non sequitur Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 I have quite a dilemma here. I have two weeks until my warranty expires. I can still buy applecare now, but im not sure whether or not it would be worth it. I do have a problem now, where if i play WoW for too long, my computer overheats and something starts to click loudly over and over until i let the machine cool down. I can always see them when i get back to the states though, i happen to be on spring break out of town. However, is applecare worth it? Im not sure whether it would be, and i dont exactly want tospend $250 or however much it is. Any input? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 If it's for your MacBook Pro, I'd say go for it. It's a notebook, which means it's more likely to get messed up, but also since there have been so many issues with the MacBook line in general. I'd say it's worth it, personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollcage Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 It's definitely worth it, even if you use it once it will probably pay for itself twice over. The hard drive in my mac went bad it would have cost $420.94 for Apple to replace it without the warranty. That was still under the original warranty it had when I bought it. Next day I bought the extra two years for $150. I figure there's a good chance that something will happen in two years, that's a long time. Better the small amount now than replacing the whole thing later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
track09 Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Applecare is a complete scam. PC vendors have better warranties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollcage Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Applecare is a complete scam. PC vendors have better warranties. Like hell. With dell the closest warranty only covers 2 years and it's still more than the Apple one. And it still only has 30 phone support. Apple is 3 year hardware/3 year phone. With mine, I made an appointment that morning, walked to the genius bar, the guy checked it out right there, said that it needed fixed and they were done with it that evening. I think Apple does a damn good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSXtasy Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 If I were you (and I do have a MBP as well) I would put SMC fan control on that lappy, and jack those fans all the way up to 6000rpms when gaming (as I do), or you're gonna wish you had bought Applecare, and even then, you'll still be without your system while its in the shop being repaired. Apple users must learn to get off of this "I want a super quiet computer" mentality and ramp those darn fans up when you know the machine is running to hot!! Heat KILL's electronics people.....it does'nt take a rocket scientist to figure that out, and you are doing WAY more harm waiting for the fans to kick up via Apples built in heat tolerances, that just installing SMC fancontrol(which is free), and jacking the speeds up(manually), ESPECIALLY when you KNOW that you are gonna be doing something processor intensive. I mean sure, if you get Applecare (good idea by the way, and I need to do the same soon), they will repair your machine (after a few days or weeks without it you will wish you'd opted for this next scenario).....BUT if you have a way to KEEP it from EVER breaking down in the first place (running it cooler). WHICH WAY SEEMS TO BE THE SMARTEST????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U.C. Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 For a 2000$ MBP, 150$ would probably be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Nonny Moose Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 If even 1% of your thoughts are directed toward getting the extended warranty, then get the extended warranty. Personally, I've always gotten the extended warranties and they have paid for themselves every single time (as Applecare even pays for getting a new hard drive should that one fail). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremesniper Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 If I were you (and I do have a MBP as well) I would put SMC fan control on that lappy, and jack those fans all the way up to 6000rpms when gaming (as I do), or you're gonna wish you had bought Applecare, and even then, you'll still be without your system while its in the shop being repaired. Apple users must learn to get off of this "I want a super quiet computer" mentality and ramp those darn fans up when you know the machine is running to hot!! Heat KILL's electronics people.....it does'nt take a rocket scientist to figure that out, and you are doing WAY more harm waiting for the fans to kick up via Apples built in heat tolerances, that just installing SMC fancontrol(which is free), and jacking the speeds up(manually), ESPECIALLY when you KNOW that you are gonna be doing something processor intensive. I mean sure, if you get Applecare (good idea by the way, and I need to do the same soon), they will repair your machine (after a few days or weeks without it you will wish you'd opted for this next scenario).....BUT if you have a way to KEEP it from EVER breaking down in the first place (running it cooler). WHICH WAY SEEMS TO BE THE SMARTEST????? :) Ummm, I wouldn't suggest jacking up your fan speed using SMC fan control, especially all the way to 6000rpms. First of all, there's no telling if AppleCare will deny you service on your parts if they see that you manipulated the fan control. To them this could just mean you played with the settings, and that's why your computer burned out. (It is possible, since the fan was not designed to run at such high speeds for so long). The second thing is, after using SMC for a couple of weeks a few months ago, my fan started making squeaky sounds at certain idle speeds. It was annoying as hell and has since gone away after stopping usage of the SMC fan controller. And as for answering the original post, I would say AppleCare is worth the money, yes, however don't expect any help from their telephone service. All they will say is "go to a certified apple retailer or an Apple Store and get a genius to check it out". Almost every problem comes down to that. So if you live in the area of an Apple Store, then get AppleCare and just go to the Geniuses if you have any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
