My MSI gaming computer arrived yesterday and as I promised here is the update.
The paperwork inside said the tech couldn’t recreate the issue which isn’t a surprise because it happens once a month. However, he did replace the RAM so I will test that for a month and if there are no problems then the problem is solved.
Why am I sharing this? I like the fact that even when he didn’t find an issue he believed me and made a change that might solve the issue. That is good customer service. I am a bit surprised however that the evidence from the crash of the computer in the minidump wasn’t considered. I understand that faulty RAM can make it appear like it is a GPU issue, but I am not fully convinced that the GPU isn’t also at fault here. Time will tell.
The computer was packed in the original box I sent it in and a larger box to send the power brick back as well. That was a nice gesture. It was well-packed and no damage occurred. The time frame was approximately two weeks which compares to the average Apple local store experience I have had as well. So far the service portion has been as good as Apple. I have had Apple return computers because they couldn’t replicate the issue as well, so there is no fault there for intermittent issues.
Was there a downside? Well, Apple would have sent a box to my house and I had to go to the UPS store but that is a minor thing. Still, for convenience Apple wins on support on those grounds compared to MSI. Oh, I also found reading that MSI doesn’t have a good environmental record on conflict materials and sourcing. So Apple is more ethical. This is the last MSI computer I will buy, but it was an interesting experience so far.