Fingerprints on "New" Asus p5q pro

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Qcoen

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So I just got my p5q pro delivered today. advertised as retail. Bought from newegg for 119.99.

I open up the box and see that the static bag is not sealed, it's just left open and tucked around the box. Is this typical for asus boards or should the bag be sealed?

Also upon further inspection I see fingerprints on the back of the motherboard in some areas. There's also fingerprints on the ethernet ports and CMOS battery as well. Lastly there seems to be some kind of residue in sections on the back of the mobo.

Should this be a concern or is this typical of asus? You think I should return this to newegg?

Thanks for imput.
 
This is a good question that I cannot answer completely. I have had the same experience, BUT, it has only appeared on products that I purchase from Newegg and it isn't just Asus specific. I personally think Newegg is taking returns on products, and if found to be OK by them, they repackage them as new. This is only a theory I have and so far it's been holding true. When I purchase Asus and other brands from other places, they are nice and new without any fingerprints or signs of handling.
 
I purchased my P5Q-Pro when it was launched so I'm pretty sure it was not a return. My static bag was not sealed but I didn't notice any finger prints or residue on the MB. Were your cd's sealed in their envelopes?
 
A factory does NOT leave fingerprints on anything and this is true in all of them.

Egg has had a reputation for years of reselling returns and calling them new.
AND a lot of recertified will be tested by the new owner.
 
sparks said:
A factory does NOT leave fingerprints on anything and this is true in all of them.

Egg has had a reputation for years of reselling returns and calling them new.
AND a lot of recertified will be tested by the new owner.
Click to expand...

What about a picture left on a phone from the factory of the workers?

You may have gotten one that was hand inspected from the Asus factory, but I would think they would be wearing gloves.
 
i have gotten an MSI board with 'sap' on the underside with an unsealed static bag from newegg before.

I've ordered somewhere around four to five hundred motherboards from newegg and have only gotten one with the sap and unsealed.
 
All the accessories and such are sealed. The CD was not really sealed it was just a flap holding it down.

I've got to have the worst luck with this crap, ordered an open box p5q-e, DOA of course. Learned my lesson about open box stuff, and now this.

I called newegg and they opened a claim, UPS is suppose to pick up my mobo and I should have a new one in a maximum of 10 business days.... More delays, great.
 
They are pulled randomly from production runs for testing, but I am also aware they grab them from stock that is about to ship to make sure all protocals (shipping, packaging, binning, accessory pouch, software contents) are followed.

I would not be concerned- that is what a warantee is for.
 
friedchicken said:
They are pulled randomly from production runs for testing, but I am also aware they grab them from stock that is about to ship to make sure all protocals are followed.

I would not be concerned- that is what a warantee is for.
Click to expand...

Manufactuers would still clean up the board like brand new if it were pulled for QC.
 
Sounds like typical Newegg.

Had a Uncle that received a 500gb HDD from Newegg ordered as OEM. So you could imagine his surprise when he pop it in a system and fired it up to discover Windows XP loading up (the 500gb was the only HDD in the system). Turns out someone had installed Windows on the drive and must have sent it back to Newegg where in turn Newegg just tossed it in their OEM bin.

I never had that happen to me but it just shows that even a company like Newegg has chinks in their armor.
 
Never had an opened item from them but I cans ay that their openbox / refurb stuff is bullshit. Ive bought 3 refurbs from them and 2 of them didn't work. By the time I payed to ship it back the tiny discount they give on refurbs was pretty much gone and I had a used item for full price... hooray....
 
This is one of the reasons why I never buy online. When I got to a computer store I can inspect everything before purchasing the item, and there's no difference in the price.
 
I just got my P5Q pro from newegg....

I saw what looked like a faint fingerprint on the CMOS battery (only noticed it, because I saw this thread and looked for it)

My board was definitely new.... the stickers on the LGA socket and DIMM sockets were there from the factory - you could just tell.

If someone doubts there can be a smudge on a CMOS battery on a new motherboard.... they haven't been building computers very long.

Trust me.

edit: I misread the first post (actually, I confused it with post on another forum.) it seems you had A LOT of finger prints all over the board. yeah, maybe someone molested it... lol

I would be more concerned with the residue....
 
KamelRed said:
Sounds like typical Newegg.

