Is eVGA known for selling defective products

[Accipiter22]

This isn't a hardware question, just a question in general about eVGA as a company.

In February of 2005 I built a computer, and had a 6800GT in it. The thing died around July of 2005, I tried RMA'ing other parts before I realized I should've RMA'd the 6800GT first. Sure enough, the new 6800 GT arrives and I'm back up and running, I think around October of 2005. That one lasted a shade over a year before it crapped the bed. I RMA'd it and got a brand new 7800GS which I was very happy with. I got that in February. It crapped the bed today. I'm absolutely livid. That's a shade over 2 years and I"ll have to be on my fourth video card from these people. Their RMA department is very courteous and hassle free, but they must be pretty much jaded from all the practice they get.

Honestly, is this something eVGA is known for?? I know with any product liability is hit or miss, you get people that have great luck, and others that have HORRIBLE luck, but in general is eVGA a company that has faulty products like this?


UPDATE: So tonight I went to Best Buy, bought a BFG 7600 GT or something like that, popped it in, and the same thing happened as before, so it WASN'T the video card this time!

 

[wbynum]

I know it is a pain dealing with dead components, but with eVGA lifetime warranty, if your video cards keep dying every year or so you will keep getting free upgrades to newer cards. Not a bad deal IMO.

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: wbynum
I know it is a pain dealing with dead components, but with eVGA lifetime warranty, if your video cards keep dying every year or so you will keep getting free upgrades to newer cards. Not a bad deal IMO.

True, they have been good with that, but I have to be without my main computer for a couple weeks, and I have a lot of important business and programs on it that won't run on this backup rig.

 

[Laminator]

High-end hardware dies out often. Of the four 6800-series cards I have personally used, one is artifacting, another has had its fan pop off, and a third is idling at 80 degrees...or so the temperature sensor says.

I'd say eVGA has been pretty gracious to you. Companies like eVGA, XFX, BFG, etc. don't even manufacture the cards themselves, you know. They're pretty much all made by Foxconn and rebranded by distributors later.

 

[bfdd]

I always assumed EVGA was directly tied with nvidia. Infact my EVGA 680i sli mobo has like a sticker over where nvidia is on the refrence boards so...

 

[Laminator]

Maybe it's not Foxconn but most graphics card distributors do not make their own cards (there's a separate thread about this here: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...2067068&enterthread=y). I'm sure distributors are tied in somehow with their chip providers, but I'm not sure how this relationship works out in terms of manufacturing, binning, etc.

 

[undeclared]

I need to mention something to you that is kind of important..

I know someone whose components kept dieing one after another.. now I'm not sure if this applies to you or not but..

Do you have a surge protector? I've seen lcds, hard drives, even video cards die because of a power surge due to bad weather or bad wiring, or anything like that.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

xtwells: I think you are right. Every time I read a thread/customer review where someone was shipped 3 bad hard drives in a row or 4 GPUs dead in less than two years, I wonder if someone can really have that kind of bad luck. It might be wise to invest in a good PSU and a surge protector/UPS just to be certain.

The only hardware I have ever had die on me is no-name, crappy $15 PSUs. Switched to good brands and everything has been fine ever since. Maybe I'm lucky - or maybe the UPS is protecting my equipment from power surges.

 

[VinDSL]

Well... since this is an open-ended question...

I'll tell you that a bud of mine went through three eVGA mobos last month, before finally giving up!

The first one was DOA, and the guys @ a local Fry's B&M told him his PSU was too small, so he bought a new one from Newegg.

A week later, he tried it again with eVGA mobo #2 - same problem - DOA!

The third mobo booted and he got most of the way through installing Vista before it blacked out!

This guys loves eVGA but hates Fry's Electronics, so he's blaming the whole experience on Fry's, not eVGA... LoL!

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: xtwells
I need to mention something to you that is kind of important..

I know someone whose components kept dieing one after another.. now I'm not sure if this applies to you or not but..

Do you have a surge protector? I've seen lcds, hard drives, even video cards die because of a power surge due to bad weather or bad wiring, or anything like that.

yup, I'm on a surge protector!

 

[nullpointerus]

Bad airflow and dust can cause heat to build up, which dramatically shortens or ends the life of components.

Some people really do get a run of defective parts, but IMO the user's PC remains the prime suspect.

Accipiter22, when eVGA gets these defective items back, they do test the items to some extent. I'm not sure how much. Have you tried making a post-RMA follow-up call to see if they have any idea why the components are failing?

I've heard cases where one defective item (PSU) will appear to work fine but will continue taking out other components until it's fixed. In any case, it would be interesting to find out the cause (i.e. manufacturing defect, power surge, overheating).

