How is Sapphire's warranty/service? Or any AMD card for that matter?

D

dukenuke88

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
1,924
I'm thinking of picking up a 6970 later on down the road. Xfire it as well....Just looking through newegg and a few other sites, Sapphire seems to be the leader when it comes to AMD cards.....similar to how eVGA leads the pack for nvidia cards

I've always owned eVGA cards and have nothing but great things to say about their company. A+ customer service and warranty. I'm just wondering what the AMD equivalent is?

I also heard things about MSI and Asus being serial number based, so they will service anyone who owns the card...whether its 1st or 5th owner....I believe Sapphire is not like this...but yeah, any info on this would be appreciated!
 
The only AMD manufacturer I've had experience with is XFX, and that was from a few years ago when they still made Nvidia cards. My psu fried and took my 9600GT with it. Within a few days, I had another one from warranty service. A few months later, ANOTHER psu fried, and took that 9600GT with it. They were out of stock at the time, so I got bumped up to a 9800GT. Communication was excellent throughout the experience, I never had to wait long for a response, and who could complain about a free upgrade?

My current card is an eVGA GTX260, but I just ordered an XFX 6870. They have a sweet rebate deal / free game deal going on right now through Newegg. They offer a double lifetime warranty on most of their cards. If the service is even half of what it was with the 9600gt ordeal, I'll be happy.

Unfortunately, I can't vouch for any other manufacturers. I'll be sticking with eVGA or XFX for a while...
 
Last edited:
From what I've read over the years, and some personal experience...

XFX has the best warranty and service.
EVGA is a close second
Sapphire you have a 50% chance to be charged a fee(not shipping, but shipping too) to send in your under warranty products
ASUS has a good warranty on paper, but <---personal experience with this one, getting them to allow your under warranty product get RMA'd can be impossible, and often they just send you the product right back with out fixing it, several weeks later
MSI I'm not sure, if their rebates are anything like their warranty, stay away...good cards though
Zotac and others don't seem to have very good service.
 
thats weird...from what i've read, everybody says to stay away from XFX

they say that warrany keeps getting denied
 
I will never buy from Sapphire again. I've only had to deal with them once but I didn't like the service at all. I got a 4870 from them and it had a weird problem of running the fan at nearly 100% at all times even though it would report that it was running at a very low % the rpm was very high. It started happening shortly after I got the card so I contacted Sapphire. I didn't like the service because instead of asking for a exchange or refund right away I asked some questions to see if there was a way I could fix it, and I also asked some basic questions like what rpm should the fan run at, what temps should the card have, and a couple other basic questions. After a few emails of them telling me basically nothing and ignoring my questions even though I was asking the same questions in very clear ways, they sent me a email saying that if a rma was what I was after then I needed to send the card back with $20 for return shipping (and the way they worded made it sound like they thought I was trying to scam them).

I ended up keeping the card and was able to mostly fix it myself. After messing around with a bunch of stuff I ended up getting it to run at a constant speed thats not to loud and keeps it cool enough for stock settings. Maybe if they had better support I could of fixed it completely.
 
dukenuke88 said:
thats weird...from what i've read, everybody says to stay away from XFX

they say that warrany keeps getting denied
Click to expand...

i just did a warranty with them. It was accepted but they did not listen to my concerns at all...lo and behold i'm having the same problems a second time.

Asus, never had a problem other than long turnaround times and the fact that they make me call them for support that is meh at best, every time i e-mail them they tell me to call... hire someone that can type I don't feel like sitting on the phone.

can't comment on the others...though I will no longer buy evga due to their price premium AND unwillingness to warranty their product if not original owner.m
 
I think Sapphire require a product serial so if you don't have the original box they won't serve you. There online support takes about a day to get a response to your ticket
 
Sapphire wouldn't RMA my 9800 pro after the fan fell off on it's own. They told me to buy an aftermarket fan instead.
 
I had one experience with Sapphire and it was not good.....I stay far away from their products now.
 
Sapphire charges a RMA fee, the amount depends on where you live but it's always 100%, the fee is charged because a third party company does the RMA's for sapphire (they are located in Canada) and basically it's them charging us for their work which is receiving the replacement from Asia and then shipping it to us.
 
master noran said:
Sapphire charges a RMA fee, the amount depends on where you live but it's always 100%, the fee is charged because a third party company does the RMA's for sapphire (they are located in Canada) and basically it's them charging us for their work which is receiving the replacement from Asia and then shipping it to us.
Click to expand...

The company is Athlon-Micro
 
My latest experience was very good. They no longer charge any fee. They shipped a card back to me fast. They respond to emails quickly.

My experience was far better than I've had with MSI and Asus.
 
