XFX warranty lies

[waxking1]

XFX says that they will honor a warranty on their video cards(GT200) if you use an aftermarket cooling solution. I found out the hard way this is not the case. I installed an EK waterblock on a GTX 280 XXX and the card died. In order to get the card apart you have to peel off the backplate label(this is the part that voids the warranty). The label is a thick laminate that completely covers the screwholes. If you damage the label they will void your warranty.

If you plan on doing any aftermarket cooling or if you think you might want to change the TIM on the GPU, you should purchase EVGA. If you think I am lying, then go ahead and take your chance with XFX.

After I confronted them they changed and said the reason they were voiding the warranty was because I sent the card back wet. This is an outright lie. If I had gotten the card wet, I would have made sure to dry it out before I sent it back. The support guy at XFX told me they couldn't return the card for credit because of damage to the label.

 

[error8]

Good thing you posted this. So they've glued the label onto the cooler mounting holes. They let you install any aftermarket cooler, but you loose the warranty if you damage the sticker. Cleaver stuff from XFX.

 

[Quiksilver]

Umm....
no?

Products received by XFX must be in original condition and must be complete with all original components to be covered by the protection.

http://xfxforce.com/en-us/Help...rrantyInformation.aspx

What you wanted was an EVGA card. They support Aftermarket coolers.

 

[vhx]

EVGA still required you to send it back in the original condition. Therefore you must keep the old fan and heatsink.

However, if there is a sticker covering the mounting holes by accident or something, can probably just call in to make sure it's noted on your account.

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: vhx
However, if there is a sticker covering the mounting holes by accident or something, can probably just call in to make sure it's noted on your account.

..or just take it off smartly with a heat gun or blow dryer. Then peel so it doesn't tear.

 

[waxking1]

When I ordered the card, I did it with the intention of watercooling it. I would have ordered an EVGA 280 FTW but everyone was out of stock at that time. Had I realized that XFX was using a plastic laminate label over the screwholes I would never have purchased the card. Once I got the card I either had to sell it or just go ahead and assume the risk. I didn't really expect to have trouble with the card and went ahead and peeled off the label.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Originally posted by: waxking1
When I ordered the card, I did it with the intention of watercooling it. I would have ordered an EVGA 280 FTW but everyone was out of stock at that time. Had I realized that XFX was using a plastic laminate label over the screwholes I would never have purchased the card. Once I got the card I either had to sell it or just go ahead and assume the risk. I didn't really expect to have trouble with the card and went ahead and peeled off the label.

Next time you should read the full warranty before you physically mod the card at all.

 

[Creig]

According to the user "xfxsupport" at bjorn3d (I believe he's an official xfx employee), modding the card is supported. After all, they call it a "modder friendly" warranty. What good would it be if you couldn't actually mod anything?

Originally posted by: xfxsupport at bjorn3d.com
Yes you can replace the stock cooling with aftermarket cooling and it will not void your warranty (as long as there is not physcial damage to the video card). Just keep the original hardware aside incase you ever need an RMA. Some of our video cards do use pads between the components and the cooling hardware, that if your careful you can remove and keep aside or purchase at some PC supply stores.

XFX Support

Originally posted by: xfxsupport at bjorn3d.com
Your assumption would be correct, overclocking is also allowed.


XFX Support

http://www.bjorn3d.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=13271&page=4

If you aren't having any luck going directly through XFX, you could try contacting xfxsupport at bjorn3D and perhaps he could help you.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Originally posted by: Creig
According to the user "xfxsupport" at bjorn3d (I believe he's an official xfx employee), modding the card is supported. After all, they call it a "modder friendly" warranty. What good would it be if you couldn't actually mod anything?

Originally posted by: xfxsupport at bjorn3d.com
Yes you can replace the stock cooling with aftermarket cooling and it will not void your warranty (as long as there is not physcial damage to the video card). Just keep the original hardware aside incase you ever need an RMA. Some of our video cards do use pads between the components and the cooling hardware, that if your careful you can remove and keep aside or purchase at some PC supply stores.

