Startup Strangeness

[mothra]

Eh don't feel too bad. When I swapped out the Airport card in my 2010 Mac Pro for a newer Broadcom card, the bluetooth module broke right off the Mac's motherboard hah. Thankfully the new wifi card had it integrated, but that was another nightmare. Broke one of the little snap connectors on the card while I was trying to pop the cable back on it. Even in that big case, there isn't ANY wiggle room for the wifi/BT connections.

[Rick Cornish]

OK… put the new board in. Machine starts up, but no startup chime and no signal to my monitor.

I tore it down again and checked everything twice. Still no love.

I'm officially crying "uncle" and sent it into Apple yesterday under the assumption that they'll have the best techs at their central repair depot and parts will be readily available. Standing by to hear more.

BTW: When I tested the original battery I took out of there, it was nearly dead, so this was a necessary adventure… just didn't go how I hoped.

[James Steele]

Sorry to hear that Rick.

[Rick Cornish]

OK… for anyone who needs serious Mac repair, I can't overstate how pleased I am with Apple's send-in repair service:
12/4—Called for service
12/6—Received "recovery kit" (box with prepaid FedEx label) to send it in
12/7—FedEx picked it up
12/8—The box with my Mac Pro arrived at Apple Memphis at 6am, it was on the bench by 8am, and shipped back to me by the end of the day (!)
12/9—Received my repaired Mac Pro from FedEx

From the note they enclosed with my machine, it looks like they replaced the logic board and three cables… which would have been well beyond my expertise.

One small thing: They removed my 3rd party RAM and SSD before they sent it back and sent those to me in a separate package. (Understandable, since Apple shouldn't be responsible for the performance of stuff they didn't make.) Once I popped them back in, I was back in business.

I generally hate the term "exceeded expectations" because I have very high expectations of people I do business with, but in this experience, Apple certainly exceeded mine. So, bravo Apple Service. Hope I don't need them again, but glad to know they're there if I do.

[James Steele]

Wow! That's a great testament to their service. Was this level of service because you had maintained Apple car on this machine?

[bayswater]

That’s a nice conclusion to an otherwise sad story. But I wish Apple would make it easier for us to repair and upgrade at least some of their hardware so can avoid these situations.

[Rick Cornish]

Wow! That's a great testament to their service. Was this level of service because you had maintained Apple car on this machine?

Nope… no AppleCare and my warranty had (obviously) expired long ago. Apparently, it's just what they do.

[Rick Cornish]

That’s a nice conclusion to an otherwise sad story. But I wish Apple would make it easier for us to repair and upgrade at least some of their hardware so can avoid these situations.

Agreed. Other than their laptops, I think these little Mac Pros are the toughest to get into of all the computers Apple has made.

[HCMarkus]

Other than their laptops, I think these little Mac Pros are the toughest to get into of all the computers Apple has made.

I own a Mac Studio. Need I say more?

I will anyway: Yearly renewal of Apple Care is in my eternal budget for this machine. At an annual cost of less than 2% of the Mac's purchase price, a worthy investment IMO.

[James Steele]

Other than their laptops, I think these little Mac Pros are the toughest to get into of all the computers Apple has made.

I own a Mac Studio. Need I say more?

I will anyway: Yearly renewal of Apple Care is in my eternal budget for this machine. At an annual cost of less than 2% of the Mac's purchase price, a worthy investment IMO.

I should probably go ahead and get that if it’s not too late. I bought my Mac Studio back in July. I thought you have a year to do that? Hmmm

Oops. Just checked. I had 60 days. Oops!!

[Rick Cornish]

Yearly renewal of Apple Care is in my eternal budget for this machine. At an annual cost of less than 2% of the Mac's purchase price, a worthy investment IMO.

Isn't AppleCare coverage negated if you add any third party parts to your machine (RAM, SSD, etc.)?

[HCMarkus]

Yearly renewal of Apple Care is in my eternal budget for this machine. At an annual cost of less than 2% of the Mac's purchase price, a worthy investment IMO.

Isn't AppleCare coverage negated if you add any third party parts to your machine (RAM, SSD, etc.)?

Well, since I've got a non-expandable Mac Studio, that potential limitation is not a concern. Matter of fact, is there ANY current Mac other than the Intel Mini and the Mac Pro that allows users to upgrade RAM and Internal Storage?

[bayswater]

is there ANY current Mac other than the Intel Mini and the Mac Pro that allows users to upgrade RAM and Internal Storage?

You can change the RAM in the Intel Mini, but I don't think you can do anything with the internal storage.

[HCMarkus]

is there ANY current Mac other than the Intel Mini and the Mac Pro that allows users to upgrade RAM and Internal Storage?

You can change the RAM in the Intel Mini, but I don't think you can do anything with the internal storage.

Should have said "or".