Had a Uncle that received a 500gb HDD from Newegg ordered as OEM. So you could imagine his surprise when he pop it in a system and fired it up to discover Windows XP loading up (the 500gb was the only HDD in the system). Turns out someone had installed Windows on the drive and must have sent it back to Newegg where in turn Newegg just tossed it in their OEM bin.

I never had that happen to me but it just shows that even a company like Newegg has chinks in their armor.
Click to expand...

wow.. did he get any kind of refund from newegg? i wouldnt pay full OEM for something that was used
 
Newegg may pull some shenanigans for time to time but their customer service top notch. If you aren't happy with anything just call them and let them know. They will do their best to satisfy the problem. I have never been told NO by Newegg. Hell, last week I received a

Transcend 4GB Micro SDHC Flash Card with MS pro duo adapter 15 bucks :)

Worked great right off the bat in my PSP....

But I spent $3.99 on shipping for it and all DHL did was pass it off to the mail man. So 1or 2 stamps could have covered the shipping. So I reviewed the item and said that in the cons. Newegg saw that, apologized, and refunded me the shipping. I mean come on you cant beat that. Although they did take town the comment i left hehe...

Give Newegg a call, explain to them you predicament and see what they will do for you. It never hurts.
 
SharpieFiend said:
This is one of the reasons why I never buy online. When I got to a computer store I can inspect everything before purchasing the item, and there's no difference in the price.
Click to expand...

I'd like to know what computer store you are lucky enough to have near you that can afford to even compete with online stores.
 
KamelRed said:
Sounds like typical Newegg.

Had a Uncle that received a 500gb HDD from Newegg ordered as OEM. So you could imagine his surprise when he pop it in a system and fired it up to discover Windows XP loading up (the 500gb was the only HDD in the system). Turns out someone had installed Windows on the drive and must have sent it back to Newegg where in turn Newegg just tossed it in their OEM bin.

I never had that happen to me but it just shows that even a company like Newegg has chinks in their armor.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's true but it seems kind of fishy since the likelihood of windows actually booting up on your uncle's system is very low. More than likely you're lying or your uncle is.

Windows xp normally wouldn't boot up on another system since mobo hardware is different, your uncle's system would have to be basically the same chipset, serial ata controller, etc.. Otherwise windows would blue screen every time when it tries to load, i.e. the HAL wouldn't match.
 
dmagro said:
I'd like to know what computer store you are lucky enough to have near you that can afford to even compete with online stores.
Click to expand...

There is a mom and pop shop here that is competitive with NewEgg. By the time you pay for shipping, it's so close, that I would rather just drop the 5 or 10 bucks extra on the counter and support a local business.
 
dmagro said:
I'd like to know what computer store you are lucky enough to have near you that can afford to even compete with online stores.
Click to expand...


I have a microcenter near by. They sell new stuff at pretty much newegg price, but when an item has been out a while the egg will go down in price Microcenter will stay the same. If something just came out and I want it now I dont have to wait for it to be shipped, then again I have to pay sales tax on the spot at microcenter so there is a downside to both.
 
a couple years ago I ordered a digital camera for my brothers christmas present on newegg. It came, and I inspected it before wrapping it. The lcd screen had a scratch on it. I called newegg, and they offered a full refund inc my shipping costs. So I send it in, and a week later, when I hadn't heard anything I give them a call. They said that the camera's serial number I sent back did not match they sent me. which was total bs. They refused to refund my money and were going to send the camera back to me. I had to file a complaint with the bbb and write a letter to newegg's corporate office to get the matter resolved. Since then I try to shop other places before Newegg. Other places often have better prices too.
 
Imprez04 said:
wow.. did he get any kind of refund from newegg? i wouldnt pay full OEM for something that was used
Click to expand...

I didn't ask him and but he had ordered a bunch of other hardware (and another 500gb HDD, same model) so he was more focused on building his system at the time.

sh0vet said:
Maybe it's true but it seems kind of fishy since the likelihood of windows actually booting up on your uncle's system is very low. More than likely you're lying or your uncle is.

Windows xp normally wouldn't boot up on another system since mobo hardware is different, your uncle's system would have to be basically the same chipset, serial ata controller, etc.. Otherwise windows would blue screen every time when it tries to load, i.e. the HAL wouldn't match.
Click to expand...

