OWC claims my defective Mac Pro RAM is MY fault! Is that even possible?

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Level 1

5 points

OWC claims my defective Mac Pro RAM is MY fault! Is that even possible?

Greetings!

Just about 2 months ago now, I purchased 2.0GB (1GB x 2) OWC Matched Set Mac Pro RAM (#OWC53FB1MPK02GB). After just over a month of use, I started to notice an increase in permissions errors, random program glitches/crashes. I keep up on my Mac maintenance, and even running apps like DiskWarrior and TechTool Pro didn't seem to stop the problems I was having. And then I happened across the system profiler, which to my horror, displayed some couple dozen recovered ECC Errors on just one of my new OWC RAM sticks.

I began a thorough testing of the RAM. I don't think my Apple Hardware Test duplicated the ECC Errors (I think I only ran it once or twice....) I tried other apps like Memtest, Rember, and I even purchased the wonderful DigLloygTools for benchmarking and stress testing. One day, after running the default stress test for only about 10 minutes, System Profiler registered nearly 800 ECC Errors on the same OWC sticks of RAM. I swapped RAM slots and the ECC errors followed. After removing the OWC RAM from my computer, I noticed an abrupt halt to the various issues my computer was suffering from.

I called OWC, explained what happened, they provided an RMA# and a UPS Ground Shipping Label for return. And now, I just received an email from them.

They are claiming that "after receiving (my) memory back for
replacement, it has been determined that the memory was physically damaged. This type of physical damage is not covered under warranty. This appears to have happened during the installation, removal, or packaging process." They go on to say that the package was recieved by them in perfect condition, so it had to be my fault for damaging it so it's not covered under the warranty.

Sure, I understand how a warranty works. But I also know I have a pretty decent amount of computer hardware knowledge and hands-on experience ( I've built many PC's in my time.) And let's face it, a RAM upgrade is about as basic as it gets....upgrading the hard drive in my Macbook Pro was pretty basic computer work. So I'm pretty confident I didn't damage the OWC RAM during the installation. So what I'm wondering is if its even possible for some kind of physical damage to result in the gradual onset of ECC Errors, as in my case? Is there anything I could be overlooking that I may have unwittingly done or does anyone else have a similar experience with OWC not honoring their warranty? I've never been in this position before, so I'm looking for suggestions on how to proceed with OWC.

(I accept the remote possibility of my own human error and subsequent denial of, but after reading through some other forum postings, it seems like their are a number of other people out there with what seems to be the same ECC Error symptoms with the same OWC Mac Pro RAM....Oh, and OWC so conveniently offered to dispose of my "bad" Ram or I could pay to have it returned. They were even so nice as to suggest they may extend to me a discount on some new RAM.)

Please, any thoughts, insight, or suggestions on how I can deal with this matter is greatly appreciated!

Mac Pro 2.66Ghz ATI X1900 2Gb Apple RAM & 2Gb defective OWC RAM + Macbook Pro 15" 2.33Ghz, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Aug 11, 2007 6:27 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 11, 2007 9:28 AM in response to DarkIndy

I would ask them to send you pictures of the "physical damage".

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Answer 2

Aug 11, 2007 6:44 AM in response to DarkIndy

that's insane. unless you put it in with a hammer I can't see what you could have possibly have done. I'd ask for a detailed explanation of what it is that they have physically observed that leads them to that conclusion. I doubt very much they will convince you their claim is legitimate and you will most likely have to contest the charges. If you can recall dropping them on your kitchen floor or something then perhaps they have a point, but if you just installed them in a normal way then they are blowing smoke in my opinion. OWC has, of late, been rife with reports of problems with their RAM. They once had a good name but I no longer recommend them to anyone due to the high number of reports I have heard in many forums of people having gotten bad RAM from them, sometimes multiple shipments.

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Answer 3

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Aug 11, 2007 7:08 AM in response to Bud Kuenzli

When getting new memory, do run AHT Extended Loop tests and follow up with Memtest (do safe boot and run a dozen concurrent tests of 256MB each for 6 loops, it doesn't take that long).

I love the way Apple packages and ships RAM. Excellent! 2nd best is Crucial that also uses a sturdy inner box. I do not like bubblewrap (such as OWC uses, but also Ramjet, which was disappointing in their shipping - it was sliding around inside FedEx box. I had to return 2 x 1GB from OWC... one was 'bad' so guess they just recycled it (just kidding, they wouldn't, would they?) It took me a month to be sure my system was stable once again. And for months after being more cautious and more frequent runs of Disk Warrior (before AND after making a backup to see if even my backups were safe!)

When there are memory errors, it can affect any file written to disk, and can necessitate a lot of house-cleaning, even a fresh install if you don't have a backup from before the problems began. I would hope that a double dose of TTPro and Disk Warrior would catch those. I would also choose 'deep cleaning' of cache files, and pay attention to recent files changed or modified or added.

Some people found that kicking up the fans with smcFanControl would keep them cooler and avoid parity and ECC errors.

Monitor DIMM temperature and fans as well as sensor readings with Hardware Monitor v. 4.2.
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/16609

My advice, either specify TechWorks or Crucial and avoid OWC RAM. Even then, they have chosen to charge 15% restocking fee, plus you pay shipping both ways which on $200 order can be almost $40 or so. Oddly, they don't list TechWorks on the Mac Pro Memory page, but do if you search for Mac Pro Upgrades.

A number of people will come along and say they buy RAM from OWC all the time and have been satisfied and happy with their orders. But it is when it is DOA or defective or fails that service counts. And it can take week or more for problems to show up and then track down sometimes.

If the price is too good to be true, it sometimes is. 😟

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