I didn't enjoy my RMA experience with Sapphire. They kept trying to get me to RMA through Newegg where I had bought my 4870 even though I was well past Newegg's standard return time, which I had to tell them multiple times before they finally gave me an RMA number. Then they sent me a card that ended up dying a month later, at which point I said F it and bought a new card instead.
 
Sorry if this post is okd but I had to share my experience with you :

Sapphire wants you not only to pay for sending the card to some noname warantty company (Althon Inc.), but also to pay the fees to send to card back and forth to Hong Kong (they ask between 25-45$ to do that). So all in all, it will cost you like 60$ to get a refurb card you already paid for...it may be worth it for 500+ cards, but in my case, I'll rather invest that money in a better cooling system (my 5870 fan (turbine) is making some grinding noises).
So for me it's clear now : even after 4 Sapphire card, NEVER AGAIN!

Here's the email I received to answer to my warranty ticket :
Our company, Althon Inc., is a logistic company handling warranty (RMA) service on Sapphire product in Canadian territories.

For RMA (Warranty) claim against Sapphire, first of all, please check the warranty provided by your dealer. If it is within their warranty period, you should get the service from them.

Should the dealer warranty expired, and you like to file a claim against Sapphire, then, there are steps which we have to go through before Sapphire would issue an official RMA number to authorize such return.

Note that, Sapphire is not a Canadian company and their head office is in Asia (Hong Kong). Sapphire warranty covers free parts/labor only. Therefore, for any RMA claims against Sapphire, we have to send the card back and forth to Asia, and back to you afterwards, so there will be costs involved (Administration and Freight). Cost of each card is ranging from CAD$25-CAD$45 depending on your location/province (this does not include the transportation cost from you sending the defective card to us).

Should you decide to go ahead with the claim, please provide the below information:

1. Serial number of the card
2. Part Number of the card
3. SKU number of the card
4. Complete full product description of the card (AGP/PCIE, 512M/1GB, Dual DVI / DVI, VO / VIVO.....etc)
5. Details of your name and mailing address
6. Copy of the purchase invoice
7. Read the attached RMA Policy & Procedure, and email us back with your confirmation of acceptance to all terms/conditions.

Should you have any queries regarding the Sapphire warranty policy, please visit this reference link: http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/support/?cid=3&psn=000203&lid=1

RMA Dept
Althon Inc.
 
thats absolutely terrible...i wonder why sapphire gets good reviews on newegg? maybe most of them don't even need to be RMA?
 
Since one of my 6970's died. I was worried about Sapphire RMA.

Well Do not worry. They were prompt, quick and send me back a brand new 6970 when one of mine died.

I usually go XFX or Asus, but I gave Sapphire a try for my 6970 (because it came with a free mini DP to DP adapter when XFX didnt).

Do hesitate about buying Sapphire....nothing but great things if you ask me.
 
simonito said:
Sorry if this post is okd but I had to share my experience with you :

Sapphire wants you not only to pay for sending the card to some noname warantty company (Althon Inc.), but also to pay the fees to send to card back and forth to Hong Kong (they ask between 25-45$ to do that). So all in all, it will cost you like 60$ to get a refurb card you already paid for...it may be worth it for 500+ cards, but in my case, I'll rather invest that money in a better cooling system (my 5870 fan (turbine) is making some grinding noises).
So for me it's clear now : even after 4 Sapphire card, NEVER AGAIN!

Here's the email I received to answer to my warranty ticket :
Our company, Althon Inc., is a logistic company handling warranty (RMA) service on Sapphire product in Canadian territories.

For RMA (Warranty) claim against Sapphire, first of all, please check the warranty provided by your dealer. If it is within their warranty period, you should get the service from them.

Should the dealer warranty expired, and you like to file a claim against Sapphire, then, there are steps which we have to go through before Sapphire would issue an official RMA number to authorize such return.

Note that, Sapphire is not a Canadian company and their head office is in Asia (Hong Kong). Sapphire warranty covers free parts/labor only. Therefore, for any RMA claims against Sapphire, we have to send the card back and forth to Asia, and back to you afterwards, so there will be costs involved (Administration and Freight). Cost of each card is ranging from CAD$25-CAD$45 depending on your location/province (this does not include the transportation cost from you sending the defective card to us).

Should you decide to go ahead with the claim, please provide the below information:

1. Serial number of the card
2. Part Number of the card
3. SKU number of the card
4. Complete full product description of the card (AGP/PCIE, 512M/1GB, Dual DVI / DVI, VO / VIVO.....etc)
5. Details of your name and mailing address
6. Copy of the purchase invoice
7. Read the attached RMA Policy & Procedure, and email us back with your confirmation of acceptance to all terms/conditions.