Well I was there when he was building the system and installed the HDD. It was earlier this year so I don't remember specifics but I'm pretty sure it was a E-IDE drive. I don't know if we booted in safe mode or not but it did boot into Windows and he didn't install it yet since he had the disc in his hand.

You can think that I'm lying or not, I don't really care. I love Newegg and order all my parts from them whenever possible, in fact I'll be getting a Western Digital VelociRaptor 150gb from them on Tuesday.
 
SharpieFiend said:
This is one of the reasons why I never buy online. When I got to a computer store I can inspect everything before purchasing the item, and there's no difference in the price.
Click to expand...

all i do is shop online and i have never had this happen, but i also dont shop newegg, i shop www.directron.com for personal and work and have prob dropped in the range of $50k in 2-3 years and never has anything had fingers prints on it or OEM not sealed.
 
MrGuvernment said:
all i do is shop online and i have never had this happen, but i also dont shop newegg, i shop www.directron.com for personal and work and have prob dropped in the range of $50k in 2-3 years and never has anything had fingers prints on it or OEM not sealed.
Click to expand...

I always like to inspect my purchases before leaving the store, I've had too many issues with missing accessories and the like. I have an excellent relationship with the store I buy my stuff from - if I get something DOA they'll replace the item without hassle. They'll also order items for me they usually don't carry with a simple phone call and occasionally butter me up with freebies. Little things like extra SATA cables I never pay for. I also never wait for shipping or have to deal with items damaged in transit. Did I mention they greet me by name when I walk in the store? These are all little things, but add them all up and they're one big thing - you never get that kind of service when you're dealing with someone online.
 
For sure, if i had a store close by that had all i needed i would prob go there :) i do like to see things up front instead of waiting. and it is nice to be recognized as a customer and treated on a more personal level.
 
a5i2c said:
This is a good question that I cannot answer completely. I have had the same experience, BUT, it has only appeared on products that I purchase from Newegg and it isn't just Asus specific. I personally think Newegg is taking returns on products, and if found to be OK by them, they repackage them as new. This is only a theory I have and so far it's been holding true. When I purchase Asus and other brands from other places, they are nice and new without any fingerprints or signs of handling.
Click to expand...


isnt that all kinds of illegal?
 
Ya likely is, but how to prove it? all newegg has to say is it was from the factory... or that it was opened for testing.. or something..

unless you got alot of people involved like the mobo makers and some lawyers and getting some proof.... the hassle isnt worth it
 
Gentlemen:

Perhaps I can help put this matter to rest. The motherboard in question has likely been subjected to a "rework". A "rework" are changes to board components that occur after mass production but prior to shipment to distributors. This is a common practice amongst motherboard makers and is the likely explanation as to the fingerprints and the package having been opened. Reworks of course are done by hand. There really is nothing to worry about. Most likely sending it back to the supplier will do little good as the replacement will just be a reworked board as well.

-A Motherboard Industry Rep.
 
sh0vet said:
Maybe it's true but it seems kind of fishy since the likelihood of windows actually booting up on your uncle's system is very low. More than likely you're lying or your uncle is.

Windows xp normally wouldn't boot up on another system since mobo hardware is different, your uncle's system would have to be basically the same chipset, serial ata controller, etc.. Otherwise windows would blue screen every time when it tries to load, i.e. the HAL wouldn't match.
Click to expand...
ling

A while back I switched motherboards/cpu/ram. Went from a 939 athon 64 x2, nforce 4 motherboard, and ddr1 ram to my core2quad, g31(fry's ecs) motherboard, ddr2 ram and tried to boot up my original windows install. It booted fine, and then spent 5 minutes detecting new hardware, and then worked just fine. That's probably one of the most severe hardware changes and windows still worked(it did eventually ask me to reactivate though)

Don't worry, I have since switched to vista 64(obviously a fresh install).
 
SharpieFiend said:
I always like to inspect my purchases before leaving the store, I've had too many issues with missing accessories and the like. I have an excellent relationship with the store I buy my stuff from - if I get something DOA they'll replace the item without hassle. They'll also order items for me they usually don't carry with a simple phone call and occasionally butter me up with freebies. Little things like extra SATA cables I never pay for. I also never wait for shipping or have to deal with items damaged in transit. Did I mention they greet me by name when I walk in the store? These are all little things, but add them all up and they're one big thing - you never get that kind of service when you're dealing with someone online.
Click to expand...