track09 Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 Like hell. With dell the closest warranty only covers 2 years and it's still more than the Apple one. And it still only has 30 phone support. Apple is 3 year hardware/3 year phone. With mine, I made an appointment that morning, walked to the genius bar, the guy checked it out right there, said that it needed fixed and they were done with it that evening. I think Apple does a damn good job. My gateway had 1 year of hardware and phone free, and unlimited online support chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cringemaster Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 Applecare is a complete scam. PC vendors have better warranties. Ha, funny. Applecare is definitely worth the cost. Get It, then forget it, at least until that overheating thing comes to bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSXtasy Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 (to extreme sniper) I know for a fact that running your fans at maximum speeds for short periods (1 or 2 hours of gaming) is not going to hurt anything. Why on earth would a mechanical unit such as a fan be MADE and ABLE to run at this speed if running it at such speeds would BREAK it?? My god, some people do not have common SENSE!!!! My fans on this MBP, My MacPro, and 23 other PC's I have built have NEVER developed ANY noisy issues from adjusting fan speeds by whatever method, and they(on MBP) are NEVER below 3000rpms. They ARE FANS, ITS WHAT THEY ARE FOR, THATS WHAT THEY DO!!! If they are gonna fail, then hell you have the warrantee(IF you bought it). It's not like Apple can tell you had them running over the default, thats nearly impossible, and not worth Apples time....they just replace them and be done with it (I also work with a guy that used to work at Apple)....... In addition (for non-sequiter), I think you should order the Applecare if you so desire, AND use SMC fan control. Just take SMC fancontrol off of the Mac before you send it in for repairs if you are paranoid about Apple saying something about it being on there...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremesniper Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 No need to get too excited over the issue. I was just stating a warning instead of blindly agreeing to the fact that the fans can be run at high speeds. Sure they can, but running at 6000rpms for a few hours on end will definitely be shortening their life span. If you have a warantee, great, as long as you don't keep the mac running after the fans fail because then it will be more than just a fan that will need to be replaced. I'm just speaking from what I've found. My fan started making noises, so I stopped using the app. If you want to get all worked up over my findings and say I have no common sense, go ahead. But I don't just pull stuff out of my ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSXtasy Posted April 3, 2007 Share Posted April 3, 2007 Xtreme, I meant no offense What I was trying to get across is that alot of users tend to think that it will "break" these machines to turn up the fan speeds to help it operate at a cooler temp, when in reality, it's better to turn up the fans than to let it run too hot and likely damage an expensive component from heat related issues. I guess there is a hazard of someone (that is not technically avid) to not notice if the fans DID die for some odd reason, and then the laptop would SURELY burn up. I suppose I have to realize that not everyone is as technically inclined as myself, and a few would never notice that fans were not running, or monitor the temps manually to notice something is wrong. I truly believe that there is a flaw in the temperature management of the MBP as well as the MacPro(as I have NEVER, EVER heard the fans on either speed up even BEFORE I installed SMC fancontrol on both), but this is merely my opinion as an owner of both. With that being said, I CHOOSE to manually manage and monitor the temperatures of my Apple computers and encourage others to do the same....once again my opinion only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
non sequitur Posted April 4, 2007 Author Share Posted April 4, 2007 I think im set on Applecare, seeing as how this is the second issue i've had in a year. It's a damn shame that i game in windows :*(. Is there a fan program for windows? I ask this because windows gets SO DAMN HOT. I dont have too much of a problem in OS X though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremesniper Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 Xtreme, I meant no offense What I was trying to get across is that alot of users tend to think that it will "break" these machines to turn up the fan speeds to help it operate at a cooler temp, when in reality, it's better to turn up the fans than to let it run too hot and likely damage an expensive component from heat related issues. I guess there is a hazard of someone (that is not technically avid) to not notice if the fans DID die for some odd reason, and then the laptop would SURELY burn up. I suppose I have to realize that not everyone is as technically inclined as myself, and a few would never notice that fans were not running, or monitor the temps manually to notice something is wrong. I truly believe that there is a flaw in the temperature management of the MBP as well as the MacPro(as I have NEVER, EVER heard the fans on either speed up even BEFORE I installed SMC fancontrol on both), but this is merely my opinion as an owner of both. With that being said, I CHOOSE to manually manage and monitor the temperatures of my Apple computers and encourage others to do the same....once again my opinion only. Alright, I got it now. Though I'd have to say. If you want to hear the fans blaring on a Macbook without any manual settings, just run a combination like this: Parallels, google earth, and a video on a video site like metacafe. Heck even one of the three alone makes my fans go wild within seconds. My laptop is always too hot to put on my lap, but it's always on a desk anyway so that's why I don't bother with SMC. I figure I'll probably end up using it again some day, but for now I'll leave it be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWN_Hellzone Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 My opition you should get it. I wouldent until i have a problem with my mac book. Right now pc users get better warentyes.. hell i bought a 2,000 computer..... and my warenty is for 4 years for only $50. Covers all my parts I built