Chances of 4 RMA requests with Ultra ?

Xilikon

Xilikon

[H]ard|DCer of the Year 2008
Joined
Oct 12, 2004
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I'm now asking to do a RMA on my Ultra X-2 who crapped... This will be my 4th RMA (3 first was X-Connect that I later sold after getting the 3rd RMA box sealed then someone at Ultra gave me a free X-2 for my troubles)...

This is very weird since this is powering a conservative setup (see 2nd setup in sig). The Seasonic I bought after the 3rd RMA is still very strong...

I'm asking since X-2 was supposed to be better than the older crap so I'm currently wondering if i should install the new one after doing the RMA or get rid then buy a better one ?
 
For the life of me i can't figure out why people just don't buy seasonic/zippy/PCP&C/Silverstone, etc and be done with it....

I have owned two power supplies in the last six years. One PCP&C 510 and a Zippy 700. Both run any setup out today, period.

Just go buy a better psu. Seriously.
 
computerpro3 said:
For the life of me i can't figure out why people just don't buy seasonic/zippy/PCP&C/Silverstone, etc and be done with it....

I have owned two power supplies in the last six years. One PCP&C 510 and a Zippy 700. Both run any setup out today, period.

Just go buy a better psu. Seriously.
Click to expand...

I agree with you... I bought the Seasonic but the X-2 was A FREEBIE ;) I guess i'll sell it sealed here or on eBay then buy a better one for my media server. Some PSU gurus said Ultra is not bad but my experience proved it wrong.
 
Xilikon said:
I agree with you... I bought the Seasonic but the X-2 was A FREEBIE ;) I guess i'll sell it sealed here or on eBay then buy a better one for my media server. Some PSU gurus said Ultra is not bad but my experience proved it wrong.
Click to expand...

The problem with companies like ultra is that they are inconsistent. At first they sucked, then they were good, then they sucked, etc. They change factories and quality too often to be generalized as "quality" or "bad". Unless you REALLY do your research, the only label they fit is "risky".
 
Xilikon said:
I'm now asking to do a RMA on my Ultra X-2 who crapped... This will be my 4th RMA (3 first was X-Connect that I later sold after getting the 3rd RMA box sealed then someone at Ultra gave me a free X-2 for my troubles)...

This is very weird since this is powering a conservative setup (see 2nd setup in sig). The Seasonic I bought after the 3rd RMA is still very strong...

I'm asking since X-2 was supposed to be better than the older crap so I'm currently wondering if i should install the new one after doing the RMA or get rid then buy a better one ?
Click to expand...

Seriously, if you're going through THAT MANY power supplies, there's got to be something wrong with the system. I don't care if they're Deer or Powmax power supplies. Do you SERIOUSLY think that ANY company could stay in business with that high of an RMA rate? Seriously? And I know the actual RMA rate at the factory and it's not that high. :(

computerpro3 said:
The problem with companies like ultra is that they are inconsistent. At first they sucked, then they were good, then they sucked, etc. They change factories and quality too often to be generalized as "quality" or "bad". Unless you REALLY do your research, the only label they fit is "risky".
Click to expand...

I'm not sure where you get your information, but they do not "change factories and quality too often." They've NEVER changed factories within the same model. ALL X-Connects were made by Youngyear, for example. ALL X2's are made by Wintech, for example.

I've never heard of anyone with that high of an RMA rate with any product so I have to assume there's something killing the PSU's.
 
after 3 builds, all overclocked i would go back to ultra PSU's again and again. rock solid and priced right, IMHO.

i've never had a single problem related to my ultra PSU's. YMMV, but seeing as how you got the X2 for free, i'd giver a go if i was you.

hard drives seem to be my RMA specialty :p
 
It's not the power supply. Ultra makes good power supplies. Not in the same league as seasonic or etasis, but better than many. ALL current Ultra power supplies are made by wintech. The PAST x-connect was made by youngyear. And I can't speak about the future.