I don't understand why you're in here bashing online stores, we would all rather go to a brick and mortar store if we had the option and if the prices were the same. However, for me, the only store close to me is best buy and I really have no other options - and I'm not paying $200 for an 8600GT no matter how friendly they are.

Anyway on topic... I typically care little if there are fingerprints on things I buy. I pop it in and if it works, then whatever. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You just run the risk higher of getting another DOA board.
 
I will say that in the past, I had issue with Newegg. This was when they were fresh, and still up and coming. I complained, and nobody listened.

So I took it upon myself to escalate the matter on a public forum (their product review area). Two days later, the GM from Newegg contacted me, and personally handled my situation.

It takes a lot of balls to admit you made a mistake. They did so, and corrected it, beyond what I had asked them to do. They never did do me wrong since.

Next time I purchase, they'd probably be the first place I'd look, but I always will have to have that "sense of something might be wrong" to stick inside my head. But, I also know, they'd fix it, if I brought it to their attention.
 
From my experience, either A: Newegg resells returned items as new, B: Resells refurbished items as new, C: Lian Li received a return and sent it to Newegg as new. I'm pointing to option A. I received a case a couple years ago, pulled it out and there was an AMD sticker on the bezel and a few slight scratches. I messaged Newegg and they resolved the matter. I would definately not accept a mobo that appears to be a return. They do process thousands of shipments a day/week, so I'm not suprised there may be an error once in a while. They did take care of the issue and that's what really matters.
 
archevilangel said:
ling

A while back I switched motherboards/cpu/ram. Went from a 939 athon 64 x2, nforce 4 motherboard, and ddr1 ram to my core2quad, g31(fry's ecs) motherboard, ddr2 ram and tried to boot up my original windows install. It booted fine, and then spent 5 minutes detecting new hardware, and then worked just fine. That's probably one of the most severe hardware changes and windows still worked(it did eventually ask me to reactivate though)
Click to expand...
Same thing here: A8N-E(including nVidia storage drivers)/FX-60/DDR to P5E64 WS Evo/E8600/DDR3. Surprised the crap out of me.

On a side note I had to RMA refund Mushkin 996602 to NewEgg. The RMA reason was for defect/failure, and I'd replaced the modules through a separate order. The refund posted less a 15% restocking fee. A phone call fixed the problem but why wouldn't their RMA system pick up on the reason, defect/failure and nix the restocking charge.
 
Just wanted to report the same - my Asus Rampage Formula also has the fingertips on the CMOS battery and the NIC ports. The accessory bag was not sealed either. However, I'm pretty sure that's how it came from the factory. All the other accessories that were packaged in separate bags were intact, no sign of tampering there. Besides, I bought the board from a local retailer which ordered it directly from a wholesaler. And I live in Lithuania, Europe.
 
That sucks. I have a computer store with an owner that cuts me deals. If he can order it he will. Plus he only charges about the same as newegg generally. Maybe $10 more on mobos but it is worth it b/c if I don't like it, back it goes no problem. I appreciate the guy. He's rare.
 
I live in raleigh, NC and have a tiger direct that is a bit higher in price generally. So I go back and forth between them and newegg depending alot of factors. But since they switched to slow ass dhl that passes thier stuff to the usps which I hate since they did'nt pay for something of mine that they lost unless it had insurance which is rediculous. That may be the deal breaker for me to spend more money and go to Tiger direct. At least I would be supporting the local economy and not be getting bent over by newegg. This is not a good time for Newegg to be changing there buisness model.
 
Tiv said:
Gentlemen:

Perhaps I can help put this matter to rest. The motherboard in question has likely been subjected to a "rework". A "rework" are changes to board components that occur after mass production but prior to shipment to distributors. This is a common practice amongst motherboard makers and is the likely explanation as to the fingerprints and the package having been opened. Reworks of course are done by hand. There really is nothing to worry about. Most likely sending it back to the supplier will do little good as the replacement will just be a reworked board as well.

-A Motherboard Industry Rep.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right.

FWIW, I've never had a problem with Newegg. Even their open box/refurb stuff has worked for me. I had one problem with shipping (no HDD in the box), and they got me a new drive out next day UPS.
 
Looks like my package is in atlanta now. Hopefully I will get it next week sometime being in raleigh nc. If I would have know it was gonna be dhl/usps i would have paid for ups shipping. I was under the impression that egg saver was ups.
 
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