it my self btw, dell on the other hand what like 100 for 4 years ? and UNLIMITED PHONE SERVICE...and help. Also genius bar ... oh boy thats something i hate beacuse i was standing for 1 and a half hours and thos mother #$#$%$$ were teaching someone to learn how to use there new imac. My Option thay need a something in thos stores for teaching people and genius bar should be for repairs and service ONLY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSXtasy Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 (to non sequitur) If you boot into OSX first and set your fanspeeds as you want them with SMC fancontrol, then immediately boot into windows, it will keep those fan settings automatically that you previouslly set in OSX. Works great actually!! Also you cvan get coretemp, which is a program for windows that sits in the task tray and will give you at least the processor temps, but thats all it gives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mebster Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 All this talk about Applecare being invaluable as it will certainly pay for itself when your harddrive goes bust is making me wonder what's so good about Apple Hardware in that case? You're forced to buy a over-priced product to begin with and it sounds like if you want to be able to use it in 2 years time you'll need Applecare. This is a funny fact that seems to be appearing on a forum where everyone jumps to guard Apples products. "Yeah they're brilliant. I can't live without mine. But make your you have Applecare." BTW I broght a Dell 2 year extended warranty and managed to persuade them to throw in another year for free. So my pc is covered for 4 years. 1+2+1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacman Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 Applecare is a complete scam. PC vendors have better warranties. Agreed. For $300 my Dell is covered for 3 years. The coverage includes me spilling coffee in the keyboard and dropping it off of a desk. All I need to do is call them, they walk me through a few steps, and then they send a technician to my house with new parts. Killer. I hear that applecare can only be redeemed once, is that true? My warranty can be used repeatedly until the time is up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Fogge Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! I hope I made it very clear that you should buy it. Lets take the computer that I am posting from right now, a Macbook Pro C2D 17" that I got completely free after having a Powerbook G4 17" (Final Generation) for a year and a half and having its screen give out on me, and that is after having it for 2 years for free since a Powerbook G4 17" 1GHz for a year and a half and having the sound card stop working. 2 free computers in a row off of the same system. Sure, I upgraded the Applecare plan when it was traded in to get back to the full 3 years on the new systems, but $100 each time is well worth it. I am talking FREE upgrades to latest generation systems with even a few upgrades thrown in for the hell of it because of my "inconvenience" of being without my main system for 2 weeks. Yes, it was 2 weeks because I accepted their "upgrades" rather than just going with the off the shelf one, to which I was told they could put in a call to my local Apple Store and immediately pick one up same day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InflatableMouse Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Don't talk to me about Dell support. I call em for a DOA, a pc did not turn on. Me: Sir, one of the pc's that got delivered today is DOA. Dell: What is the Asset tag, company name, support contract number? Me: Quoting all the above. Dell: Oke, can you turn the PC on and tell me what you see on the screen? Me: Uh, it's a DOA. It's dead. It doesn't go on. Dell: Can you check the power cable? Me: The power cable is in the pc. Dell: And the other end of the cable? Me: *yawn* Dell: Sir? Me: Oh, uh, its in a wall outlet. A working wall outlet mind you. Dell: can you turn on the monitor? Me: it is turned on. Dell: What's the color of the led on the monitor? Me: Orange. Dell: Is the VGA cable connected to the PC? Me: *snort* ... 10 or 15 minutes later that guy was still asking basic troubleshooting questions... Me: Dude, the pc is dead. D-E-A-D - and I want you to send someone to come and pick it up. We have a zillion dollar support contract. Dell: I understand, but we have to go through the questions or I can't help you. Me: I understand too, but I've been working with hardware before you were even born and I have more to do than answer your bloody questions. Dell: Well if you TUUT-TUUUT-TUUUUT I hung up and let my collegue deal with these boneheads. This only one example out of tens. Dell support sucks BIG TIME and a year ago or so I decided to refuse to call them ever again. Not that HP (previously Compaq) is much better. I worked in a large datacenter we hosted mostly HP for wintel systems. Man that support is BAD. Nice guys, but they really know jack about their own hardware, showing up with the wrong system boards or memory sticks and asking the same stupid questions like those Dell guys. The old HP support (for their Unix systems) is GOOD. Best support I've ever seen, along the lines of SUN. Very good. I wouldn't know much about Apple, except that they traded my 80GB ipod video 3 times in a row for a new one without asking questions. Turned out the fault was with me. Just my 2 cents guys. Everyone's mileage varies I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soündless Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 get it. one of my friends had his powerbook die 3 days before the applecare was up, and they bought him a mbp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandro17 Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 All this talk about Applecare being invaluable as it will certainly pay for itself when your harddrive goes bust is making me wonder what's so good about Apple Hardware in that case? You're forced to buy a over-priced product to begin with and it sounds like if you want to be able to use it in 2 years time you'll need Applecare. This is a funny fact that seems to be appearing on a forum where everyone jumps to guard Apples products. "Yeah they're brilliant. I can't live without mine. But make your you have Applecare." Exactly my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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