Removing stock GPU cooler -> warranty void?

[Trioxide]

Hi,

 

I just build my new rig:

Intel I7-6700k

Asus Maximus VIII Hero Alpha

2x8Gb G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 3200

Asus Strix R9 390 8Gb OC DCIII

Corsair H110i GTx

Corsair RM1000i

Corsair Obsidian 750D + High Airflow Intake Kit

 

And now I'm wondering, if I removed the stock cooler from the graphics card to replace the thermal compound with a better one, or i.e. install a water block on it, would I be voiding the warranty for my graphics card?

I'm asking, because one of the screws has a small sticker on it (for warranty purposes I presume) -> see picture...

 

Also I'm sorry if this not the correct forum channel to post in, I did a quick search but didn't find the desired answer, so please be patient with me.

I also mailed Asus support with the same question, but have not yet received an answer...

 

Thanks for your answers.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Trioxide

[SirWendall]

5 minutes ago, Trioxide said:

Hi,

 

I just build my new rig:

Intel I7-6700k

Asus Maximus VIII Hero Alpha

2x8Gb G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 3200

Asus Strix R9 390 8Gb OC DCIII

Corsair H110i GTx

Corsair RM1000i

Corsair Obsidian 750D + High Airflow Intake Kit

 

And now I'm wondering, if I removed the stock cooler from the graphics card to replace the thermal compound with a better one, or i.e. install a water block on it, would I be voiding the warranty for my graphics card?

I'm asking, because one of the screws has a small sticker on it (for warranty purposes I presume) -> see picture...

 

Also I'm sorry if this not the correct forum channel to post in, I did a quick search but didn't find the desired answer, so please be patient with me.

I also mailed Asus support with the same question, but have not yet received an answer...

 

Thanks for your answers.

It shouldn't void it. Just make sure if you send it back to put it back together with the original parts and screws

[spark12072001]

No it won't void your warranty. (Off topic) return the gpu for an msi gaming 390. Asus's 390 has very weak vrm cooling.

[P4inz]

If you do not damage the card in the process, you should be fine if it really dies in warranty time.

Just make sure to keep the original cooler and to assemble its "OEM state" before RMA.

[P4inz]

Just now, spark12072001 said:

.... (Off topic) return the gpu for an msi gaming 390. Asus's 390 has very weak vrm cooling.

^and this.

[DXMember]

It is manufaturer depandant, carefully examine the card for any "Warranty void if removed" stickers and better yet contact Asus support directly.

 

As fas as I know EVGA and XFX are the guys that honor Warranty as long as you put the cooler back on or at least provide it for RMA on any of their cards

MSI Lightning cards are O.K. to remove cooler, others are either a strickt NO-WAY or a case-by-case

[P4inz]

1 minute ago, DXMember said:

It is manufaturer depandant, carefully examine the card for any "Warranty void if removed" stickers and better yet contact Asus support directly.

 

As fas as I know EVGA and XFX are the guys that honor Warranty as long as you put the cooler back on or at least provide it for RMA on any of their cards

MSI Lightning cards are O.K. to remove cooler, others are either a strickt NO-WAY or a case-by-case

"Warranty void if sticker is removed" is not legally enforcable.

You can open ANY product as you like. It´s yours. You own it. If you damage it though, that´s a different story.
But no manufacturer can decline RMA because of a broken sticker.

[Trioxide]

I do hope you're right about not voiding the warranty, I'm still waiting for the official reply from Asus...

I bought the Asus R9 390, because I had bad experience in the past with:

- Evga 280GTX

- Gigabyte 7600GT

- Asus 8800GTS

All died on me while in warranty and in about 1-1.5yrs of usage (without doing any OC).

After my 280GTX died, I got me an Asus HD 6870, which I then sold to my cousin, and it still runs after 5+yrs in his machine without any problems...

 

That's why I went with Asus and AMD gpu on this build...

[Trioxide]

Just got the official reply, and it sucks 

 

Dear customer, it's definitely a warranty void if you remove the stock cooler. ----------

Hi,

So if I understand this correctly, if I were to for example install a water block to cool 
my GPU, I would be voiding the warranty?
I'm asking because there's a lot of confusing info out there on the net, some claim, 
that it doesn't void the warranty, but that Asus requested if the GPU was sent to them 
for repair, it must be done with the stock/original cooler and not the water block.

Which makes sense, but to void the warranty just by removing the cooler seems a bit 
harsh...
So it's definitely a warranty void if I remove the stock cooler?

Thanks
----------------------
Dear customer,

this procedure would void the waranty.

Best regards

[Problem Description]
I don't have a problem, I'm just wondering, if I remove the stock cooler and reapply 
the thermal compound on my GPU, since it started to run kinda hot, if I void the 
wararnty doing this?
I'm asking, because there is a sticker/seal on one of the screws on the backside of 
my graphics card.
Basically, it would be the same situation if I would try to install a GPU water block...
I'm just wondering if this procedure would void the waranty?