Should you have any queries regarding the Sapphire warranty policy, please visit this reference link: http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/support/?cid=3&psn=000203&lid=1

RMA Dept
Althon Inc.
Click to expand...

this is a lie. I sent my card back to California, and I only had to pay to ship it there.

I filled out the RMA slip like they asked and had no issues.....not sure why you are having such a huge issue.

I say Sapphire RMA is great....worked as it was suppose too and they even shipped it back ups!! (I hate fedex).

Just my 0.02c
 
Some people dont realize, there is a reason you see a lot of cheaper prices and good deals on some of these manufacturers. I always laugh when people go with a product because it happens to be maybe $10 cheaper than a well known brand name with excellent service and pick the product with only 1-2 year warranty that is not known for good service. I mean, why would anyone ever buy a sapphire product with 1-2 year warranty when xfx has way better service and pretty much a lifetime warranty on most of their cards. Ill never understand that.

In the nvidia land, I see all these zotac after the rebate deals and since I dont own one I shouldnt speculate but they are all the cheapest prices around and if you do some searching, you see a ton of people complain about never receiving their rebates. <face palm>
 
Retsam said:
Some people dont realize, there is a reason you see a lot of cheaper prices and good deals on some of these manufacturers. I always laugh when people go with a product because it happens to be maybe $10 cheaper than a well known brand name with excellent service and pick the product with only 1-2 year warranty and not known for good service. I mean, why would anyone ever buy a sapphire product with 1-2 year warranty when xfx has way better service and pretty much a lifetime warranty on most of their cards. Ill never understand that.
Click to expand...

Quality. XFX has really dropped the ball on some of there cards lately. Also XFX didnt give you everything you need for eyefinity with there card. You would need to buy a $20-30 adapter if you wanted to run eyefinity.

With my Sapphire I got the adapter with the card and didn't have to spend the extra cash.
 
Fair enough. I suppose they all have their pros and cons. I personally would never even consider buying a sapphire card.
 
I sometimes things happen but i have owned over 20 video cards since 2003 all by different companys and even AMD / Nvidia .. still own some of them with the oddest still running is a FX 5900 XT made by Leadtek.. i have never needed a RMA on any of them and i even own a HIS HD6950 2Gb > flashed to HD6970 with no issues to report.
 
Well, in my case it was just a good deal I had during a shell shocker on Newegg, a 5870 Eyefinity 6 at 200$ (which was about 100$ less than usual at the time). :)
I agree that paying a bit more may buy better service, so Sapphire no more :cool:
 
DASHlT said:
this is a lie. I sent my card back to California, and I only had to pay to ship it there.

I filled out the RMA slip like they asked and had no issues.....not sure why you are having such a huge issue.

I say Sapphire RMA is great....worked as it was suppose too and they even shipped it back ups!! (I hate fedex).

Just my 0.02c
Click to expand...

It's may be the case in USA, but you read the begining of the email, it's for Canadian owners.
There's no lie in this, I copy/paste the mail.
 
dukenuke88 said:
thats absolutely terrible...i wonder why sapphire gets good reviews on newegg? maybe most of them don't even need to be RMA?
Click to expand...

Because:

1. Before XFX switched to AMD and Asus stepped-up to a top-tier OEM, Sapphire had one of the best warranty service departments available (when compared to sketchy places like Visiontek).

2. Like others have said, the XFX quality level has dropped a bit, so while you get full warranty coverage, you might not get the quality you expect.

RMA is also fairly rare event, so for most people it's not going to affect their scores (I think we once did a poll on these forums, and %75 of readers combined had either A. never RMAed a video card EVER, or B. only RMAed a video card once...I think the total number of people with 3 or more RMAs was like %7).
 
Last edited:
I know this thread is old.


I found sapphire to be great when I owned their dual 6770's. Wonderful cards. I was nervous that one card might be dead. Neither card became dead.


XFX was the best with their double life-time warranty. They ended that double life-time warranty in 2012. I can only assume it was because of card owners abusing it. A single life-time warranty is on their Double Dissipation cards from what I researched. I read reviews on owners of Double Dissipation cards that did say they got a replacement. Great for them.


Sapphire seems to provide much better cooling on their cards than XFX does. That is one thing about graphic cards that is important to me. I hate having to buy a third party cooling fan, and try to attach it to the card. I had a hell of a time attaching a third party fan to my XFX 7870. I figure if a manufacturer is willing to provide great cooling on graphic cards, then they have a decent warranty service. I know that is a bad assumption. However, reviews I read on Sapphire cards state that the manufacturer (Athlon micro i guess) refuse to support or refund that go with them.

Maybe I should go to Gigabyte or MSI or ASUS in the future for AMD cards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top