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Returned ATI Radeon HD 4850 iMac. Now What?

I

iMac4850User

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2009
9
0
I don't know about the rest of you, but after paying $2000+ and waiting more than a month for a totally unusable iMac, I was absolutely livid!

I called Apple and raised hell. They are taking everything on my order back, not charging me a restocking fee, letting me keep the $100 printer rebate check and giving me a $100 Apple Store Gift Card.

Now, what Mac should I get that's not totally broken?

nVidia Geforce 9800 iMac?
These are going to be two months old soon, but that's not too bad considering Apple probably won't come out with new iMacs until next year. Also, I haven't seen an uproar about these being broken. That's a major plus!

ATI Radeon HD 4870 Mac Pro?
Probably way too big and powerful for me, but I could try to MAKE room for this monster and you can never have enough power! Also, I've only heard good things about these machines!

Wait for next round of iMacs?
I could probably buy the Mac Box Set for my iMac G5 and get another year out of it until Apple updates the iMacs again. That $100 printer rebate check and $100 Apple Store Gift Card they gave me would more than pay for it! I actually miss Leopard and iLife and iWork '09 now that I'm back on my old iMac.
 
If you're happy with your G5, max the memory and keep it. If not, get the iMac with the GT120 or GT130. The 9600M is integrated and steals system memory...

Actually, scratch that recommendation - if you're OK with it, get a refurb with the ATI 2600HD or nVidia 8800. Yeah, that'd be better and save a few bucks, too. :)
 
Unless space is a major issue, refurb (last-gen) Mac Pro. Should be able to find one for $2000, and you'll get loads of power and expandability.
 
iMac4850User said:
I don't know about the rest of you, but after paying $2000+ and waiting more than a month for a totally unusable iMac, I was absolutely livid!

I called Apple and raised hell. They are taking everything on my order back, not charging me a restocking fee, letting me keep the $100 printer rebate check and giving me a $100 Apple Store Gift Card.

Now, what Mac should I get that's not totally broken?

nVidia Geforce 9800 iMac?
These are going to be two months old soon, but that's not too bad considering Apple probably won't come out with new iMacs until next year. Also, I haven't seen an uproar about these being broken. That's a major plus!

ATI Radeon HD 4870 Mac Pro?
Probably way too big and powerful for me, but I could try to MAKE room for this monster and you can never have enough power! Also, I've only heard good things about these machines!

Wait for next round of iMacs?
I could probably buy the Mac Box Set for my iMac G5 and get another year out of it until Apple updates the iMacs again. That $100 printer rebate check and $100 Apple Store Gift Card they gave me would more than pay for it! I actually miss Leopard and iLife and iWork '09 now that I'm back on my old iMac.
Click to expand...

I would probably go with a GT130 iMac, since the Geforce 9800 iMac is an option for you. It's only 1 step down from the 4850...
 
The First Mac Commandment

I've got an old school mac friend of mine, who has been using them exclusively since the challenger exploded, give me what he calls 'the first mac commandment':

Thou shalt NOT buy a revision A.

Nice to know that some things in this world are remaining constant.
 
What do you want to use the computer for and why does it have to be a Mac?

It looks like you need some serious GPU power, so you're either a 3D modeller a gamer or a movie editor. If you're in either of the first two groups, I'd skip Apple's products entirely.
 
clyde2801 said:
I've got an old school mac friend of mine, who has been using them exclusively since the challenger exploded, give me what he calls 'the first mac commandment':

Thou shalt NOT buy a revision A.

Nice to know that some things in this world are remaining constant.
Click to expand...

How is the 24" iMac a Revision A product? We've had Alu. iMacs for a few years now, and Apple have been using a mix of ATi and NV GPUs for ages. There's nothing new about them beyond a particular model of GPU.

This is Revision C or something. Crazy for them to be going wrong at this point.
 
iMac4850User said:
I don't know about the rest of you, but after paying $2000+ and waiting more than a month for a totally unusable iMac, I was absolutely livid!

I called Apple and raised hell. They are taking everything on my order back, not charging me a restocking fee, letting me keep the $100 printer rebate check and giving me a $100 Apple Store Gift Card.

Now, what Mac should I get that's not totally broken?

nVidia Geforce 9800 iMac?
These are going to be two months old soon, but that's not too bad considering Apple probably won't come out with new iMacs until next year. Also, I haven't seen an uproar about these being broken. That's a major plus!

ATI Radeon HD 4870 Mac Pro?
Probably way too big and powerful for me, but I could try to MAKE room for this monster and you can never have enough power! Also, I've only heard good things about these machines!

Wait for next round of iMacs?
I could probably buy the Mac Box Set for my iMac G5 and get another year out of it until Apple updates the iMacs again. That $100 printer rebate check and $100 Apple Store Gift Card they gave me would more than pay for it! I actually miss Leopard and iLife and iWork '09 now that I'm back on my old iMac.
Click to expand...

That iMac G5 you have is a really nice computer. I've had one for 3.5 years and although I just bought a Macbook Pro, I actually kind of miss it. The screen is nice, it's quiet, reliable...

I'd consider maxing the RAM out to 2.5GB and buying that software package...
 
Bye Bye Baby said:
I love mine.
Click to expand...