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Accipiter22-True, they have been good with that, but I have to be without my main computer for a couple weeks, and I have a lot of important business and programs on it that won't run on this backup rig.

Invest in a back-up card for your main system, if it is used for business reasons. If the programs in question don't require 3d acceleration, just get a cheap card with good 2D.

AS to EVGA, I am one of the lucky ones I suppose. All of the EVGA cards I've owned, have been trouble-free, and good overclockers too.

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: nullpointerus
Bad airflow and dust can cause heat to build up, which dramatically shortens or ends the life of components.

Some people really do get a run of defective parts, but IMO the user's PC remains the prime suspect.

Accipiter22, when eVGA gets these defective items back, they do test the items to some extent. I'm not sure how much. Have you tried making a post-RMA follow-up call to see if they have any idea why the components are failing?

I've heard cases where one defective item (PSU) will appear to work fine but will continue taking out other components until it's fixed. In any case, it would be interesting to find out the cause (i.e. manufacturing defect, power surge, overheating).

Hi,

I've always kept a close eye on temps and there's pretty much no dust inside the system, the card itself still looks pristine. I actually switched PSU's at some point, I think after the 2nd 6800GT just in case. I don't think it's that though, since nothing else has ever malfunctioned in my rig except these cards.

I did ask after the first time I sent a 6800GT back if they could tell me what was wrong. The person I spoke to said he wasn't sure, that he hadn't gotten word. I'll ask this time though. Since I'm on a supressor I think surge can be ruled out, I never saw the thing come even remotely close to overheating, and since I'm paranoid about it I have the warning threshold set relatively low. other than manufacturing defect the only possibility I can see is if BOTH Psu's I've used have been defective and ONLY killed video cards.

 

[bfdd]

Originally posted by: VinDSL
Well... since this is an open-ended question...

I'll tell you that a bud of mine went through three eVGA mobos last month, before finally giving up!

The first one was DOA, and the guys @ a local Fry's B&M told him his PSU was too small, so he bought a new one from Newegg.

A week later, he tried it again with eVGA mobo #2 - same problem - DOA!

The third mobo booted and he got most of the way through installing Vista before it blacked out!

This guys loves eVGA but hates Fry's Electronics, so he's blaming the whole experience on Fry's, not eVGA... LoL!

As he should Fry's is pretty shady imo.

 

[nippyjun]

Vid card companies often don't even make the cards they sell. So, warranty for me is the reason to go with one company over the other.

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: nippyjun
Vid card companies often don't even make the cards they sell. So, warranty for me is the reason to go with one company over the other.

I spoke to eVGA today about the cards you get back via RMA. They're not new, they send you a refurb so maybe that's why I'm having trouble with these things. I dunno if other companies do this too.

 

[Nathelion]

I have only ever bought one eVGA product (not that I dislike them, it's just that I don't upgrade that often). It was a GeForce 6800GS CO, the CO means that it was a copper edition. Now first off the thermal paste was some kind of bag thing and 3 mm thick and CRAP, but that's fairly industry standard. The card worked fine for 1 1/2 years when my hard drive cage mysteriously got loose and game crashing down (oops). It would still run if you used the generic display drivers (aka safe mode), but it would show a heavily distorted picture. So the longevity of the card was fine.

The issue I did have is that the card was factory overclocked, and it really couldn't run well at the speeds it was sold at. I had continual artifacting and HORRIBLE stuttering until I figured out what the problem was and reduced the clock speed to stock. Stuttering and tearing give me horrible nausea. Blargh.
So the one grievance I have against eVGA is that they sold me a card with a bogus overclock.

 

[vhx]

AFAIK most manufacturer warranties don't send back brand new products for RMA (unless maybe they require u to send back everything from the original packaging), almost all are recertified or refurb'd.

As some had said, most places, like EVGA, use some other place to manufacture them. So unless a sticker could cause more manufacturer defects, I doubt it's anything specific.

As far as Fry's go, sometimes they are shady. Repackaging returned defective products, and such.

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: vhx
AFAIK most manufacturer warranties don't send back brand new products for RMA (unless maybe they require u to send back everything from the original packaging), almost all are recertified or refurb'd.

As some had said, most places, like EVGA, use some other place to manufacture them. So unless a sticker could cause more manufacturer defects, I doubt it's anything specific.

As far as Fry's go, sometimes they are shady. Repackaging returned defective products, and such.

I KNEW IT The sticker is the problem!