People like to hate on ultra for some reason. One bad power supply model in the past means they're automatically crappy forever? :confused: :confused: Definatly not. Wintech is solid.
 
I don't even think it has so much to do with "you people should buy super mega expensive PSU's." I used to build 30 PC's a day with Deer/Allied in them. Even after a year, know how many dead PSU's I got back? Two.

Personally, I've only had one PSU die on me and that was an Enermax. Fan died two and a half years down the road.

Seriously. There's something wrong with your box or your input power that's killing these power supplies.
 
computerpro3 said:
For the life of me i can't figure out why people just don't buy seasonic/zippy/PCP&C/Silverstone, etc and be done with it....

I have owned two power supplies in the last six years. One PCP&C 510 and a Zippy 700. Both run any setup out today, period.

Just go buy a better psu. Seriously.
Click to expand...

yeah seriously. why cant people spend at least $100 on a psu, heck why not $200, or maybe even $300. :confused:

believe it or not there are alternatives for under $80 that could handle a pretty beefy system. recommending the most expensive units is not always the best choice. take the type of system its powering and budget into consideration when recommending a psu. clearly from the OP sig he does not need seasonic/zippy/PCP&C/Silverstone. but recommending the most expensive one is the easy answer and makes you look smart, right?
 
For the last time, it's not my setup who are the culprit... Lemme tell why :

-2 houses and the current house is built new with a Square D distribution box, which is not a cheapie. So there is no issues with power grid because it's also a new house built in a new sector, with totally new poles, transformers and wiring. If the wiring is faulty, my Seasonic should have died as well and it's running 24/7 since we moved to the new house last december.

-It is running off a old setup who was working perfectly fine with the Seasonic before. I even tested everything again.

-The X-2 was having problems from the day I installed it with some overclocking instabilities which didn't trigger in my brain that it's faulty till it died. The X-2 sat on the shelf unwrapped between the day i got it in march and the day I assembled it in august. It is also running 24/7.

If we consider that 3 RMA was for the X-Connect and Ultra even admitted they should have given me the X-2 on the 2nd or 3rd RMA request which they didn't. The X-2 was a gift to compensate for my troubles. In the great scheme of things, it's a normal amount.

Anyway, if i get a new one, i will see if the new X-2 is more stable than the other. If not, i'll get a Fortron 400-500W for cheap.

Bottom line :

-3 RMA was for a X-Connect, made by Youngyear so it's crap as everyone know.
-The X-2 I have was probably faulty from the start but I didn't detect it till now. The bottom fan was not running and i thought it was silent is probably why it finally overheated and died.

Where am I bashing Ultra for the poor build quality ??? I just pointed out how unlucky I was with the multiple RMA. I know it's not isolated because at work, I have a new laptop I was forced to RMA 3 times before getting it rignt in the end and it's a Dell ;)
 
sn_85 said:
yeah seriously. why cant people spend at least $100 on a psu, heck why not $200, or maybe even $300. :confused:
Click to expand...

Beats me, smartass. They spend more than that on their CPU's, motherboards, video cards, ram AND hard drives in some cases. Doesn't make sense to skimp on the single most important part of the system, does it?

Of course you want to keep it proportional to the system, but seasonic/pcp&c/zippy make 350w units too....
 
Xilikon said:
For the last time, it's not my setup who are the culprit... Lemme tell why :

-2 houses and the current house is built new with a Square D distribution box, which is not a cheapie. So there is no issues with power grid because it's also a new house built in a new sector, with totally new poles, transformers and wiring. If the wiring is faulty, my Seasonic should have died as well and it's running 24/7 since we moved to the new house last december.

-It is running off a old setup who was working perfectly fine with the Seasonic before. I even tested everything again.

-The X-2 was having problems from the day I installed it with some overclocking instabilities which didn't trigger in my brain that it's faulty till it died. The X-2 sat on the shelf unwrapped between the day i got it in march and the day I assembled it in august. It is also running 24/7.

