What is an IC Chip?

[Bulldog13]

I am RMAing a videocard to powercolor. It says they won't take it if the videocard IC chip is burned out..

WTF is an IC Chip ?

And why does burning one out void a warranty ?

I am concerned because the fan died on my card, which eventually killed the card..

Radeon 9800 pro that is.

 

[Dman877]

IC = integrated circuit I think... as to what IC they are talking about I have no idea, video cards usually have a bunch of IC's on them (I think the gpu itself would also be considered an IC maybe..?)... dunno, can you ask them which IC they mean?

As for the warranty, maybe they are referring to a voltage regulator that, if burned out, means it was volt-modded? Just a guess...

 

[Mday]

IC = integrated circuit. It's a very broad term that refers to 99.9999% of the computer chips in the world. It can often refer to a chip that has more than one transistor built into it.

 

[Bulldog13]

So essentially this means they can void the RMA on my card on pretty much anything... ?

 

[natto fire]

Originally posted by: Bulldog13
So essentially this means they can void the RMA on my card on pretty much anything... ?

Actually if they weren't specific then you can tell them that "the" IC chip is fine. Odds are they were talking about the GPU core though. Judging by your OP about the fan dying the core is burnt. Did you notice any artifacting or strange operation before the card completely died?

 

[Bulldog13]

Originally posted by: Captain_Howdy

Originally posted by: Bulldog13
So essentially this means they can void the RMA on my card on pretty much anything... ?

Actually if they weren't specific then you can tell them that "the" IC chip is fine. Odds are they were talking about the GPU core though. Judging by your OP about the fan dying the core is burnt. Did you notice any artifacting or strange operation before the card completely died?

Yeah...we used to get speckles during intensive 3d games. Almost like snow around the screen. Not to bad, games were still playable...

 

[natto fire]

Yeah...we used to get speckles during intensive 3d games. Almost like snow around the screen. Not to bad, games were still playable...

That happened when the entire HSF fell off my GF4 Ti4200. But I quickly turned it off and was able to salvage the card. My guess is they are not going to honor your RMA even though it is not your fault the fan failed. Try to plead your case, especially if you did not try to overclock/modify the card in any way. Good luck

 

[piasabird]

If you think they are not going to honor your RMA then maybe you should take pictures and document what is going on before you send it back. After they get the part back, they can do anything you want. Better record the serial number and stuff. Also consider calling the manufacturer and going that route.

 

[Bulldog13]

Originally posted by: piasabird
If you think they are not going to honor your RMA then maybe you should take pictures and document what is going on before you send it back. After they get the part back, they can do anything you want. Better record the serial number and stuff. Also consider calling the manufacturer and going that route.

It is the manufacturer...power color. I bought it from newegg, but it was over their year warranty.

Could I RMA it to Radeon ?

 

[3chordcharlie]

No, you definitely couldn't RMA it to 'Radeon' and ATI probably isn't interested either...

Most places are pretty good if you're still within the manufacturer's warranty, and there's no obvious signs of abuse.

Good luck.

 

[Bulldog13]

:: crosses fingers ::

I'll let everyone know in a bit wether they take it or not.

Thanks for help all