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returning cpu at fry's

H

hunkeelin

Senior member
So I bought a 5960x yesterday. HOWEVER, I sand down the back of the cpu after the first thermal compound appliance . Will I be able to return it? When I look at it the serial number is no longer visible /=. I think I screwed up.


Thanks
 
I guess you could always hope for employee incompetence and get someone that doesn't bother checking for the serial number or looking at the CPU. It sometimes happens. Though Frys does seem to have gotten more aggressive at refusing returns, so I think you are probably SOL.
 
Ouch, that sucks man. You really shouldnt be modding $1k parts if you arent sure what you are doing and arent SURE you want to keep it.
 
Ravynmagi said:
I guess you could always hope for employee incompetence and get someone that doesn't bother checking for the serial number or looking at the CPU. It sometimes happens. Though Frys does seem to have gotten more aggressive at refusing returns, so I think you are probably SOL.
Click to expand...

That's really his only chance and I doubt it will work. When you return at Fry's the do a couple very specific things.

1) Match the SN on the processor with the SN on the box.
2) Test the product

But I have to echo what others have asked.... Why would you sand the SN away in the first place? This sounds very suspicious to me. I can only think of one reason why someone would do that and that's if they aren't returning the same processor they bought.
 
Show me pictures of the CPU and CPUZ screen shots otherwise I call BS. Nobody sands a brand new $1000.00 part and then decides they no longer want it.And I hope you arent trying to pass of an ES for a retail chip by sanding away the info on top.Cause I cant see any other reason you would sand down that part otherwise.Those 5960x cpu's run very cool for what they are.
 
2is said:
That's really his only chance and I doubt it will work. When you return at Fry's the do a couple very specific things.

1) Match the SN on the processor with the SN on the box.
2) Test the product

But I have to echo what others have asked.... Why would you sand the SN away in the first place? This sounds very suspicious to me. I can only think of one reason why someone would do that and that's if they aren't returning the same processor they bought.
Click to expand...

It's common to sand down the back of the cpu to get rid of the old thermal paste. I always do that. I do it this time because core #2 is running few C hotter than other cores. So I reapply thermal paste again.


I'm just not very impress with the 5960x performance. It seems other than having 2 extra cores its really nothing special. And yea... i never return CPU before.
 
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hunkeelin said:
It's common to sand down the back of the cpu to get rid of the old thermal paste. I always do that. I'm just not very impress with the 5960x performance. It seems other than having 2 extra cores its really nothing special.
Click to expand...

It is NOT common to sand down the back of the CPU to get rid of thermal paste. Anyone who told you that is an idiot.
 
hunkeelin said:
It's common to sand down the back of the cpu to get rid of the old thermal paste. I always do that. I do it this time because core #2 is running few C hotter than other cores. So I reapply thermal paste again.


I'm just not very impress with the 5960x performance. It seems other than having 2 extra cores its really nothing special. And yea... i never return CPU before.
Click to expand...

You damaged the CPU, you keep it.
 
hunkeelin said:
It's common to sand down the back of the cpu to get rid of the old thermal paste. I always do that. I do it this time because core #2 is running few C hotter than other cores. So I reapply thermal paste again.


I'm just not very impress with the 5960x performance. It seems other than having 2 extra cores its really nothing special. And yea... i never return CPU before.
Click to expand...

I've been around for quite some time, and this is the first I've ever heard of anyone sanding their CPU to remove paste. Most people just use a rag, sometimes damp sometimes dry and in extreme cases, with some kind of solution on it. The only time sanding is done is when lapping, or if you need to remove something like CLU which bonds to the surface.
 
The problem is Fry's has no way to reasonably verify that chip is what you claim it is.

If they didn't refuse the return, then everyone would go out and buy the very cheapest CPU and most expensive CPU that had the same physical interface/form-factor, then sand off the cheap CPU and return it in the box of the most expensive.

Sanding off the back of the CPU prevents Fry's from verifying that you are actually returning the same product you claim it is.
 
hunkeelin said:
It's common to sand down the back of the cpu to get rid of the old thermal paste. I always do that. I do it this time because core #2 is running few C hotter than other cores. So I reapply thermal paste again.
Click to expand...

And for future reference, it's quite common for the cores to have a range of temps. No reason to void a warranty because a core is a few degrees different from it's neighbors. My 3570K (granted it has an iGPU that acts as a heatsink) has a delta of 3-4C when loaded between the highest and lowest core.
 
KingFatty said:
The problem is Fry's has no way to reasonably verify that chip is what you claim it is.

If they didn't refuse the return, then everyone would go out and buy the very cheapest CPU and most expensive CPU that had the same physical interface/form-factor, then sand off the cheap CPU and return it in the box of the most expensive.

Sanding off the back of the CPU prevents Fry's from verifying that you are actually returning the same product you claim it is.
Click to expand...

Also for my use, 5930k 5820k 5960x. Of all the 3 cpu, 5960x is weakest for gaming and least overclockable, I would rather keep my 5820k/5930k for gaming.
 
hunkeelin said:
Is ok, just asking whether returning is possible; I don't mind owning a 5960x for e-peen.
Click to expand...

So, you've learned several valuable lessons.
  • Never sand a CPU unless you're lapping it.
  • Never try to return something you've damaged.
  • Never depend on Wiki as a PRIMARY source.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
So, you've learned several valuable lessons.
  • Never sand a CPU unless you're lapping it.
  • Never try to return something you've damaged.
  • Never depend on Wiki as a PRIMARY source.
Click to expand...

wiki is actually ok, the problem is he listened to wikiHOW.
Wikihow is terrible

which gives me a terrible idea, write bad wiki articles out of spite to make the site worse
 
Wiki is terrible. Constant edit wars, some seriously warped viewpoints because of one editor's bias and tenacity, and they literally won't take information that isn't in some secondary source, so some guy's idle speculation is treated as more important than a direct quote from the subject.

Wikihow starts that bad and just gets worse.
 
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