Just a headsup about MSI Z97S Krait Edition

[HeftyNugget]

This topic is mainly to give a headsup to people who are about to build a new PC or upgrade their old one and decided that they want to get this specific motherboard.

I bought it few days ago, because one of LTT users suggested me to get it (be damned whoever you were).

 

TL;DR DO NOT BUY IT, IT'S BROKEN AND YOU WON'T GET YOUR MONEY BACK FROM MSI

 

Now for the longer version.. let me put it into chapters

 

Ordering it - hype of getting new stuff

I was so happy that my GPU and CPU already came, I was so eager to get the motherboard so I asked here for suggestions.

Received plenty, but one caught my eye.

I went quickly to newegg and did some research on that motherboard - I've specifically read the 1st page of 1 star reviews in there. Most of them weren't informative - mostly moans about lack of features or other colors.

I've purchased it and it was soon to be delivered.

 

Receiving the package - omg, it's here!

I've unpacked it and plugged all my new bits and pieces - finally I could play all the neat games that recently came on maximum settings without any stutter whatsoever.

 

Using it - something is wrong..

I've used it for about 3 days, during which there was 1 day without a single bluescren, 1 day with 4 bluescreens and 1 day with just 1 bluescreen.

I've investigated everything - checked if it could be my fault and if I didn't plug it in properly (because afterall, I've only spent 4 years in school plugging in hundreds of thousands of computers, mounting parts on them and running diagnostics...oh the irony)

After few hours of running diagnostics, memtests, stress tests and such - I've finally found out that RAM DIMMs (3rd and 4th) are both broken and that SATA controller restarts itself at random occasions.

To make sure, I packed my PC and took it to the nearby hardware store.

The guy at local hardware store quickly ran few tests and validated what I already knew - broken RAM DIMMS and broken SATA.. in addition he found out that 2 of pins in my CPU socket are bent - which is weird, how can you bend 2 pins in the middle with a flat surface of CPU without bending all other pins around?

 

Figuring out possibilitites

Well - I knew that the bent pins weren't my fault - I've only put in the CPU once and it went in without any usage of strenght - in addition, it wouldn't be possible to bend just 2 pins with the flat surface as I said previously.

Not to mention that the RAM DIMMs didn't work from the start - I couldn't boot the PC at first because I've put RAM into 1st and 3rd slot (Dual channel, since colors guided me to) but it started booting after I've put it in 1st and 2nd.

The answer was obvious - they sold me a manufacturically defected motherboard.. which I would know if I checked the second page of 1 star reviews on new egg:

See all the reviews on 2nd page here: http://pho.to/9uC3Z

 

RMA and returning

I've messaged the internet shop I bought it on ASAP and they told me to send the motherboard to them - so I did.

Received a message instantly after they received the product - the message in short was something along lines 'The pins are bent (duh), but we think it's your fault so we'll refuse to give you the money back and send the motherboard to MSI instead to decide if you'll get your hard earned money back or if you'll get scammed'.

After few days - I've got an e-mail from MSI saying that the bent pins were caused by me (funny) and thus they cannot give me a refund, which is funny because they ignored brokem RAM DIMMs and SATA completely.

To sum it up - they ignored the fact that their motherboard is faulty and had a manufacturing defect caused by them and that the bent pins could also be caused by them - but there's no way to prove that it wasn't me who bent it so they used it as an excuse to rip me off.

 

Pardon any spelling or grammar mistakes I've made during this post - english is my second langauge and while that's not a really good excuse, I am also really infuriated by how pathetic that multimillion company is.

I'll never again buy anything from them, nor I suggest you buying their motherboards unless you want to do some 'russian roulette'.

Now I'm 160$ behind for this motherboard and have to pay another 160$ for new one in order to have a working PC.

 

Thanks - hope this saves someone a bit of money and a lot of nerves.

[Leonard]

This is sad.

 

ASUS or nothing man!

[HeftyNugget]

This is sad.

 

ASUS or nothing man!

Yes, I'm getting ASUS Z97-AR now.

[thekeemo]

Every single manufacturer does this

Asus and gigabyte are even worse.

[Sam Z Man]

The bent pins aren't MSI's fault, it's either you or foxcon/lotes.

[HeftyNugget]

The bent pins aren't MSI's fault, it's either you or foxcon/lotes.

I couldn't bend it - I've literally dropped CPU from height of 3 millimetres and it went right in.

[Sam Z Man]

I couldn't bend it - I've literally dropped CPU from height of 3 millimetres and it went right in.

MSI couldn't have bent it, it had a protective cover on it from the time they revived it to the time you opened it.

[HeftyNugget]

MSI couldn't have bent it, it had a protective cover on it from the time they revived it to the time you opened it.

It was also in a protective semi-plastic bag and a cardboard yet SATA controllers and RAM DIMMs were broken for me and hundreds of other people.

Your point being?

[Sam Z Man]

It was also in a protective semi-plastic bag and a cardboard yet SATA controllers and RAM DIMMs were broken for me and hundreds of other people.

Your point being?

MSI doesn't make the socket, it's shipped to them with a protector that is never removed during the manufacturing process, and only gets taken off by the end user, therefore lotes or foxcon bent a pin, almost impossible due to quality control, or you bent it, MSI never takes the cover of so don't blame them for that.

[HeftyNugget]

MSI doesn't make the socket, it's shipped to them with a protector that is never removed during the manufacturing process, and only gets taken off by the end user, therefore lotes or foxcon bent a pin, almost impossible due to quality control, or you bent i, MSI never takes the cover of so don't blame them for that.

I couldn't bend it either - maybe MSI does some bad practices and re-sells defected hardware?

[Sam Z Man]

I couldn't bend it either - maybe MSI does some bad practices and re-sells defected hardware?

In that case it's the retailers fault for not labeling it refurbished or open box, because I know for a fact that MSI discloses when they have factory refurbished something.

[HeftyNugget]

 

In that case it's the retailers fault for not labeling it refurbished or open box, because I know for a fact that MSI discloses when they have factory refurbished something.

I see.
Well - I'm more concerned that the PC worked flawlessly (except the bluescreens caused by RAM) but now they are saying it had pins bent?
That smells.
Not to mention that other guy also received motherboard with bent pins.
http://share.pho.to/9uCNd

[Sam Z Man]

I see.Well - I'm more concerned that the PC worked flawlessly (except the bluescreens caused by RAM) but now they are saying it had pins bent?That smells.Not to mention that other guy also received motherboard with bent pins.http://share.pho.to/9uCNd

What pins are bent on it, I have a LGA1150 pin out map and could find out what they corispond to, post a picture of the whole socket and circle the area with the bent pins.

[HeftyNugget]

What pins are bent on it, I have a LGA1150 pin out map and could find out what they corispond to, post a picture of the whole socket and circle the area with the bent pins.

I already sent motherboard back to 'em, I need to wait for it to be shipped back to me.

 

 

MSI won't know that the pins were bent, it's not there fault, they're not in the wrong. You should of inspected the board before even putting the CPU in for bent pins, if they were bent, send it back saying it had bent pins. If you did this, and then you found bent pins, then it's your fault and you have no right to complain.

Even if I checked it before putting CPU in - I would still have to send it back and they would still blame me for bending it,