HD For Indies

So while swapping video cards out of my G5 I dropped a screw down into the guts of the machine, and the screw got under the motherboard, between the motherboard and the (conductive) aluminum case.

After staring the machine with a screwdriver set in hand, I decided I wasn't up to the task of completely dissasembling my G5 to get the screw out. Once before I'd lost a little plastic straw off a can of compressed air into the power supply area, and had backed out of a dissasembly attempt and left it in there.

So what are my options? Fortunately, there's the Apple Store here in town. So I took it in and called the nice guy who'd helped me before. He says he's not sure when they can get to it. (I have an edit session booked for 1pm Monday, and I plan on gutting and relacing (re-running all the wires) in the studio tomorrow). So I pay $100 for ProCare, and he says they can do it NOW.

So if you're a professional and your livelihood depends on keeping your Mac up and running, if you have a problem that requires you to take it into the shop, ProCare (at that point of crisis) is DEFINITELY worth the $100/yr/machine.

So they fixed it in about an hour - primo service - and I got out of the store $234 poorer. $99 for ProCare, and $135 for the repair. Shit. Apple fixit rate is EXPENSIVE. Yes, I could have found some other Apple Authorized place in theory. But the benefit of Right Here, Right Now has a lot to be said for it. But beware, their repair rates are pretty high.

Got it home and I'm assuming all is golden - they got the screw out.

So what did I learn?

1.) Don't buy ProCare until you need it. Get an estimate on repair times (I didn't). If that isn't sufficient, THEN pop for ProCare and you'll get primo, cut-to-the-front-of-the-line service. Anybody ahead of me in line at the Genius Bar? My work will get done before theirs.

2.) When changing out cards, do NOT try to save time by swapping out cards with the machine vertical. Go ahead and disconnect EVERYTHING and lay the G5 down on a towel on a table or the floor with good overhead light. Then go about your business.

Anybody else have some Apple Store experiences or ProCare stories to share? Email me at mike@hdforindies.com.