If we consider that 3 RMA was for the X-Connect and Ultra even admitted they should have given me the X-2 on the 2nd or 3rd RMA request which they didn't. The X-2 was a gift to compensate for my troubles. In the great scheme of things, it's a normal amount.

Anyway, if i get a new one, i will see if the new X-2 is more stable than the other. If not, i'll get a Fortron 400-500W for cheap.

Bottom line :

-3 RMA was for a X-Connect, made by Youngyear so it's crap as everyone know.
-The X-2 I have was probably faulty from the start but I didn't detect it till now. The bottom fan was not running and i thought it was silent is probably why it finally overheated and died.

Where am I bashing Ultra for the poor build quality ??? I just pointed out how unlucky I was with the multiple RMA. I know it's not isolated because at work, I have a new laptop I was forced to RMA 3 times before getting it rignt in the end and it's a Dell ;)
Click to expand...


Do you have animals? dust issues? Do you perhaps keep carrying a component over? Do you drop your machine a lot or take it to lans or transport it?

There can be many reasons.

I've had now about 8 X-Connects, only one of them failed and that was straight out of the box which was a simple exchange at the store... the rest runs like tanks... no issues. In fact, I'm running two X-Connects on my main rig which was powering an FX-62, Quad SLI, etc etc...Today they will power 8800GTX's in SLI.

They are not bad psu's, something else is affecting your outcome. Perhaps it could be a shipping carrier that bashes and beats them to death?
 
jonnyGURU said:
Seriously, if you're going through THAT MANY power supplies, there's got to be something wrong with the system. I don't care if they're Deer or Powmax power supplies. Do you SERIOUSLY think that ANY company could stay in business with that high of an RMA rate? Seriously? And I know the actual RMA rate at the factory and it's not that high. :(



I'm not sure where you get your information, but they do not "change factories and quality too often." They've NEVER changed factories within the same model. ALL X-Connects were made by Youngyear, for example. ALL X2's are made by Wintech, for example.

I've never heard of anyone with that high of an RMA rate with any product so I have to assume there's something killing the PSU's.
Click to expand...


I would have to agree with this. No company can recieve a RMA rate of 1:1 or let alone 1:4 ratios as you've been recieving and stay in business.
 
No animal, no dust issue and the only carryover was the RAM which I just did a memtest on my main PC with success.

Perhaps i need to clarify what is the reason of each RMA...

1st RMA = Bought the 1st gen of X-Connect which failed almost 1 year after purchase due to overheating caused by poor air circulation. They apologized about having a bad batch with the same symptoms and gave me another X-Connect.

2nd RMA = X-Connect had a faulty ATX connector (1 pin was pushed back, which cause it to not contact the motherboard pin. I told them that exchanging the wire will fix it but they insisted to do a full RMA.

3rd RMA = DOA so they shipped another overnight... By the time, I was sick so I bought the Seasonic and selling the new sealed box they sent, to someone else here to recoup the Seasonic purchase.

All the first 3 RMA was during january 2006.

JC@Ultra posted here around march 2006 and heard my story so he PMed me offering a free X-2 so I took the offer.

4th RMA = current.

there is no common denominator of the 4 RMA ;) I have a 6 years old Enermax who are still running fine that I got rid since it's weak on the 12v rail (it was running the old AMD Thunderbird setup before) and my dad is running it now without failing. Maybe for the 3rd and 4th, it may be the carrier not taking care of the PSU (The X-2 was shipped in the original box without being put in another box with extra padding unlike the first 3).
 
Ah!

Now we get the details and it doesn't sound so bad. :p

Still... you have some crappy luck, man. ;)
 
computerpro3 said:
Beats me, smartass. They spend more than that on their CPU's, motherboards, video cards, ram AND hard drives in some cases. Doesn't make sense to skimp on the single most important part of the system, does it?

