Attention All Amd Cpu Owners!

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ShockTech

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
391
I just had a long problem with my a64 3200+.

IF YOU USE AN AFTERMARKET HEATSINK/FAN, YOU VOIDED YOUR WARRENTY.


my cpu just died today, and because i used an aftermarket zalman heatsink/fan, i cant get it RMAed.
 
how do they know if you used an aftermarket hsf?


and the oem CPUs dont come wtih heatsinks so you have to use an aftermarket one
 
compslckr said:
how do they know if you used an aftermarket hsf?


and the oem CPUs dont come wtih heatsinks so you have to use an aftermarket one
Click to expand...

because when you send your CPU in, they want both the CPU and the heatsink, they can look at it and tell.

and yes, buying OEM = no warrenty basically.

i bought my CPU oem, mistake.
 
I rma'ed my oem 3400 amd64 directly to amd and i got a nice new retail one 2 weeks later.
 
I RMA'ed a Athlon T-Bird 1.33GHz processor to AMD a couple years back and it was an OEM processor. They sent me a shiny new one and all was well.
 
templarknightx said:
How can they tell the retail hsf was used?
Click to expand...

The base would be discolored from thermal compound.
There would be some dust in the heatsink.
There would be "heat marks" in it.


They can tell.
 
I RMA-d a 1700+ that after putting a Copper Shim on, which I guess was my fault in placing it too fast, and not seeing it meet flush with the proc burn....................... Burned a bad death............. I NEVER used the retail HSF. I RMA-d it after just putting some Ceramique on it and heating it and then taking it off. I dingged it up a little and all was well...

They had ran out of 1700+ and sent me a 2000+, that didn't overclock like at-all, which sucked beans.

Rad777
 
ShockTech said:
I just had a long problem with my a64 3200+.

IF YOU USE AN AFTERMARKET HEATSINK/FAN, YOU VOIDED YOUR WARRENTY.


my cpu just died today, and because i used an aftermarket zalman heatsink/fan, i cant get it RMAed.
Click to expand...


Just to add, if you use anything but the stock TIM you've also voided your warranty...

MD
 
TheGamerZ said:
The base would be discolored from thermal compound.
There would be some dust in the heatsink.
There would be "heat marks" in it.


They can tell.
Click to expand...
not if you rma the cpu after using it for 2 seconds to find out that the board won't boot... the heatsink won't have any of those (maybe the thermal compound will be mushed, but that's easy to do anyhow)
 
TheGamerZ said:
The base would be discolored from thermal compound.
There would be some dust in the heatsink.
There would be "heat marks" in it.


They can tell.
Click to expand...
Uh, I seriously doubt that.
To the OP, if you're worried about this, follow these steps:

#1. Find an AMD retail HSF (if I have an extra one, I'm sure a lot of people do)
#2. Spread some thermal compound on it and compress.
#3. If you're worried, run it on another system for a day or two.
#4. If you're REALLY paranoid, put some dust in it. Otherwise, if they ask (and they won't) why there's no dust, say you blew it out from time to time or before you sent it.
#5. Send it in.

Honestly, if you can't get an RMA from them, it's your own fault. They'd be in some serious legal shit if they tried to deny warranty service every time they THINK that MAYBE the person was using a non-AMD HSF.
 
Are you sure about that? I would expect AMD to at least warranty the CPU if the HSF is on their approved list.
 
JTY said:
Are you sure about that? I would expect AMD to at least warranty the CPU if the HSF is on their approved list.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing, why would they approve 3rd party heatsinks if they didnt support the use of them?
 
DryFire said:
I've never killed a proc so I never really worried about it.
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Ditto. How exactly do you kill a proc? 7 years of DIY computers and overclocking and it's never happened to me. Plenty of dead mobo's, power supplies, video cards, ram and hard drives, but the proc has always seemed indestructable so long as you don't drop it or cause some other form of mechanical damage. Are we just lucky?
 
wtiger said:
Ditto. How exactly do you kill a proc? 7 years of DIY computers and overclocking and it's never happened to me. Plenty of dead mobo's, power supplies, video cards, ram and hard drives, but the proc has always seemed indestructable so long as you don't drop it or cause some other form of mechanical damage. Are we just lucky?
Click to expand...


I was just thinking the same thing... after 100's over builds using AMD CPU's, I have yet to find a DOA one... or have one returned to me.

I guess I am lucky too!

wee!

-Skystalker
 
how did you kill the cpu? and what did you tell them when they asked you what happened?

maybe they refused to rma it because you told them you were trying to overclock it and changed the fun, therefore they considered the warrantee is void since you tried to overclock it
 
I have always thought that was common knowledge...no retail hsf..no warranty. I have always thought this is how it was...as to why when people fry oem's the look for a retail hsf in the for sale forums..so they can rma.
 
Ahem, i never tried to OC it. I left it stock. When they asked what happened, i just said i turned it on and noting happened.

then she said ok i will RMA it, and asked for the serial on the CPU and the stock heatsink/fan. I said i dont have it, its an aftermarket HSF, and she said that unless you use the stock HSf you have no warrenty.

Then she said i basically had a dead CPU with nothing to do to fix it.
 
Well, look at it from the standpoint of AMD. They are concerned with their damaged chips IF they were damaged by them...not by possible user error while installing the aftermarket heatsink and fan combo, or whatever.

But slightly unrelated, I have never tried to RMA a chip mostly cuz the chips I've annihilated were well over warranty and not worth getting new ones anyway.But everytime I've delt with AMD, I have gotten a good response. They are always awesome about things and very helpful. They even answer my e-mails fairly quickly and not just the standard automated shit that I get from alot of other places.

I clap my hands for AMD
 
I had a A64 3000+ up and die for no reason about 3 months ago after about 2 months light use... I didnt have the OEM HSF that shipped with it anymore, but I had one from a 2800+ system I was building on hand.

The AMD rep just let me use that HSF for the warranty coverage. Guy was totally cool about it.

Heck, the replacement HSF they sent with the new CPU was better than either of the original ones... heavy copper base with thin-fin aluminum fins. Not XP-90 nice, but better than the originals.

So AMD was kickass, in my case...


Dude, dig up your heatsink and you'll be all set.
 
ShockTech said:
because when you send your CPU in, they want both the CPU and the heatsink, they can look at it and tell.

and yes, buying OEM = no warrenty basically.

i bought my CPU oem, mistake.
Click to expand...


hmm, me thinks one could just, keep the retail HS, in case??? Dua... mabey install it before shipping so the TIM has an imprint...

grrr...never but retail my self, so i cant either way..
 
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