inch. I was proud because for the most part the people I have seen with issues, and accolades have been people that I respect, all ages their complaints are for the most part legitimate and they handle it in a professional manner.

That was until I read half of this string. For all you f'in whiny-ass, rich, preppie, spoiled, "Apple owes me this", "why do I have to pay 20", etc., *******s.... grow up!

1. You Have a Mac, a computer, a machine, etc. A lot still don't.
2. Apple owes you nothing! They are a company in the business of making money to maximize shareholders' wealth. Yes, customer satisfaction and service is important, I do it... I know, dealing with 25 million dollar accounts...but "my Apple has a pimple on its' ass" from you out of xxx customers is NOT the first thing they are thinking of fixing.
3. I never saw anything about the PMac being advertised as quiet... NEVER .... YOU assumed it would be quiet... remember that old saying? Assumption is the mother of all ****ups...
4. Apple is shutting you up, they are offering you a fix that quite frankly they do not have to offer you. And if I were supposed to push the button to authorize this, I would remove the button and lose it. Buy a comperable PC and tell me it is quiet... my POS 500 Mhz, 2 HDD's are whining almost as loud as your sorry asses.

In a time when people are staving, doing everything they can to make ends meet, and 200,000 men and women are over in, or on their was to Iraq to make it possible for you selfish, rude, spoiled brats to have the freedom to be your inconsiderate selfs, you sit here complaining that someone got tired of hearing you complain about something that really was not their responsibility, and so they are being GRACIOUS enough to offer a solution to all the people that REALLY have to have it quiet... and not the spoiled brats that are just complaining to have something to complain about becasue that is all they know how to do... to weed the needs out from the babies, I mean the "it would be nice" people, they make it slightly unappealing with a S/H charge... big ****ing deal... crawl back from where you came out of you mother, you are not ready for the real world.

 

[jamilecrire]

Oh my god people $20 for shipping isn't that much because remember they are shipping the new supply to you, including a free return airbill and you are shipping it back. Go find out on FedEx how much it will cost to ship from anywhere in the country (remember you have to find the most expensive) to Apple and then back.

I hate when people get something for free and they bitch about it. Welcome to the world of the Apple User.

I paid 19.95 for the fulfillment program for OS 9 when I bought a boxed copy of 10.2. You didn't see me bitching on these boards. Grow up people.

Originally posted by G4scott
It's amazing how easily replacable everything in the PowerMacs is... It's also the first time that I've seen Apple let people remove the power supply and fan on their own without voiding the warranty. I'm going for this kit right away. Although $20 is still a bit for shipping, nowhere does it say that the new PowerMacs have to be quiet. You can argue all you want, but it's not going to change the facts...

It's really cool, though, because you have to remove a grand total of 6 screws (maybe just 5...) do swap the powersupply and a fan. Apple has really made this PowerMac easy to switch parts out. Now, if their laptops were just as easy to get into...

 

[sedarby]

Yeah right.

Originally posted by nickgold
I'm not trying to be too smug about this, but if you're at all serious about recording audio in a studio environment, you have an isolated and specifically designed and soundproofed recording room/booth that has NO gear in it other than a microphone. I can't imagine trying to record audio with _any_ tower in the same room -- or at least doing so, and pretending to be at all professional.

And let me be straight -- I do NOT run or manage a recording studio, although I have been working with Mac audio for about 6 years or so. And even _I_ know that recording in a room with a computer tower is, uh -- lame.

I was just giving an example of a situation where the noise could be a problem. Lets say you are a graphic artist or web designer/developer and have to sit in front of this thing for 8-12 hours straight. The noise level would be unacceptable.

Apple messed up severely and will pay for this because this is just the impetus a lot of studios (audio and otherwise) needed to move over to Windows. I hope they learn to take noise into consideration for future designs.

 

[e-coli]

Originally posted by toontra
e-coli
Could you explain further; do you mean you're still getting too much noise? If so, where do you reckon it's comming from - or is it just that the replacement components aren't much quieter? Do you know for sure that you've got the same parts that Apple are offering as replacement under this new scheme?

PS bbarnhart
It's not surprising that you haven't noticed the noise as you have the latest model which is apparently a lot quieter; this was a problem with the previous release MDD's.

Well, they acknowledged they had a problem, and sent me a new power supply, but it's maybe 5db quieter at the most. it's still quite annoying.

 

[robguz]

This is one case where I'm happy to pay the $20. Yes, I knew it was noisy when I bought it, and it bugs me anyway, but I just figured I'd do the fan hack at some point. Now I don't have to void my warranty and it will come with clear instructions by Apple. Yes, I could bitch and moan about 20 bucks, but it's not that much, it's what they charge to ship software, so if anything, they are clearly losing money on this.