Of course you want to keep it proportional to the system, but seasonic/pcp&c/zippy make 350w units too....
Click to expand...

yeah you go ahead and buy a Zippy 350W for $79 and a pcp&c 360W atx that comes with a 20pin ATX cable for $65.

no one is saying anything about skimping. i do not encourage buying crap psu's for any pc. what i said was there are other alternatives than buying the best of the best. you can get an enhance 400W for about $58 or a 500W for $69. and there too many to list that come from very reliable psu manufacturers. finding good price/perf doesnt mean you are skimping. not everyone can shell out the cash for the big boys.
 
/me clicks over to the newegg tab with the m12 700watt in the cart, and the checkout button blinking at me.
 
Maybe I have had the same bad luck as Xilikon only with Tagans.

I had to RMA a Tagan TG530-U22 530W ATX2.01 2Force SLi Compliant Silent PSU in 8th Sept 05 after about 8 months or so as it died.

I asked for the EasyCon unit as a replacement which got sent back on 7th March 06, as that one died.
I have just sent back this unit (5th Nov 06) as the power cable is faulty.....i.e. if I happen to nudge the plug into the PSU it shuts down. Easy done if putting my hand round the back to remove a USB cable or something and got fed up with it after 8 months.
So I have had 3 units, one 2Force and 2 x 530W EasyCons.
I am awaiting the outcome of this last RMA, but have since got the Corsair HX620, and lo and behold, no more game crashes, BSOD's etc.
I have since gone off Tagans.............. :D
 
Glad to hear I'm not alone with bad luck :D

At least, Ultra accepted my RMA request and will ship a new one. However, the guy from Ultra who shipped me the free X-2 last spring also contacted when he heard of my RMA request and he asked me the address to ship it. If they are not communicating correctly, they might have sent me 2 by accident... I won't complain :p

He told me that if my computer was flakey from the day I built with the X-2, then it's not truly a issue with me but a defective model that I failed to diagnose before because I thought it was the RAM who is flakey.
 
Small update... I received the new one and it worked fine this time finally so the old X2 was a defective psu :D

However, i'm a bit pissed to received a X-2 with window, blue led and UV shit. I don't need that bling but since it works fine, I won't complain...
 
sn_85 said:
yeah seriously. why cant people spend at least $100 on a psu, heck why not $200, or maybe even $300. :confused:

believe it or not there are alternatives for under $80 that could handle a pretty beefy system. recommending the most expensive units is not always the best choice. take the type of system its powering and budget into consideration when recommending a psu. clearly from the OP sig he does not need seasonic/zippy/PCP&C/Silverstone. but recommending the most expensive one is the easy answer and makes you look smart, right?
Click to expand...

There nothing wrong will recommending what you use....
has nothing to do with looking smart!!
 
I know, let's recommend a truely excessive and overpriced power supply to someone who still has an rma-ble power supply which isn't bad to begin with. Brilliant.

Glad to see you got a working psu now.
 
jonnyGURU said:
I've never heard of anyone with that high of an RMA rate with any product so I have to assume there's something killing the PSU's.
Click to expand...
I went through more than that many bad Kingston DIMMs in a row.
 
OCC_Yoda said:
There nothing wrong will recommending what you use....
has nothing to do with looking smart!!
Click to expand...

Maybe but in this exact case, I never asked for any recommendations and if I want to get rid of Ultra and get a better one, I know where to look and what to get ;) The Ultra was a freebie and it's under warranty, so it's a moot point...

Now, with the new one, it worked perfectly finally. JohnnyGURU, the reason I.m a bit pissed off is because it was unnecessary and the one with the side windows has a UV lighting or a bright led in it, which glow thru the back of the case and it's weird coming from a media server case, which is a no-frills box.

I may be unlucky but it can happen... The worst RMA experience is trying to fix a Dell Latitude D810 laptop so it stop freezing. Dell repaired it 4 times by swapping basically everything under the hood before having a stable laptop. If it break again, it's time for a new one... All this in a 2 week period with next-day on-site repair coverage and between repairs, doing some stability tests.
 
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