I would have loved mine too had it not frozen every ten minutes. :(

avihappy said:
I would probably go with a GT130 iMac, since the Geforce 9800 iMac is an option for you. It's only 1 step down from the 4850...
Click to expand...

That's what I should have done in the first place. I must have too much patience.

peskaa said:
How is the 24" iMac a Revision A product? We've had Alu. iMacs for a few years now, and Apple have been using a mix of ATi and NV GPUs for ages. There's nothing new about them beyond a particular model of GPU.

This is Revision C or something. Crazy for them to be going wrong at this point.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more, this is absolutely insane and totally unacceptable.

bokdol said:
sorry am i missing something? when did they make a 9800 imac?
Click to expand...

The iMacs basically have nVidia Geforce 9400m, 9600m, and 9800m. The whole GT 120 and GT 130 nonsense is nVidia's relabeling and Apple's marketing at work. Apple bought an absolute ton of mobile nVidia chips and they are in almost every Mac Apple makes.

If I had it my way, computer manufacturers would be required by law to list full and accurate specifications for every computer they sell. I'm really fed up with Apple's outright deceitful labeling of the iMac's graphics. It's really gotten out of hand.
 
clyde2801 said:
Umm...new graphics card?
Click to expand...

A new video card does not a Revision A product make, sorry.

Trying to blame the end user in any way, shape or form for the problems they're experiencing with their machines is ridiculous and at any rate this is actually the third revision of the aluminum iMac.

My iMac is the mid-2007 Radeon 2600HD model, the first aluminum machine and maybe you could call it 'Revision A'. I bought it on the date of its release in August, 2007. This is the same machine that many many users experienced lockups and freezing with for months until Apple released a firmware update that resolved it. I dodged a bullet in that my own iMac was not one of the 'freezers' but I surely felt for those who were not so lucky and dealt with the same sort of crap many new 4850 iMac owners are now dealing with.

Let's blame who is at fault here, shall we?
 
iMac4850User said:
The iMacs basically have nVidia Geforce 9400m, 9600m, and 9800m. The whole GT 120 and GT 130 nonsense is nVidia's relabeling and Apple's marketing at work. Apple bought an absolute ton of mobile nVidia chips and they are in almost every Mac Apple makes.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info. yeah i had no idea. about the 120 and the 130. i was wondering where they came from.
 
iMac4850User said:
The iMacs basically have nVidia Geforce 9400m, 9600m, and 9800m. The whole GT 120 and GT 130 nonsense is nVidia's relabeling and Apple's marketing at work. Apple bought an absolute ton of mobile nVidia chips and they are in almost every Mac Apple makes.

If I had it my way, computer manufacturers would be required by law to list full and accurate specifications for every computer they sell. I'm really fed up with Apple's outright deceitful labeling of the iMac's graphics. It's really gotten out of hand.
Click to expand...

I don't see how it's Apple's marketing at work. nVidia makes these chips remember? And why return? Couldn't you get a replacement iMac?
 
SnowLeopard2008 said:
I don't see how it's Apple's marketing at work. nVidia makes these chips remember? And why return? Couldn't you get a replacement iMac?
Click to expand...

Apple is bad in general about telling customers what the graphics really are in their iMacs. That coupled with nVidia's recent relabeling nonsense has made the specs of the current crop of iMacs the most confusing yet.

I really don't have the time or energy to go through this again if the replacement doesn't work. The return itself has even been taxing because I'm flying blind with Apple's Online Order Status being broken.
 

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Sorry, but what does that mean, Don't buy revision A??

clyde2801 said:
I've got an old school mac friend of mine, who has been using them exclusively since the challenger exploded, give me what he calls 'the first mac commandment':

Thou shalt NOT buy a revision A.

Nice to know that some things in this world are remaining constant.
Click to expand...
 
Revision A is just the first model (revision of a product) First MBA, first iPhone, etc. Basically just a new product or the first time with new hardware.
 
I tried going back to my old iMac G5, but I'm addicted to that 24" screen! It's just so big and gorgeous that it makes everything else look like crap! I ended up getting a refurbished 2008 top of the line iMac for just $1600! With the 3.06 GHz CPU and nVidia Geforce 8800, it feels just as fast as the one I returned, doesn't freeze up every ten minutes and cost $600 less! Absolutely no problems with this one yet and I hope it stays that way.
 
Wow...

clyde2801 said:
I've got an old school mac friend of mine, who has been using them exclusively since the challenger exploded, give me what he calls 'the first mac commandment':

Thou shalt NOT buy a revision A.

Nice to know that some things in this world are remaining constant.
Click to expand...

I actually heard a deep "Moses/Charleton Heston" like voice as I read it!!! And you are right. Face it, we're all Mac-addicts. When we have to talk about something that is coming months before it actually get here, and/or wondering what the next best or biggest and greatest will be do you really think we have the strength, the will power to wait for the next revision!!!! If it was only that easy.
 
I do not believe this is a "Rev A" product, as others have pointed out it is the third iteration of the aluminum imac. Although I guess you can say since the entire motherboard is different due to the nVidia chipset, it MAY qualify.

But in any case, I wouldn't say don't buy a "Rev A", just wait a few weeks until it hits the users and check forums for any common emerging threads.

I believe with most epidemic issues, they were spotted and reported en masse in the first month, and in the case of this 4850 thing in the first few days, after users got their hands on it.
 
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