XFX Support

Originally posted by: xfxsupport at bjorn3d.com
Your assumption would be correct, overclocking is also allowed.


XFX Support

http://www.bjorn3d.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=13271&page=4

If you aren't having any luck going directly through XFX, you could try contacting xfxsupport at bjorn3D and perhaps he could help you.

I know they allow overclocking but this is the first I've heard anyone from XFX saying you can physically mod the card and still send it back to them.

 

[2Dead]

I've emailed XFX in the past about this. I added a NV Silencer 5 (Rev. 3) to my old 7800GT and they confirmed it was ok as long as I kept the original cooler and put it back on before sending it to them for warranty. The sticker didn't cover the screws though.

 

[Zap]

I've had to RMA an XFX 7900 GT and when communicating with them, tech support indicated that I need to put the card back in original condition.

Of course if you had to damage a label to take it apart, that in itself voids the warranty. Unfortunate, but true.

For future reference you can always buy a card that comes with a water block. BFG has done that for years, and EVGA just started to recently. I know this doesn't help when you already have a block, but for those who want to go this route... I have to admit sometimes it may cost a couple bucks more than buying the block separately and doing it yourself, but there are indeed benefits such as guaranteed warranty retention and highest factory overclocks. I don't speak for EVGA, but at least with the BFG cards the H2OC models are definately the highest binned cards, so they will consistently out-clock any normal card that you watercool yourself.

Okay, just looked up some pricing...

BFG GTX 260 Maxcore OC $290 (before $30 rebate)
This is the slowest 216 core BFG GTX 260.

Danger Den Tieton water block for GTX 260/280 $100 "sale price (normally $145)
This is the block that BFG uses (with a custom etched top).

Total $390

BFG GTX 260 Maxcore H2OC $410

That's $20 more for keeping the warranty and getting a higher factory overclock, plus guaranteed higher binned card.

There are cheaper blocks, but the Danger Den block seems decent and it keeps the card single slot. This means you can do Tri-SLI as well as keeping your sound card, TV tuner and Killer NIC, haha!

 

[waxking1]

Originally posted by: krnmastersgt

Originally posted by: waxking1
When I ordered the card, I did it with the intention of watercooling it. I would have ordered an EVGA 280 FTW but everyone was out of stock at that time. Had I realized that XFX was using a plastic laminate label over the screwholes I would never have purchased the card. Once I got the card I either had to sell it or just go ahead and assume the risk. I didn't really expect to have trouble with the card and went ahead and peeled off the label.

Next time you should read the full warranty before you physically mod the card at all.

I didn't read the warranty and assumed my risk. I didn't expect the card to have the screw holes covered so that you couldn't take it apart without damaging the card. Once I received the card my options were to sell it or to go ahead and use it and take my chance. I knew that taking it apart might void my warranty. I didn't know that the scews would be covered before I ordered the card. The place I ordered it from had a no return policy except for replacement with a like item. If someone like me had posted and warned me about this I never would have purchased the card in the first place. I'm not going to get a new card or my money back by posting this but maybe I will keep someone else from making the mistake of buying a mod unfriendly card like XFX in the fist place.

I only found out later that the XFX warranty does claim to warranty cards that are modified by using an aftermarket cooling device. This is the lie. They make it impossible to take the card apart without damage but yet they claim to warranty the card for aftermarket cooling devices.

Zap,
You are exactly right. Plus if I had bought an EVGA card I wouldn't have had a problem anyway. I looked for an EVGA 280 HC but noone had one of these in stock at the time I ordered. I also tried to find someone with an 280 FTW in stock but noone had one at the time either. On another note there have been several cases of EVGA 280 HCs arriving dead, but at least they replace them.

 

[ronnn]

Why I rarely read a warranty. I generally just assume I did something wrong and buy newer and better product. Unless it breaks before 90 days and the vendor just takes care of it for me.


edit: the newer and better product usually more than makes up for the disappointment.

 

[aatf510]

I am pretty sure eVGA will void your warranty as well if you remove the sticker/label from the back of the card.