Would you RMA a video card that you killed thru overclocking/modding?

[Schadenfroh]

was not sure if this belonged in video or off topic, but here we go

inspired by this

would your ethics allow it.
Say you bought a 9800 pro 256mb or a 6800 and tried to mod it into a 9800XT or overclock the 6800 and failed. You flashed the bios back to stock successfully and put it back to stock clockspeeds, but your getting artifacts with both. They will accept the RMA since you covered your tracks. Would your ethics allow you to RMA it?

 

[3chordcharlie]

Nope. That's why I never OC anything that still has a warranty.

 

[Keysplayr]

I will o/c only slightly to get a reference but never leave it o/c'd. And I dont do any mods. This minimizes any chance of killing my cards. But no, I would not RMA if I killed my card.

 

[TStep]

I have destroyed a few things in the past through no fault of a manufacturer:

TNT2 card - sucked up the loss when it was a primetime card, ouch
Harddrive - nice paperweight
AMD XP - who says it's only the amps that'll kill ya?

I have also used RMA when applicable, namely the Abit bad cap era. Some were free fixes (minus shipping of course), some I had paid the obligatory $25.

After reading many comments by posters in the past on this subject, I think ethics have alot to do with age of the person primarily, and disposable income. Not a hard and fast rule as nicely displayed by the ocassional troll, but as age increases, disposable income increases along with ethics.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: TStep
I have destroyed a few things in the past through no fault of a manufacturer:

TNT2 card - sucked up the loss when it was a primetime card, ouch
Harddrive - nice paperweight
AMD XP - who says it's only the amps that'll kill ya?

I have also used RMA when applicable, namely the Abit bad cap era. Some were free fixes (minus shipping of course), some I had paid the obligatory $25.

After reading many comments by posters in the past on this subject, I think ethics have alot to do with age of the person primarily, and disposable income. Not a hard and fast rule as nicely displayed by the ocassional troll, but as age increases, disposable income increases along with ethics.

True, but I can't afford even one investment of $200 in a piece of equipment right now (due to still being in college and paying for most of it), and if I broke something I still wouldn't blame someone else or try to make them pay

The argument of one poster that it was okay to steal from a company through RMA because they were 'too poor to buy another one' is right up there on the 'classless' list!!!

 

[TStep]

Slightly off topic, but the cost of fraud is outrageous. Insurance fraud directly costs $96 Billion and could indirectly cost up to $530 Billion annually in increased prices for goods and services. Divided by the 293 million people that live in the US, that comes to $300 to $1500 per capita. Unfounded RMAs as discussed here are part of that $530 Billion.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: TStep
Slightly off topic, but the cost of fraud is outrageous. Insurance fraud directly costs $96 Billion and could indirectly cost up to $530 Billion annually in increased prices for goods and services. Divided by the 293 million people that live in the US, that comes to $300 to $1500 per capita. Unfounded RMAs as discussed here are part of that $530 Billion.

Yup, it's basically income-redistribution with all benefits accruing to the dishonest, and an enourmous net-loss due to added systemic inefficiency.

In other words next time your house is robbed, remember that by claiming you had a brand-new plasma TV isn't 'hurting no one' it's costing your friends, family and neighbors several times the cost of your new TV to give it to you.:|

 

[Concillian]

The only time I RMA'd something that I overclocked was an origianl Voodoo 1. The Orchid Righteous 3d cards had a KNOWN memory issue though and it was clear that my card was affected by this and not by my overclocking of the card.

It was kinda cool, since I worked right by Orchid, I was able to RMA it DIRECTLY, without having to go through the mail. Only RMA that never cost me shipping. I handed it to some dude who worked in the warehouse, and he handed me a new card. I doubt you could do that with any company now.

 

[rbV5]

Isn't it pretty rare to damage a card by simply overclocking? I have to believe that modding a card has far more potential to actually damage a card. You break it, you buy it.

 

[apoppin]

MY fault?

HIGHly UNlikely.



:roll:



. . . but then MY fault = MY responsibility

 

[high]

yup, without thinking twice

 

[BenSkywalker]

You break it, you buy it.

Absolutely. I've destroyed my share of components running them out of spec, never sought an RMA for anything I was doing it with nor ones that ended up dieing after being run out of spec for a while. The only exception I think I could make would be if I was running something like a Gainward card with an assured OC and I cooked it within their limits(which would be within their specs so I'm not sure I would consider that OCing).

