Do I still have warranty, replaced the paste on my gpu... 45C from 70C (I'm serious)

[An00bis]

GPU is MSI twin frozr III R7850 OC edition.


40-45C in BATTLEFIELD 3 when fans are turned on at 100%, in 64 player maps, its 50-55 when it's lowered to like 60% (silent), highest temp I ever got was something like 59C in furmark once. Those temps are with overclocking. 1.038v to 1.18v, from 900mhz to 1200mhz and from 1200mhz memory to 1375mhz memory. I used to get 100C in furmark with overclocking on before I reapplied paste, now it sits lower than 60 with OC on. The Witcher 2 climbed almost instantly to 100C while playing with overclocking on, just 1.1v from 1.038. The instant I touched the voltage-> gpu turned into a jihad bomb, 60-70C in most games was pretty much normal, without OC it was 55-60 at max fan speed (the other speeds I mentioned in this sentence were measured at 80-100% fan speed as well). Now at 100% fan speeds I get temps of under 50C in intensive games like anno 1404, witcher 2, battlefield 3, deus ex HR, borderlands 2 (that game is intensive because of its shitty physics engine that drops my fps to 10fps, when those monkey enemies throw crap at you and it shatters, making your gpu calculate it with that physx crap). Pretty fucking amazing if you ask me. I started having extreme buyer's remorse after I was getting driver crashes and memory crashes (http://i.imgur.com/nyOBP.jpg this, actual screenshot). I even bought another case for this gpu, antec one, pretty good case to be honest, hdd temps are 30C and cpu and gpu is 27C at idle in like 20-25C room. Cpu is like 50 in full load in this case. Roughly equal air pressure.

So, do I still have warranty after I fucked with my card? the shop I got it from said "you will void your warranty if you modify the gpu in any way", MSI said to go to the shop I got it from and... basically if they find out I don't have warranty anymore.

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Pics:
1.
http://i.imgur.com/Q3NnB.jpg (screws, do they look stripped or show damage?)
Also, when I took them off they sort of made a "click", they were really stiff then I put some force and they made a click then came off really easily, I couldn't replicate this and now the screws will go out easily, you just have to screw them all in a few moves.
2.
http://i.imgur.com/Ekg03.jpg
There was some sort of dark blue ink writing near the part of the heatsink that touches the gpu itself, I used alcohol to wipe out the thermal paste and accidentally wiped it off, would that make it look suspicious? Or does nobody care about that ink writing. I wiped it off completely after this, I thought that they'd go "hmm, some dumbass in the factory forgot to write that crap, LOL". It's now only metal, no ink marks, you can't notice anything that resembles a writing on that metal thingy. Wiped it out furiously with rage... and 96% ethanol.

3.
http://i.imgur.com/mLCrd.jpg
the original thermal paste, current paste (mx-2) has the same exact color and viscosity.
look at the amount of air pockets and excess paste, I only added a small pea sized drop in the middle and they just smeared all over it like toothpaste.
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Thanks in advance, also thank you if you manage to read the whole thing, my thread is full of bad English and paranoia.

 

[Elixer]

Um, why are you wondering that now, after the fact ?

Usually, they are OK with this, as long as you don't damage anything.

 

[An00bis]

Um, why are you wondering that now, after the fact ?

Usually, they are OK with this, as long as you don't damage anything.

Well, I couldn't stand the fact that OC meant gpu crashes because of 100C temps, especially since this gpu is mainly centered around OC-ing. The shop where I bought it from told me getting like 70-80C in games was normal for this card, despite the fact that most reviews show temps of 50-60 for this card, msi version included.

Oh, and hi. I'm new on this forum, but I lurked for lots of years, only recently I've thought about actually using forums like this and creating an account.

 

[wand3r3r]

There are few manufacturers that actually allow you to do it without voiding your warranty. I'd say as long as the visible damage e.g. to the screws is minimal you'll be fine.

A little list I compiled last spring. Evga and XFX will allow it, although XFX wants you to contact them. MSI and Asus are also great manufacturers and I would *guess* you are ok. No guarantees though. The other manufacturers seem a lot stricter then Evga, Xfx, Msi, Asus.

If you find a mistake in the list please contact me. I contacted a couple to try clarify some points but not all, most info is from their sites.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArCtGVODPUTtdEdEUjRiSFdyckZ1Q1dGNUI3bkd5R1E#gid=0

 

[An00bis]

There are few manufacturers that actually allow you to do it without voiding your warranty. I'd say as long as the visible damage e.g. to the screws is minimal you'll be fine.