 

[nitromullet]

What are the rest of your components, what type of PSU do you have, and what is the specific failure you are seeing? I ask because it sounds like something else is causing the problem. I actually had a 6800GT artifact on me, so I had it RMA'ed (EVGA) only to have the second one artifact as well. Well, after posting it on these forums, someone suggested that I re-examine my PSU wiring and make sure that I was running the card off a a line that wasn't being shared by any other components. As soon as I gave the card its own dedicated power line directly from the PSU all the issues stopped and the card ran 100% stable (clocked at Ultra speeds even) for the remainder of the time I owned it. I actually spoke with the guy I sold it to not too long ago, and he was still using the card after almost 2 years. Then again, it's possible that you're just really unlucky. I've owned quite a few EVGA cards, I've had to RMA a few also, but overall I think they sell a decent product and they certainly have good customer service.

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
What are the rest of your components, what type of PSU do you have, and what is the specific failure you are seeing? I ask because it sounds like something else is causing the problem. I actually had a 6800GT artifact on me, so I had it RMA'ed (EVGA) only to have the second one artifact as well. Well, after posting it on these forums, someone suggested that I re-examine my PSU wiring and make sure that I was running the card off a a line that wasn't being shared by any other components. As soon as I gave the card its own dedicated power line directly from the PSU all the issues stopped and the card ran 100% stable (clocked at Ultra speeds even) for the remainder of the time I owned it. I actually spoke with the guy I sold it to not too long ago, and he was still using the card after almost 2 years. Then again, it's possible that you're just really unlucky. I've owned quite a few EVGA cards, I've had to RMA a few also, but overall I think they sell a decent product and they certainly have good customer service.

well the thing is I've actually changed PSUs after the 1st 6800, and the mobo (asus a8v-deluxe) as well. I actually RMA'd the mobo first before i did the video card. So I doubt I got 2 consecutive bad mobos or PSUs that are effecting ONLY the video cards.

 

[johnnq1]

my 7800gt has been running strong for almost two years. equipped with a seasonic s21

 

[wbynum]

I've had an X-Connect 500W running for two years with various cards (6800GT oc'ed to ultra speeds, 7600gs, and now x1950xt). Flame away!

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22

Originally posted by: nitromullet
What are the rest of your components, what type of PSU do you have, and what is the specific failure you are seeing? I ask because it sounds like something else is causing the problem. I actually had a 6800GT artifact on me, so I had it RMA'ed (EVGA) only to have the second one artifact as well. Well, after posting it on these forums, someone suggested that I re-examine my PSU wiring and make sure that I was running the card off a a line that wasn't being shared by any other components. As soon as I gave the card its own dedicated power line directly from the PSU all the issues stopped and the card ran 100% stable (clocked at Ultra speeds even) for the remainder of the time I owned it. I actually spoke with the guy I sold it to not too long ago, and he was still using the card after almost 2 years. Then again, it's possible that you're just really unlucky. I've owned quite a few EVGA cards, I've had to RMA a few also, but overall I think they sell a decent product and they certainly have good customer service.

well the thing is I've actually changed PSUs after the 1st 6800, and the mobo (asus a8v-deluxe) as well. I actually RMA'd the mobo first before i did the video card. So I doubt I got 2 consecutive bad mobos or PSUs that are effecting ONLY the video cards.

What did you replace the PSU with though, and do you have the card getting power from a dedicated line coming straight from the PSU? Also, you never mentioned what type of errors you were getting... If all the errors were different (i.e. one had a fan go out, while another burst into flames) chances are the cards were faulty. On the other hand, if they all displayed the same type of failure (such as lockups, instability, or artifacts) it would point more to a power or heat issue. I'm not trying to grill you or anything, but I'm just not convinced that all the cards were defective which would mean that you will continue to have cards die until you figure out the root of the problem.

You have to understand that the AGP cards are very finicky when it comes to the power that they get because the AGP slot simply can not provide enough power for the card to run. So, the additional power going to the card from the PSU HAS TO BE CLEAN. Let me illustrate how sensitive they can be... I had added a 1' extension (4pin molex, 1' of cable, and another 4-pin molex) to the cable coming off of my PSU to the video card to help with some wiring management. Well, it turned out that this 1' length of cable was my problem... it worked fine supplying power to everything else I had ever used it for, but for some reason it severely affected the operation of the my 6800GT. Removing that extension cable solved all of my issues.

I know this might be more post than you were hoping for, but I'm just trying to help.

 

[chansigrilian]

i've never had to rma anything from evga, have had multiple video cards from them including 6800gt, 7600gt and 7900gtx.

friend did have to rma his 6600gt however