 

[Fern]

I can't really say for sure. So I avoid the ethical dilema by not modding or OCing if I don't know how and can't afford a replacement. For this reason I have not modded my vid card w/heatsinks.

I leave my cpu and vid OC'd 24/7, but not to such an extent as to put the components at risque.

 

[ricercar]

A friend put it succinctly, "Would you sell your integrity for the price of a motherboard?" I think not.

 

[Cawchy87]

Originally posted by: TStep
I have destroyed a few things in the past through no fault of a manufacturer:

TNT2 card - sucked up the loss when it was a primetime card, ouch
Harddrive - nice paperweight
AMD XP - who says it's only the amps that'll kill ya?

I have also used RMA when applicable, namely the Abit bad cap era. Some were free fixes (minus shipping of course), some I had paid the obligatory $25.

After reading many comments by posters in the past on this subject, I think ethics have alot to do with age of the person primarily, and disposable income. Not a hard and fast rule as nicely displayed by the ocassional troll, but as age increases, disposable income increases along with ethics.

I am 17 and am really against ripping off a company. If you o/c the sh!t out of a card or try to mod it in any way you know what you are getting yourself into. If you don't know then you shouldn't be doing it. Pretty simple but people don't seem to understand why a company shouldn't pay for their ignorance.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: 3chordcharlie
Nope. That's why I never OC anything that still has a warranty.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: rbV5
Isn't it pretty rare to damage a card by simply overclocking? I have to believe that modding a card has far more potential to actually damage a card. You break it, you buy it.

Yes... that's what people don't seem understand. Just increasing the speed doesn't hurt anything directly. Increasing the voltage can, and it getting hotter can.

*EDIT* On the other hand... putting an nVidia heatsink on an ATI card which doesn't make contact with the core will definately damage the card and is pure stupidity and should not be RMA'd.

 

[MemberSince97]

My current Graphic card company encourages overclockin and backs it with a lifetime warranty...Modding however is another story...

 

[Cawchy87]

quote:
Originally posted by: rbV5
Isn't it pretty rare to damage a card by simply overclocking? I have to believe that modding a card has far more potential to actually damage a card. You break it, you buy it.



Yes... that's what people don't seem understand. Just increasing the speed doesn't hurt anything directly. Increasing the voltage can, and it getting hotter can.

*EDIT* On the other hand... putting an nVidia heatsink on an ATI card which doesn't make contact with the core will definately damage the card and is pure stupidity and should not be RMA'd.

agreed

 

[McArra]

Nope, If I break it I pay for a new one.

 

[Gurck]

Nope, sad to see that so many would. They're likely mostly kids, and of course would be the first to complain if prices went up because of this sort of thing :disgust:

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Gurck
Nope, sad to see that so many would. They're likely mostly kids, and of course would be the first to complain if prices went up because of this sort of thing :disgust:

They're the same ones who break stuff intentionall just before the warranty expires so they can get a brand new thing with no wear on it.

 

[Aftermath]

No, because even on my worst days of hosing myself with screwups and mistakes, I still have morals.

 

[filmore crashcart]

They're likely mostly kids, and of course would be the first to complain if prices went up because of this sort of thing

More than likely kids that didn't have to earn the money to buy the video card in the first place. Problem is, these are the types that starts out with their ethics in the garbage and then go on to become the corporate heads who commit white collar crime. They don't ever stop to consider how their actions hurt others - they've learned early on just how to rationalize their behavior as justifiable, ("ooohhhh, they were ripping me off anyway by giving me crappy ram!!") It becomes scary when this ability to rationalize their self centered actions spreads to other areas more serious than lying about the vid card they just screwed up with some half-assed mod job.

I understand the desire to overclock and mod to increase performance; but if it implies possessing a skill to coax a piece of hardware to optimal levels of performance, then their certainly should be a sense of integrity to go along with it. Everyone wants overclocking to be viewed as a noble art form.

I had a scary moment when I thought I'd damaged my 6800 gt by pushing it where coolbits reported it's optimal speed to be then started to get problems with artifacts and freezing. People post all the time that their temps "only get to about 70C after an hour and a half of Far Cry" on their overclocks but they don't realize their GTs cool down almost instantly after they close out of a game - they don't know how hot their card got with that overclock. That is where I knew I couldn't justify RMAing the card if it was damaged because I never really knew how hot it got on the overclock while running 3dmark or Far Cry.... maybe it wouldn't have got as hot had I left it at specs.

 

[Nebor]

No. I take responsiblity for my actions.