A little list I compiled last spring. Evga and XFX will allow it, although XFX wants you to contact them. MSI and Asus are also great manufacturers and I would *guess* you are ok. No guarantees though. The other manufacturers seem a lot stricter then Evga, Xfx, Msi, Asus.

If you find a mistake in the list please contact me. I contacted a couple to try clarify some points but not all, most info is from their sites.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArCtGVODPUTtdEdEUjRiSFdyckZ1Q1dGNUI3bkd5R1E#gid=0

thank you very much for making that list for us, I'll take it into consideration but unfortunately I don't think I can RMA the card directly to MSI, I have to contact the shop I bought it from, and I'm not sure about their policies since my country is an east european country, not many people here, less people using the internet, even less people using this website to buy computer parts and almost no one having the exact same problem as me posting on the internet in forums. I put some pics of the screws and other details in the main post I "highlighted" that part so you don't have to read the crap I wrote.

I say that that I'm not sure about rma-ing to MSI because I contacted MSI on their website and they told me to contact the shop I got my gpu from, so I don't think they care about my gpu.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Op must have had a lemon of a card as i got the same model,i got 1.225v at 1150/1450 and at 60% fanspeed,i have never went over 64 cel since i owned this card and my case only has one 80mm rear exhaust and a side panel 120mm....

Speaking of lemons,iv'e had my card for nearly a month and i hear the distinctive sound of a failing fan bearing,typically my luck,i always run into issues when i purchase a amd card,always drivers but when i have a perfect experience with a creme of the crop 7850,i get my first ever failing gpu fan bearing in 6 years of pc gaming!

I believe i am sincerly cursed when i purchase amd cards,i was all in love with this thing till the god damn bearing started to fail,oh well i am planning to go back to 1080p when this thing craps out,and a gtx670 is going in its place.

 

[An00bis]

Op must have had a lemon of a card as i got the same model,i got 1.225v at 1150/1450 and at 60% fanspeed,i have never went over 64 cel since i owned this card and my case only has one 80mm rear exhaust and a side panel 120mm....

Speaking of lemons,iv'e had my card for nearly a month and i hear the distinctive sound of a failing fan bearing,typically my luck,i always run into issues when i purchase a amd card,always drivers but when i have a perfect experience with a creme of the crop 7850,i get my first ever failing gpu fan bearing in 6 years of pc gaming!

I believe i am sincerly cursed when i purchase amd cards,i was all in love with this thing till the god damn bearing started to fail,oh well i am planning to go back to 1080p when this thing craps out,and a gtx670 is going in its place.

Well actually thing is I managed to get pretty decent OC with this card, 1150mhz at 1.110v and 1200mhz at 1.160, on stock voltage 1.038 i can get at the most 1050mhz 1375mhz memory which is the max in CC coincidentally. But the temps were outrageous, just look at YOUR temps, 60 at 1.225? If I were to set my card at 1.225 I'd be celebrating the 4th of july with some really big fireworks but I'm East Yoropoor so why would I wanna do that. But now i tested it and even at 1250mhz, 1.25v and it worked perfectly and had low temps around 60 in 3dmark11 and luxmark. No memory crashes either. It's perfect now except the warranty since I don't know if they will like this IF they find out about it...

But do the screws look OK to you guys? http://i.imgur.com/Q3NnB.jpg
They also made a click sound after I put enough force and then came off easily, until the *click* they didn't move at all, this seemed weird to me and I couldn't replicate it on my own as well, I don't have one of those torque screwdrivers and stuff like that. A sec they didn't move then they made a click and started to move, very weird, sounds like some kind of... thing they added to the gpu so that they see if someone messes with it. Reminds me of HDDs requiring specific torque in the screws to work properly, they make the same clicking sound when they're screwed in wth the right amount of force.

http://i.imgur.com/Ekg03.jpg
And it also had this kind of ink writing on it, I wiped it off completely with alcohol (partially here, but after a minute i wiped it off 100% so It doesn't look suspicious... that's what I hoped)

 

[wand3r3r]

thank you very much for making that list for us, I'll take it into consideration but unfortunately I don't think I can RMA the card directly to MSI, I have to contact the shop I bought it from, and I'm not sure about their policies since my country is an east european country, not many people here, less people using the internet, even less people using this website to buy computer parts and almost no one having the exact same problem as me posting on the internet in forums. I put some pics of the screws and other details in the main post I "highlighted" that part so you don't have to read the crap I wrote.

I say that that I'm not sure about rma-ing to MSI because I contacted MSI on their website and they told me to contact the shop I got my gpu from, so I don't think they care about my gpu.

