Will I be able to RMA my CPU with AMD?

[Whateverchan]

My CPU suddenly stopped working last week. The PC couldn't boot, and the motherboard has a red light on where it says CPU. I took my PC to a repair shop and the technician concluded that the CPU was the culprit. On the outside, there is no visible damage. No bent pins, nothing unusual at all. So it must be some kind of internal damage, and there's no way to tell what it is. He put another CPU in and it worked fine. Now I'm trying to request a replacement from AMD. I just sent in a request form just now. Is this something that will be covered under warranty? Or will I have fork out $250 for a new 3600X? I currently have a 3600, bought it in July 2020 from BH. I contacted them and they told me to contact AMD directly.

 

Front of the CPU: https://i.ibb.co/SvvW63N/20220218-212407.jpg

It's been covered with thermal paste, so whatever codes or texts printed on it are probably not legible anymore. AMD states that:

Quote

The following are common examples of the type of damage or mistreatment that will invalidate any AMD warranty:
Scratches on substrates or lids: Any scratches on substrates, 2D code, or lids affecting marking legibility.

Am I screwed?

 

No visible damage on the back: https://i.ibb.co/6w7KTX2/20220218-233943.jpg

 

What are the chances that a CPU fan is so big and heavy that it somehow caused internal damage to the CPU...? https://i.ibb.co/gPyGvt3/20220218-085844.jpg

 

Never done RMA directly to the manufacturer like this before. Will they send me a shipping label to send the CPU in or would I have to pay for shipping myself? Would they send a replacement before or after checking the CPU? How long would this take? I had to return the 5600XT at first because of driver issues. And now this with the CPU. I'm getting a little suspicious of AMD now... Is it common for CPU to break like this? I didn't send the pictures in my RMA form. Will they ask me when they contact me by email?

Appreciate any advice and input!

[Bad5ector]

I have recently gone through the RMA process with AMD and I can tell you that yes they are sticklers when it comes to there being any marks on the IHS. But  as long as the S/N and P/N are visible you shouldn't have to worry. You might, like I did, have to resend in photos as their agents seem to be incompetent or unable to zoom in on a high res picture sent to them. I had to end up zooming the image myself and resending it.

Other than that, I was pleasantly surprised they shipped me back a full retail 3900x within days of receiving the CPU I shipped them.

 

EDIT: I did have to pay to ship the defective CPU to them however. But you might be able to get them to cover that if you call up and complain.

[bmx6454]

You could always clean the thermal paste off if you are that worried, I wouldn’t assume it would be an issue though. I really wouldn’t worry too much about the rms being rejected, unless you think you did something to break it lol

[Bad5ector]

6 minutes ago, bmx6454 said:

really wouldn’t worry too much about the rms being rejected, unless you think you did something to break it lol

They do make it seem like they are actively trying to prevent RMAs in some cases. Like my CPU had some scuffing on it from a Liquid metal application (it was only on for a few days). After that it was just using standard Kryonaught thermal paste. But that was enough to cause discoloration of the IHS, but the numbers were all still visible. The first email I got back from them after providing the pictures was that NO, they would not cover it because they couldn't make out the numbers on the IHS. I responded with a snarky email and new photo's and they quickly processed the RMA. But if I didn't push back, that would have been 700bux down the drain.

 

EDIT: ib4 someone says it was LM that killed my CPU. The LM was only on it for a few days before I switched back. I was running for almost a year with regular TIM in a whole different computer before it decided to stop working. This was in a different system with no chance of there being any LM near it. Just luck of the draw.

[Whateverchan]

4 minutes ago, bmx6454 said:

You could always clean the thermal paste off if you are that worried, I wouldn’t assume it would be an issue though. I really wouldn’t worry too much about the rms being rejected, unless you think you did something to break it lol

I have no idea what caused it to break, lol. But I don't believe I did anything to push it to its limit and ended up breaking it, either. I'll have to ask the technician if he can do that for me... PC is at the shop right now.

 

6 minutes ago, Bad5ector said:

I have recently gone through the RMA process with AMD and I can tell you that yes they are sticklers when it comes to there being any marks on the IHS. But  as long as the S/N and P/N are visible you shouldn't have to worry. You might, like I did, have to resend in photos as their agents seem to be incompetent or unable to zoom in on a high res picture sent to them. I had to end up zooming the image myself and resending it.

Other than that, I was pleasantly surprised they shipped me back a full retail 3900x within days of receiving the CPU I shipped them.

 

EDIT: I did have to pay to ship the defective CPU to them however. But you might be able to get them to cover that if you call up and complain.

I don't know if they are still visible. I have the SN and PN on the box, though. That helps? How much does it cost to send back a little CPU anyway? How long did it take you in total to get the new CPU?

[Bad5ector]

1 minute ago, Whateverchan said:

I don't know if they are still visible. I have the SN and PN on the box, though. That helps?

AMD has laid out the procedures on their website. You need the proof of purchase (they say they want original, but I sent them a picture I scanned with Office Lens app), and a picture of the CPU in the socket with the RMA number visible next to the CPU. The P/N and S/N need to be visible on the CPU in the picture for them to approve the RMA. Make sure you clean the CPU with some paper towel / soft cloth and Isopropyl. If you only ever applied regular thermal paste, you're probably fine.

[Whateverchan]

OK. I got the RMA shipping label from them. Only received automated messages so far. The address is in Miami, and I live in California. Label is for fedex ground. How long would it take to get to them? Also, I don't have the clamshell plastic package that it came with anymore. Was gonna put it in a plastic sandwich bag, but the website says this:

 

Quote

NOTE! DO NOT wrap returning item(s) with paper, polythene, or cloth. Isn't bubble-wrap plastic as well...?

 

I have no foam or sponge pads, either. Not like they'll cancel my RMA if they see the CPU in one or two sandwich bags, is it...?

[Whateverchan]

OK. My RMA request was approved. I got an automatic email on Thursday morning saying that "AMD product has passed inspection and replacement is now approved. Expect a follow up email shortly confirming replacement product shipment." I sent another request in the afternoon asking them if they can ship it to me faster. Fedex Ground took about 6 days to reach them. If they can't, tell me how long it'll take. I have yet to receive either a follow up confirmation email, or a response to my new request. Their office in NY is now closed and they have no customer support in other states. Best I can hope for is that the replacement has already been shipped out and it'll take until Wednesday or so to reach me. Or maybe they have yet to ship anything out! Does it usually take them this long to ship out replacement? Wonder if even if I did manage to call, would they be able to tell me status of my RMA request...

 

Really not happy with their customer service. Is Intel customer service better? I might have to reconsider my option the next time I upgrade my CPU. Apparently, I'm stuck with AMD CPU now...