Thanks Apple for doing the right thing!

 

[Mosco]

this is different if you had gotten your power supply replaced before by apple. This power supply i believe is the new 360 watt model and they give you a new system fan. so if you got your 400watt swapped out for a new 400 watt and didn't notice a difference it might be worth trying this one.

people complaining about us complaining about our loud machines need to stop. you don't own one of these machines so you can't judge the moise levels. not all of them are loud but some like mine output a very loud whining noise that sometimes gives me a headache. and you can't the noise by checking them out in the store, because if you could i probably wouldn't have this machine.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

I think everyone should be glad apple has decided to do something, they could have said oh well! And please remember this all goes back to motorola who cant seem to make faster chips so apple has to cool the piss out of them to get 1.2-1.42. Did moto but not say they will have a 1.3 mass produced 4th qtr this year. Be Happy Apple is trying to make you happy and still get the most out of those suck butt non advancing MOTOROLA CHIPS!

 

[Ty C]

Are the new ones updated?

I just ordered a MDD powermac (specs below) from Apple, in fact its coming tuesday. Is the problem going to come fixed?

 

[Mosco]

yeah, it will come fixed. the new ones already have the 360 watt power supplies. and i just remembered this, but i heard that the 360 watts power supplies are temp controlled, can anyone confirm?

 

[puffmarvin]

TZADOMI -

i applaud you. finally someone who wrote out everything i was thinking as well. bravo

 

[greenstork]

Originally posted by Hemingray
What a self-righteous ass.

Self-righteous is not owning a MDD and telling people that they shouldn't be concerned over the noise. Where do you get off?

 

[greenstork]

To all those who are sick of the MDD complainers, consider this. This poorly engineered piece of hardware is affecting people's businesses, it's affecting their productivity. If it was affecting your bottom line, you'd be complaining too. You simply can't argue this if you don't own a MDD, you have no basis.

And you know what, thank goodness someone is complaining because if they didn't, Apple would be heading down the wrong road. You know the one where big businesses don't care about their customers and go on forcing bad products down their throat with savvy marketing (Microsoft anyone?)

The Apple motto is "Think Different" and it represents an "open source" business model if you will. They rely on customer feedback for innovation. If people aren't happy with their product, it affects their bottom line. Note the 20% decline in Power Mac sales in 4th quarter 2002. Don't think that this decline is directly attributable to these noisy, poorly engineered machines.

Sure, the folks at G4 Noise may have been a thorn in the side of Apple and these and other message boards but it is these people who keep Apple on their toes and keep their products top-notch. You should probably thank them rather than bitch at them.

No one likes a complainer, agreed, but just turn away if you have no experience with what they are bitching about. Go to another thread and talk about mac tablets like you always do and stay out of issues that don't concern you.

For the record, I own a MDD dual 1GHz, I am pissed about the noise, in case you couldn't infer. I could care less about $20 and in fact requested to purchase a new power supply from Apple at full cost which I was not allowed to do (before the PS replacement kit). I think people who are complaining about the $20 are ridiculous. I never expected a fix from Apple but it would have affected any future Apple purchases of mine. If I don't like a product I just won't buy it again and that is how the system is supposed to work. Do I love everything about my computer but the noise? YES ABSOLUTELY. That being said, I wanted Apple to come up with a fix and renew my faith that Apple is a company that thinks different, that goes the extra mile for its customers as I was led to believe before my first Mac.

This power supply fix does all that and more for me and now they have another pro-bono Apple saleman on their side. This replacement kit is savvy marketing & customer service, as it was intended to be. Go Apple, and go G4 Noise for forcing them to live up to what we expect from such a great company.

 

[puffmarvin]

thanks greenstork... i think you summed it up for everyone in this thread.

if you dont own a MDD powermac, you probably dont know what it sounds like day in and day out. but again, apple never promised the machine to be quiet. yes, it was loud and understandably some people got upset/pissed/etc...

like greenstork says... dont complain about the $20. apple is still taking some of the cost on their own shoulders here. applaud them because they make the best computers in the world and they are taking care of their customers. name ONE other company that would even offer something close to this. none come to my mind.

anyways, most of us on these boards are apple users so lets not ridicule eachother and say someone is an a**hole or retarded based on their beliefs just because we dont agree with them. to an outsider (a windows person), we look like a bunch of immature, whiny, snobby, elitist jerks and im sure we dont want that. so lets all relax, shall we?

cheers