I less-than-three Falcon Northwest.
A while back I started having problems with graphics driver crashes and bluescreens. I hadn't installed any new software lately, so I suspected it was a hardware problem. A little testing suggested it was a low-level issue, most likely with my GPU.
This was a Sunday evening, so I had to wait until the next day to call Falcon. They're only open 9 AM to 6 PM, Pacific time, but the trade-off is I get to speak to in-house staff, and they're fluent English speakers, very computer-savvy, and intimately familiar with my PC and my overall skill level. They asked a few questions to double-check the obvious stuff (a good practice), then we went right into the serious troubleshooting. And they trusted me when I said it was probably the GPU. We went right into GPU-specific testing; they didn't make me go through three pages of scripts on "Is the computer plugged in? Okay, is it turned on? Okay, try rebooting. You got a what? Uhhhhh... lemme talk to my manager."
Testing showed that only one of my two graphics cards was bollixed, so I was able to keep my system up and running just fine with only half of my SLI setup. Meanwhile, Falcon Northwest would replace the faulty card, since my system has a three-year warranty. (THREE YEARS! Seriously, who offers those any more?)
Problem: Falcon doesn't ship the GeForce 8800 GT any more. It is, as they say in the fashion industry, so last year.
Solution: "No problem, we'll give you a free upgrade to an equivalent product we currently ship. Which of these awesome cards would you like?"
<3 <3 <3
I went with the GeForce GTS 250, since it's a dual-GPU card with more power than both of my old cards combined. This means I'm no longer running a SLI configuration, but honestly SLI has generally been more trouble than it's worth. (The results are impressive, when you're running an app that can fully leverage it, but most of the programs I run can't.) I can always add a second GTS 250 further down the line, if I really feel the urge... but I probably won't.
Anyway, the new card arrived today; I cracked my case, dropped it in, and pulled out my remaining old card. The new one is running beautifully; it's the second generation of the G92 GPU architecture, so it's quieter, cooler, and faster than my old first-gen cards. (Actually, at full load it's only marginally warmer than the 8800GT at idle.) Tomorrow I'll send those back to Falcon, with the pre-paid shipping label they sent me.
Net downtime: About 18 hours
Net cost: $0
I love these guys.
This was a Sunday evening, so I had to wait until the next day to call Falcon. They're only open 9 AM to 6 PM, Pacific time, but the trade-off is I get to speak to in-house staff, and they're fluent English speakers, very computer-savvy, and intimately familiar with my PC and my overall skill level. They asked a few questions to double-check the obvious stuff (a good practice), then we went right into the serious troubleshooting. And they trusted me when I said it was probably the GPU. We went right into GPU-specific testing; they didn't make me go through three pages of scripts on "Is the computer plugged in? Okay, is it turned on? Okay, try rebooting. You got a what? Uhhhhh... lemme talk to my manager."
Testing showed that only one of my two graphics cards was bollixed, so I was able to keep my system up and running just fine with only half of my SLI setup. Meanwhile, Falcon Northwest would replace the faulty card, since my system has a three-year warranty. (THREE YEARS! Seriously, who offers those any more?)
Problem: Falcon doesn't ship the GeForce 8800 GT any more. It is, as they say in the fashion industry, so last year.
Solution: "No problem, we'll give you a free upgrade to an equivalent product we currently ship. Which of these awesome cards would you like?"
<3 <3 <3
I went with the GeForce GTS 250, since it's a dual-GPU card with more power than both of my old cards combined. This means I'm no longer running a SLI configuration, but honestly SLI has generally been more trouble than it's worth. (The results are impressive, when you're running an app that can fully leverage it, but most of the programs I run can't.) I can always add a second GTS 250 further down the line, if I really feel the urge... but I probably won't.
Anyway, the new card arrived today; I cracked my case, dropped it in, and pulled out my remaining old card. The new one is running beautifully; it's the second generation of the G92 GPU architecture, so it's quieter, cooler, and faster than my old first-gen cards. (Actually, at full load it's only marginally warmer than the 8800GT at idle.) Tomorrow I'll send those back to Falcon, with the pre-paid shipping label they sent me.
Net downtime: About 18 hours
Net cost: $0
I love these guys.