I actually read your post briefly and looked at the pictures but it's still kind of hard to tell the exact impression as if you would glance at in in real life (Kind of blurry, scratches/stripping is hard to see).

If it's directly to your shop then you have nothing to worry about. They will have no idea if you have replaced the coolers thermal paste as long as the outward appearance is ok. From the fuzzy pictures it looks ok but it's still a little hard to tell.

Beyond that I really suspect MSI would be ok with you replacing the thermal paste if you were to contact them, although you don't need to as they want you to deal with your retailer.

Personally I wouldn't worry, I think an RMA would be quite easy and you shouldn't have any trouble. You can add some better quality pictures with more natural light and less fuzziness if you want but from what I see I'd say it's fine.

E* I wouldn't worry about the ink, although you shouldn't have wiped that off. The retailer isn't going to dissect the card.

 

[An00bis]

I actually read your post briefly and looked at the pictures but it's still kind of hard to tell the exact impression as if you would glance at in in real life (Kind of blurry, scratches/stripping is hard to see).

If it's directly to your shop then you have nothing to worry about. They will have no idea if you have replaced the coolers thermal paste as long as the outward appearance is ok. From the fuzzy pictures it looks ok but it's still a little hard to tell.

Beyond that I really suspect MSI would be ok with you replacing the thermal paste if you were to contact them, although you don't need to as they want you to deal with your retailer.

Personally I wouldn't worry, I think an RMA would be quite easy and you shouldn't have any trouble. You can add some better quality pictures with more natural light and less fuzziness if you want but from what I see I'd say it's fine.

E* I wouldn't worry about the ink, although you shouldn't have wiped that off. The retailer isn't going to dissect the card.

Thanks, I think I worry too much. It's just that I read some horror stories about Zotac I think, on the internet. Some guy got his RMA request refused because he used TM of different VISCOSITY, screws had light damage and that was all, I started going paranoid about that. Maybe I can even contact MSI again and ask If RMA to them is possible from my country, companies like western digital agree to this if you deliver your item to them.

 

[wand3r3r]

If it were another manufacturer I'd be more worried. MSI is one of the better, but if there is any physical damage I have no doubt they'd reject it too. As far as I can see the screws appear fine. There is a pretty small chance they won't like something but at least you have a better chance with them.

Also, welcome to the forums!

 

[tweakboy]

Your room must sound like a NASA station shuttle.

Better to have lower room temps and turn down those fans a little and open sides of your case.

No need for 45c load. The card is made to get hot and a 70c load is perfect. These cards will go to 100c and not die. You took out your stock HSF and replaced the paste and got 25c better......... 45c is a good idle temp for your card. I can understand keeping the CPU heat down but everyone in this world who doesnt modify will get a 65 to 80c 100 percent in BF2. The card is made to get hot and likes it. It just doesn't like it when it crosses the threshold. gl

 

[An00bis]

Your room must sound like a NASA station shuttle.

Better to have lower room temps and turn down those fans a little and open sides of your case.

No need for 45c load. The card is made to get hot and a 70c load is perfect. These cards will go to 100c and not die. You took out your stock HSF and replaced the paste and got 25c better......... 45c is a good idle temp for your card. I can understand keeping the CPU heat down but everyone in this world who doesnt modify will get a 65 to 80c 100 percent in BF2. The card is made to get hot and likes it. It just doesn't like it when it crosses the threshold. gl

Well in some games I actually got 100C+, the card was shutting down every minute. The Witcher 2 was one of those games. I actually got a new case just for this gpu, put 100cfm fans everywhere and managed to lower it to like 80-90C when I OC'd swapped the fans around and installed different cfm fans but I couldn't lower it more, and I realized that I would've eventually got 100C again in some games.

There was clearly a problem, and I couldn't fix it using my warranty since the idiots from the shop where I got it said that they didn't care about overclocked temps. I basically couldn't OC at all, and we all know that 78XX and 79XX cards are made to be good overclockers, no point in running at stock when you can get a 50% OC on your gpu. Without an OC I had around 60-70C like you said. I just did a test in Heaven 3.0 and without OC (default core of 860mhz) I got 50fps, with OC on (core 1200mhz, memory 1375mhz or higher) I got around 75-80, that's 50%, It's like having for a second a midrange card then instantly getting a high end card for free.

But I agree 100% is annoying even with headphones on, sometimes. So I just set it to 50%, temps are still around 50-60 even with maximum OC (1.225v vs the default 1.038V my gpu has)