[DXMember]

5 minutes ago, P4inz said:

"Warranty void if sticker is removed" is not legally enforcable.

You can open ANY product as you like. It´s yours. You own it. If you damage it though, that´s a different story.
But no manufacturer can decline RMA because of a broken sticker.

a broken sticker that seals the internal circutry from being tampered with is a reason to further investigate and deny warranty service if the cause of the failure is bad assembly and the user is proven to have tampered with it - the sticker is there as a means for proving it has been disassembled by the user and tampered with

 

[P4inz]

2 minutes ago, Trioxide said:

I do hope you're right about not voiding the warranty, I'm still waiting for the official reply from Asus...

I bought the Asus R9 390, because I had bad experience in the past with:

- Evga 280GTX

- Gigabyte 7600GT

- Asus 8800GTS

All died on me while in warranty and in about 1-1.5yrs of usage (without doing any OC).

After my 280GTX died, I got me an Asus HD 6870, which I then sold to my cousin, and it still runs after 5+yrs in his machine without any problems...

 

That's why I went with Asus and AMD gpu on this build...

As I said, if you don´t damage it, there is no void.

 

Just image you damage the sticker by accident however and the company would decline RMA?

[DXMember]

5 minutes ago, Trioxide said:

I do hope you're right about not voiding the warranty, I'm still waiting for the official reply from Asus...

I bought the Asus R9 390, because I had bad experience in the past with:

- Evga 280GTX

- Gigabyte 7600GT

- Asus 8800GTS

All died on me while in warranty and in about 1-1.5yrs of usage (without doing any OC).

After my 280GTX died, I got me an Asus HD 6870, which I then sold to my cousin, and it still runs after 5+yrs in his machine without any problems...

 

That's why I went with Asus and AMD gpu on this build...

I buy Asus bcoz i haz bad exp with Gigabyte, Evga and Asus Kappa

Any hardware can fail from any manufacturer

Are you sure it's not the Powersupply?

[CarterDavison]

Came here to see everyone say it was okay when they're wrong.

 

ALWAYS ask the company officially as every company is different!

[Rawity]

18 minutes ago, spark12072001 said:

No it won't void your warranty. (Off topic) return the gpu for an msi gaming 390. Asus's 390 has very weak vrm cooling.

Do you mean Sapphire? I've the MSI, and it runs CS:GO at 80C 50% fan speed

[P4inz]

1 minute ago, DXMember said:

a broken sticker that seals the internal circutry from being tampered with is a reason to further investigate and deny warranty service if the cause of the failure is bad assembly and the user is proven to have tampered with it - the sticker is there as a means for proving it has been disassembled by the user and tampered with

 

Yes, so?

If you do it professionally, there won´t be any problem.
Do you think anyone who uses a custom waterloop is voiding their warranty instantly on purpose?

[P4inz]

4 minutes ago, Trioxide said:

Just got the official reply, and it sucks 

 

Dear customer, it's definitely a warranty void if you remove the stock cooler. ----------

Hi,

So if I understand this correctly, if I were to for example install a water block to cool 
my GPU, I would be voiding the warranty?
I'm asking because there's a lot of confusing info out there on the net, some claim, 
that it doesn't void the warranty, but that Asus requested if the GPU was sent to them 
for repair, it must be done with the stock/original cooler and not the water block.

Which makes sense, but to void the warranty just by removing the cooler seems a bit 
harsh...
So it's definitely a warranty void if I remove the stock cooler?

Thanks
----------------------
Dear customer,

this procedure would void the waranty.

Best regards

[Problem Description]
I don't have a problem, I'm just wondering, if I remove the stock cooler and reapply 
the thermal compound on my GPU, since it started to run kinda hot, if I void the 
wararnty doing this?
I'm asking, because there is a sticker/seal on one of the screws on the backside of 
my graphics card.
Basically, it would be the same situation if I would try to install a GPU water block...
I'm just wondering if this procedure would void the waranty?

They can´t do that.

Company EULA does not stand above country law when it comes to warranty.

[DXMember]

Just now, P4inz said:

Yes, so?

If you do it professionally, there won´t be any problem.
Do you think anyone who uses a custom waterloop is voiding their warranty instantly on purpose?

pretty much yes unless they are using the evga, xfx or the top end overclocking boards that are explicitly okayed by the manufacturer to remove the cooler, like Lightning, HOF, Matrix

 

even if it's not void immediately after your board dies because of the leak or impropely mounter block no reasonable board manufacturer will cover your ass

if the leak happens because of the faulty block you might be refunded by the block manufacturer but if you don't mount the block properly and your VRMs burn out then it's your fault

 

companies are not there to replace your hardware at any time, it's a loss for them and they will investigate the cause of failure and if there's a slightest reason to blame the user they will blame it on user error, ofcourse there are good exceptions but there are bad exceptions as well I've seen a company deny RMA on dead motherboard of a pre-built because the case had a scratch and charged the buyer for diagnostic even though they never opened the case for further investigation. Ofcourse they were wrong to deny RMA there and the buyer made a fuss about it asked to refund the diagnostic cost. The girl was a lawyer but for regular users it's just a huge hassle and generally not worth the effort.

