Okay, so I received my mac pro about one month ago (complete with ATI Radeon card). Everything was great and the machine was whisper quite, and by whisper I mean you really had to struggle to hear it).
Then I install the ATI Firmware Update and that all changes. I wouldn't say that my mac pro is loud (not by G5 standards), but I can certainly hear it now. It has a constant hum that doesn't change no matter how fast the fans are running.
I called Apple, who said that they expected that the update would make the machine louder, but it was 'within their level of acceptance', they also confirmed that the update increased the machines power consumption. I replied by saying that it was not within my level of acceptance and if Apple knew about the increase in noise and power consumption, then they should have warned me via software update. I seem to recall the note actually saying the update would improve power conservation, particularly since my machine wasn't having any problems beforehand.
It now turns out that there is no way to revert to the old firmware. I have since learnt that this update was specifically applied to fox an issue that was effecting games only. This really pisses me off because I do not use my machine for games, I use it for work (i.e. my means of support). If apple want to release an update for gamers, then they should say that the update is only for gamers. It might be that gamers would sacrifice noise levels and increased power consumption for better gaming performance, but I won't!
So my question is, what is the best way for me to get back my silent machine? Should I upgrade the card to the 8800GT (i have heard that it's a silent runner?). I didn't got that card in the first place because of the increased power consumption over the ATI, but this update was made my current card for energy hungry than the GT.
Alternatively, has anyone figured out a way to get back to the old firmware, or to get the noise levels back where they were pre-update?
Then I install the ATI Firmware Update and that all changes. I wouldn't say that my mac pro is loud (not by G5 standards), but I can certainly hear it now. It has a constant hum that doesn't change no matter how fast the fans are running.
I called Apple, who said that they expected that the update would make the machine louder, but it was 'within their level of acceptance', they also confirmed that the update increased the machines power consumption. I replied by saying that it was not within my level of acceptance and if Apple knew about the increase in noise and power consumption, then they should have warned me via software update. I seem to recall the note actually saying the update would improve power conservation, particularly since my machine wasn't having any problems beforehand.
It now turns out that there is no way to revert to the old firmware. I have since learnt that this update was specifically applied to fox an issue that was effecting games only. This really pisses me off because I do not use my machine for games, I use it for work (i.e. my means of support). If apple want to release an update for gamers, then they should say that the update is only for gamers. It might be that gamers would sacrifice noise levels and increased power consumption for better gaming performance, but I won't!
So my question is, what is the best way for me to get back my silent machine? Should I upgrade the card to the 8800GT (i have heard that it's a silent runner?). I didn't got that card in the first place because of the increased power consumption over the ATI, but this update was made my current card for energy hungry than the GT.
Alternatively, has anyone figured out a way to get back to the old firmware, or to get the noise levels back where they were pre-update?
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