I mean yeah if you go to court you can prove your right and get the hardware replaced on warranty but is it worth it?

 

That is why good customer support is very important for brand loyalty.

[Trioxide]

Well the answer came from: <techsupport[at]asus.com> so I guess, no wb will be mounter while the card is in warranty. Also the card had a max of 80C on load (3DMark and right after that Crysis 3 for about 40min)...

Edited February 22, 2016 by Trioxide

[DXMember]

13 minutes ago, P4inz said:

They can´t do that.

Company EULA does not stand above country law when it comes to warranty.

if there's a reason for you to replace the thermal compund because it's running too hot in the warranty period then you should RMA and make Asus reapply the thermal compound or replace the card for you

if the dish washer is leaking you don't patch it up you send it for a replacement

 

I am not familiar with your country law but I've never hard that the consumer is supposed to fix broken stuff and when it breaks completely send in for warranty - ofcourse the warranty will be void if you patch that leaking dish washer with nails and hammer

[P4inz]

Just now, DXMember said:

pretty much yes unless they are using the evga, xfx or the top end overclocking boards that are explicitly okayed by the manufacturer to remove the cooler, like Lightning, HOF, Matrix

 

even if it's not void immediately after your board dies because of the leak or impropely mounter block no reasonable board manufacturer will cover your ass

if the leak happens because of the faulty block you might be refunded by the block manufacturer but if you don't mount the block properly and your VRMs burn out then it's your fault

 

companies are not there to replace your hardware at any time, it's a loss for them and they will investigate the cause of failure and if there's a slightest reason to blame the user they will blame it on user error, ofcourse there are good exceptions but there are bad exceptions as well I've seen a company deny RMA on dead motherboard of a pre-built because the case had a scratch and charged the buyer for diagnostic even though they never opened the case for further investigation. Ofcourse they were wrong to deny RMA there and the buyer made a fuss about it asked to refund the diagnostic cost. The girl was a lawyer but for regular users it's just a huge hassle and generally not worth the effort.

I mean yeah if you go to court you can prove your right and get the hardware replaced on warranty but is it worth it?

 

That is why good customer support is very important for brand loyalty.

But that is what I also said.
If you choose to remove the sticker and tamper with it, you have to know what you do. If you damage it, it´s your fault naturally. Including leaks etc.

But if you do everything properly and it dies of "natural causes" or it already is a bad batch of the chip itself maybe, they can not decline you RMA.

[Trioxide]

Well it was jus an idea, I normally use Arctic MX-4 for everything. It put my I7 6700K from 53C with stock thermal compound from the H110i to 48-49C under load, 4C cooler, which is a substantial difference, if you ask me...

[P4inz]

3 minutes ago, DXMember said:

if there's a reason for you to replace the thermal compund because it's running too hot in the warranty period then you should RMA and make Asus reapply the thermal compound or replace the card for you

if the dish washer is leaking you don't patch it up you send it for a replacement

You are comparing apples with tomatoes, really. 

 

If you dishwasher is leaking, it is not working properly at all -> RMA reason.
You think your GPU is running too hot -> not an RMA reason.

No one I know and works with PCs will RMA his card because of the thermal compound. Chances are, the company will even bill you for that because it is not a return reason and they will tell you you should have used the card till it died from the heat.

[P4inz]

4 minutes ago, DXMember said:

I am not familiar with your country law but I've never hard that the consumer is supposed to fix broken stuff and when it breaks completely send in for warranty - ofcourse the warranty will be void if you patch that leaking dish washer with nails and hammer

Did you even read my post correctly and understood it? Where did I say you are supposed to fix stuff yourself?

[DXMember]

1 minute ago, P4inz said:

But that is what I also said.
If you choose to remove the sticker and tamper with it, you have to know what you do. If you damage it, it´s your fault naturally. Including leaks etc.

But if you do everything properly and it dies of "natural causes" or it already is a bad batch of the chip itself maybe, they can not decline you RMA.

with that I agree but inside the warranty period there should not be a legit reason for your to disassemble the product any probelm you encounter should be dealt with by the retailer, distributer or the original manufacturer

 

also running things out of specification is a subject to voiding warranty, proving that you ran it out of manufacturers original specification is a different subject though

[P4inz]

Just now, DXMember said:

with that I agree but inside the warranty period there should not be a legit reason for your to disassemble the product any probelm you encounter should be dealt with by the retailer, distributer or the original manufacturer

 

also running things out of specification is a subject to voiding warranty, proving that you ran it out of manufacturers original specification is a different subject though

So you should not be able to return your new car for warranty when you change the rims after buying because you don´t like the stock ones?

That´s basically what you´re saying.